Campers want wifi

[rocketsocks]

and in other news...

Americans are camping in record numbers, but still want wifi.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.foxnews.com/travel/2017/03/21/americans-are-camping-in-record-numbers-but-still-want-wi-fi.amp.html

[swisscross]

Taking the family to the GC this summer and have booked a cabin on the north rim.
My daughter cannot believe that there is no TV or internet.

[Sarcasm the elf]

This gives me a great idea to mess with people. Maybe this spring when I'm on trail I'll start posting papers in the shelter listing fake Wifi network names and passwords!

[Dogwood]

The increasing attempt to commercialize and own Nature..the environment.

[Feral Bill]

Sleeping in a metal box on wheels is not camping.

[Alligator]

This gives me a great idea to mess with people. Maybe this spring when I'm on trail I'll start posting papers in the shelter listing fake Wifi network names and passwords!Put an entry for it in the register. "Picked up a weak network uphill about 400 feet on the ridge" "Happened to notice an open WiFi network about 100 feet past the second water hole. If you can't see it, you may have to key it in manually, but it was called...." Sit back, cook dinner, and watch people periodically trudge uphill or downstream.

I wonder if you could spoof a WiFi hotspot without having your device actually connected to your provider. Maybe there's a router that works on batteries...

[Slo-go'en]

Get some of those "FREE WI-FI" stickers they put in coffee shop windows and stick it to the register box in the shelter :) Some shelters already have dummy electrical outlets to add to the fun.

Actually, it wouldn't be hard to have cell based WI-FI at many shelter sites, it just cost money to do so. Get a corporate sponsor?

[Bladerunner1]

Oh! I love this game! Yes!

[devoidapop]

"Free beer and Wi-Fi at the next shelter"

[Kaptainkriz]

LoL, there is an outlet on the side of the privy at Pogo campsite in MD...made me laugh!

Get some of those "FREE WI-FI" stickers they put in coffee shop windows and stick it to the register box in the shelter :) Some shelters already have dummy electrical outlets to add to the fun.

Actually, it wouldn't be hard to have cell based WI-FI at many shelter sites, it just cost money to do so. Get a corporate sponsor?

[rocketsocks]

I like my electronics and doubt I'd ever hike without em.

[Venchka]

The Rio Chama RV Park in Chama, NM has a lovely, large, grassy and shaded area for tent campers. Away from the big rigs, yet convenient to the clean restrooms and hot showers. Free Wi-Fi, picnic table and fire ring included.
Rate: $15/night. $3-$5/night cheaper than the primitive Forest Service campgrounds up the road.
It's a great place to clean up, fill up & resupply if you're backpacking in the area.
Wayne

[ScareBear]

The Rio Chama RV Park in Chama, NM has a lovely, large, grassy and shaded area for tent campers. Away from the big rigs, yet convenient to the clean restrooms and hot showers. Free Wi-Fi, picnic table and fire ring included.
Rate: $15/night. $3-$5/night cheaper than the primitive Forest Service campgrounds up the road.
It's a great place to clean up, fill up & resupply if you're backpacking in the area.
Wayne

Good rates. However, I wouldn't camp at a RV park that DIDN'T have WiFi these days...

[Mags]

From a recent hut trip:

38830


:)

[LongBlaze2019]

What? Wait! You mean their isn't free WiFi at all the shelters?
That's it! I'm calling off my 2019 thru attempt!
[emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23]

[tflaris]

http://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2016/09/23/miracle-teenager-survives-on-his-own-for-almost-6-hours-with-no-wi-fi/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[skater]

Get some of those "FREE WI-FI" stickers they put in coffee shop windows and stick it to the register box in the shelter :) Some shelters already have dummy electrical outlets to add to the fun.

Actually, it wouldn't be hard to have cell based WI-FI at many shelter sites, it just cost money to do so. Get a corporate sponsor?
Please be kind to your shelter maintainers and don't stick any stickers anywhere in the shelter. The suggestion to write it in the register gave me a good chuckle, though.

[Traillium]

I wonder if this little wifi notice isn't from someone using their phone to set up a temporary wifi network while they stayed overnight in the shelter?

