View Full Version : it's not just walking
it's not just walking.
hiking the Appalachian Trail is hard.
period.
saying it is otherwise is doing an injustice to the novice and naive on this forum.
JumpMaster Blaster
03-03-2017, 20:50
Time to grab some popcorn...
ImAfraidOfBears
03-03-2017, 21:02
who or what are you addressing
Sarcasm the elf
03-03-2017, 21:04
I did some glissading over the weekend just north of Greylock does that count?
cmoulder
03-03-2017, 21:10
It's walking with camping gear and food. Sometimes in crappy weather.
Did I miss something? :)
Lone Wolf
03-03-2017, 21:11
it's not just walking.
hiking the Appalachian Trail is hard.
period.
saying it is otherwise is doing an injustice to the novice and naive on this forum.
i was a novice and naive once. didn't have the interweb, books or movies when i first walked the AT. it was just walkin' to me. i didn't find it very hard physically :)
Sarcasm the elf
03-03-2017, 21:14
It's walking with camping gear and food. Sometimes in crappy weather.
Did I miss something? :)
Yes,
Usually it's walking where it's okay to pee.
it's not just walking.
hiking the Appalachian Trail is hard.
period.
saying it is otherwise is doing an injustice to the novice and naive on this forum.
over the years I have read here (and peculiarly enough, only here on WB) that it is "just walking" and agree with you...paints a false picture of the task at hand. Maybe it IS a lark for a lucky few. But for most, especially the 3 of 4 who don't finish the thing, it is anything BUT a stroll in the park. Or perhaps I should say a 'walk in the woods" instead. I have always felt those who use that term, especially vis-a-vis a thru hike, are being a bit disingenuous for whatever reason they might have. now if you will excuse me, I think my popocorn is ready too.
for the 20% who drop at neel and the 50% who drop out by the time they get your neck of the woods, lone wolf, they might feel differently.
if you are lucky enough to find it a stroll then in my opinion you are very lucky indeed.
i romanticized the trail for 40 years. when i finally got out there with a somewhat older body, it was no longer soft pine needles under my feet and birds singing in the trees.
it was cold. it was wet. it was rocky. it was slippery. it was muddy.
it was also beautiful beyond words.
but it was never "just walking."
Just my two cents for people shooting for this year.
Nobody said hiking AT is easy but it is still walking . OP is venting for no reason mentioned.
Lone Wolf
03-03-2017, 21:51
for the 20% who drop at neel and the 50% who drop out by the time they get your neck of the woods, lone wolf, they might feel differently.
if you are lucky enough to find it a stroll then in my opinion you are very lucky indeed.
i romanticized the trail for 40 years. when i finally got out there with a somewhat older body, it was no longer soft pine needles under my feet and birds singing in the trees.
it was cold. it was wet. it was rocky. it was slippery. it was muddy.
it was also beautiful beyond words.
but it was never "just walking."
Just my two cents for people shooting for this year.
we're all different. i'm a Marine. it makes a difference
Nobody said hiking AT is easy but it is still walking . OP is venting for no reason mentioned.
Is it just walking? Of course it is. But the analogy is a lot like saying playing in the NFL is just another form of exercise. (and maybe it is to some of them). Or differential equations or chaos theory is "just math". (and maybe it is to a few mathematically gifted people). if you found it easy, that is wonderful...just that most don't. No need for boasting about it. For me, the thing was work...and a challenge...and I loved it. But it was a challenge.
MuddyWaters
03-03-2017, 22:00
Its just a path in the woods
Its as hard, or as easy, as YOU make it.
I see groups of geriatrics out for dayhikes frequently, enjoying themselves.
colorado_rob
03-03-2017, 22:02
We were born to walk. Humans are the most amazing walking machines that ever existed on earth. "Back in the day" we could basically hunt much faster 4-legged animals simply be out-distancing them, because we burn way fewer calories and can stay warmer and cooler. If you embrace this fact that we have this amazing innate ability to walk a very, very long way, and make walking a major part of your lifestyle, meaning you stay fit and don't just sit in a chair most of your life, the AT really is just walking. If you have found that walking the AT is that difficult, well, either change your lifestyle (and thus lose weight and get back into shape), and learn a few things about hiking/camping, or choose another hobby.
We were born to walk. Humans are the most amazing walking machines that ever existed on earth. "Back in the day" we could basically hunt much faster 4-legged animals simply be out-distancing them, because we burn way fewer calories and can stay warmer and cooler. If you embrace this fact that we have this amazing innate ability to walk a very, very long way, and make walking a major part of your lifestyle, meaning you stay fit and don't just sit in a chair most of your life, the AT really is just walking. If you have found that walking the AT is that difficult, well, either change your lifestyle (and thus lose weight and get back into shape), and learn a few things about hiking/camping, or choose another hobby.
I somewhat agree with your premise.However, when you say we are hardwired to walk along ways, I don't think any model was predicated on 5-6 months of continuous 12 hours a day of walking. Our ancestors, like most hunter gatherers, had brief periods of intense work interspersed with equal amounts of rest. Besides, why pursue a hobby that isn't in some ways challenging? I like golf for the very same reason. But to some,golf is just "hitting a round ball into a small hole".For the record, I can walk better than I golf.
Hikingjim
03-03-2017, 22:32
I found hiking very hard at first... with my big pack, walmart gear, etc. So what did I do to train and remedy this?
More walking, because in fact it is just walkin'. Just a special kind that you need a few tools and some mental strength
Walking is one key element of backpacking but the two are not the same. Walking the dog a 1/2 mile, always within 1/2 mile of the house, in your Spiderman PJ's and Sheepskin liner slippers wearing no backpack or carrying little or no gear, with no need to independently make it on your own through several days and nights is walking. Walking is taking the garbage cans to the curb. Walking the garbage cans to the next state 300 miles away is something else.
If they were the same "just walking" you wouldn't recognize any difference between a 15 miler toting a USMC ILBE with 120 lb load out or 90 lb MARPAT Assault ready up and on your person air drop to the LZ with a 15 miler back to barracks with a 15 mile stroll across the farm around the perimeter and to the mess hall in just fatigues.
Maineiac64
03-03-2017, 22:35
The OP may have been responding to a response on another thread. Maybe not.
Tipi Walter
03-03-2017, 23:04
it's not just walking.
hiking the Appalachian Trail is hard.
period.
saying it is otherwise is doing an injustice to the novice and naive on this forum.
The "It's just walking" mantra is used to deflate the mostly newb backpackers who get overinflated like balloons---about all aspects of their planned AT thruhike---Endless parsing over their gear lists and shuttles and mail drops and diets and clothing and data books and "how cold is it in March" hysteria. They cyber hike their hike to death and so experienced "old hands" throw up their arms in frustration and say "It's just walking!!"
In other words, give it a rest and just get out there and start walking. Don't overthink it. If you pull a week and that's all you want to do, well, pack up and go home.
for the 20% who drop at neel and the 50% who drop out by the time they get your neck of the woods, lone wolf, they might feel differently.
if you are lucky enough to find it a stroll then in my opinion you are very lucky indeed.
i romanticized the trail for 40 years. when i finally got out there with a somewhat older body, it was no longer soft pine needles under my feet and birds singing in the trees.
it was cold. it was wet. it was rocky. it was slippery. it was muddy.
it was also beautiful beyond words.
but it was never "just walking."
Just my two cents for people shooting for this year.
