PDA

View Full Version : Is a cell phone part of the wilderness now???



Wolf - 23000
04-04-2006, 01:01
Some hikers really need to get their priority straight. When a thru-hiker needs to ask another hiker, “What do you sleep in?” or “What do you use for shelter” or complains they are cold at night but makes extra sure they have their cell phone to call home something is seriously wrong. An AT thru-hiker should already know this stuff long before hitting the trail. Shelter, sleeping gear, warmth are some of the basic fundamentals that is needed for keeping a hiker safe. When hikers are getting on the trail without knowing the basic, then what good is their cell phone? Is it so important to tell some one how ill prepare they are. I'm not talking everyone what it seem like a lot of ill prepare hikers.

I'm just getting back from hiking <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com /><st1:City w:st=Hot Springs</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">N</st1:State> to Springer Mt expecting a wilderness experience but repeatly interrupted by repeated cell phone conversations. It seem like 1 in every 4 hikers had a cell phone with a call that just couldn’t wait until they got into town. I’m not talking 911 emergency calls either.
<O:p</O:p
People simple put, worry about your food, shelter, sleeping gear, basic wilderness skills and less about who you can tell about your adventure. Enjoy the wilderness and nature. Your love ones really can wait a few days while you hike between towns. Then you really can tell them so what it like to be free in the wilderness.
<O:p</O:p
Wolf

sdoownek
04-04-2006, 03:22
..........

sdoownek
04-04-2006, 03:26
Oh, also, I realized I should have said that I agree with everything you said. It's just that at some point, you have to stop beating your head against the wall. It just becomes too much trouble, and your head gets all bloody. Totally not worth the trouble.

I've found that walking up and standing next to the person on the phone and staring at them works.
Don't say anything---just stand there, looking at them.

People tend to think you're insane though. That's the only drawback.

Sly
04-04-2006, 07:55
I'm looking forward to when the price of cellphone jammmers come down. People will have to pay me if they want to make a call in my presence.

Tha Wookie
04-04-2006, 08:06
It is unfortunate.

"At the gates of the forest, the surprised man of the world is forced to leave his city estimates of great and small, wise and foolish. The knapsack of custom falls off his back with the first step he makes into these precincts. Here is sanctity which shames our religions, and reality which discredits our heroes. Here we find nature to be the circumstance which dwarfs every other circumstance, and judges like a god all men that come to her. We have crept out of our close and crowded houses into the night and morning, and we see what majestic beauties daily wrap us in their bosom. How willingly we would escape the barriers which render them comparatively impotent, escape the sophistication and second thought, and suffer nature to entrance us. " -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Although it might be a dead horse people obviously aren't getting the signal.

Tha Wookie
04-04-2006, 08:07
I'm looking forward to when the price of cellphone jammmers come down. People will have to pay me if they want to make a call in my presence.

How much are they?

Sly
04-04-2006, 08:13
How much are they?

$200-300. Since I'm bothered by them at work all day long it may be worth it!

Sly
04-04-2006, 08:21
Here's one that looks like a phone. Only good to 20 feet though. Can't wait for technology to catch up and make it 20-30 yards or more... :)

http://www.techgadgetz.com/cjama.htm

BW2006
04-04-2006, 08:25
I've just hiked from Springer Mtn to Franklin and I don't see people all over with phones so I don't know what you are talking about. I found very little service in the mountains and people were discreet when using their phones. in town we all use them like home and it's just common curtesy to step away from people when you are on the phone.

Two Speed
04-04-2006, 08:28
From the website:

"The jammer will work great on phones in the immediate area of the user, especially if cellphone tower signals are weak."

Won't be so hot in the office, but ought to offer enough power to kill any cell phones once you're out in the woods.

Jaybird
04-04-2006, 08:47
Some hikers really need to get their priority straight. When a thru-hiker needs to ask another hiker, “What do you sleep in?” or “What do you use for shelter” or complains they are cold at night but makes extra sure they have their cell phone to call home something is seriously wrong............................................. .....................BLAH,BLAH,BLAH,.............. ..............YADA,YADA,YADA...<O:p</O:pWolf




Yo Wolf-23000


I TOTALLY AGREE w/ you...BUT, Dont let it EAT your lunch!
There are always gonna be those people that feel the NEED to call & share with everyone they know...that they are walkin' in the woods...

i, personally, try to get away from the techno-world during my annual section-hike...but, last year,...since i wuz gonna be out for about a month...my wife insisted that i take along a cell-phone.

I DID.....with the understanding i would "check-in" only about every 3 days or so....if there was a "signal".

so, against my hiker's judgement, i compromised & took along the cell-phone but NEVER used it around other hikers or in shelters or while hikin'.



Section hikin' (w/ "Jigsaw") Pearisburg to Glasgow,VA Apr 22-May 3 :D

rickb
04-04-2006, 09:11
Cell phones suck.

Some day those jammers are going to help hikers along the Trail as much as the TV-be-Gone (http://www.tvbgone.com/cfe_tvbg_main.php) can help them when they seek refuge at a bar down south which has Nascar on the tube.

QHShowoman
04-04-2006, 09:20
Wolf: You're preaching to the converted, here.

chomp
04-04-2006, 09:21
This used to really bother me too, but I would much rather hear someone talking on the phone then, say, listen to them cooking dinner on a Dragonfly stove. (BTW - in 99 when I hiked the AT, that was a VERY popular stove - ugh).

Back to phones - I don't think that there is a problem having them and using them, but people should have the manners to walk away by themselves. Last year I was out west on vacation for 2 weeks, and unfortunately VSA could not join me. During a 2 day loop that I did in the RMNP, I took my cell phone, with the intention of possibly using it for non-emergency purposes.

The next morning, I left my campsite and started climbing a ridge. When I got to the top of the ridge, the sun was still low in the horizon, there was fresh fog in the valley and I was looking down at 10 adult male elks grazing on the side of the ridge. I also had cell coverage. Sitting alone, enjoying this sight, I called my girlfriend to share the experience with her and tell her that I was sorry she could not be there to see it. I was able to describe ever detail of that moment and tell her exactly how I was feeling.

From that moment, I changed my mind on using cell phones in the backcountry. No, I don't think that people should be using them in a shelter and yell "Dude - guess where I am?" every 5 minutes. But I also think that there is a place for them. Hopefully, manners will catch up with the technology.

Oh, and as for the blocking technology, don't be suprised if that kind of equiptment is made illegal soon. The problem is - what if you block someone's cell phone and they NEED to use it in an emergency? Now you are at fault and potentially liable for damages. Not really an issue if you can only block a call for 20 feet, but what if you could block a call for a quarter of a mile?

The Cheat
04-04-2006, 09:41
.....
Oh, and as for the blocking technology, don't be suprised if that kind of equiptment is made illegal soon. The problem is - what if you block someone's cell phone and they NEED to use it in an emergency? Now you are at fault and potentially liable for damages. Not really an issue if you can only block a call for 20 feet, but what if you could block a call for a quarter of a mile?

Yep, already illegal in the United States.

orangebug
04-04-2006, 10:13
Yep, already illegal in the United States.Yup, you can't buy them to stop cell phone use in church, doctor's offices, public bathrooms, locker rooms, and the like.

neo
04-04-2006, 10:26
Some hikers really need to get their priority straight. When a thru-hiker needs to ask another hiker, “What do you sleep in?” or “What do you use for shelter” or complains they are cold at night but makes extra sure they have their cell phone to call home something is seriously wrong. An AT thru-hiker should already know this stuff long before hitting the trail. Shelter, sleeping gear, warmth are some of the basic fundamentals that is needed for keeping a hiker safe. When hikers are getting on the trail without knowing the basic, then what good is their cell phone? Is it so important to tell some one how ill prepare they are. I'm not talking everyone what it seem like a lot of ill prepare hikers.

I'm just getting back from hiking N to Springer Mt expecting a wilderness experience but repeatly interrupted by repeated cell phone conversations. It seem like 1 in every 4 hikers had a cell phone with a call that just couldn’t wait until they got into town. I’m not talking 911 emergency calls either.
<O:p</O:p
People simple put, worry about your food, shelter, sleeping gear, basic wilderness skills and less about who you can tell about your adventure. Enjoy the wilderness and nature. Your love ones really can wait a few days while you hike between towns. Then you really can tell them so what it like to be free in the wilderness.
<O:p</O:p
Wolf

another reason i stealth camp in my hammock,i am all alone every evening
no distractions total solitude,i love it neo

RockyTrail
04-04-2006, 10:34
I'm just getting back from hiking N to Springer Mt expecting a wilderness experience but repeatly interrupted by repeated cell phone conversations.

N to Springer? The Approach Trail?

hammock engineer
04-04-2006, 11:30
Here's one that looks like a phone. Only good to 20 feet though. Can't wait for technology to catch up and make it 20-30 yards or more... :)

http://www.techgadgetz.com/cjama.htm

Do a google search on cell phone jammers. When in doubt, build your own.

http://gbppr.dyndns.org/PROJ/mil/celljam/

It doesn't look to hard to do.

Dances with Mice
04-04-2006, 11:40
N to Springer? The Approach Trail?A trail leaving an attractive state park near Atlanta on a beautiful spring weekend? And some hikers had cellphones?

I'm shocked, shocked to find that phoning is going on out there!

vipahman
04-04-2006, 11:59
While I don't like cellphones, they are useful during emergencies. One of the reasons that I get out into the wilderness is for the quiet and solitude. Unfortunately, many people disrespect that aspect by making avoidable cellphone conversations on the trail. I guess they don't see it as noise pollution. I also don't like loud and rowdy crowds at shelters. As far as I'm concerned they are as inconsiderate as the cellphone talker. For the record, I don't own a cellphone but carry my wife's cellphone so I can arrange a pickup at the end of my weekend on the trail.

Lone Wolf
04-04-2006, 12:10
Cell phones, like Leki poles and those stupid looking holey shoes, are a fact of life on the AT. Just gonna get worse.

Tha Wookie
04-04-2006, 12:29
N to Springer? The Approach Trail?

I was wondering the same thing. The original poster is strangly unfamiliar with the terrain they claimed to have covered so many times....

...or it was just a typo.

Either way my personal experiences have corraborated.

My view is that if you don't mind paying for mountain tops to be deforested and developed with towers, financing the deaths of millions of migratory birds, and diluting your own wilderness experiences, at least go into the woods with the presumption that other people value the remoteness and solitude that come with the peace and quiet of nature.

Tin Man
04-04-2006, 12:45
Yup, you can't buy them to stop cell phone use in church, doctor's offices, public bathrooms, locker rooms, and the like.

Why are cell phones important in churches I wonder? In case someone needs to be in touch with God and the spiritual route has no signal? :-?

I thought more and more locker rooms were banning cell phones because of the camera function?

Lion King
04-04-2006, 12:57
Cell phone users are hand in hand with drop out rates...the more likely it is you carry a cell phone and use it the more likely you are to drop off.

Sure, every person has a right to have one, but DO NOT USE IT around others who are in the wilderness to get away from business, ringing cell phones, other peoples dirty laundry or luggage, and everyone who hikes knows the first 200 miles or a little more or littered(literally) with people who are so hung up on the life they had at home they cant let it go, and they carry it with them and drive everyone else absolutely insane.