I've done that in a hostel …

(But like the dutiful boy I am, I took down the sticker when I turned off my network …)

[ki0eh]

https://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/117940-PA-trail-offers-free-WiFi

[Sarcasm the elf]

Put an entry for it in the register. "Picked up a weak network uphill about 400 feet on the ridge" "Happened to notice an open WiFi network about 100 feet past the second water hole. If you can't see it, you may have to key it in manually, but it was called...." Sit back, cook dinner, and watch people periodically trudge uphill or downstream.

I wonder if you could spoof a WiFi hotspot without having your device actually connected to your provider. Maybe there's a router that works on batteries...


Get some of those "FREE WI-FI" stickers they put in coffee shop windows and stick it to the register box in the shelter :) Some shelters already have dummy electrical outlets to add to the fun.

Actually, it wouldn't be hard to have cell based WI-FI at many shelter sites, it just cost money to do so. Get a corporate sponsor?

I really think we're on to something here! This could provide a lot of entertainment for me this summer and if I do it right and people are gullible enough, I might even be able to set it up so that it it causes people to concentrate use onto areas that are best for trail management!

[Longboysfan]

"Free beer and Wi-Fi at the next shelter"

That's what they all say. :-?

[Feral Bill]

I really think we're on to something here! This could provide a lot of entertainment for me this summer and if I do it right and people are gullible enough, I might even be able to set it up so that it it causes people to concentrate use onto areas that are best for trail management!You're concerned about people not being gullible enough? Seriously? :D

[windlion]

Put an entry for it in the register. "Picked up a weak network uphill about 400 feet on the ridge" "Happened to notice an open WiFi network about 100 feet past the second water hole. If you can't see it, you may have to key it in manually, but it was called...." Sit back, cook dinner, and watch people periodically trudge uphill or downstream.

I wonder if you could spoof a WiFi hotspot without having your device actually connected to your provider. Maybe there's a router that works on batteries...
There is! http://yourkarma.com ... and if they do manage to get through, the device leads them to their own account, no charge to you.

Sent from my SM-T550 using Tapatalk

[Tipi Walter]

Sleeping in a metal box on wheels is not camping.

Exactly! When "camping" is used together with "KOA" you know Orwell's doublethink is alive and well.


I like my electronics and doubt I'd ever hike without em.

But when they misfire and malfunction on a long trip this is what happens---

https://photos.smugmug.com/Backpacking2012/20-Days-to-Panther-Branch-and/i-GxGDBBP/0/L/TRIP%20136%20406-L.jpg
My dang sangean radio went haywire on a 20 day trip in 2012 and I did field repair with a rock after spreading it out for a review pic on my tent stuff sack before bashing it.

[rocketsocks]

Exactly! When "camping" is used together with "KOA" you know Orwell's doublethink is alive and well.



But when they misfire and malfunction on a long trip this is what happens---

https://photos.smugmug.com/Backpacking2012/20-Days-to-Panther-Branch-and/i-GxGDBBP/0/L/TRIP%20136%20406-L.jpg
My dang sangean radio went haywire on a 20 day trip in 2012 and I did field repair with a rock after spreading it out for a review pic on my tent stuff sack before bashing it.looks like the transmixer lost its equalizer pegs.

[LittleRock]

This has already been done - picture from Davenport Gap Shelter, Fall 2012

39854

[BuckeyeBill]

I saw a commercial today in which it says that the "average person" spends 282 minutes on their smart phone every day. I sure am glad I'm not average.

[Sandy of PA]

Yet another good reason NOT to get a smart phone! Flip phone works just fine for making phone calls!

[Traveler]

I saw a commercial today in which it says that the "average person" spends 282 minutes on their smart phone every day. I sure am glad I'm not average.
Everything has its place.

Smartphone technology brings with it an extraordinary number of services. News feeds, the ability to stream videos and films, books, social media, and games. Though these things add to the daily minutes used by the average user, there is a corresponding subtraction of minutes from watching TV, writing letters/calling friends to stay current, and reading periodicals or books, which are often not considered.

The primary beneficiary of smartphone technology is business. Smartphone technology is not only handy but like the desktop computer has become essential to maintain the speed of most businesses today. For a lot of people the smartphone is their primary business tool for resource management, correspondence, phone contact, document generation, and a variety of other applications from remote desktop and/or web based software. The time savings realized with these devices and boost in productivity is significant, which prior to the late 1990s was not possible when away from a desk or office.