I define backpacking as Managing Discomfort. Of course it's going to be cold and wet and rocky and slippery and muddy and other stuff alot worse. But for the highly interrupted AT thruhikers it's also going to be about motel rooms and AYCE buffets and hot showers and full rat-box trail shelters and crowds and dope smokers and crowds. Did I mention crowds? It IS just walking, but it's also "just" spending money in towns etc. Take your pick of the definitions.
And btw Pages---What happened to your blog?
Pendragon
03-03-2017, 23:18
Me, I hopped, skipped and jumped for about 460 miles before I had to call it a day and go back home to stew in the sad fact that I hadn't the vacation time or disposable income to finish the trail. It was, to paraphrase that once great commander and chief of this great nation of ours, Franklin D. Roosevelt, a day that will "live in infamy". Or not. ANYway.........I slogged thru aforementioned mucho miliage with my five ton backpack which I had the great good fortune and sense to trade in for a lighter one in the mud and the blood (well, yes, I did bleed from my blisters and raw spots, tyvm) and cold freezing rain and other such trials and tribulations to report to you fine novice fellow backpackers that YES, it was DAMN hard, and although, technically, it WAS walking, it wasn't JUST walking, it was walking with a capital W. The kind of walking that subtracts a good eighth of your body weight, which coming off a small person who doesn't have that much weight to begin with, can be somewhat HIGH impact as opposed to low impact, which "just walking" would imply. It also hurts. As in provides plenty of PAIN. The kind of pain that hauling that heavy backpack full of things you shouldn't have put on your back if ONLY you'd known better BEFOREHAND up the side of mountains and back down again in a kind of "controlled crashland" that takes it's toll on your tendons and ligaments and muscles and other body parts which scream at you, especially at the end of those long LONG days, "what in the HELL are you DOING to us????!!!!" to which you have no answer until......well, until those spiritual moments that answer that question. Yea, just walking. "Just" being relative. It's ALL relative.
Tipi Walter
03-03-2017, 23:45
I wrote this crap up on my last February trip when I was holed up in my tent with bronchitis or walking pneumonia and thinking about the different options available for backpackers pulling the AT---
"Pull 7 miles per day and 42 miles per 6 days with Day 7 a zero. It will take 50 weeks to go 2,100 miles. Could be the best year of your life---and in all 4 seasons. Anybody can do 7 mile days, even with a 65 lb pack."
"Or if you want to haul 25 days worth of food with an 80 lb pack you could pull 2 mile days (with a Day 7 zero) and pull 2,100 miles in about 3 years and 10 months. What an awesome trip. You'll have to resupply but with an 80 lb pack you could stay out for 25 or 30 days between resupply---nice! That means about 46 resupplies in 3 years, 10 months. You'll see 4 long winters and everything in between. An epic trip of a lifetime."
"Realistically speaking, even with an 80 lb pack you'll be punching out more than 2 miles a day but who cares? Set a 2 mile a day goal and after 48 miles per month we'll see you at resupply. In reality you'll be starting out with 2 mile days and then up around 7 mile days as the pack drops to 60 or 50 lbs by Day 15 or so. No sweat."
Point is, if you find the Forced March of the AT with 20 mile days to be too much, well, do less miles and plan to stay out for a couple years. Why not? We're either indoors or outdoors. And I assume the Whiteblaze crowd is all about being outdoors.
Sarcasm the elf
03-03-2017, 23:56
The thread Kinda reminds me of this photo.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/600x315/37/42/3b/37423b9161887caf46219b31929dfd93.jpg
(And no, that's not me.)
Tippi Walter I've been concentrating on a different kind of writing the last several years.
Feral Bill
03-04-2017, 00:40
As a high school kid in a wheelchair said to a peer grumbling about walking somewhere: "Walking is a privilege".
btw , the OP just came on here after being absent for several years because he is attempting to "just walk" from GA to ME again this year (2017) and wanted to see if there were any last minute trail closures or re-routes.
it bothers me when people tell other people it's "just walking." maybe for them it was, but the trail is littered with thousands of wasted efforts of those who couldn't "just walk" 30 miles to neel gap.
that's the reality.
If this thread was aimed at LW I agree with Tipi that LW's mantra taken into context, as I assume he meant it, can actually help.
"It's just walking" mantra is used to deflate the mostly new backpackers who get overinflated like balloons---about all aspects of their planned AT thruhike---Endless parsing over their gear lists and shuttles and mail drops and diets and clothing and data books and "how cold is it in March" hysteria. They cyber hike their hike to death and so experienced "old hands" throw up their arms in frustration and say "It's just walking!!"
I do like ribbing LW a bit though. But he's a Marine. He can take all I dish out. ;)
Lone Wolf
03-04-2017, 01:10
if this thread was aimed at lw i agree with tipi that lw's mantra taken into context, as i assume he meant it, can actually help.
"it's just walking" mantra is used to deflate the mostly new backpackers who get overinflated like balloons---about all aspects of their planned at thruhike---endless parsing over their gear lists and shuttles and mail drops and diets and clothing and data books and "how cold is it in march" hysteria. They cyber hike their hike to death and so experienced "old hands" throw up their arms in frustration and say "it's just walking!!"
i do like ribbing lw a bit though. But he's a marine. He can take all i dish out. ;)
:d.............
Tipi Walter
03-04-2017, 01:30
it bothers me when people tell other people it's "just walking." maybe for them it was, but the trail is littered with thousands of wasted efforts of those who couldn't "just walk" 30 miles to neel gap.
that's the reality.
"That's the reality" has an ominous finality about it---as if the trail is literally littered with thousands of wasted efforts of those who couldn't "just walk" 30 miles to Neels Gap---when in fact the trail IS NOT littered with thousands of wasted efforts.
You make it sound as if it's a supreme struggle between a person and the trail and his gear, not just walking but some kind of ultimate challenge. It's just backpacking. Some people quit after a week. So what? And for them I don't see it as a wasted effort. There's no ordained deity requiring all those who start should finish. Or should even like any part of the endeavor. Live and learn.
Some people don't have the calling to backpack or live outdoors or spend weeks hiking long distances. And they won't know this until they try and/or fail.
There are others who have found what they love in the outdoors with a pack on their backs and these folks won't quit until they can't walk anymore. But they cannot rightfully say that their kind of love should apply to anyone else. It's personal. Just grab your kit and go---whether for a night or a week or a month. Forget about all others.
So what if it's tough? So is working 40 hours a week inside an office. Or driving a truck on the Interstate all year. Or raising kids and never being able to get out.
If this thread was aimed at LW I agree with Tipi that LW's mantra taken into context, as I assume he meant it, can actually help.
"It's just walking" mantra is used to deflate the mostly new backpackers who get overinflated like balloons---about all aspects of their planned AT thruhike---Endless parsing over their gear lists and shuttles and mail drops and diets and clothing and data books and "how cold is it in March" hysteria. They cyber hike their hike to death and so experienced "old hands" throw up their arms in frustration and say "It's just walking!!"
I do like ribbing LW a bit though. But he's a Marine. He can take all I dish out. ;)
point taken dogwood and the thread wasn't directed at any marine in particular.
Smithereens
03-04-2017, 05:05
Walking. Walking at work, walking at the local park with it's neatly groomed shrubs and paved "trails", walking the smooth, flat and uninteresting places; malls and city sidewalks... THAT is not walking! Sure, it's something similar as it uses a bit of the same motions and muscles, but it is soulless and without it's own meaning. A pale mimicry of the type of walking that is so rooted in the human experience as to have shaped not only our physical form, but also the way we think and function. When I am on the trail, any trail as long as it follows the mountains, I find a connection to my ancestors who undertook the most epic migration of any species ever on Earth. I find a connection to that calm inner self and there find a deeper connection to all life.