I have been on a beautiful summit, eating a snack watching the raptors when I hear..
"Oh Bill, let that stock rise another day or two..yeah, Ill be in Damascus in two weeks...No, I dont care what the lawyer says, Im buying them out.."

Do you have any idea how much I wanted to become a wanted man at that point by lobbing that dude off a cliff?

The there are the inconsiderate jackasses who use them in shelters a dn babble on and on and on for hours talking to their insignificant other, and then we have to hear BEEP..BEEP, as the battery dies or they get another call...go away and use this in the privy, or in a seperate tentsite if you are one of those who insist on having one.

If you bring them for protection, youre an idiot as well.
You cant eat them, you cat drink them, they dont make a good bandage or splint, if you throw them at the random charging bear, the bear will get just as annoyed as other hikers that you have the damn thing and eat you out of principal.

So, to make a long post shorter, if you must have them, dont use them around other hikers, period.

Tin Man
04-04-2006, 13:04
So, to make a long post shorter, if you must have them, dont use them around other hikers, period.

I say leave the cell phone in the bottom or your pack and only use it in an emergency or when you reach a road and want to call for a ride or check in at home. Spare the rest of us who are trying to enjoy nature.

Lone Wolf
04-04-2006, 13:08
blah blah blah. Same old s**t. Cell phones are here to stay. Folks are always gonna use them at shelters, overlooks, etc. no matter what anybody preaches.

saimyoji
04-04-2006, 13:10
You can still take the picture, just can't email it.

Tin Man
04-04-2006, 13:20
blah blah blah. Same old s**t. Cell phones are here to stay. Folks are always gonna use them at shelters, overlooks, etc. no matter what anybody preaches.

True, but if one person who hadn't considered it reads this and decides to change his/her ways then that is one less to deal with out there. I know it isn't going to make a big difference, but I like to think we can make some difference. At least the people who want to understand acceptable behavior will be here and read our suggestions. I know I have changed my approach to a few things from what I have learned here, for example.

SGTdirtman
04-04-2006, 13:22
would anyone like some cheese with their wine?

saimyoji
04-04-2006, 13:27
Holy crap guys, I had no idea you didn't appreciate me using my phone on the trail. I'm so sorry, I promise I'll never do it again. Here take my phone as proof. :rolleyes:

Tin Man
04-04-2006, 13:44
Dang! I guess cell phone use is now acceptable. I will start carrying mine and talking where I please. Thanks for enlightening me.

longshank
04-04-2006, 13:49
Some hikers really need to get their priority straight. When a thru-hiker needs to ask another hiker, “What do you sleep in?” or “What do you use for shelter” or complains they are cold at night but makes extra sure they have their cell phone to call home something is seriously wrong. An AT thru-hiker should already know this stuff long before hitting the trail. Shelter, sleeping gear, warmth are some of the basic fundamentals that is needed for keeping a hiker safe. When hikers are getting on the trail without knowing the basic, then what good is their cell phone? Is it so important to tell some one how ill prepare they are. I'm not talking everyone what it seem like a lot of ill prepare hikers.

I'm just getting back from hiking N to Springer Mt expecting a wilderness experience but repeatly interrupted by repeated cell phone conversations. It seem like 1 in every 4 hikers had a cell phone with a call that just couldn’t wait until they got into town. I’m not talking 911 emergency calls either.
<O:p</O:p
People simple put, worry about your food, shelter, sleeping gear, basic wilderness skills and less about who you can tell about your adventure. Enjoy the wilderness and nature. Your love ones really can wait a few days while you hike between towns. Then you really can tell them so what it like to be free in the wilderness.
<O:p</O:p
Wolf

Wolf, when I see this behavior, it usually comes from day-hikers and wanna-be's. I'll bet dollars to donuts that thats what you were seeing. Serious hikers are a different breed

orangebug
04-04-2006, 14:08
Why are cell phones important in churches I wonder? In case someone needs to be in touch with God and the spiritual route has no signal? :-?

I thought more and more locker rooms were banning cell phones because of the camera function?At least one doctor uses his cell phone whenever on call, but does his best to turn it to silent when in church, restaurant or whatever. I leave my phone off when working out, locked in my locker. I don't like to leave it in the car. Similarly, my Rotary Club frowns on all cell phone use, even when the lovely lady is calling. It is simple to turn off the ringer and to decide when to respond to the vibration.

MacGyver2005
04-04-2006, 14:16
Cell phone users are hand in hand with drop out rates...the more likely it is you carry a cell phone and use it the more likely you are to drop off.

That is a falsified, unfounded statistic.


I have been on a beautiful summit, eating a snack watching the raptors when I hear..
"Oh Bill, let that stock rise another day or two..yeah, Ill be in Damascus in two weeks...No, I dont care what the lawyer says, Im buying them out.."

Do you have any idea how much I wanted to become a wanted man at that point by lobbing that dude off a cliff?

In no way shape or form is what you said the fault of a cell phone. According to your account of the situation you would have been just as perturbed if said individual was talking to their hiking partner about their stock.


If you bring them for protection, youre an idiot as well.
You cant eat them, you cat drink them, they dont make a good bandage or splint, if you throw them at the random charging bear, the bear will get just as annoyed as other hikers that you have the damn thing and eat you out of principal.

There is nothing idiotic about having a phone if need arises. Being able to contact someone in an emergency makes sense. As you state, a phone cannot immediately fix a situation as food can fix hunger, water fix thirst, bandage heal wound, etc. However it can get help to you, instead of being left without help in the elements.


So, to make a long post shorter, if you must have them, dont use them around other hikers, period.

The only ounce of your thread I agree with.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA-->ME

Mags
04-04-2006, 14:32
Guns! Drugs! Cell Phones! Dogs!

I think that about covers all the bases. :D

Lion King
04-04-2006, 14:43
That is a falsified, unfounded statistic.

Disprove it.



In no way shape or form is what you said the fault of a cell phone. According to your account of the situation you would have been just as perturbed if said individual was talking to their hiking partner about their stock.


Now your knitpicking over things, its rude and annoying and the hell with people with no appreciation for others who want some peace and quiet away from technology. I dont mind hikers talking, thats part of the trail, its the technology that people are trying to get themselves away from from time to time.


There is nothing idiotic about having a phone if need arises. Being able to contact someone in an emergency makes sense. As you state, a phone cannot immediately fix a situation as food can fix hunger, water fix thirst, bandage heal wound, etc. However it can get help to you, instead of being left without help in the elements.

Knitpicking again, I said its okay to have one, I said its everyones right to have one, then I added the last line you agreed with, so thusly, you agree with my whole point, and this whole response of your and mnine were pointless.



The only ounce of your thread I agree with.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA-->ME

PS, I think your phones ringing.

RockyTrail
04-04-2006, 15:29
LK:
What about those dudes that walk around with a handy-cam talking to themselves? :-? :) :D

I hate it when they do that, it just makes me wanna go watch a DVD or something!:D hee hee


(just kidding, I love Walking With Freedom, I agree 100% cellphones are annoying)

Two Speed
04-04-2006, 15:38
Guns! Drugs! Cell Phones! Dogs!

I think that about covers all the bases. :DNope. You forgot Warren Doyle, Leki's, stoves, religon (or the lack thereof), Liberal vs Conservative politics, tents vs hammocks, and I'll bet we can find a few more silly things to argue about, if we want to.

Heck, I bet we can have a silly argument about how many things there are to have silly arguments about.:banana

woodsy
04-04-2006, 15:39
It's not so much the cell phone that's annoying....it's the user whose ass you want to kick. Stomping on their cell phone comes 2nd!

Lion King
04-04-2006, 15:40
LK:
What about those dudes that walk around with a handy-cam talking to themselves? :-?

I hate it when they do that, it just makes me wanna go watch a DVD or something!:D hee hee


(just kidding, I love Walking With Freedom, I agree 100% cellphones are annoying)

LOL!
I was waiting on that.

At least I dont force people to walk through mud over and over or tell them to say this or that, I film whatever is going on and let it just happen...but I do talk to it. Its my friend :D
:D

Tha Wookie
04-04-2006, 15:55
I would far rather see a movie someone made showing me a great vista or moment than to have someone call me from the wilderness and tell me about their wilderness experience.

If someone called me like that, I'd hang up on them.

Two Speed
04-04-2006, 15:56
Yeah, I hate it when someone rubs in the fact that they're hiking and I'm not!

Tha Wookie
04-04-2006, 15:59
Yeah, I hate it when someone rubs in the fact that they're hiking and I'm not!

lol!!!!!:D

Lion King
04-04-2006, 17:12
Yeah, I hate it when someone rubs in the fact that they're hiking and I'm not!

:D
:D
:D:banana

RockyTrail
04-04-2006, 17:27
Yeah, I hate it when someone rubs in the fact that they're hiking and I'm not!

Hey that's rather profound...:-? hyoh

Lilred
04-04-2006, 17:30
I carry a cell phone with me when I hike and will always do so. I was hiking from Standing Indian when I threw my back out one night. Woke up and couldn't stand up straight. Had to get someone else to put my pack on my back cause I couldn't lift it. By a miracle, I got a signal and called my husband to come and get me a day early and at a different location. Without my cell phone, I'd have been screwed. Now I can hear some people saying, 'what would you have done ten years ago?' I'll tell you what I'd have done, I'd have been screwed. Sure, I could have stayed at Carter Gap for a few days till my back healed, but my husband would have been at the trail head waiting for me and when I didn't show, would have called search and rescue to come find me. So what is better, using the cell phone to get help, or having search and rescue called. There is a place for cell phones on the trail. LIke Lone Wolf said, they're here to stay. Sure, people can be annoying with them, but so can a shelter full of snorers and farters too. It's called tolerance folks. If you can tolerate 14 guys snoring and farting, surely you can tolerate a one-sided conversation.

Tha Wookie
04-04-2006, 17:37
I carry a cell phone with me when I hike and will always do so. I was hiking from Standing Indian when I threw my back out one night. Woke up and couldn't stand up straight. Had to get someone else to put my pack on my back cause I couldn't lift it. By a miracle, I got a signal and called my husband to come and get me a day early and at a different location. Without my cell phone, I'd have been screwed. Now I can hear some people saying, 'what would you have done ten years ago?' I'll tell you what I'd have done, I'd have been screwed. Sure, I could have stayed at Carter Gap for a few days till my back healed, but my husband would have been at the trail head waiting for me and when I didn't show, would have called search and rescue to come find me. So what is better, using the cell phone to get help, or having search and rescue called. There is a place for cell phones on the trail. LIke Lone Wolf said, they're here to stay. Sure, people can be annoying with them, but so can a shelter full of snorers and farters too. It's called tolerance folks. If you can tolerate 14 guys snoring and farting, surely you can tolerate a one-sided conversation.


So let me get this straight....

are you implying that female thru-hikers don't fart? (we already know they snore)

MOWGLI
04-04-2006, 17:44
Nope. You forgot Warren Doyle, Leki's, stoves, religon (or the lack thereof), Liberal vs Conservative politics, tents vs hammocks, and I'll bet we can find a few more silly things to argue about, if we want to.

Heck, I bet we can have a silly argument about how many things there are to have silly arguments about.:banana

You forgot the homeless. Where you been Mags? Hiking? Sheesh!