My guess is if the smartphone were not invented, people would be spending close to that same 4.7 hours typing letters to mail, talking on the phone with friends to get caught up, watching television, and reading newspapers/books.

[BuckeyeBill]

Everything has its place.

Smartphone technology brings with it an extraordinary number of services. News feeds, the ability to stream videos and films, books, social media, and games. Though these things add to the daily minutes used by the average user, there is a corresponding subtraction of minutes from watching TV, writing letters/calling friends to stay current, and reading periodicals or books, which are often not considered.

The primary beneficiary of smartphone technology is business. Smartphone technology is not only handy but like the desktop computer has become essential to maintain the speed of most businesses today. For a lot of people the smartphone is their primary business tool for resource management, correspondence, phone contact, document generation, and a variety of other applications from remote desktop and/or web based software. The time savings realized with these devices and boost in productivity is significant, which prior to the late 1990s was not possible when away from a desk or office.

My guess is if the smartphone were not invented, people would be spending close to that same 4.7 hours typing letters to mail, talking on the phone with friends to get caught up, watching television, and reading newspapers/books.

Oh I know that that smartphone technology is very helpful in business today. It has helped me find car valuations while trying to buy cars and lets my shop keep in touch with me when ever I am away from it. But it amazed me when I hired an 18 year old receptionist who asked me for my cell phone number so she could text me when someone came to see me. I told her, with a smile, that if someone wants to see me, she should come and get me.

[jefals]

But it amazed me when I hired an 18 year old receptionist who asked me for my cell phone number so she could text me when someone came to see me. I told her, with a smile, that if someone wants to see me, she should come and get me.
This is nothing new. I always found it a little humorous to watch a couple people 2 cubicles away from each other communicating by phone...

[Tipi Walter]

Everything has its place.

Smartphone technology brings with it an extraordinary number of services.

My guess is if the smartphone were not invented, people would be spending close to that same 4.7 hours typing letters to mail, talking on the phone with friends to get caught up, watching television, and reading newspapers/books.

Sure, everything has its place. When I'm at home and indoors I spend time, obviously, on the laptop---either discussing crap on forums or ordering items needed for my next trip. When I'm outside backpacking and camping I do not and/or never want to be online, period.

For those stuck indoors or in a car, sure, a smartphone brings with it a number of services. Just look at all the lemmings glued face down in the things. On a backpacking trip---and yes this is a backpacking forum---a smartphone doesn't get me across a creek or help me to posthole up a mountain in the snow or keep me warm or fill my belly or plan my route---paper maps, remember? The last thing I want to be on a trip is CONNECTED . . . in any way. Except to Miss Nature, the queen of the green and blue and brown.

My guess is if the smartphone were not invented, people COULD BE spending more time outside backpacking.

[Dogwood]

...My guess is if the smartphone were not invented, people would be spending close to that same 4.7 hours typing letters to mail, talking on the phone with friends to get caught up, watching television, and reading newspapers/books.

Sounds reasonable to assume but that's not what's entirely happening. We're not simply exchanging an equal amount of time to get the same thing just using a SmartPhone to get it done - type/hand write a letter, talk on the phone, read a book, etc at previous cultural standards. With the invention of hand held devices like SmartPhone tech electronic addiction is actually on the rise. We expect to be digitally always connected and entertained even when we don't have our SmartPhones. TV use is still on the rise for example.

SmartPhones are changing not just how people do things but what people do and how they spend their time perhaps differently/more positively OR negatively, including spending MORE TIME connected to electronics doing some rather often mundane things like social media, mindlessly surfing the Net, talking, texting, etc. Attention spans are down(for some things), personal face to face communication skills can suffer, impatience and anxiety while being demanding and harshly openly judgmental seems like it's growing(easy to develop when the pattern is initiated and promoted from being behind a keyboard), ... These consequences fueled by electronics are beginning to get noticed by psychologists and MD's but it's not given the attention it deserves.

Books are not really being fully read, they are bought but not read(too much time to reading a book entirely). This makes more people mistakenly assume their grasp of information contained in a topic is greater than it actually is.

Personal face to face communication/conversation is rushed, curt, often awkward, abrupt, socially inept,... It's becoming increasingly likened to an illicit street drug addiction where the addict anxiously wants to close themselves off so to entertain their drug use.