It is just walking. Anything else is walking in name only.
Eh gawd, I'm tired and getting wordy... Need food, need sleep...
coach lou
03-04-2017, 06:46
we're all different. i'm a Marine. it makes a difference
38471
Ha Ha.....Marines out for a stroll with ultralight gear!
Semper Fi Wolfie!
Its just a path in the woods
Its as hard, or as easy, as YOU make it.
I see groups of geriatrics out for dayhikes frequently, enjoying themselves.
x2 and through hiking isn't everyone cup of tea.
Thom
The thread Kinda reminds me of this photo.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/600x315/37/42/3b/37423b9161887caf46219b31929dfd93.jpg
(And no, that's not me.)
Coffee, meet sinuses.
illabelle
03-04-2017, 07:39
More than once I've contemplated starting a similar thread, "It's not just walking". Somebody should put together at AT video horror story composed of spills and tumbles and faceplants, bruises and fractures and bug attacks. That would be awesome.
In town, a "walk" is a mindless effortless stroll with scarcely a glance at the ground. The only real hazards are walking into sign posts or stepping into traffic without thinking. Or maybe encountering an annoying acquaintance. Or a yappy dog. Or gum on the sidewalk. On the AT, a "walk" is mindless effortless strolling at times. Forgettable times, even if it's 80% (or more) of the trail.
The walking that sinks deep into your memory is composed of gasping, grasping, panting, sweating. It's tripping over those stupid rocks when your toe was already sore. It's pole-vaulting across black mucky mudholes. It's slipping in the mud just after you carefully and gracefully tiptoed across a stream. It's taking one step, then another, instead of allowing yourself to be overwhelmed by the stupendous ascent before you. It's sailing in wind and fog over a grassy bald. It's skimming along bog bridges at a pace you didn't think you could do. It's ascending into the alpine zone and feeling its chill. It's finding iron and steel under the flab.
Context matters.
Hiker #1: I just finished past the 1/2 way point and made life-long friends, tested my limits and came to appreciate the beauty of the Eastern Forests.
Brother-in-law: Its just walking. I got my handicap down to 8 this summer.
Hiker #2: I am so stressed about my upcoming thru hike. I have been planning for months and can't decide between carbon fiber or aluminum poles. I am very concerned about how to best change my workout to prep, given I am 20 lbs overweight and do mostly cardio.
Pithy Internet Person: Its just walking. Do your research, but don't worry so much.
In otherwords, I am thinking this is a thread where everyone is right ��.
Traveler
03-04-2017, 09:07
It is only what one makes it. Everyone will be different in how they experience and translate that experience to others.
ScareBear
03-04-2017, 09:26
One sherpa's walk is another man's Everest ascent....everyone differs. For many, the AT is their Everest. For others, it's just a walk. YMMV....
[QUOTE=Tipi Walter;2132081]The "It's just walking" mantra is used to deflate the mostly newb backpackers who get overinflated like balloons---about all aspects of their planned AT thruhike---Endless parsing over their gear lists and shuttles and mail drops and diets and clothing and data books and "how cold is it in March" hysteria. They cyber hike their hike to death and so experienced "old hands" throw up their arms in frustration and say "It's just walking!!"
/QUOTE]
Somewhere between the fear and dread of the newbie planning his or her first hike (be it a thru or section) and the ennui of the "it's just walking" seasoned hiker is the "real truth" (whatever that might be). And as others have said, to define hiking/backpacking solely on one's own perception is a bit narrow minded.
colorado_rob
03-04-2017, 09:52
.... I like golf for the very same reason. But to some,golf is just "hitting a round ball into a small hole".For the record, I can walk better than I golf.Hah! Alas, same here, my walking keeps getting better, but my golfing.... well, not. I plateaued about 40 years ago. None of my circle of hiking friends golf, in fact they make fun of the game, but they just don't get the mental challenge of the game. It's refreshing to find a fellow hiker who golfs! I've gotten used to being made fun of for loving the game....
GANGGREEN
03-04-2017, 10:01
"That's the reality" has an ominous finality about it---as if the trail is literally littered with thousands of wasted efforts of those who couldn't "just walk" 30 miles to Neels Gap---when in fact the trail IS NOT littered with thousands of wasted efforts.
You make it sound as if it's a supreme struggle between a person and the trail and his gear, not just walking but some kind of ultimate challenge. It's just backpacking. Some people quit after a week. So what? And for them I don't see it as a wasted effort. There's no ordained deity requiring all those who start should finish. Or should even like any part of the endeavor. Live and learn.
Some people don't have the calling to backpack or live outdoors or spend weeks hiking long distances. And they won't know this until they try and/or fail.
There are others who have found what they love in the outdoors with a pack on their backs and these folks won't quit until they can't walk anymore. But they cannot rightfully say that their kind of love should apply to anyone else. It's personal. Just grab your kit and go---whether for a night or a week or a month. Forget about all others.
So what if it's tough? So is working 40 hours a week inside an office. Or driving a truck on the Interstate all year. Or raising kids and never being able to get out.
Bingo. I've never done it and I'm very seriously considering doing it upon my retirement (I'm hopeful that I may be able to retire this year and start a thru-hike in 2018). That said, part of the reason that I've never tried it is that I've been led to believe that it's some miraculous thing that can only be done by the most highly trained athletes and those with iron wills. While I admit that "it's just walking" is a bit simplistic and probably outright false, there are plenty of normal people out there who do it and those who suggest that it's something mystical or epic are doing the rest of us a disservice too.
Me, I'm 51 presently (soon 52), work in law enforcement and I'm in better shape than 90% of the men my age. My concern is really less about my physical ability to do it than it is about my emotional and mental ability. Thankfully, my kids are mostly grown up (college or post-college age), but I'd still be leaving my wife and my dogs at home, not to mention that I've simply never tried to be away and on my own for long periods of time like this. We'll see, but I for one am glad that some people take the stigma and mystery out of a through hike and acknowledge that it's "just walking", even if it is a bit simplistic to suggest as much.
Tipi Walter
03-04-2017, 10:05
And as others have said, to define hiking/backpacking solely on one's own perception is a bit narrow minded.
Don't sure what you mean by this. "One's own perception" is pretty much all we have. Shall I define my experience of backpacking using someone else's brain and nervous system? A newb will define "backpacking" using whatever perceptions he has available---An expert will do the same. Our perceptions change over time and with added experiences. No sweat.
Don't sure what you mean by this. "One's own perception" is pretty much all we have. Shall I define my experience of backpacking using someone else's brain and nervous system? A newb will define "backpacking" using whatever perceptions he has available---An expert will do the same. Our perceptions change over time and with added experiences. No sweat.
I should have been clearer....to define it based on our own perception thinking that it is a universal truth and that others must experience it the same way. I have known thru hikers who hated it. Others loved it. Most fell somewhere in the middle. Who's right? It's presumptuous to think others will experience backpacking or hiking exactly in the same way as I or you do. (Not saying that you have done this in any of your posts). That's why I am dismissive of posts that label it as "just walking" or "it's brutal" or anything thing else that tries to be definitive, "one size fits all" summation of long distance backpacking.
MuddyWaters
03-04-2017, 11:24
. That said, part of the reason that I've never tried it is that I've been led to believe that it's some miraculous thing that can only be done by the most highly trained athletes and those with iron wills. While I admit that "it's just walking" is a bit simplistic and probably outright false, there are plenty of normal people out there who do it and those who suggest that it's something mystical or epic are doing the rest of us a disservice too.