MOWGLI
04-04-2006, 17:48
Just a thought. The only thing more annoying than the hiker standing on the summit with the cell phone telling his/her friend "you'll never guess where I am", is the schmuck who goes to the baseball game and talks to their friend at home who tells them that they've on tv so they can wave to the camera.

If I wuz king, waving to a tv camera while talking on a cellphone at a sporting event should be a felony punishable by a pubic lashing and the lifetime revocation of cell phone priveledges. :banana

Skidsteer
04-04-2006, 18:07
I was wondering the same thing. The original poster is strangly unfamiliar with the terrain they claimed to have covered so many times....

...or it was just a typo.

It was a typo. Wolf hiked north from Springer....and ended up in Franklin last Saturday for the hiker bash. Seemed like a nice enough bloke.

MacGyver2005
04-04-2006, 18:07
Originally Posted by MacGyver2005
That is a falsified, unfounded statistic.

Disprove it.

It is not my duty to disprove a fact that is made up. In order to state facts, as you attempted to do, they must be proven. I suppose that I could have approached it differently, but hope that you understand that a statement like that over the internet turns into a game of "telephone" and quickly perpetuates into further forwarding of misinformation.

In no way shape or form is what you said the fault of a cell phone. According to your account of the situation you would have been just as perturbed if said individual was talking to their hiking partner about their stock.

Now your knitpicking over things, its rude and annoying and the hell with people with no appreciation for others who want some peace and quiet away from technology. I dont mind hikers talking, thats part of the trail, its the technology that people are trying to get themselves away from from time to time.

This I will agree with. I can see your point of knitpicking, although I disagree, and will concede to that.

There is nothing idiotic about having a phone if need arises. Being able to contact someone in an emergency makes sense. As you state, a phone cannot immediately fix a situation as food can fix hunger, water fix thirst, bandage heal wound, etc. However it can get help to you, instead of being left without help in the elements.

Knitpicking again, I said its okay to have one, I said its everyones right to have one, then I added the last line you agreed with, so thusly, you agree with my whole point, and this whole response of your and mnine were pointless.

You said it was ok to have one, but also said it was idiotic to have one in an emergency. Perhaps you were over zealous in your anti-cell assault, which is what I gather from your response here. If that is the case, so be it; I was simply confronting the fact that I find no idiocy in having a phone for an emergency.


Regards,
-MacGyver
GA-->ME

joel137
04-04-2006, 18:09
blah blah blah. Same old s**t. Cell phones are here to stay. Folks are always gonna use them at shelters, overlooks, etc. no matter what anybody preaches.

Yea, but that is because there is always going to be folks who are inconsiderate. The blah blah blah is to try to make some less so; and there is a chance of that, maybe . . .

ya gotta try

sdoownek
04-04-2006, 18:23
Heck, I bet we can have a silly argument about how many things there are to have silly arguments about.:banana

Well, that's a stupid thing to say.

sdoownek
04-04-2006, 18:31
Well, that's a stupid thing to say.


It's been pointed out to me that some of you may fail to see the humor in that statement.

Twospeed suggested that a collective group could argue about anything.

My statement was a followup, meant in jest, starting said arguement. So before some of you flip your lid and go off on me, step back for just one second and try to see the humor.

SGTdirtman
04-04-2006, 18:53
It's been pointed out to me that some of you may fail to see the humor in that statement.

Twospeed suggested that a collective group could argue about anything.

My statement was a followup, meant in jest, starting said arguement. So before some of you flip your lid and go off on me, step back for just one second and try to see the humor.


I think its hilarious, becase now... your argueing over a post about argueing over nothing.

:-?

sdoownek
04-04-2006, 18:56
I think its hilarious, becase now... your argueing over a post about argueing over nothing.

:-?

SEE? I think it's funny too.

But, as I've developed a "reputation" for using esoteric humor, people tend to yell at me when they don't get it.

Skidsteer
04-04-2006, 19:10
It's been pointed out to me that some of you may fail to see the humor in that statement.

Twospeed suggested that a collective group could argue about anything.

My statement was a followup, meant in jest, starting said arguement. So before some of you flip your lid and go off on me, step back for just one second and try to see the humor.

It was funny, albeit a bit subtle considering the source. There are some on WB that could have made this statement and it would have been roll-on-the-floor-funny because their post history makes it clear that they genuinely care about others.

Stay at it and perhaps the folks won't be afraid to laugh at your jokes.:sun

Almost There
04-04-2006, 19:14
Some of you all need to get out and hike...SOON!!! Quit the *******!!! You aren't gonna get rid of the cellphones. Up on Wayah Bald Sunday afternoon and a guy was yappin away on his cellphone to his wife pacing back and forth. Annoying...sure...but I can walk away...and I am out in nature, etc. Big enough deal to spoil my hike??? Heck, no., and if you let it ruin your hike...you have some serious issues to work out. Do I carry mine...yes...and it ain't gonna change. It's great for calling ahead for a ride during a section hike, otherwise it stays turned off. HYOH...as long as it doesn't impede upon mine...right? Get over yourselves trail nazis!!!

Cellphone usage is no more annoying than the guy who wants to tell you about his buddy Jesus Christ, or the guy who wants to talk with you in a loud voice.

After getting back from my hike today...I find all of this very entertaining!!

Sly
04-04-2006, 19:15
Cellphone jammers are illegal? That's OK, I'm a scofflaw on such matters.

By using a cellphone jammer it may save me from finally going *berserko* and doing someone I ought not to do. :p

Almost There
04-04-2006, 19:15
Oh, yeah, and LW said I just missed you, Skidsteer on Saturday Night! Ron's was great this weekend!

Skidsteer
04-04-2006, 19:22
Oh, yeah, and LW said I just missed you, Skidsteer on Saturday Night! Ron's was great this weekend!

I really should have stayed for the evening festivities( I'm due big-time ), but family obligations took priority.

I'm lobbying hard for Trail Days-You going?

Regards,

Almost There
04-04-2006, 19:26
Skid,

My wife has to go out of town on business....so alas, no.:(

Skidsteer
04-04-2006, 19:35
Ah, the married life. I know it well!:D

Sly
04-04-2006, 19:40
Some of you all need to get out and hike...SOON!!! Quit the *******!!! You aren't gonna get rid of the cellphones. Up on Wayah Bald Sunday afternoon and a guy was yappin away on his cellphone to his wife pacing back and forth. Annoying...sure...but I can walk away...and I am out in nature, etc. Big enough deal to spoil my hike??? Heck, no., and if you let it ruin your hike...you have some serious issues to work out. Do I carry mine...yes...and it ain't gonna change

Have you ever considered, maybe it's YOU, and the others w/cp's, that have some serious issues to work out? ;)

Almost There
04-04-2006, 19:52
Actually, it's more like a two way radio for me as I really only talk to my wife on mine, or my parents long distance. On the trail...it's off unless I need to call for a ride, like I did at Tellicoi gap, so that Ron could meet us at the NOC. Cellphones actually don't last too long at high altitude what with searching for signals and the battery drain.


Have you ever considered, maybe it's YOU, and the others w/cp's, that have some serious issues to work out? ;)

Also, Sly have you ever considered that WE ALL have serious issues to work out...heck, we get rained on, snowed on, and ***** in holes for fun!!!:eek:

Sly
04-04-2006, 20:27
On the trail...it's off unless I need to call for a ride, like I did at Tellicoi gap, so that Ron could meet us at the NOC.

I know you'll find a way to justify an answer, but couldn't you have planned better and given him a time beforehand?

Or just waited an hour or so for him to show up and called when you got to the NOC?

As an example, in 2000 I hiked the northern half of the PCT or 1300 miles. Cheryl hiked the 1st 200. After that she met me at trail crossings every 3-6 days depending. Although she usually showed a little beforehand, I was never late, maybe a little early only because I was in cruise mode.

I just can't imagine being connected 24/7 with a electronic leash. Whether it's on or off it's always there.

Wolf - 23000
04-04-2006, 20:45
N to Springer? The Approach Trail?

Thanks Rocky Trail,

That should Hot Springs, NC to Springer. I don't know why that got cut off when I copy it over from Word. Good catch.

Wolf

Skidsteer
04-04-2006, 20:47
Thanks Rocky Trail,

That should Hot Springs, NC to Springer. I don't know why that got cut off when I copy it over from Word. Good catch.

Wolf

Woops! My bad! I thought you were finishing at Franklin from Springer.:o

Wolf - 23000
04-04-2006, 21:00
Wolf, when I see this behavior, it usually comes from day-hikers and wanna-be's. I'll bet dollars to donuts that thats what you were seeing. Serious hikers are a different breed

longshank,

I agree with you that serious hikers are a different breed but I ran into a lot of want-a-be that had already hiked a hundred or two with them. It really caught me as strange, a hiker who walked a hundred or so miles still did not figure out their priority right - shelter, warmth, sleeping all first talking with outside world last.

Wolf

Wolf - 23000
04-04-2006, 21:12
Nope. You forgot Warren Doyle, Leki's, stoves, religon (or the lack thereof), Liberal vs Conservative politics, tents vs hammocks, and I'll bet we can find a few more silly things to argue about, if we want to.

Heck, I bet we can have a silly argument about how many things there are to have silly arguments about.:banana

Two Speed,

There is a different between someone using a stove to cook their food to eat or someone placing a tent or hammock up for shelter vs someone using a cell to talk to someone. Food and shelter are a necessity, talking with someone everyday is not.

Wolf

Lion King
04-04-2006, 21:15
Regards,
-MacGyver
GA-->ME

Im sorry I didnt hear anything after "Waaaaa".

Lion King
04-04-2006, 21:17
Some of you all need to get out and hike...SOON!!! Quit the *******!!! You aren't gonna get rid of the cellphones. Up on Wayah Bald Sunday afternoon and a guy was yappin away on his cellphone to his wife pacing back and forth. Annoying...sure...but I can walk away...and I am out in nature, etc. Big enough deal to spoil my hike??? Heck, no., and if you let it ruin your hike...you have some serious issues to work out. Do I carry mine...yes...and it ain't gonna change. It's great for calling ahead for a ride during a section hike, otherwise it stays turned off. HYOH...as long as it doesn't impede upon mine...right? Get over yourselves trail nazis!!!

Cellphone usage is no more annoying than the guy who wants to tell you about his buddy Jesus Christ, or the guy who wants to talk with you in a loud voice.

After getting back from my hike today...I find all of this very entertaining!!

So this guy was yelling loudly about Jesus on his cell phone on Silar yesterday...:D

Wolf - 23000
04-04-2006, 21:19
There is nothing idiotic about having a phone if need arises. Being able to contact someone in an emergency makes sense. As you state, a phone cannot immediately fix a situation as food can fix hunger, water fix thirst, bandage heal wound, etc. However it can get help to you, instead of being left without help in the elements.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA-->ME

MacGyver,

Don't you think a respondible hiker should be prepare for the elements before entering the wilderness??? I was running into hikers who had to ask, "What do you sleep in?" or "What do you use for shelter?" silly questions that a respondible hiker should already know.

Wolf

chomp
04-04-2006, 21:27
"What do you sleep in?" or "What do you use for shelter?" silly questions that a respondible hiker should already know.