Conversations(give and takes) where one listens and deeply considers for a longer duration than a soundbite before opining is increasingly ignored resulting in fragmented learning behavior and incorrectly assumed "I know it all" attitudes. Holding an educational class' attention for teachers is perhaps more challenging than ever.

This has profound impacts in relationships with our spouse, children, employers, authorities, potential clients, the workforce/biz associates, driving habits, working face to face in groups, how we relate to/recognize cultural habits(consumption, comfort standards, earning a wage,..), Nature...*It can have profound mental and emotional impacts to those on trail!


This is considered long winded and preachy by some. Maybe it is. BUT MAYBE that conclusion involves some of what was discussed?

[Dogwood]

My guess is if the smartphone were not invented, people COULD BE spending more time outside backpacking.

^^^....

[gpburdelljr]

A smartphone can be an extremely useful tool when back packing. You can take pictures, check the weather forecast, contact help in an emergency, call ahead for shuttle service or a hostel reservation, keep a trail journal, use it to store maps and other trail information, pay bills if you're out for an extended period of time, read books, etc. The list is endless. You can hike without it, but it sure makes a lot of things easier, just as all the other modern materials used today make hiking easier. I don't want to do without my smart phone any more than I want to go back to canvas tents, heavy leather boots, etc.

[BuckeyeBill]

A smartphone can be an extremely useful tool when back packing. You can take pictures, check the weather forecast, contact help in an emergency, call ahead for shuttle service or a hostel reservation, keep a trail journal, use it to store maps and other trail information, pay bills if you're out for an extended period of time, read books, etc. The list is endless. You can hike without it, but it sure makes a lot of things easier, just as all the other modern materials used today make hiking easier. I don't want to do without my smart phone any more than I want to go back to canvas tents, heavy leather boots, etc.

Everything you say is true. The only problem is you are putting all your eggs in one basket. Pictures, probably no big deal if you miss a few, but I carry a camera that is waterproof to 33 feet, dustproof, shockproof from 5 foot drop and freezeproof to 14*, not too many phones can say this. An extra battery can be carried for about a 1 oz penalty. Another 1/2 oz penalty for a charging cord. Weather can be check while in town for the next 7-10 days. Knowledge in how to read clouds and other signs in nature can give you more immediate weather predictions. Contacting help can only be done if you have a signal, but a small signal fire/mirror works even in the rain. Shuttles and hostel reservations can be made the same time you are checking the weather. Trail journal, paper and pen/pencil. Maps are made of paper and can get wet if necessary. Paying your bills can be delegated to a person at home as they come in. Now gain what you say is true, but if your battery dies (Not replaceable in Iphones), you drop and break your phone or lose it (Pretty expensive to replace), or you're out of range, you have lost all the "easy things" until the situation resolves itself. Just like hiking, you need to have a backup plan. Just my two cents worth.

[gpburdelljr]

Everything you say is true. The only problem is you are putting all your eggs in one basket. Pictures, probably no big deal if you miss a few, but I carry a camera that is waterproof to 33 feet, dustproof, shockproof from 5 foot drop and freezeproof to 14*, not too many phones can say this. An extra battery can be carried for about a 1 oz penalty. Another 1/2 oz penalty for a charging cord. Weather can be check while in town for the next 7-10 days. Knowledge in how to read clouds and other signs in nature can give you more immediate weather predictions. Contacting help can only be done if you have a signal, but a small signal fire/mirror works even in the rain. Shuttles and hostel reservations can be made the same time you are checking the weather. Trail journal, paper and pen/pencil. Maps are made of paper and can get wet if necessary. Paying your bills can be delegated to a person at home as they come in. Now gain what you say is true, but if your battery dies (Not replaceable in Iphones), you drop and break your phone or lose it (Pretty expensive to replace), or you're out of range, you have lost all the "easy things" until the situation resolves itself. Just like hiking, you need to have a backup plan. Just my two cents worth.
I disagree that it is putting all your eggs in one basket. If I lose or damage my smart phone I have enough outdoor skills that it isn't a disaster. It sure does make things a lot simpler, though.