Its been done by very young children
By people carrying babies
By very old, 70+
By families
By obese
By blind
By a guy carrying a tuba...
People make it out to be more than it is, either to pad their ego, or justify their failure.
Its just a path in the woods. Much semi-rural.
gpburdelljr
03-04-2017, 12:44
Sour grapes.
It is just walking. But how many people want to walk all day every day for 5 to 7 months? Most people don't even think about what this will be like until they get out there. So yeah, a lot of people quit for a variety of reasons. But at the heart of the matter is the fact that they decide they don't want to walk anymore.
Bingo. I've never done it and I'm very seriously considering doing it upon my retirement (I'm hopeful that I may be able to retire this year and start a thru-hike in 2018). That said, part of the reason that I've never tried it is that I've been led to believe that it's some miraculous thing that can only be done by the most highly trained athletes and those with iron wills. While I admit that "it's just walking" is a bit simplistic and probably outright false, there are plenty of normal people out there who do it and those who suggest that it's something mystical or epic are doing the rest of us a disservice too.
Me, I'm 51 presently (soon 52), work in law enforcement and I'm in better shape than 90% of the men my age. My concern is really less about my physical ability to do it than it is about my emotional and mental ability. Thankfully, my kids are mostly grown up (college or post-college age), but I'd still be leaving my wife and my dogs at home, not to mention that I've simply never tried to be away and on my own for long periods of time like this. We'll see, but I for one am glad that some people take the stigma and mystery out of a through hike and acknowledge that it's "just walking", even if it is a bit simplistic to suggest as much.
OK, you've identified some issues(potential personal conflicts) pre hike. Good. But what have you learned through LE training? Isn't crisis/conflict management - solution mindedness - part of the career? Apply the same to long backpacking trips.
How about having your wife and dogs meet you on your hike possibly spending time together hiking a few days, maybe several times, in locations you and your wife wanted to visit? Waterfalls, NP's, small Appalachia towns, hot springs, scenic nearby drives, B&B's, and scenic overlooks can be romantic memorable experiences. How about going home to Coudersport for a few days? How about getting your family at home somehow involved in the experience making it a family experience rather than perceiving it as a separated from family lone wolf experience? How about communicating through writing, journaling, posting pics, or somehow connecting with your family as previously similarly experienced? How about inspiring your family to inspire you on the hike? While honestly soul searchingly recognizing issues and addressing them brainstorm the positives. They exist too, and not only for you. Point them out to all involved. Having gratitude that you're addressing loved one issues can be a great mental and emotional lifter.
Lone Wolf
03-04-2017, 14:00
Hah! Alas, same here, my walking keeps getting better, but my golfing.... well, not. I plateaued about 40 years ago. None of my circle of hiking friends golf, in fact they make fun of the game, but they just don't get the mental challenge of the game. It's refreshing to find a fellow hiker who golfs! I've gotten used to being made fun of for loving the game....
i golf a lot. but i'm still just an 18 hdcp.
B.j. Clark
03-04-2017, 14:54
Hah! Alas, same here, my walking keeps getting better, but my golfing.... well, not. I plateaued about 40 years ago. None of my circle of hiking friends golf, in fact they make fun of the game, but they just don't get the mental challenge of the game. It's refreshing to find a fellow hiker who golfs! I've gotten used to being made fun of for loving the game....
I have played the game since my Dad taught me almost 60 years ago. Also 15 years as a golf coach, but my backpacking binge as well as injuries sustained hiking and trail running the last couple of years have absolutely ruined my game. I'm hoping it warms up enough to hit a few balls again before I hit the trail again in April. Something there is to watching the trajectory of a well struck ball. And in the fall, if all goes well golf again! Walking a golf course and chasing a little white ball is great fun.
And in the fall, if all goes well golf again! Walking a golf course and chasing a little white ball is great fun.
I do too much walking in the woods to call chasing that little white ball "fun"
and yes, I'm talking about golf, not hiking.
B.j. Clark
03-04-2017, 15:38
I do too much walking in the woods to call chasing that little white ball "fun"
and yes, I'm talking about golf, not hiking.
You've got to hit it where they mow!!
bamboo bob
03-04-2017, 16:34
I define backpacking as Managing Discomfort. Of course it's going to be cold and wet and rocky and slippery and muddy and other stuff alot worse. But for the highly interrupted AT thruhikers it's also going to be about motel rooms and AYCE buffets and hot showers and full rat-box trail shelters and crowds and dope smokers and crowds. Did I mention crowds? It IS just walking, but it's also "just" spending money in towns etc. Take your pick of the definitions.
I agree 100%. Reminds me of the campers who get home and say they need to sleep on the floor because that's what they got used to. Never mind that they slept in motels and hostels on a weekly (at least) basis for 5-6 months.
TX Aggie
03-04-2017, 16:56
It comes down to perspective. There are many out there who never even thought of doing something like a thru hike before, and for them their first two or three day extended hike alone can be more than "just a walk."
Then there are others who grew up in the woods. Hunting, fishing, farming, camping, in all manner of varieties and settings. For them, it's just slightly more than just a walk.
Then there the 1% who lived several years of their lives in the woods, but it wasn't Cuban fiber packs and ultralight tents they were carrying. It was a 60 lb rucksack filled with MRE's, shelter halfs, and snivel gear, augmented with an additional 25-50 lbs of weapons and ammo. You ask them what their ultralight pack weighed and they would say something around 35 lbs would have been a blessing.
For those, a 25lb, ultra padded backpack while wearing lightweight shoes and clothes, and not having to worry about getting shot at: they very well might call an AT thru hike a simple walk.
Perspective makes a difference.
Walk only until you are not enjoying it, then stop. It's the journey, not the destination.
If you walk at all you are ahead of much of the couch potato public.
rocketsocks
03-04-2017, 17:37
i golf a lot. but i'm still just an 18 hdcp.blue tee sand bagger :D
GANGGREEN
03-04-2017, 17:40
Yep, considering all of these things. What's going to make a bit more difficult is that I'll likely be retired and the wife won't be. She'll obviously want to see me and be involved, but her vacation time is at a premium. I also do intend to make at least one or two short trips home during the through hike. Thanks for the thoughts, they were well-advised and will be heeded.
to me it is not just walking
it is also passing a lot of gas
MuddyWaters
03-04-2017, 18:14
even though I carry a very light pack
More times than I could recall, Ive been sweat soaked, resting on top of a mtn, taking a break, in the middle of a 18-25 mile day
When a gaggle of dayhiking 60+ yr old ladies comes along, chatting and not not sweating
The difference, is they chose the easy way, and I chose the harder
My choice, my consequences
In my opinion walking is the easy part. I think completing a thru hike is based more on mental toughness than physical. If one starts out slow and easy it is easy to build up strength and endurance. The hard part is keeping a positive mental attitude. I left the hiker hostel with 5 others all with the intention of just walking to ME. One, an inexperienced young gun quit within a couple of weeks. He could walk. That was the easy part. The rest of the group were retired like me. One made it to the GSMNP and quit. The reason, he was not having fun. The daily grind was not what he planned. Another went home for his son's graduation after walking 600 miles, but never returned. Family ties were stronger than the desire to hike. The fourth member of our starting group who had already successfully completed a thru hike, went 725 miles before he decided he was done thru hiking. He said he was able to continue physically but the rewards were too little. So out of the starting group of 6, two of us completed a thru hike.