They might back been asking those questions because they were concerned that you were underprepared. You hike with the equilivent of a day pack and a total of 11 lbs of gear for a 200+ mile trip. Its entirely conceivable they were concerned for your safely.

weary
04-04-2006, 21:29
That is a falsified, unfounded statistic.
....
Well, who knows. It's at best an educated guess. But I sure wish it were true. And I pity all who are so warped in their thinking that they have no understandiung of the merits of this discussion.

Weary

Wolf - 23000
04-04-2006, 21:32
I carry a cell phone with me when I hike and will always do so. I was hiking from Standing Indian when I threw my back out one night. Woke up and couldn't stand up straight. Had to get someone else to put my pack on my back cause I couldn't lift it. By a miracle, I got a signal and called my husband to come and get me a day early and at a different location. Without my cell phone, I'd have been screwed. Now I can hear some people saying, 'what would you have done ten years ago?' I'll tell you what I'd have done, I'd have been screwed. Sure, I could have stayed at Carter Gap for a few days till my back healed, but my husband would have been at the trail head waiting for me and when I didn't show, would have called search and rescue to come find me. So what is better, using the cell phone to get help, or having search and rescue called. There is a place for cell phones on the trail. LIke Lone Wolf said, they're here to stay. Sure, people can be annoying with them, but so can a shelter full of snorers and farters too. It's called tolerance folks. If you can tolerate 14 guys snoring and farting, surely you can tolerate a one-sided conversation.

Lilredmg,

Just a thought but rather than worrying so much about carrying your cell phone and worrying about the rest of your equipment you wouldn't have been carrying so much to hurt your back. A backpack doesn't have to weigh that much but it takes some thought when packing. If your worrying about non-essental items such as a cell phone and other things, what do you expect to happen.

Wolf

woodsy
04-04-2006, 21:35
MacGyver,

Don't you think a respondible hiker should be prepare for the elements before entering the wilderness??? I was running into hikers who had to ask, "What do you sleep in?" or "What do you use for shelter?" silly questions that a respondible hiker should already know.

Wolf

Excellent remarks Wolf,
Because of cell phones, some people no longer feel the need to be prepared, after all....help is only a phone call away, Or so they think.
The cell phone creates this same mentality in everyday life....no longer having to plan ahead more than an hour.

Two Speed
04-04-2006, 21:57
Two Speed,

There is a different between someone using a stove to cook their food to eat or someone placing a tent or hammock up for shelter vs someone using a cell to talk to someone. Food and shelter are a necessity, talking with someone everyday is not.

WolfLet the beat go on.:banana

longshank
04-04-2006, 22:07
longshank,

I agree with you that serious hikers are a different breed but I ran into a lot of want-a-be that had already hiked a hundred or two with them. It really caught me as strange, a hiker who walked a hundred or so miles still did not figure out their priority right - shelter, warmth, sleeping all first talking with outside world last.

Wolf
It is odd. For me, the allure of the trail is the departure from the ties that bog me down, a chance to enjoy a freedom from the obligations that I allow myself to be subjected to. As soon as I get out of town, I turn my phone off and put it somewhere. The very sound of its ring offends me. I could see turning it on if I was staying in town on a zero day, but that would be the only time I would even consider it. I'm slave enough to the blasted thing here in the city, why would I want to allow myself to be tied to it during what should be the free-est time I could possibly be having?

Wolf - 23000
04-04-2006, 22:11
They might back been asking those questions because they were concerned that you were underprepared. You hike with the equilivent of a day pack and a total of 11 lbs of gear for a 200+ mile trip. Its entirely conceivable they were concerned for your safely.

Chomp,

I could buy that argument if this was the Flinstones and we were living in the stoneages but face it were not. If someone has already been out for a while and has hiked more than 100 times the distance of me, I'm going believe they know what they are doing. Besides, there is so much ultra-light equipment out there, hiking light weight or ultra light is farely easy.

Wolf

Tin Man
04-04-2006, 22:11
Sure, people can be annoying with them, but so can a shelter full of snorers and farters too. It's called tolerance folks. If you can tolerate 14 guys snoring and farting, surely you can tolerate a one-sided conversation.

Ah, what's wrong with snoring and farting? The first is breathing with enthusiasm and the second is exhaling with enthusiasm. :D

I don't think anyone is complaining about someone using a cell phone for an emergency; perhaps the injured might even appreciate it. I think the issue is about spoiling the escapism from the annoyances we live in today, but alas annoyances has invaded the trail and is here to stay. Personally, I try to keep my annoyances to myself. I set my tent up away from the shelter so, among other benefits, when I feel the need to snore and fart, I can do so with enthusiasm and not trouble others with it. I leave my cell phone at home so I can feel a little more self reliant and also give those at home and work a chance to be a little more self reliant. It comes down to respect for others. I guess I just care more than others and it doesn't really matter as respect for others appears to be a lost cause on and off the trail. :(

longshank
04-04-2006, 22:11
I carry a cell phone with me when I hike and will always do so. I was hiking from Standing Indian when I threw my back out one night. Woke up and couldn't stand up straight. Had to get someone else to put my pack on my back cause I couldn't lift it. By a miracle, I got a signal and called my husband to come and get me a day early and at a different location. Without my cell phone, I'd have been screwed. Now I can hear some people saying, 'what would you have done ten years ago?' I'll tell you what I'd have done, I'd have been screwed. Sure, I could have stayed at Carter Gap for a few days till my back healed, but my husband would have been at the trail head waiting for me and when I didn't show, would have called search and rescue to come find me. So what is better, using the cell phone to get help, or having search and rescue called. There is a place for cell phones on the trail. LIke Lone Wolf said, they're here to stay. Sure, people can be annoying with them, but so can a shelter full of snorers and farters too. It's called tolerance folks. If you can tolerate 14 guys snoring and farting, surely you can tolerate a one-sided conversation.
I think that carrying a cell phone on your thru and sauntering down the trail chatting on it are two different things. My cell happens to be my only phone, and would not leave it behind. I would be glad to have it in an emergency. But as for idly chattering away on it while sauntering down the trail, never. I will have my phone on me next year, but noone will know it unless they've read this post.

Two Speed
04-04-2006, 22:20
Wolf 2300

On reflection my last post wasn't helpful. For the record I don't own a cell phone (or a TV, if it matters). Personally, I agree with your distaste for the use of an electronic device in what I feel is an inappropriate environment. Unfortunately, some folks ain't got no couth and there ain't nothing you can do that will couth them.

I do like Sly's comment about an "electronic leash" and can't help but wonder what kind of amusement could be had by turning a jammer on and off at strategic moments during a conversation; make sure it isn't an emergency call, then have a boatload of fun intermittently screwing the conversation up. Not nice, but it's fun to speculate.

Happy Trails!

Almost There
04-04-2006, 22:35
Actually, It was Ron who had told me to call him from Tellicoi Gap, so that he could meet us.

Besides the fact would a phone call next to the high power electrical cables have messed with your "wilderness experience" as the good 'ol boys drove by in their pick'em up trucks?

BTW you're right I could have waited but by the time we got into the NOC, (6:30pm for me, 7:20pm for my buddy) I wouldn't have asked Ron to drive out...and I wanted to throw him the business vs. the NOC.

I was introducing a friend to the AT this weekend..not knowing his hiking speed, it's kinda hard to "plan" as you put it.

Of course, we can't all be the hiker trash extraordinaire you are!:D But we can try!

BTW, Justify means I "might" be wrong!:-? Those were the facts!


I know you'll find a way to justify an answer, but couldn't you have planned better and given him a time beforehand?

Or just waited an hour or so for him to show up and called when you got to the NOC?

As an example, in 2000 I hiked the northern half of the PCT or 1300 miles. Cheryl hiked the 1st 200. After that she met me at trail crossings every 3-6 days depending. Although she usually showed a little beforehand, I was never late, maybe a little early only because I was in cruise mode.

I just can't imagine being connected 24/7 with a electronic leash. Whether it's on or off it's always there.

Lion King
04-04-2006, 22:57
Hikers make me laugh!
:D
:D
:D

LostInSpace
04-04-2006, 23:07
I'm looking forward to when the price of cellphone jammmers come down. People will have to pay me if they want to make a call in my presence.

Jammers should be required equipment, installed in every shelter in a tamper-proof box, with solar-cell power so they can operate 24 x 7, whenever a cellular signal is detected. :D

If anyone is seriously concerned about the safety benefit of carrying a cell phone, then they really ought to be carrying a personal locator beacon (PLB).

kevin
04-04-2006, 23:08
Here I am walking down a maintained trail crossing a road usually at least once a day, walking under an occassional powerline, occassionally stopping to fill my water bottle from a piped water supply. Then I stop at a shelter where several people are talking to one another and snapping pictures with digital cameras. Another person sits in the shelter typing on a pocketmail device. Off to the side I notice a guy talking away from the crowd...wait there's no one with him...instead he's talking on a (GASP) cell phone...probably checking in with his wife and kids. That CRETIN -- he's destroying my wilderness experience. I was one with nature until I saw a guy talking and couldn't see the person he was talking to. If he was talking to someone I could see it'd be fine, but the audacity to talk to someone I can't see??

Nope, just don't get it. I carry a cell phone. If I want to use it, I find a little clearing and get a ways off the trail. Sometimes I call from my tent. I don't walk along the trail chatting and won't take it out at a shelter (without walking out of the area) unless every other person at the shelter is already on the phone (that happened once when the one other person at the shelter got out his phone). While my miles are certainly less than most people on here, I haven't seen a person on the trail using a cell anywhere but at a road crossing or shelter in about 4 weeks of trail time. Does that mean there aren't inconsiderate cell phone users out there? No, but it seems cell phones are something people love to get worked up about way out of proportion to the actual problem.

PS...I know my opinion is in the minority and I don't plan on changing anyone's mind. I know some think cell phones are the ultimate evil and try to be respectful of not letting my phone interfere with your hike. Just don't understand the degree of loathing over them.

Tin Man
04-04-2006, 23:17
Here I am walking down a maintained trail crossing a road usually at least once a day, walking under an occassional powerline, occassionally stopping to fill my water bottle from a piped water supply. Then I stop at a shelter where several people are talking to one another and snapping pictures with digital cameras. Another person sits in the shelter typing on a pocketmail device. Off to the side I notice a guy talking away from the crowd...wait there's no one with him...instead he's talking on a (GASP) cell phone...probably checking in with his wife and kids. That CRETIN -- he's destroying my wilderness experience. I was one with nature until I saw a guy talking and couldn't see the person he was talking to. If he was talking to someone I could see it'd be fine, but the audacity to talk to someone I can't see??

Nope, just don't get it. I carry a cell phone. If I want to use it, I find a little clearing and get a ways off the trail. Sometimes I call from my tent. I don't walk along the trail chatting and won't take it out at a shelter (without walking out of the area) unless every other person at the shelter is already on the phone (that happened once when the one other person at the shelter got out his phone). While my miles are certainly less than most people on here, I haven't seen a person on the trail using a cell anywhere but at a road crossing or shelter in about 4 weeks of trail time. Does that mean there aren't inconsiderate cell phone users out there? No, but it seems cell phones are something people love to get worked up about way out of proportion to the actual problem.