[DownEaster]

... what you say is true, but if your battery dies (Not replaceable in Iphones), you drop and break your phone or lose it (Pretty expensive to replace), or you're out of range, you have lost all the "easy things" until the situation resolves itself. Just like hiking, you need to have a backup plan. Just my two cents worth.
That's more an argument against relying on an expensive iPhone than relying on a smartphone in general. Some phones are more Trail-ready than others, or can be made more Trail-ready with a rugged case. Let's take a look at my Android phone as an example. My Moto G4 cost me $219 (plus $17 a month for use). I'd be upset if the battery died, but I could replace it (though I'd have it done rather than do it myself, as I'm not going to be carrying the necessary Torx screwdriver on the AT). I'd be more upset if the phone itself died, but I could buy another one and probably recover all the data from the removable storage (microSD card). An iPhone costs more, doesn't have a user-replaceable battery, and has all storage built in rather than removable. You can get cheaper phones than mine, too: around $50 if you're willing to have advertisements.

Now, I understand the consequences of phone failure if I'm using it for many purposes. Lost pictures, but then my amateur photography isn't anything special. Lost reading material, but that's recoverable through Amazon eventually, and the phone itself matches the weight of a single book (guidebook or paperback novel). Lost GPS and guidebook means I'd have to actually look for the white blazes and talk to fellow hikers about the Trail environs. Lost voice connectivity means I'd need to reassure my Mom that I haven't come to misadventure; everybody else would just assume that I'm enjoying the Trail more than conversation with friends and family.

A phone is a great way to save weight on the Trail. It can be a distraction from the Trail itself, and sometimes a crutch so you don't need to pay attention to your surroundings as much as you ought. However, that's a matter of choice rather than an issue with the device itself. I'm going to have AWOL's guide on my phone to save weight. Right now I'm thinking I'll forgo Guthook's app so I'm not going to constantly look at my screen as opposed to the Trail itself. I'll only use WiFi data, so there won't be any e-mails or web browsing except in towns. Mostly I'll take pictures as I go, and read at lunchtime or if I'm not sleepy immediately at "hiker midnight". I apply the "hike your own hike" maxim to phone use as much as every other aspect of the AT. If I take a rainy zero day in my tent, I'll be glad to have plenty of books stored on my phone. Most days in the green tunnel I might not even check to see if the thing still has charge left.

[BuckeyeBill]

I disagree that it is putting all your eggs in one basket. If I lose or damage my smart phone I have enough outdoor skills that it isn't a disaster. It sure does make things a lot simpler, though.

Oh no doubt it is much easier. I really didn't mean anything directed at you, I just used your post to point out a few common beliefs. As you say "You" have enough outdoor skills to continue on. I was generally speaking to those who rely too much on their phones for such information and "Don't" possess those outdoor skills. No slam towards you at all. Relying too much on technology can be a game ender for some.

[gpburdelljr]

Oh no doubt it is much easier. I really didn't mean anything directed at you, I just used your post to point out a few common beliefs. As you say "You" have enough outdoor skills to continue on. I was generally speaking to those who rely too much on their phones for such information and "Don't" possess those outdoor skills. No slam towards you at all. Relying too much on technology can be a game ender for some.
I wasn't taking your comment as a personal slam, nor was I trying to slam you, I was addressing the bias of many against smart phones when hiking that I think is unwarranted. Actually I think that any typical hiker would only be inconvenienced, but not in serious trouble, if they lost of use of their smart phone on a hike. Like any other piece of equipment, a hiker should have a back up plan if it fails. The type of hiker that would be in serious trouble if they lost use of their smart phone, would have eventually gotten into serious trouble hiking before the invention of smart phones because they don't have the necessary basic skills. A smart phone is just a piece of equipment, no different than any other pieces of equipment used when hiking. Hiking equipment has improved over time, making hiking a more enjoyable experience. My point is that a smart phone can be an extremely useful piece of equipment, and I don't understand why some people are so dead set against them when hiking. Rather than focus on the frivolous way many people use smart phones, I tend to focus on all the things they can do to make a hike more enjoyable.

[Tipi Walter]

A smart phone is just a piece of equipment, no different than any other pieces of equipment used when hiking. Hiking equipment has improved over time, making hiking a more enjoyable experience. My point is that a smart phone can be an extremely useful piece of equipment, and I don't understand why some people are so dead set against them when hiking. Rather than focus on the frivolous way many people use smart phones, I tend to focus on all the things they can do to make a hike more enjoyable.