There seems to be many who either lack experience and/or confidence that stress and obsess over gear, food, mail drops, etc. To them the answer is it's just walking. The best solution to answer many of these questions is to get out and hike. Figure these things out before you take on a 5-6 month journey.
I think a thru hike today is a lot easier than it used to be. Forty years ago about the only reference to thru hiking the AT were books by Ed Garvey or Eric Ryback. There was no such thing as a Thru Hikers Companion. Today there are several thru hiking guides, videos, seminars, forums, and blogs. Today's gear is so much lighter. There is trail magic at every road crossing. Hostels every couple of days. Shuttles for slackpacking. So yeah, thru hiking can be hard. But if it was easy, everyone would be doing it and the completion rate would be closer to 100%.
But if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.
Soilman, a few years back I used to work with a bunch of design/engineering guys who used to love to take on projects or jobs that no one else wanted. The motto of our group was - 1) "if it was easy, everybody could do it." and 2) "if it was easy, it wouldn't be any fun". Your quote brought back memories.Thanks. Hope you are doing well.
Sarcasm the elf
03-04-2017, 20:21
https://i.imgflip.com/1ksk6u.jpg (https://imgflip.com/i/1ksk6u)via Imgflip Meme Generator (https://imgflip.com/memegenerator)
Hikingjim
03-04-2017, 20:32
This defines my once or twice a year golfing experience:
I have knocked the head off about 5 drivers by mistake over the years. My daughter uses them as hiking sticks now.
Lone Wolf
03-04-2017, 20:41
https://i.imgflip.com/1ksk6u.jpg (https://imgflip.com/i/1ksk6u)via imgflip meme generator (https://imgflip.com/memegenerator):d....................
oldwetherman
03-04-2017, 21:34
1+ to what TX Aggie said.
My wife is 108 pounds and north of 50 (I'm treading on thin ice). Yesterday, she carried a 27 pound pack over 20 miles from Low Gap to Sassafras Gap, finishing with a smile on her face. It's all relative, but it is just walking.
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Lone Wolf
03-04-2017, 21:50
My wife is 108 pounds and north of 50 (I'm treading on thin ice). Yesterday, she carried a 27 pound pack over 20 miles from Low Gap to Sassafras Gap, finishing with a smile on her face. It's all relative, but it is just walking.
Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk :)..........
fiddlehead
03-04-2017, 22:58
It's just walkin to some.
It's pain and misery to others.
Which one are you?
Sure I've had problems with bugs, rain, fires, unpleasant people, but the great moments totally outnumber the bad ones by far.
If you don't like walking, perhaps another hobby is better for you.
Mountain Mike
03-04-2017, 23:22
It'a just walking: day after day, mile after mile, in the hot sun, in the rain, in the snow, in the cold, when sore or tired. Been done by all ages & people with disabilities. Technically it is a "Walk in the Park" due to it NST designation. Is it easy? Not always, nor is it always fun. Like life it's what you make of it. Take the good with the bad. For some a vacation is sitting poolside drinking cocktails with little umbrellas. I prefer to test myself. Learn & push my limits. Just because a walk on the trail has roots or rocks on it doesn't mean it's not walking. It's putting one foot in front of the other.
jj dont play
03-05-2017, 00:26
I find those that have truly experienced adversity see it for what it is "just walking" and tend to "make it all the way".
For some the AT is their first experience with adversity, and those people tend to have a rougher time with it.
Just my 2cents
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well, from reading a lot of this, I'd say it's unique to each person doing it. Nobody really knows what it's like for anybody else. I wonder, tho, for anybody who thinks it's "just walking" -- why do it?
Traveler
03-05-2017, 07:36
well, from reading a lot of this, I'd say it's unique to each person doing it. Nobody really knows what it's like for anybody else. I wonder, tho, for anybody who thinks it's "just walking" -- why do it?
The point missed.
well, from reading a lot of this, I'd say it's unique to each person doing it. Nobody really knows what it's like for anybody else. I wonder, tho, for anybody who thinks it's "just walking" -- why do it?
Ignoring the context that "it's just walkin" general occurs and answering your question literally.
there are few things in life I would rather do than walk. It is how I relax, stay in shape and process complex information and problems. I walk on the trail, in my neighborhood and even in my office and conference room during meetings. Over the years running has also started to serve the same purpose.
As an aside, I always chuckle when people quit a thru attempt claiming they just didn't like the walking part.
As an aside, I always chuckle when people quit a thru attempt claiming they just didn't like the walking part.
This reminds me of a quote from a guy who I hiked and camped with for a day or 2 south of Harper's Ferry. He said he loved the AT, he just hated backpacking!:) He did make it to Harper's Ferry and got off, which is still a pretty nice hike at the end of the day.
There was another guy (with girlfriend) who seemed to be in every little hiking town holed up in the hostels and taverns holding court and telling tales of his hikes, current and former. You could leave Franklin before him and you would be guaranteed to see him in Hot Springs when you got there. However you would never see him pass you while hiking to get there. Nor would anyone else. Reminded me of my working days when I used to supervise other people - I noticed that ALL of them liked their paycheck. However some of them didn't like doing the work necessary to receive the paycheck.
I guess I channel LW and Tipi.
It is just walking. Life is just living.
But that does not mean what the literal minded seem to think it does. LW is promoting a state of mind. He is trying to educate. Pay attention to the teacher. This approach 'works' in spades for a lot of people. It is very common to those who have spent time in the service - though not unique to there of course. One does not approach something which is hard and long from the perspective of thinking about how far the end of the process is away, but rather at the daily or even hourly task. It provides encouragement and fights off despair. 'You only have to take one step at a time.' 'It is just walking.' 'There is nothing I have to do today that I cannot do.' Etc.
Some are motivated other ways like exaggerating how hard it is in their minds and then when they 'overcome' the task their emotions are uplifted and it gives them motivation to 'succeed' again the next day - sort of a daily combat with the Wilds.
What ever works.
Other than those injured pretty much everyone can do this - if their mind stays in the game and they continue to find in it a positive result. If you don't find such things then perhaps it is not the activity for you - you could play...golf. Thru hiking has no ultimate meaning really...unless it having ultimate meaning is crucial to your success.
After all it is just walking...right?
By very old, 70+
Hey, who are you calling old? [emoji3]
But that does not mean what the literal minded seem to think it does. LW is promoting a state of mind. He is trying to educate. Pay attention to the teacher. This approach 'works' in spades for a lot of people. It is very common to those who have spent time in the service - though not unique to there of course. One does not approach something which is hard and long from the perspective of thinking about how far the end of the process is away, but rather at the daily or even hourly task. It provides encouragement and fights off despair. 'You only have to take one step at a time.' 'It is just walking.' 'There is nothing I have to do today that I cannot do.' Etc.
In this sense the quote makes perfect sense. Without the context though I find it a bit arrogant and condescending. I help some local high schools with math (I'm a retired engineer). For whatever reason, math makes perfect sense to me. Always has.I find it easy. But I see how the kids that I tutor struggle with basic high school algebra. I don't get that but I keep that thought to myself. Should I tell them "C'mon man, it's just basic high school math...anyone should know how to do THAT??!!" There is absolutely no way I would say that to them.It would kill any hope that they would have of overcoming to what is to them them a very difficult obstacle.So if we are blessed to have the health and time to long distance hike, we should be grateful for that and realize that others may not.