PS...I know my opinion is in the minority and I don't plan on changing anyone's mind. I know some think cell phones are the ultimate evil and try to be respectful of not letting my phone interfere with your hike. Just don't understand the degree of loathing over them.

Great post. And I have never minded curtious cell phone talkers as you appear to be. It is not the cell phones that are annoying to me, it is how they are used.

Tinker
04-04-2006, 23:25
I don't have a cell phone, myself, but when I was hiking the Georgia section of the Trail with Frosty, I was happy to use his a few times to call home and talk to my wife. If I did a thru, I would most likely carry one, though I think it might take away from the "adventure" aspect.

If not for myself, I'd carry one for use in case someone else needed medical assistance beyond my means.

In an emergency, they can be life savers.

Overused, they can be the worst kind of social ignorance.

When someone is talking on a cell in the retail store I work in, I won't bother asking them if they need help. If they do, they'll hang up and find me. (Maybe their buddy on the other end can help them find what they need :p ).

Lion King
04-04-2006, 23:27
Great post. And I have never minded curtious cell phone talkers as you appear to be. It is not the cell phones that are annoying to me, it is how they are used.

I was beaten and robbed by a drunken group of Cell phones in a Tiajuana Brothel, that made it personal.

Tin Man
04-04-2006, 23:31
I was beaten and robbed by a drunken group of Cell phones in a Tiajuana Brothel, that made it personal.

LOL. Now I know this topic is beaten to a pulp.

RockyTrail
04-05-2006, 00:01
Because of cell phones, some people no longer feel the need to be prepared, after all....help is only a phone call away, Or so they think. The cell phone creates this same mentality in everyday life....no longer having to plan ahead more than an hour.

I think there is a good bit of truth in this. People get overly (in my opinion) dependent on technology sometimes (as I type on my computer!:rolleyes: )

A similar thing has happened in the aviation world in the past 15 years regarding GPS. Sometimes folks will use a GPS in an airplane as a "crutch" and simply key in their destination and fly straight to it using the pointer on the GPS without much thought until the batteries die one day and then they are "lost". On the other hand, a responsible pilot may use a GPS for reference, but still keep up with visual landmarks and compass headings to stay in touch with the surroundings in case the Golden Oracle of GPS goes on the blink. (Substitute some hikers for pilots)

Also when mandatory airbags in cars came out about 1992 or so, it was found that drivers tended to take more risks resulting in more crashes; they felt the airbag would protect them so they stuck their neck out a little further.

In a similar way a phone may give an illusion of "safety" that might not really be there. I think they're OK to carry in the pack turned off, but only bother using it for road pickups etc otherwise turn it off and enjoy the peace! But as always hyoh...
Be Prepared!

Wolf - 23000
04-05-2006, 00:06
Kevin,

Thank you for supporting the need for the maintain roads that you had to walk down, and relay tower that cut into your wilderness needed to carry your wireless signal and the noise pollution. I sure you would also support the hiker blasting his radios at the shelter or hiking the trail – no one needs to be with him either but he choices for everyone what they are entitle to hear.
<O:p</O:p
<O:p
The guy talking cell phone probably checking in with his wife and kids as you said, I guess he’s also telling them how much he really cares by choosing to be miles away rather then with them in person. <O:p
<O:p
As for your view of others using cell phone - if you hike the same direction as the main crowd you are only view a small crowd of hikers in the same area of yourself. If you hike the opposite direction, you would see a lot more like I did

Wolf

Mountain Mike
04-05-2006, 00:40
I've had a cell phone even when they were rare. It was for work. I will carry mine backpacking, but it stays where it belongs, turned off & in my pack other than planned check ins or emergencies! I go to the woods to get away from work.

Midway Sam
04-05-2006, 00:50
I carry my cell phone concealed, in the same pocket as my gun, er "weapon". I carry my cell phone because my wife will shoot me with HER gun if I don't. You carry what you want and I'll carry what I want. I think I read an acronym here somewhere to that effect.

Lion King
04-05-2006, 00:52
So, I just finished up with this hooker named Matilda Jose Magolias Dominco Hazejesus Esteban and I was ready for a drink..so I walked up to the bar, and in my best broken Spanish asked for three shots of tequilla..one for me, one for Matilda and one to get the taste of her out of my mouth, when these three drunken Lation Cell phones who were playing snooker on a uneven pool table walked up behind me and...

WHACK!

They Cracked me across the back of the head with a pool stick.

Next thing I know Im getting tossed out of the car by some Policia Banditos missing my shirt, my wallet and I had a bloody nose.. Matilda waved at me from the back window as the Policia drove off in a cloud of dust...man..Tiajuana....

Wolf - 23000
04-05-2006, 01:43
So, I just finished up with this hooker named Matilda Jose Magolias Dominco Hazejesus Esteban and I was ready for a drink..so I walked up to the bar, and in my best broken Spanish asked for three shots of tequilla..one for me, one for Matilda and one to get the taste of her out of my mouth, when these three drunken Lation Cell phones who were playing snooker on a uneven pool table walked up behind me and...

WHACK!

They Cracked me across the back of the head with a pool stick.

Next thing I know Im getting tossed out of the car by some Policia Banditos missing my shirt, my wallet and I had a bloody nose.. Matilda waved at me from the back window as the Policia drove off in a cloud of dust...man..Tiajuana....

Lion King,

You know the hooker name was really name was Dick and that wasn't a pool stick he hit you in the back of with. I would have helped you but you seem really happy with that white, sticky stuff all over your face.

Wolf

Lilred
04-05-2006, 16:51
So let me get this straight....

are you implying that female thru-hikers don't fart? (we already know they snore)


LOLOL no not at all, there's just so many more men than women out there. LOL

Lilred
04-05-2006, 17:02
Lilredmg,

Just a thought but rather than worrying so much about carrying your cell phone and worrying about the rest of your equipment you wouldn't have been carrying so much to hurt your back. A backpack doesn't have to weigh that much but it takes some thought when packing. If your worrying about non-essental items such as a cell phone and other things, what do you expect to happen.

Wolf


I see. And you know the weight of my pack?? It weighed 27 pounds, with food and water. So tell me, what were those non-essential items I was carrying that you know so much about? So much for your theory. One should really know what one talks about before talking. It wasn't the weight of my pack that threw my back out. This happens to me once every few years ever since a four wheeling trip I took. Amazing how some people jump to conclusions. And, btw, the cell phone turned out to be essential in this case now didn't it.

Lilred
04-05-2006, 17:06
Ah, what's wrong with snoring and farting? The first is breathing with enthusiasm and the second is exhaling with enthusiasm. :D
(

LOLOL now THAT is funny! :D

prozac
04-05-2006, 17:53
I couldn't even get past reading page 3 without posting. Jesus freaking christ, its only a cell phone. It doesn't even make my top 25 list for things and behavior that piss me off while hiking. In fact,hardly anything pisses me off as I'm so glad to just be hiking. Miffed, irked and amused at times but can never remember being truly pissed off. HYOH and just relax. Its probably why your out there in the first place.

MacGyver2005
04-05-2006, 20:21
Im sorry I didnt hear anything after "Waaaaa".

Ah, insult; the retort of the defeated.


MacGyver,

Don't you think a respondible hiker should be prepare for the elements before entering the wilderness??? I was running into hikers who had to ask, "What do you sleep in?" or "What do you use for shelter?" silly questions that a respondible hiker should already know.

Wolf

Yes sir, I agree complete. I thoroughly appologize if my sentiment was in any way construed to say that a cellular phone replaces knowledge, know-how, and common sense. I suppose a better example of my point is that it is yet another useful tool to have at hand, similar to food, first aid, water treatment, shelter, clothing, knowledge, awareness, and common sense. I can survive in the woods without taking anything with me; that does not mean that I don't appreciate the safety that these items add, cellular phone included.


I think that carrying a cell phone on your thru and sauntering down the trail chatting on it are two different things. My cell happens to be my only phone, and would not leave it behind. I would be glad to have it in an emergency. But as for idly chattering away on it while sauntering down the trail, never. I will have my phone on me next year, but noone will know it unless they've read this post.

I no longer need to add my opinion, as you have voiced it clearly.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA-->ME

Tin Man
04-05-2006, 21:58
I think the point is clear now: annoying people (annoyers) are annoying to those who will be annoyed (annoyees). Cell phones are just near the top of the tools that annoyers use to annoy annoyees. Annoyees need to be less annoyed by annoyers. And annoyers could be less annoying to annoyees. Whew! :cool:

Skidsteer
04-05-2006, 22:07
I think the point is clear now: annoying people (annoyers) are annoying to those who will be annoyed (annoyees). Cell phones are just near the top of the tools that annoyers use to annoy annoyees. Annoyees need to be less annoyed by annoyers. And annoyers could be less annoying to annoyees. Whew! :cool:

Now all we need is a term for those of us whose give-a-damn is busted.:D

Sly
04-05-2006, 22:17
Not only annoying, but spiritually degenerative. That's to say, it's the two-way electronic communication in an environment meant for communication with nature and soul searching.

I suppose it puts more people in the woods than would ordinarily be there, and that's good, but imo, they're losing something.

YMMV

woodsy
04-06-2006, 07:36
Do you think after 106 posts that the cell phone addicts are starting to get the picture? Use them like an illegal drug, in secrecy. Most seekers of solitude/nature don't want to be annoyed by your obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).!

neo
04-06-2006, 07:55
:D some people have an obession against cell phone lol:cool: neo

sherrill
04-06-2006, 08:31
I pulled into the shelter after a long, hot, dusty 50 mile day.

Much to my surprise, the shelter was full of unleashed dogs, obviously out for just the weekend.

Many were yapping away on their cellphones. A few had their GPS's out, while one was getting annoyed with the small keyboard on the Pocketmail that was not designed for paws.

I watched them run off an ultralighter, who made the mistake of asking for some food and water after looking over their shoulders at Wingfoot's guide.

As I set up my tarptent, a few made some yips about how superior their hammocks were, not needing a yuppie Leki pole for support.

The last straw came when one knocked over the dinner I was cooking on my Jetboil. It spilled and put out the joint I was smoking.

Cursing, I kicked that damn unleashed dog with my 5lb Vasgue boots, sprayed him with my bear spray, and finally killed him with my Glock 20.

That's when the owners arrived ...

Lone Wolf
04-06-2006, 09:34
Do you think after 106 posts that the cell phone addicts are starting to get the picture? Use them like an illegal drug, in secrecy. Most seekers of solitude/nature don't want to be annoyed by your obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).!
Most seekers of solitude/nature hike other places than the AT. The AT is the Route 95 of hiking trails.

rgarling
04-06-2006, 09:47
kevin noted: I know my opinion is in the minority

maybe in this thread, but people who dislike something are always more vocal than those who are neutral. Your opinion is not in the minority, it is just under reported.

woodsy
04-06-2006, 09:52
Most seekers of solitude/nature hike other places than the AT. The AT is the Route 95 of hiking trails.

You are right L. Wolf , since the advent of cell phones, the AT has become Route 95...The number of professional rescues has increased dramatically as well. By the way, if you call from your cell phone for a rescue, or need to be rescued in the Northeast, you will likely be charged $$$$$$ for all expenses incurred by the rescue operation.