To me a smartphone is not the same as other pieces of equipment I use when hiking. When I'm at home I don't use my backpack or my hiking pole or my boots or my tent or my sleeping pad (uh except for backyard sleeping), my hiking shorts, my MSR stove, my cook pot, my water filter, my little radio---like I use my phone at home. --- ETC ETC.

But when I'm at home I do use my laptop and my cellphone and my car and dozens of things I don't want to use on a backpacking trip; in fact, I don't want to see a car or a computer or a smartphone or a television or a hundred other things when I'm out. Going out for several weeks is my pitiful neanderthal attempt to get away from this crap. If I have to explain it then people just aren't getting it.

I go backpacking to get away from Screens. Get away from forums and the Interwad. Most certainly away from News and TVs and telephones and online blogs and electricity and air conditioning and the usual detritus of modern Syphilization.

[Dogwood]

... A smart phone is just a piece of equipment, no different than any other pieces of equipment used when hiking. Hiking equipment has improved over time, making hiking a more enjoyable experience. My point is that a smart phone can be an extremely useful piece of equipment, and I don't understand why some people are so dead set against them when hiking. Rather than focus on the frivolous way many people use smart phones, I tend to focus on all the things they can do to make a hike more enjoyable.

Really???

Never saw ANY BACKPACKER or those assembled atop a mountain summit in a trance like Zombie state solely focused, ignoring everything and everyone else, including where they were going - IF they were Zombie like sleep walking around - on their cuben tarp, trail runners, trekking poles, Ti cookpot, sleeping bag, water purification system, backpack, hat, hiking socks, paper map,...

[gpburdelljr]

To me a smartphone is not the same as other pieces of equipment I use when hiking. When I'm at home I don't use my backpack or my hiking pole or my boots or my tent or my sleeping pad (uh except for backyard sleeping), my hiking shorts, my MSR stove, my cook pot, my water filter, my little radio---like I use my phone at home. --- ETC ETC.

But when I'm at home I do use my laptop and my cellphone and my car and dozens of things I don't want to use on a backpacking trip; in fact, I don't want to see a car or a computer or a smartphone or a television or a hundred other things when I'm out. Going out for several weeks is my pitiful neanderthal attempt to get away from this crap. If I have to explain it then people just aren't getting it.

I go backpacking to get away from Screens. Get away from forums and the Interwad. Most certainly away from News and TVs and telephones and online blogs and electricity and air conditioning and the usual detritus of modern Syphilization.
I fully understand wanting to get away from tvs, news, etc. A smart phone will do things you may want to get away from, and you can choose not to use those particular functions, but it will do so much more that can enhance the outdoor experience. It can take photos, store maps, be used as a compass, and more, even if you are only using those functions as a back up to your camera, paper maps, compass, etc.

[Dogwood]

TW, you're most entertaining rants are about those infatuated with the wheel/wheeled couch potatoes and this.

"Going out for several weeks is my pitiful neanderthal attempt to get away from this crap. If I have to explain it then people just aren't getting it.

I go backpacking to get away from Screens. Get away from forums and the Interwad. Most certainly away from News and TVs and telephones and online blogs and electricity and air conditioning and the usual detritus of modern Syphilization."


LOL...lollollol.

[BuckeyeBill]

I know a lot of 18-25 YOA who I would swear breathe through their thumbs and get their O2 from their phones. :D

[BuckeyeBill]

I just found this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtX2asE_rSw) and could not stop laughing.

[scrabbler]

I have to agree with you Tipi in most respects. However, I will NEVER disrespect A/C, for it is the God of the South. :-)

[greenmtnboy]

Entitlement....one of the great obstacles to human development especially in the affluent parts of society. No one needs these devices unless their job requires them. Take them away and after a while people may function normally again.

[Traveler]

Entitlement....one of the great obstacles to human development especially in the affluent parts of society. No one needs these devices unless their job requires them. Take them away and after a while people may function normally again.

The definition of normal is very subjective, what is normal to one (doing without any technology like phones, electricity, cars, etc) is an outlier to another who finds technology to be a useful tool (like phones, electricity, cars, etc). Hard to pinpoint where normal is in this particular issue other than in degrees.