So when we say "if hiking is difficult for you, you should take up another hobby" what are we accomplishing? perhaps intimidating those who are just getting started and haven't quite figured things out yet? Perhaps we are embarrassing those who aren't in the best of physical condition but would like to be. I have said this before, the tone of this site is often times diametrically opposed to what you encounter when not behind a keyboard but out hiking and interacting with others. In the real world, we (the hiking community) are encouraging and helpful to those who we meet that are out there struggling due to heavy loads, injuries, improper gear, etc. from what I have witnessed. Here? we tell them to go do something else if they struggle a bit.
Let me repeat, i have no issue with the comment in the context that you propose, However I do not think it is meant that way most of the time. As they say though, that is my opinion and I very well could be wrong.
The three-word phrase in question is LW's stock response whenever threads get overly wonky about... almost anything. His deep thoughts are meant to fit on a bumper sticker.
It's a perfect half-truth. At times it rings true, and other times, it's bull. Anyone who's actually spent more than a few days on the trail understands that.
gpburdelljr
03-05-2017, 12:34
Anyone that begins any endeavor, and believes that a single phrase about that endeavor says it all, is doomed to fail.
it was cold. it was wet. it was rocky. it was slippery. it was muddy.
It took you 40 years to figure this out?
well, from reading a lot of this, I'd say it's unique to each person doing it. Nobody really knows what it's like for anybody else. I wonder, tho, for anybody who thinks it's "just walking" -- why do it?
Ignoring the context that "it's just walkin" general occurs and answering your question literally.
there are few things in life I would rather do than walk. It is how I relax, stay in shape and process complex information and problems. I walk on the trail, in my neighborhood and even in my office and conference room during meetings. Over the years running has also started to serve the same purpose.
As an aside, I always chuckle when people quit a thru attempt claiming they just didn't like the walking part.
Fine. But you don't need to buy gear, strap on a backpack, sleep in the cold, etc., if , to you it's "just walking". Go to the mall. Walk back and forth between Sears and Macys. It's a lot cheaper and more comfortable.
This is the kind of post that Baltimore Jack would have posted some of his words of wisdom on. We all miss you Jack.
Fine. But you don't need to buy gear, strap on a backpack, sleep in the cold, etc., if , to you it's "just walking". Go to the mall. Walk back and forth between Sears and Macys. It's a lot cheaper and more comfortable.
But, I also like nature, wilderness, solitude and physical extremes. That is why my preferred walking is hiking.
This is the kind of post that Baltimore Jack would have posted some of his words of wisdom on. We all miss you Jack.
There's enough wisdom within here already; it's just that no one is persuaded or enlightened by it. This forum and others are really just a way for us each to speak over one another, perhaps educating ourselves with our own thoughts.
The debate is whether thru-hiking is "just walking." But it's easy to see in that very statement that it is not, or it would be called walking.
Fine. But you don't need to buy gear, strap on a backpack, sleep in the cold, etc., if , to you it's "just walking". Go to the mall. Walk back and forth between Sears and Macys. It's a lot cheaper and more comfortable.
But, I also like nature, wilderness, solitude and physical extremes. That is why my preferred walking is hiking.
Yeah, this is kinda the thing I'm trying to get at...to you, it's not really "just walking". It's all those aspects you mentioned - nature, solitude, etc. Everyone has their own reason for doing something like taking on the AT.
I have a sidewalk outside my front door. When I want to "just go walking", I use that sidewalk. I have to want something more when I go looking for a hiking trail...
jjozgrunt
03-05-2017, 16:47
Here's my take, it's not called hiking in Australia, it's bushwalking. 1 day, multi day, through walk, it's all bushwalking. Walking in the bush with a pack on. Some people just try to over complicate the simple.
sureaboutthis
03-05-2017, 19:22
I recall a lot more falling than walking, personally. But I'm a **** hiker.
TX Aggie
03-05-2017, 19:46
Here's my take, it's not called hiking in Australia, it's bushwalking. 1 day, multi day, through walk, it's all bushwalking. Walking in the bush with a pack on. Some people just try to over complicate the simple.
Good call.
Serious question: what's the difference between a walkabout and a bushwalk?
Lone Wolf
03-05-2017, 20:01
Serious question: what's the difference between a walkabout and a bushwalk?
nothing. all in all it's just another walk on a path...
nothing. all in all it's just another walk on a path...
wonder if they debate this kind of stuff on their various Aussie websites. Or maybe they are all out bushwalking and don't have time for this nonsense.;)
TX Aggie
03-05-2017, 21:02
nothing. all in all it's just another walk on a path...
Thank you, walkabout is the term I always heard. Enjoy your bush walks.
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Here's my take, it's not called hiking in Australia, it's bushwalking. 1 day, multi day, through walk, it's all bushwalking. Walking in the bush with a pack on. Some people just try to over complicate the simple.
cannot call it backpacking because that has evolved to basically meaning a tourist on the cheap
Fine. But you don't need to buy gear, strap on a backpack, sleep in the cold, etc., if , to you it's "just walking". Go to the mall. Walk back and forth between Sears and Macys. It's a lot cheaper and more comfortable.
In the near future that walk may be between Laser Tag R Us and Bowl-O-Rama.
Wayne
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jjozgrunt
03-06-2017, 07:11
Good call.
Serious question: what's the difference between a walkabout and a bushwalk?
Traditionally a"walkabout" was a rite of passage by an Aboriginal youth who had to spend up to six months surviving in the wilderness to become a man. These days it used to indicate someone that has packed up and gone wandering, could be by foot, car etc. "he's quit his job, packed the car and gone walkabout."
Francis Sawyer
03-06-2017, 11:54
It all depends upon your point of view. Some people can read "War and Peace" and think ," Just and adventure novel". Others can read the ingredients on a gum wrapper and unlock the secrets of the universe.
Gambit McCrae
03-06-2017, 14:29
Physically it can be either very easy, or very difficult depending on personal fitness and daily expectations.
If you are fit and do short days it can be really easy. If you are fit and push yourself to be doing 20's every day then it will be more difficult.
If you are overweight and our of shape, the reciprocal applies to the above.
Yes it is just walking, and Tipi said it best. The term "Its just walking", I think I first heard from Lonewolf when I asked him on a shuttle how demanding it was going to be for me to complete the trail as a section hiker. He laughed and said.."Its just walking".
As trips clicked by, and times were miserable, not knowing if I would ever finish I would frequently revisit the phrase...Its just walking Al...
Now after a while when the weather, and the climbs, and the downs, and the cold and the heat and the mud and the crappy water, and the all of those great things become not so big of a deal, and you find the enjoyment out of it...Does it then become just walking. When you can manage the pain, or eliminate the pain...When you successfully hike, and not just stumble through trips...does it become walking.
I believe the excerpt of this young Nashville, TN mans Katahdin finish (min3:22) shows that there is more to the "just walking" then the physical side of the adventure. Thru hike or section hike, a summit of Katahdin and a completion of the trail can be emotional.
https://youtu.be/rmD5jyq6lfI?t=3m22s
Gambit, did I see you wipe a tear from your eye after summiting?
For some people it's more "just walking".
I was 29 and in very good physical condition when I started. Going SoBo in June, there were huge stream crossings that took everything to not be swept dangerously down stream or over a waterfall. In Southern Maine and the Whites, there are section that require difficult scrambling with a heavy pack. Sheer descents on slick rock at Mahoosuc Arm. I also remember the climb up to the ski resort in Vermont.
It isn't just walking.
evyck da fleet
03-06-2017, 17:22
It's whatever you make it out to be but, at it's core, it's just walking.
Gambit McCrae
03-06-2017, 17:31
Gambit, did I see you wipe a tear from your eye after summiting?