Tha Wookie
04-06-2006, 10:10
Most seekers of solitude/nature hike other places than the AT. The AT is the Route 95 of hiking trails.

Actually, it's about the only long route that is a true hiking trail. It is busy, but is still in a class of its own for a 2000 miler.

So my point is that we cannot retreat from it and just accept the infiltration and degredation of the wilderness experience it has to offer.

It is the ONLY 2000 mile+ footpath (less than 1% roads).

chomp
04-06-2006, 10:14
By the way, if you call from your cell phone for a rescue, or need to be rescued in the Northeast, you will likely be charged $$$$$$ for all expenses incurred by the rescue operation.

Now that is COMPLETLY untrue.

If you call for a rescue from your cell phone and you need to be rescued because you were negligent, you can be charged. This is true for the "I don't have a headlamp and can't see" calls, the "I went skiing in Tuckermans Ravine even though the Avalanche Danger was HIGH" calls, or the "I got lost because I dont have a map and compass) calls.

However, if you call because you got extremly sick, broke and ankle, etc... you will not be charged for a rescue. Accidents can and do happen, and if you took reasonable precautions but find yourself in a situtation where you need assistance, don't hesitate to use your phone.

woodsy
04-06-2006, 10:23
" You will likely be charged" does not mean you will be charged. As chomp stated.

chomp
04-06-2006, 10:48
" You will likely be charged" does not mean you will be charged. As chomp stated.

Actually, given the average hiking IQ of this site, my point was that you will likely NOT be charged. and "You will likely be charged" does not mean "you will likely not be charged."

kyhipo
04-06-2006, 11:03
seeing that i bring my cell phone with me!and use it when i can get service in selective areas,I think its like anything else when your around people,I try real hard not to offend other people anymore,but you just cant please everyone,the question is a broad one considering our times,is it part of the wilderness yes it is if you bring one!like a jet boil stove,a radio,lighters ect ect,how many times do you see pop cans thrown to side of the trail,come on people,I say alot of things are not truly part of the tru wilderness experience anymore.ky

Tin Man
04-06-2006, 12:26
I pulled into the shelter after a long, hot, dusty 50 mile day.

Much to my surprise, the shelter was full of unleashed dogs, obviously out for just the weekend.

Many were yapping away on their cellphones. A few had their GPS's out, while one was getting annoyed with the small keyboard on the Pocketmail that was not designed for paws.

I watched them run off an ultralighter, who made the mistake of asking for some food and water after looking over their shoulders at Wingfoot's guide.

As I set up my tarptent, a few made some yips about how superior their hammocks were, not needing a yuppie Leki pole for support.

The last straw came when one knocked over the dinner I was cooking on my Jetboil. It spilled and put out the joint I was smoking.

Cursing, I kicked that damn unleashed dog with my 5lb Vasgue boots, sprayed him with my bear spray, and finally killed him with my Glock 20.

That's when the owners arrived ...

LOL. You didn't mention going to the stream and NOT using a water filter after being turned down for your request for water.

Fiddler
04-06-2006, 13:05
I always carry a cell phone, on trail or off. When hiking, the weight is in my pack. Occasionally in unfamiliar, little used territory, I will carry a GPS, especially for a longer hike. Again, the weight is in my pack. If I hike in areas where wild hogs are known to be a problem I will probably carry a handgun capable of stopping a wild hog. I am carrying this weight also. I ask no one to carry anything for me. If anyone is so against modern technology, then what about a digital camera or digital wristwatch? Especially a watch that gets the time from the atomic clock in Colorado via radio signal?

rickb
04-06-2006, 13:20
If a cell tower or out-of-place McMansion intrudes on one's view, what's the problem? After all, the critters wont care. The edge forest created might make them a better habitat.

For me, my answer is selfish. Those things disrupt my personal sense of Wildness. I think a feeling of wildness to be important.

Cell phones change that feeling. They are here to stay, but that doesn't mean we have to like it.

Complaining about things we have no control over is a long-standing American tradition.

woodsy
04-06-2006, 14:23
Actually, given the average hiking IQ of this site, my point was that you will likely NOT be charged. and "You will likely be charged" does not mean "you will likely not be charged."

Chomp,
are you suggesting my IQ is not up to par?
Take a look at some of the hikers needing rescues these days. Yeah , they have their cell phones alright..sometimes not much else.
If you need to be rescued from the trail someplace you should damn well pay for the expenses incurred, not the local taxpayer and rescue squad.
Case closed

chomp
04-06-2006, 14:39
Chomp,
are you suggesting my IQ is not up to par?
Take a look at some of the hikers needing rescues these days. Yeah , they have their cell phones alright..sometimes not much else.
If you need to be rescued from the trail someplace you should damn well pay for the expenses incurred, not the local taxpayer and rescue squad.
Case closed

Wow, someone misread my post and got all worked up. Average Hiker IQ of Whiteblize = HIGH. As in, most of us here are hikers and backpackers and have been so for many years. Sure, there are newbies here as well, but I would say that most of the members here are experienced.

Therefore, most of the members here would not make the kind of stupid mistakes that you are talking about. Therefore, chances are that if a Whiteblaze member is in enough trouble to call of a rescue, something went seriously wrong. (blew out a knee vs. got lost without a headlamp). Therefore, chances are that a Whiteblaze member calling for a resuce would not get charged.

In New Hampshire, they started charging folks for rescues because they were getting calls to the effect of "I am on the mountain, it is getting late, and I am exausted. Come get me with a helicopter." (seriously, I read about a call just like this a couple of years ago). The rule is encouragement for hikers to be prepared - carry water, extra clothing, map, compass, etc...

As for paying for a rescue, I hope that you are not saying that everyone should pay for their own rescue, regardless of the circumstances. Because, if that is the case, then everyone should pay for the fire department calls, police calls, etc...

Lion King
04-06-2006, 15:25
Wow, someone misread my post and got all worked up. Average Hiker IQ of Whiteblize = HIGH. As in, most of us here are hikers and backpackers and have been so for many years. Sure, there are newbies here as well, but I would say that most of the members here are experienced.

Therefore, most of the members here would not make the kind of stupid mistakes that you are talking about. Therefore, chances are that if a Whiteblaze member is in enough trouble to call of a rescue, something went seriously wrong. (blew out a knee vs. got lost without a headlamp). Therefore, chances are that a Whiteblaze member calling for a resuce would not get charged.

In New Hampshire, they started charging folks for rescues because they were getting calls to the effect of "I am on the mountain, it is getting late, and I am exausted. Come get me with a helicopter." (seriously, I read about a call just like this a couple of years ago). The rule is encouragement for hikers to be prepared - carry water, extra clothing, map, compass, etc...

As for paying for a rescue, I hope that you are not saying that everyone should pay for their own rescue, regardless of the circumstances. Because, if that is the case, then everyone should pay for the fire department calls, police calls, etc...

You talking to me? Are you talking to me? You talking to me?:D

Chewy chewy bachewy chomp chomp!
Come out and hike some PCT with me dawg!

Mags
04-06-2006, 15:45
IEspecially a watch that gets the time from the atomic clock in Colorado via radio signal?

http://tf.nist.gov/cesium/fountain.htm

I did a run past the building yesterday. :)

Tha Wookie
04-06-2006, 15:50
If a cell tower or out-of-place McMansion intrudes on one's view, what's the problem? After all, the critters wont care. The edge forest created might make them a better habitat.

For me, my answer is selfish. Those things disrupt my personal sense of Wildness. I think a feeling of wildness to be important.

Cell phones change that feeling. They are here to stay, but that doesn't mean we have to like it.

Complaining about things we have no control over is a long-standing American tradition.

good thought post, although I beleive we already have enough edges in our forests;)

SouthMark
04-06-2006, 15:56
I shouldn't jump in here as I am really just one of the silent neutals but read on:

For your information, the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics (formerly Leave No Trace, Inc.), recently released the following Leave No Trace Guidance for cell phone use in the out-of-doors:

Leave No Trace Cell Phone Use Guidance

It is recognized that many outdoor recreationists carry cell phones for safety and emergencies. Be considerate of other visitors: carry and use cell phones out-of-sight and sound of other people. Keep them turned off until needed or left in a pocket on the ?vibrate? or ?silent? ringer setting.

Be self reliant, whether carrying cell phones or not. Don?t leave ill-prepared or engage in risky actions just because you have a cell phone to call for rescue. Remember that in many remote areas cell phone coverage is limited or non-existent.

Many people go to the out-of-doors to get away from technology. Please respect their desire for solitude and be considerate when using a cell phone.

For more information on Leave No Trace, please visit http://www.LNT.org or call 1.800.332.4100

Please distribute as you see fit. Thanks for your support of Leave No Trace.

Ben Lawhon
Education Director
Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics
P.O. Box 997, Boulder, CO 80306

end of copy-----------

MOWGLI
04-06-2006, 16:06
Good post Rick.

This country was built on bad coffee. That doesn't mean I have to drink or like bad coffee.

America now runs on cell phones, and this technology intrudes into just about every facet of daily life. That doesn't mean that I have to sit on my hands and be silent about rude and inappropriate behaviour, or the person who nearly runs into me with their car (while they talk ontheir phone), or cell towers popping up along the ridges like mushrooms after a rain.

The best thing that the AT taught me is the difference between wants & needs. This thread has taught me that that lesson is lost on some of you.

Wolf - 23000
04-06-2006, 20:11
I see. And you know the weight of my pack?? It weighed 27 pounds, with food and water. So tell me, what were those non-essential items I was carrying that you know so much about? So much for your theory. One should really know what one talks about before talking. It wasn't the weight of my pack that threw my back out. This happens to me once every few years ever since a four wheeling trip I took. Amazing how some people jump to conclusions. And, btw, the cell phone turned out to be essential in this case now didn't it.

I personal don't like carrying 27 pounds and depending on your build it can cause you problems. I person for example that weighs 100 pounds would be carrying 1/4 of their body weight. I know the "experts" say it all right to carry a 1/3 of your body weight but I don't believe it and know several long distance hikers that have back problems from it.

My theory I went with the most common problem, it also be you had your pack on wrong or didn't adjust your straps properly. Injuries don't "Just Happen" and let face facts, most injuries are preventable.

Wolf

Wolf - 23000
04-06-2006, 20:24
Yes sir, I agree complete. I thoroughly appologize if my sentiment was in any way construed to say that a cellular phone replaces knowledge, know-how, and common sense. I suppose a better example of my point is that it is yet another useful tool to have at hand, similar to food, first aid, water treatment, shelter, clothing, knowledge, awareness, and common sense. I can survive in the woods without taking anything with me; that does not mean that I don't appreciate the safety that these items add, cellular phone included.


MacGyver,

I agree, a cell phone can not replace knowledge, know-how, or common sense but it does give one a face sense of security. Most injuries are preventable; normal cause by someone doing something they should have been doing. Is it really fair for someone to risk their safety and waste valuable resource?

My post was more against thoese that would "need" the convenist to call everyone and their brother. Thoese that enjoy talking on the phone rather than becoming part of nature. If someone isn't out there to enjoy nature; why hike in the first place?