[rocketsocks]

The definition of normal is very subjective, what is normal to one (doing without any technology like phones, electricity, cars, etc) is an outlier to another who finds technology to be a useful tool (like phones, electricity, cars, etc). Hard to pinpoint where normal is in this particular issue other than in degrees.
Hard to pinpoint yes, but doable...take away electrical devices from "today's kids" they're like fish outta water, they can't breath, heat rate goes up, deminished oxygen to organs, Truth!

[Traveler]

Hard to pinpoint yes, but doable...take away electrical devices from "today's kids" they're like fish outta water, they can't breath, heat rate goes up, deminished oxygen to organs, Truth!

Much as taking the car away from us at 17.

[rocketsocks]

Much as taking the car away from us at 17.especially on Friday night before a hot date!

[Click]

I just found this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtX2asE_rSw) and could not stop laughing.
While watching the video I had {*HAD*} to take a couple of hits off my inhaler ...

[DavidNH]

Anyone who can't go camping without access to wifi..should just stay home and not go camping. This is so ridiculous it makes my head spin. camping is to get away from it all, not to bring it all with you.

[Hikingjim]

Anyone who can't go camping without access to wifi..should just stay home and not go camping. This is so ridiculous it makes my head spin. camping is to get away from it all, not to bring it all with you.

Why? I know many people that camp for cheap accommodation while they travel and so they can make a fire and enjoy being outside, and not be stuck in a questionable overpriced hotel with nothing to look at but cheap furnishings and the tv.
I like wilderness sites or primitive campgrounds, but realize that others often don't.

[Hikingjim]

I just found this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtX2asE_rSw) and could not stop laughing.
that was pretty good. "He thought all the shelters were like hostels! haha"

[JeffreyH]

It's actually very easy to have wi-fi on your camping. Just camp in your backyard. :D

[perdidochas]

Anyone who can't go camping without access to wifi..should just stay home and not go camping. This is so ridiculous it makes my head spin. camping is to get away from it all, not to bring it all with you.
Camp your own camp. People have different reasons for camping. Not all camp to "get away from it all." I don't see how having wifi in a campground interferes with me at all.

[rocketsocks]

When the word campground enters into the equation...all bets are off. I like my ithingy's.

[rocketsocks]

...besides, what it I get lost on the way up to the community pavilion, and it's dark and all campers have gone to bed, I might need my geepéz

[JeffreyH]

That's a pretty good point.

[KDogg]

I always find it a bit aggravating reading the perspectives on this type of subject. And then i remember that whiteblaze is a large mix of section hikers and campers with a few thru hikers thrown in. For my thru hike I would not have been without my smart phone. It was used for mapping, gps, ordering gear, making hotel reservations and also (gasp!) entertainment. The fact that thru hikes have been done before without them is a stupid and thoughtless point. The safety factor alone makes it a necessity. Yes, if I'm on a shorter "backpacking" trip my uses are different but I still carry one. If you are planning a thru hike, don't forget that many/most of the opinions on this website are coming from folks that may have done a thru hike many years ago or haven't done one at all. I'm not negating their opinions but, especially after having done a thru, their views are not necessarily helpful to those that are planning a thru hike.

[Tipi Walter]

I always find it a bit aggravating reading the perspectives on this type of subject. And then i remember that whiteblaze is a large mix of section hikers and campers with a few thru hikers thrown in. For my thru hike I would not have been without my smart phone. It was used for mapping, gps, ordering gear, making hotel reservations and also (gasp!) entertainment. The fact that thru hikes have been done before without them is a stupid and thoughtless point. The safety factor alone makes it a necessity. Yes, if I'm on a shorter "backpacking" trip my uses are different but I still carry one. If you are planning a thru hike, don't forget that many/most of the opinions on this website are coming from folks that may have done a thru hike many years ago or haven't done one at all. I'm not negating their opinions but, especially after having done a thru, their views are not necessarily helpful to those that are planning a thru hike.

These are all subjective points and only relevant to you. I have never backpacked with a smartphone and currently do all my trips without one, so I can recommend the opposite advice.

You are saying that backpackers CAN go out without one but that's a stupid and thoughtless point. Oops, it sounds like backpacking without such a phone is possible but not a convenient fact you want to know.