For some people it's more "just walking".
Video isn't of me, I have not yet made my first summit of K but will more then likely shed a tear or two. Then laugh real big and toast it with a fine scotch (in a legal place of course).
when I did the trail I remember one hiker saying "it's just walking!" well it isn't just walking.
Everyone walks. But not everybody walks 10-15 miles a day every day. Not everyone walks carrying 40+ pounds of gear on their back to be self-sufficient for a full week. When you are "just walking" you just go out in your neighborhood when you want to. When thru -hiking the AT you are hiking rough and steep terrain. Even when the weather sucks, you still get up in the morning, pack up, put on dirty grungy clothes and hike another 10 + miles. Walkers don't really have to worry about gear.. comfy shorts and t-shirt, agood pair of sneakers and maybe an extra layer and you are good to go. Not so simple when thru-hiking a long trail like the AT.
So to sum up, I agree with the op... thru-hiking the AT is not JUST WALKING!
Another Kevin
03-06-2017, 20:10
"It's just walking" carries a lot of messages.
Sometimes, it's condescending. "I'm a great athlete/adventurer, and you're just walking."
Sometimes, it's really helpful advice: "You really need to have more confidence in yourself. You don't need to worry about all the crazy stuff you're worrying about. Really, it's just walking."
And sometimes, it's just wrong. For about half the year, anywhere on the AT from about Greylock north may most emphatically not be just walking. Unless you're willing to advance the case that technical mountaineering is just walking. It still doesn't require a great athlete or an awesome adventurer - I'm surely neither of those. In fact, by hiker standards I'm a bit of a sofa spud, but I've still managed to bag some Northeast 4k's in deep winter. Nevertheless, it requires considerably more planning and judgment and some specialized gear, if you're going to do it safely.
Moreover, "just walking" applies only to the physical and technical challenge, and to some extent to the mental challenges. There are deeper social and spiritual challenges that a would-be thru-hiker has to deal with.
The one that stops me - I'll probably never be a thru-hiker - is that you have to make (and keep with) the decision to walk away from your life for half a year. I've never in my life taken a vacation that long, and I don't foresee starting now. I always seem to have responsibilities, people who are counting on me to be there, meaningful work that needs to be done. I don't really see that stopping until the good Lord calls me to walk the lonesome valley home. A couple of weeks at a crack seems to be the most I can mange.
I can't speak to the A-T thru-hiking scene, but another challenge that I've seen other hikers fall to is the solitude. When I thru-hiked the 138-mile Northville-Placid a couple of years ago, I ran into a couple of other soloists who were about to quit, simply because they couldn't take being by themselves for a couple or three days at a stretch (and the NPT can be that remote). You need to be "comfortable in your own skin", as I heard one wise man put it. You can't hide from yourself. If you're hiking to get away from something inside you, you'll discover that you've brought it along. (I personally really enjoyed the quiet on that trip.)
And then there are the people who are hiking because they think it will be a break from having a daily routine. Of course, backpacking is very much a daily routine. You walk, eat, walk, make camp, eat, sleep, break camp, walk some more. You really have to be able to cope with the idea that every day, however you're feeling, whatever the weather's doing, you're going to get up and walk. I may again have been at an advantage, because getting up and walking is part of my daily routine; I make the 20-25 minute walk to work every workday, whatever the weather is doing and however I'm feeling. If I have to walk in goggles and facemask because of severe wind chill, so be it! Walking much of the day for a couple of weeks, with my share of rain and sleet, didn't bother me. (I'm kind of slow, 8-12 mile days were what I'd planned, although I found that by the end of the trip I was more comfortable with 12-15. I just wasn't ready to stop mid-afternoon.)
So. It's just walking. At least until the conditions don't allow for just walking any more, but you seldom get that on the AT in peak season. But "just walking" for six months is harder than it looks. What makes it hard isn't the wrong gear, or lack of physical training, or even illness and injury. It's running out. Either running out of money (all too common), or running out of time (some people plan to hike in unreasonably short time windows), or, most often, simply running out of whatever mental and spiritual reserves that it takes to continue. Simply running out of gas. When you're nearing that point, it's also not just walking. Wherever that point is, a two-week trip on relatively easy, but very remote, trail doesn't take me very near it.
Until I read this thread, I wasn't able to see LW's "it's just walking" as words of encouragement - I'd always heard condescension in it. But I have heard from those who have met him personally that there's actually a puppy under that gruff old wolf suit, so maybe it is meant to be an encouragement to let it go and just walk.
He'll deny it, of course. Then again, I doubt he'll have read this far. He hasn't the patience for my ramblings.
Lone Wolf
03-06-2017, 20:45
Until I read this thread, I wasn't able to see LW's "it's just walking" as words of encouragement - I'd always heard condescension in it. But I have heard from those who have met him personally that there's actually a puppy under that gruff old wolf suit, so maybe it is meant to be an encouragement to let it go and just walk.
He'll deny it, of course. Then again, I doubt he'll have read this far. He hasn't the patience for my ramblings.
when i first started sayin' "it's just walkin' ", i was targeting thru-hiker wannabes that never backpacked before yet wanted to walk the whole 2183 miles of the AT. they were totally stressing over planning. planning 3-5 years before actually takin' a step on it. i know there's a lot more to it but i'm just sayin', it's walkin' first. no need to stress about planning and itineraries and such. walkin' with a backpack on a heavily marked trail with a huge support system and easy logistics don't take much skill. most of us can walk. god bless those that can't. so start walkin' y'all! :)
Until I read this thread, I wasn't able to see LW's "it's just walking" as words of encouragement - I'd always heard condescension in it. But I have heard from those who have met him personally that there's actually a puppy under that gruff old wolf suit, so maybe it is meant to be an encouragement to let it go and just walk.
You nailed it, it's his "roll eyes" emoticon, as a bumper sticker phrase. He's invented other cool phrases and epithets over the years, eg. hiker trash, pack sniffer, gram weenie. (If not invented, popularized...)
I've hiked with him. He made an impression. Let's just say a little goes a long way.
when i first started sayin' "it's just walkin' ", i was targeting thru-hiker wannabes that never backpacked before yet wanted to walk the whole 2183 miles of the AT. they were totally stressing over planning. planning 3-5 years before actually takin' a step on it. i know there's a lot more to it but i'm just sayin', it's walkin' first. no need to stress about planning and itineraries and such. walkin' with a backpack on a heavily marked trail with a huge support system and easy logistics don't take much skill. most of us can walk. god bless those that can't. so start walkin' y'all! :)
Probably the longest post I've ever read from you, LW. You feeling OK? (I love it, BTW.)
Lone Wolf
03-06-2017, 21:12
You nailed it, it's his "roll eyes" emoticon, as a bumper sticker phrase. He's invented other cool phrases and epithets over the years, eg. hiker trash, pack sniffer, gram weenie. (If not invented, popularized...)
I've hiked with him. He made an impression. Let's just say a little goes a long way.
love you too Rafe :)
Lone Wolf
03-06-2017, 21:17
Probably the longest post I've ever read from you, LW. You feeling OK? (I love it, BTW.)
feelin' OK. dealin' with some serious joint pain problems. ankles, knees and hands. it ain't "just walkin' " for me every morning. lotta pain. the VA doc is leaning towards an osteoarthritis diagnosis. i wish i could put a pack on and walk
LW, you been checked for Lyme?
TX Aggie
03-06-2017, 22:03
LW, you been checked for Lyme?