Wolf

Wolf - 23000
04-06-2006, 20:29
I couldn't even get past reading page 3 without posting. Jesus freaking christ, its only a cell phone. It doesn't even make my top 25 list for things and behavior that piss me off while hiking. In fact,hardly anything pisses me off as I'm so glad to just be hiking. Miffed, irked and amused at times but can never remember being truly pissed off. HYOH and just relax. Its probably why your out there in the first place.

Prozac,

If I hiked by you with a bomb box why your trying to get a wilderness experience would you like it? Both create needless noise, no interaction with thoese around you and create noise pollution?

Wolf

Skidsteer
04-06-2006, 20:30
Injuries don't "Just Happen" and let face facts, most injuries are preventable.Wolf

Wolf,
I think I know where you're coming from because, apparently like you, I've been fortunate/blessed to have no debilitating injuries after a monumentally misspent youth...but when an under-40 person makes the statement you did it's like inviting Murphy to the party! Bad JuJu, Amigo!:sun

Read Stumpknocker's trailjournal. http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=4138

Lilred
04-06-2006, 20:36
I personal don't like carrying 27 pounds and depending on your build it can cause you problems. I person for example that weighs 100 pounds would be carrying 1/4 of their body weight. I know the "experts" say it all right to carry a 1/3 of your body weight but I don't believe it and know several long distance hikers that have back problems from it.

My theory I went with the most common problem, it also be you had your pack on wrong or didn't adjust your straps properly. Injuries don't "Just Happen" and let face facts, most injuries are preventable.

Wolf

27 pounds is too much weight?? LOLOL ok whatever. Did you not read my post? Did I not say that my injury is a once every few year recurirng problem? This injury does, 'just happen.' Once every few years I wake up and can't stand up straight.

To get back on topic, Cell phone usage can be very helpful in the woods. It's not something to be villified, but like anything, should be used with consideration of other hikers in mind. Someone earlier mentioned hikers strolling down the trail, talking on their cell phone. I can't see how this can happen given the problem with picking up a signal on the trail.

Cell phones are here to stay and more and more hikers will be carrying them so those who are upset by their use may need to acquire an attitude of acceptance. Otherwise, I fear it could ruin a hike if one allows it too.

After all , if Jaybird is carrying one, well it's all over now folks........;)

Wolf - 23000
04-06-2006, 20:37
If a cell tower or out-of-place McMansion intrudes on one's view, what's the problem? After all, the critters wont care. The edge forest created might make them a better habitat.

For me, my answer is selfish. Those things disrupt my personal sense of Wildness. I think a feeling of wildness to be important.

Cell phones change that feeling. They are here to stay, but that doesn't mean we have to like it.

Complaining about things we have no control over is a long-standing American tradition.

Well stated Rickboudrie but if enough people understand what they are miss out or disrupting maybe they will get the message to leave cell phones at home.

Wolf

Wolf - 23000
04-06-2006, 20:47
As for paying for a rescue, I hope that you are not saying that everyone should pay for their own rescue, regardless of the circumstances. Because, if that is the case, then everyone should pay for the fire department calls, police calls, etc...

They should. If you call for an ambulance you get at bill, what the different??? There are too many hikers just being silly with their calls and it is wrong the tax payers get the bill.

Wolf

Wolf - 23000
04-06-2006, 20:56
Wolf,
I think I know where you're coming from because, apparently like you, I've been fortunate/blessed to have no debilitating injuries after a monumentally misspent youth...but when an under-40 person makes the statement you did it's like inviting Murphy to the party! Bad JuJu, Amigo!:sun

Read Stumpknocker's trailjournal. http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=4138

Skidsteer,

I have been injuried several times including my feet being frozen solid. I not talking just cold but frozen inside my boot covered in thick ice; it took boiling hot water to break the ice. I've been hit on the head by a 30 foot tree that cracked on my head. I had a huge gash in my head afterward. Dislocated my leg. Got hit during a road walk by a full size camper.

I could go on but I think you get my point.

Wolf

Skidsteer
04-06-2006, 21:01
Skidsteer,
I could go on but I think you get my point.
Wolf

Right! Not all injuries are preventable.:)

Wolf - 23000
04-06-2006, 21:13
27 pounds is too much weight?? LOLOL ok whatever. Did you not read my post? Did I not say that my injury is a once every few year recurirng problem? This injury does, 'just happen.' Once every few years I wake up and can't stand up straight.

To get back on topic, Cell phone usage can be very helpful in the woods. It's not something to be villified, but like anything, should be used with consideration of other hikers in mind. Someone earlier mentioned hikers strolling down the trail, talking on their cell phone. I can't see how this can happen given the problem with picking up a signal on the trail.

Cell phones are here to stay and more and more hikers will be carrying them so those who are upset by their use may need to acquire an attitude of acceptance. Otherwise, I fear it could ruin a hike if one allows it too.


Lilredmg,

I said "I personal don't like carrying 27 pounds and depending on your build it can cause you problems." I never said I could not carry it - I weigh 6'2 at 200 pounds. And no you did not say your problem is "a once every few year recurirng problem?"

You may be right that cell phones are here to stay as the same hikers who are there to enjoy the wilderness are the same that are distroying it. I guest that is a comfort feeling for you? I guest the same hikers who what the convenes of a cell phone will want 7-11 up along the trail as well.

Wolf

Wolf - 23000
04-06-2006, 21:18
Right! Not all injuries are preventable.:)

Skidsteer,

My boots froze because I wasn't moving enough and shouldn't had a leather boot - my fault. The tree hitting me on the head happen during an ice storm - a foot and half of hail fell on the trail. I could have stayed in the shelter but hiked that day anyway. My fault again. The camper, if the driver stayed on the road i would not have been hit. Not my fault but caused by poor driving.

Wolf

Lilred
04-06-2006, 21:21
[QUOTE=Wolf - 23000]Lilredmg,

I said "I personal don't like carrying 27 pounds and depending on your build it can cause you problems." I never said I could not carry it - I weigh 6'2 at 200 pounds. And no you did not say your problem is "a once every few year recurirng problem?"

You may be right that cell phones are here to stay as the same hikers who are there to enjoy the wilderness are the same that are distroying it. I guest that is a comfort feeling for you? I guest the same hikers who what the [COLOR=black][FONT='Times New Roman']convenes of a cell phone will want 7-11 up along the trail as well.[QUOTE]


"This happens to me once every few years ever since a four wheeling trip I took"

Reread my post. I most certainly did say it. 7-11's?? Your train of thought is absolutely amazing.

Wolf - 23000
04-06-2006, 21:49
Lilredmg,

I stand corrected. You did say, "This happens to me once every few years ever since a four wheeling trip I took".

As your my train of though being amazing, thank you. I like to think so too but it comes from the fact that most hikers I talked with do so because they like the "convenes" of being able to make a call, the same thinking could be said about being able to buy a soda/snack food.

Wolf

Dances with Mice
04-06-2006, 21:59
If I hiked by you with a bomb box why your trying to get a wilderness experience would you like it? Hanging out with Eric Rudolph now, are we?

weary
04-06-2006, 22:15
....I have been injuried several times including my feet being frozen solid. I not talking just cold but frozen inside my boot covered in thick ice; it took boiling hot water to break the ice. I've been hit on the head by a 30 foot tree that cracked on my head. I had a huge gash in my head afterward. Dislocated my leg. Got hit during a road walk by a full size camper.
I could go on but I think you get my point. Wolf
Actually, I don't. "Solid frozen feet" certainly is not an accident. Dislocated legs are rarely an accident. Getting hit by a camper probably means you were not paying attention. Getting hit by a 30 foot tree may or not be an accident, depending on what you were doing, and why.

Having been hiking all four seasons for 60-70 years with zero serious injuries suggests to me that someone with several easily preventable injuries must be a slow learner.

Weary

Sly
04-06-2006, 22:35
Cell phones are here to stay and more and more hikers will be carrying them so those who are upset by their use may need to acquire an attitude of acceptance. Otherwise, I fear it could ruin a hike if one allows it too.

I wish y'all could hear Miss Janet's message on her answer machine. Basically it says, unless it's an emergency, if you're calling from a shelter, a gap or a trailhead, hang up now, enjoy your hike and she'll see you when you get to town.

It doesn't take much to understand what's happening, that's there's a proliferation of cellphone use as a matter of convenience, that hikers are getting lazy and spoiled and expect more services. So it's not just the *wilderness purists* that see their use as detrimental to the spirit of a hike, but service providers.

Wolf - 23000
04-06-2006, 23:31
Actually, I don't. "Solid frozen feet" certainly is not an accident. Dislocated legs are rarely an accident. Getting hit by a camper probably means you were not paying attention. Getting hit by a 30 foot tree may or not be an accident, depending on what you were doing, and why.

Having been hiking all four seasons for 60-70 years with zero serious injuries suggests to me that someone with several easily preventable injuries must be a slow learner.

Weary

Weary,

I never said it was an accident, only I was injuried. I walked out every on still. The camper wasn't my fault, I was hit from behind and off the road. The camper sweve to advoid a logging truck on the other side; went off the road and hit me. I took the day and the next day off and walked 1,000 miles afterwards. I was brused up but did quite my thru-hike.

Wolf

Wolf - 23000
04-06-2006, 23:34
Hanging out with Eric Rudolph now, are we?

No thank you, not that I have anything against your right to follow any religion you please but thank you for asking.

Wolf

swede
04-08-2006, 00:38
I still get uptight by the rudeness of others, but it passes quickly. I'm learning. A great teacher of stoicism was Epictetus. He was a well known Stoic, and a freed slave in the Roman Empire. As a slave he learned that although he couldn't control his physical world, he had power over his responses. His principal efforts were to assure us that nothing can frustrate us unless we let it do so. In other words; don't let the pissants get to you.

PS, I'm thinking of installing his quotes on my cell/mp3/pda/gps/tv/bloodpressure-sugar monitor/spork gizmo that will surely hit the market before my thru in '08:banana

LostInSpace
04-08-2006, 16:15
Illegitimi Non Carborundum

brancher
04-08-2006, 18:58
Thread off track. I just got back from a section hike of GA. Teh cell phones were there, to be sure, but only once did anything seem obnoxious - some dam tourist hiker, up on a rise at Los Gap, chattering away at his errant offspring so everyon dcould hear. Fortunately, there is not a great signal in lots of places, so it wasn't a big problem (at least not for me).

It was a much bigger problem when I saw neophytes demonstrate reprehensible skills, such as starting a stove within 2 feet of another's tarptent, or doing the old 'exploding Whisperlite trick' on the shelter table, or trying to save a place for a friend in a shelter, something just as dumb. Aside from all that, we all gotta hike our own hikes - and if that means to avoid those guys, then avoid 'em.

brancher
04-08-2006, 18:59
I meant "Low Gap"....