Your last point---the safety factor alone makes it a necessity---is just left-field and wrong. If it were true I would have been dead long ago. "Safety factor" and "necessity" are catch words to inflame the subject, as if a smartphone produces Safety and such safety is a backpacking necessity. Thousands of backpackers have done thousands of trips and logged in millions of miles without these phones.

And here's a minor point---Cell phones do not work at millions of backcountry locations. Ergo the tool is worthless on a frequent basis.

[KDogg]

Cell phones work in most of the locations on the AT. On those parts where you don't have cell service it is a relatively short walk to find service. My point about safety is that there is really no reason why one needs to take the risk of being without a phone and on a thru hike this becomes a necessity. You may try and argue this point but not having had a need for it previously does not prove that you won't have need in the future. Your desire to be roughing it is no reason not to have a phone tucked away in your backpack for emergencies. If you don't have service when you need it then you can hike out until you get service. If your emergency has made you immobile and you have no service then your situation is hopeless anyway.

[DownEaster]

And here's a minor point---Cell phones do not work at millions of backcountry locations. Ergo the tool is worthless on a frequent basis.
That's only true for a limited view of "do not work". If you mean they can't make a voice call, you're often correct. If you mean they can't determine your position via GPS, that's only right at the bottoms of some steep valleys where the view of the sky is severely limited. If you mean they can't pull up a trail guide stored on the device, that's pretty much never the case.

[Tipi Walter]

Cell phones work in most of the locations on the AT. On those parts where you don't have cell service it is a relatively short walk to find service. My point about safety is that there is really no reason why one needs to take the risk of being without a phone and on a thru hike this becomes a necessity. You may try and argue this point but not having had a need for it previously does not prove that you won't have need in the future. Your desire to be roughing it is no reason not to have a phone tucked away in your backpack for emergencies. If you don't have service when you need it then you can hike out until you get service. If your emergency has made you immobile and you have no service then your situation is hopeless anyway.

But this is not only an AT forum---it also covers Other Trails and a score of various long trails---including a wide range of wilderness areas which are blank spots on the cellphone map. Emergencies come and go, so what exactly might I need in the future? Defibrillator paddles? Snake antivenom? Shotgun? Epipen? Morphine? Sutures and scalpel?

To your last point---Without service in a dire situation the phone is useless. So, without service it's then mandatory that you "can hike out". Or maybe crawl out? Or maybe sit put and check out?


That's only true for a limited view of "do not work". If you mean they can't make a voice call, you're often correct. If you mean they can't determine your position via GPS, that's only right at the bottoms of some steep valleys where the view of the sky is severely limited. If you mean they can't pull up a trail guide stored on the device, that's pretty much never the case.

Study the Geraldine Largay case. She got lost on the AT in 2014 and spent 26 days off the trail lost until she expired. Here are some quotes from "A Cautionary Tale: The Fate of Geraldine Largay" by Lauren Abbate---

"The case file also revealed that Largay did not know how to use a compass and relied heavily on her cellphone rather than utilizing lost-hiker logic."

Another quote---

"While on the trail, Largay would keep in contact with her husband via cellphone. On July 22, she attempted to send a text to him stating that she had left the trail to go to the bathroom and she had become lost. Due to poor cellphone service, the message did not go through and she would attempt to send it 10 times over the next hour and a half, according to a cellphone examination by the Maine Computer Crime Lab completed Oct. 20." ALL QUOTES LAUREN ABBATE.

My point??? In fact there could be a strong tendency to regard the phone as a crutch, replacing field experience with a mere Screen. "Rather than utilizing lost-hiker logic" as mentioned.

See---

http://www.centralmaine.com/2016/09/17/a-cautionary-tale-the-perfect-storm-the-fate-of-geraldine-largay/

http://www.centralmaine.com/2016/05/25/report-largay-kept-journal-during-weeks-missing-in-maine-woods/

[Hosh]

Using Largay as an example for not having a smart phone is a poor choice and irrelevant. Smart phones have the ability for a wide variety of high power applications the least of which is cellular phone calls or text.

AAR who cares, HYOH

[Alligator]

Not only do we have non-At subforums on this site, we specifically have a Hiking Humor forum, and it just so happens this thread is posted in it!