+1
Especially with VA. That's the one gift I (thankfully) didn't get from the Army was a need to use the VA.
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Lone Wolf
03-06-2017, 22:05
LW, you been checked for Lyme?
yeah. initial blood test at the VA was negative. i see a rheumatologist in a week. i'm gonna bring it up again
Whiskey_Richard
03-06-2017, 22:09
Beware the spinal tap for checking for Lyme. Worst weekend of my life had to go back in for a blood patch.
feelin' OK. dealin' with some serious joint pain problems. ankles, knees and hands. it ain't "just walkin' " for me every morning. lotta pain. the VA doc is leaning towards an osteoarthritis diagnosis. i wish i could put a pack on and walk
LW a couple of books that may be helpful.
https://www.amazon.com/No-Grain-Pain-Eliminating-Chronic/dp/1501121693/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488855647&sr=8-1&keywords=no+grain+no+pain+by+peter+osborne
https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Warriors-Way-Illness-Transform/dp/1101988479/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488855740&sr=8-1&keywords=the+brain+warriors+way+by+daniel+and+tana +amen
It's just reading!
Hope you're feeling better soon.
Lone Wolf
03-06-2017, 23:10
thank you sir. will look into this
Another one I forgot.:eek:
https://www.amazon.com/Kellyanns-Bone-Broth-Diet-Inches/dp/1623366704/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1488855647&sr=8-2&keywords=no+grain+no+pain+by+peter+osborne
illabelle
03-06-2017, 23:45
yeah. initial blood test at the VA was negative. i see a rheumatologist in a week. i'm gonna bring it up again
My sympathies. I never really thought about arthritis much, except that I didn't plan on having it. In January I endured about 3 weeks of painful stiff hand, wrist, and shoulder joints. Had never experienced this before. Was fortunate to get a rheumatologist appointment mid-February (waiting list was months-long). I've never had a doctor spend so much time with me - probably 45 minutes. No diagnosis yet, rheumatoid arthritis? lupus? who knows? Talked about lyme too. He seemed real knowledgeable. I hope you get the same attention or better.
Lone Wolf
03-06-2017, 23:57
My sympathies. I never really thought about arthritis much, except that I didn't plan on having it. In January I endured about 3 weeks of painful stiff hand, wrist, and shoulder joints. Had never experienced this before. Was fortunate to get a rheumatologist appointment mid-February (waiting list was months-long). I've never had a doctor spend so much time with me - probably 45 minutes. No diagnosis yet, rheumatoid arthritis? lupus? who knows? Talked about lyme too. He seemed real knowledgeable. I hope you get the same attention or better.
i spent an hour with the doc at the initial consult. we talked a lot, he ordered blood work and x-rays. put me on low dose prednisone. but the pain is real bad in the morning still. ain't this serious thread drift? :)
Feral Bill
03-07-2017, 01:14
[QUOTE=ain't this serious thread drift? :)[/QUOTE] Yes, and that's okay.
illabelle
03-07-2017, 06:47
thread drift? maintaining strict topic control is like gathering around a single rock or tree and discussing it from our individual perspectives. okay for a little while, but tiring.
i think threads should be allowed to drift, kinda like hiking, wandering around in the woods, over a hill & through a valley. the scenery changes.
eventually a squirrel distracts us to another topic...
^all in lower case, just for you, LW
:)
daddytwosticks
03-07-2017, 08:08
I think I've heard this before too...getting old ain't for sissies. From one 58 year old to another, good luck with your issues. :)
Lone Wolf
03-07-2017, 08:12
I think I've heard this before too...getting old ain't for sissies. From one 58 year old to another, good luck with your issues. :)
thank you. it came on suddenly back in september. hopefully it will go away just as fast
when i first started sayin' "it's just walkin' ", i was targeting thru-hiker wannabes that never backpacked before yet wanted to walk the whole 2183 miles of the AT. they were totally stressing over planning. planning 3-5 years before actually takin' a step on it. i know there's a lot more to it but i'm just sayin', it's walkin' first. no need to stress about planning and itineraries and such. walkin' with a backpack on a heavily marked trail with a huge support system and easy logistics don't take much skill. most of us can walk. god bless those that can't. so start walkin' y'all! :)
darn LW, I wish you would delete this post! i don't want to hear the artist interpret the song for me!;) Anyways good luck with the pain issues. I agree with the poster who said to check and double check for Lymes. i had it (a souvenier of my thru hike) and felt like I was 120 years old with joint pain until it was finally diagnosed.
yeah. initial blood test at the VA was negative. i see a rheumatologist in a week. i'm gonna bring it up again
I tested 3 times before I got a positive. Same with my brother in law and he had the classic bullseye ring and still 3 tests before Lyme showed. I'd ask for another test.
Hope it works out OK for you.
Sarcasm the elf
03-07-2017, 12:04
I tested 3 times before I got a positive. Same with my brother in law and he had the classic bullseye ring and still 3 tests before Lyme showed. I'd ask for another test.
Hope it works out OK for you.
Agreed. When I had a full blown case the test (titer level) came back borderline, fortunately my doctor treated me based on symptoms.
TX Aggie
03-07-2017, 16:29
Agreed. When I had a full blown case the test (titer legel) came back borderline, fortunately my doctor treated me based on symptoms.
Unfortunately, the Lyme titer can be blocked by multiple items, and a lot of them are prescription related.
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If it's just walking then what is considered hiking??? I wanna know.
Sarcasm the elf
03-07-2017, 23:00
If it's just walking then what is considered hiking??? I wanna know.
Hiking is walking where it's okay to pee. Sometimes old people go hiking by accident.
Feral Bill
03-08-2017, 03:06
Consider that Colin Fletcher wrote The Complete Walker (emphasis mine), referencing many long hikes he had made. Sometimes walking is not easy.
Hiking is walking where it's okay to pee. Sometimes old people go hiking by accident.
I would say that hiking is just walking until you stink. Then continuing to walk without doing anything about the stink.
If it's just walking then what is considered hiking??? I wanna know.
Why does it really matter? What difference would it make?
Read the "The Complete Walker".
We should all read it. My copy got misplaced post-Katrina. I should replace it.
theory:
Your Big Four List needs serious work. You're wasting money on the wrong stuff. No worries. We all do it. I'm in the process of undoing similar mistakes.
Wayne
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PM me what you think is wrong with my BIG FOUR. Thanks.
Why does it really matter? What difference would it make?
Read the "The Complete Walker".
We should all read it. My copy got misplaced post-Katrina. I should replace it.
theory:
Your Big Four List needs serious work. You're wasting money on the wrong stuff. No worries. We all do it. I'm in the process of undoing similar mistakes.
Wayne
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From memory...
The mediocre tent with built in lighting.
The useless bivi thing.
You shouldn't have to ask that question.
Wayne
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I'm sorry. I missed the PM request.
Several folks have pointed out various deficiencies in your list.
Even when you filled in maker and model of the 4 items, they aren't suitable for backpacking, from an overnight quickie to a multi day cross country trip or longer.
Learn by doing. Use what you've bought. Find out what works and what doesn't.
Lightest is not always best.
Good luck!
Wayne
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TexasBob
03-09-2017, 14:49
Hiking is walking where it's okay to pee. Sometimes old people go hiking by accident.
I read this and laughed so hard I went hiking.
rocketsocks
03-09-2017, 15:15
I read this and laughed so hard I went hiking.now that's funny!
illabelle
03-09-2017, 19:01
now that's funny!
It is, but I had to go back and read it a couple times. Very clever!
:D