Vince
04-09-2006, 03:09
I'll be carrying mine for one reason alone, and no, it's not personal safety: it's to stay accessible for my little boy. Will I be on it gabbing loudly every 3.7 nanoseconds? Hardly. But God forbid I need to be somewhere in an emergency and go stomping onward unawares... or having this vital link compromised by some self-righteous scrambler. :rolleyes:

Sorry for the tone, but I wish people understood that for some of us, staying in touch with our children while hiking is a fair trade-off for being able to lose ourselves in the woods in the first place.

crutch
04-09-2006, 07:26
I haven't read this whole thread because I'm sure it's full of the same old ranting and raving that this subject always causes, however I do want to add one thing to think about....3 nights ago a man had a heart attack before the Muskrat Creek Shelter, there were two hikers with cell phones and one was able to get a signal. By the time the emergency crews had arrived the man had already had another attack, but was still alive. I truly believe that if there had not been phones available that the man quite possibly would have died. He did not. Cell use on the trail can be annoying, but in some instances it can be life saving.
I'm willing to bet that if you were to ask the man that could have died from a heart attack his view on the issue.....he would probably be ok with having them.

By the way the hiker that made the call is named Caleb.
Good looking out for a fellow hiker Caleb....

MOWGLI
04-09-2006, 09:13
Sorry for the tone, but I wish people understood that for some of us, staying in touch with our children while hiking is a fair trade-off for being able to lose ourselves in the woods in the first place.


I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you haven't "lost yourself in the woods" if you are carrying a device that allows you to "stay in touch."

PS: My daughter was 10 when I thru hiked sans a cell phone. You should have heard the self righteous folks who criticized me for being so selfish. It makes the people who insist you shouldn't carry a phone look downright reasonable.

rickb
04-09-2006, 09:17
Cell phones on the AT are like the huts.

Both bring comfort and joy to thousands and thousands of people who elect to take advantage of them.

And both change the character of the Trail for both those who take advantage of them as wll as those who choose not to.

And both are here to stay.

weary
04-09-2006, 09:22
I haven't read this whole thread because I'm sure it's full of the same old ranting and raving that this subject always causes, however I do want to add one thing to think about....3 nights ago a man had a heart attack before the Muskrat Creek Shelter, there were two hikers with cell phones and one was able to get a signal. By the time the emergency crews had arrived the man had already had another attack, but was still alive. I truly believe that if there had not been phones available that the man quite possibly would have died. He did not. Cell use on the trail can be annoying, but in some instances it can be life saving.
I'm willing to bet that if you were to ask the man that could have died from a heart attack his view on the issue.....he would probably be ok with having them. By the way the hiker that made the call is named Caleb.
Good looking out for a fellow hiker Caleb....
You all would have been even safer had you all stayed home. Hey, I have an idea. Has anyone thought about just spending all leisure time sitting in a hospital waiting room. That should be really safe. Maybe even life saving occasionally.

rickb
04-09-2006, 09:26
Or if you were a billionaire, you could have a medical and evacuation team follow you about 200 yards back.

MOWGLI
04-09-2006, 09:34
Hey, I have an idea. Has anyone thought about just spending all leisure time sitting in a hospital waiting room. That should be really safe. Maybe even life saving occasionally.

As long as you don't eat the hospital food.

Good idea Weary, but that won't work. Most hospitals have signs forbidding cell phone use.

Blue Jay
04-09-2006, 09:43
Cell phones on the AT are like the huts.

And both are here to stay.

I just wanted to add mosquitoes to that group. A few are irritating, hundreds can drive you insane.

woodsy
04-09-2006, 11:09
Are any of you who pack a cell phone for safety and security also packing your childhood teddy bear for comfort? Just curious.

Sly
04-09-2006, 11:32
I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you haven't "lost yourself in the woods" if you are carrying a device that allows you to "stay in touch."

.... sums it up nicely.

longshank
04-09-2006, 14:06
I don't think it really matters what anyone thinks about people with cell phones. If you think it's dumb, then don't bring one. If you bring one along, don't be a pain in the ass to other people when you use it. Myself, I won't be without it, although it will be turned off and deep in my pack until I got to town.

longshank
04-09-2006, 14:08
I can't believe such a banal debate over something so inconsequential has gone on for this long...

Lone Wolf
04-09-2006, 14:19
I agree. Cell phones are a non-issue.

rickb
04-09-2006, 17:48
This book has some interesting thoughts on this topic.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0881502561/ref=dp_proddesc_0/104-7021954-6812702?%5Fencoding=UTF8&n=283155

Part of what makes them interesting, is that they were written well before cell phones invaded the backcountry.

The authors were even ahead of the curve on hammocks, I think.

MOWGLI
04-09-2006, 17:56
I can't believe such a banal debate over something so inconsequential has gone on for this long...

You're right. I was in this froo froo wine bar yesterday and all these jokers were upset because I was having a long, loud, drawn out conversation with my ex-wife. I guess my conversation turned their grape juice into vinegar. ;) How banal.

Wolf - 23000
04-09-2006, 18:07
Are any of you who pack a cell phone for safety and security also packing your childhood teddy bear for comfort? Just curious.

Woodsy,

You may have to asked the person holding their hand that question. The might be to scared being in the scare, dark spooky woods.

Wolf

Wolf - 23000
04-09-2006, 18:20
I haven't read this whole thread because I'm sure it's full of the same old ranting and raving that this subject always causes, however I do want to add one thing to think about....3 nights ago a man had a heart attack before the Muskrat Creek Shelter, there were two hikers with cell phones and one was able to get a signal. By the time the emergency crews had arrived the man had already had another attack, but was still alive. I truly believe that if there had not been phones available that the man quite possibly would have died. He did not. Cell use on the trail can be annoying, but in some instances it can be life saving.
I'm willing to bet that if you were to ask the man that could have died from a heart attack his view on the issue.....he would probably be ok with having them.

By the way the hiker that made the call is named Caleb.
Good looking out for a fellow hiker Caleb....

crutch,

I teach CPR as an instructor as one of my many jobs. Anyone can have a heart attack. The truth be told even a fit thru-hiker is not Immune from havin a heart attack on or off trail.

The first couple minutes are critical and often tell if a person is going to survive. By the time the emergency crews got to him the out come was decided. The emergency crew took him to the hospital but really except for monitor him and basic steps in first aid did not do much.

Wolf

Lilred
04-09-2006, 21:02
crutch,

I teach CPR as an instructor as one of my many jobs. Anyone can have a heart attack. The truth be told even a fit thru-hiker is not Immune from havin a heart attack on or off trail.

The first couple minutes are critical and often tell if a person is going to survive. By the time the emergency crews got to him the out come was decided. The emergency crew took him to the hospital but really except for monitor him and basic steps in first aid did not do much.

Wolf


That's assuming he's only going to have the one heart attack. Crutch said he had a second, should he have had a third or fourth, the outcome could have been fatal.

Wolf you're obsession of non-cell use on the AT is over the top. Trust me, if I come along the trail and find you in harm's way, I promise I won't use my cell phone to get you the help that may save your life. I'm sure you'll feel much better knowing that. I will respect your wishes.

Wolf - 23000
04-09-2006, 21:28
Wolf you're obsession of non-cell use on the AT is over the top. Trust me, if I come along the trail and find you in harm's way, I promise I won't use my cell phone to get you the help that may save your life. I'm sure you'll feel much better knowing that. I will respect your wishes.

Lilredmg,

I have to make this short but I have and do ask people to not to have emergency personal coming after me. I have been then several time where in was a matter of life and death but I still pushed on. It part of being with the wilderness and just like any animal that become injured, you still push on. It shows what your made of; your own will to survive.

Wolf

Lilred
04-09-2006, 22:03
Lilredmg,

I have to make this short but I have and do ask people to not to have emergency personal coming after me. I have been then several time where in was a matter of life and death but I still pushed on. It part of being with the wilderness and just like any animal that become injured, you still push on. It shows what your made of; your own will to survive.

Wolf


All I can say is wow! Having a will to survive means that you will do anything and everything to stay alive, including drinking your own urine, eating anything, cutting off your own arm with a pen knife and <<horror>> using technology. :eek:

weary
04-09-2006, 22:50
Wolf you're obsession of non-cell use on the AT is over the top. Trust me, if I come along the trail and find you in harm's way, I promise I won't use my cell phone to get you the help that may save your life. I'm sure you'll feel much better knowing that. I will respect your wishes.
Lilredmg: Your obsession with cell phone use is over the top. Trust me. Your chances of dying on the trail is virtually infinitesimal. Your chances of being saved by an electronic device -- or needing to be saved -- is virtually nonexistent.

There are legitimate reasons for carrying a cell phone. Contact with spouses, family, rides to towns and such.

But with the exception of a couple of ill-prepared winter hikers in the Whites I can't recall when anyone has been realistically saved by a cell phone.

Weary

Frosty
04-09-2006, 23:32
.............

Hana_Hanger
04-10-2006, 08:10
LOL This has been very entertaining
It brings to mind this thought.

For those who want to truly enjoy the wilderness...what are you doing on the freeway of the AT?
Its like going to Disneyland and thinking you do NOT have to stand in lines.
Or Visiting Hawaii and thinking you will find a beach with NO ONE else on it!

All of us have things that annoy us. So ranting and raving in the WB gives us a chance to let off a little stream. I know I am about too...after reading all of this ...hee hee (Joking)

I personally do not use cell phones but I think I would be very thankful if in need of one...someone had one to use.

But HOW you use a tool (item whatever) is what can be annoying.

Like LED headlights ...uggh always shining them in someone else's eyes.
Radios or laptops, alarms on digital watches...all of it...a person could go on and on.

Hike your own Hike and TRY really hard not to ruin someone else's hike.
I know when I car camp I have to put up with Dogs, Radios, TV's, Frisbees hitting my car, tent...etc...it all comes with the package of being at a campsite and car camping I guess. When I want peace and quiet I backpack out where others do not go.

Simply put thousands of years ago....Treat others like you would want to be treated.

Lilred
04-10-2006, 11:27
Lilredmg: Your obsession with cell phone use is over the top. Trust me. Your chances of dying on the trail is virtually infinitesimal. Your chances of being saved by an electronic device -- or needing to be saved -- is virtually nonexistent.

There are legitimate reasons for carrying a cell phone. Contact with spouses, family, rides to towns and such.

But with the exception of a couple of ill-prepared winter hikers in the Whites I can't recall when anyone has been realistically saved by a cell phone.

Weary

Weary,
Just to clear up this point, I don't carry my cell phone for emergency situations. I carry it in order to stay in touch with my husband when in town. It is cheaper, since I already own it, than buying phone cards. It came in handy one time when I needed it for my back, but that's not the reason I carry it. The lack of signal on the trail makes it a poor resource for emergencies. IF an emergency situation arises on the trail, and I by chance do get a signal, I will use it, but the odds of a signal are pretty darn slim. It's the folks, like Wolf, who insist they shouldn't be on the trail at all, or shouldn't be used in an emergency, that boggles my mind. This thread asks if cell phones are part of the wilderness and the answer is yes. I simply gave my one example. NO, they are not a security blanket for emergencies and I am very well aware of this. YES, they can come in handy if a signal is available and an emergency arises.

Anyone who carries a cell for emergency situations is fooling themselves into a false security.

I hope I've cleared up your misunderstanding of my cell phone use.

RockyTrail
04-10-2006, 11:48
Weary,
Just to clear up this point, I don't carry my cell phone for emergency situations. I carry it in order to stay in touch with my husband when in town. It is cheaper, since I already own it, than buying phone cards. It came in handy one time when I needed it for my back, but that's not the reason I carry it. The lack of signal on the trail makes it a poor resource for emergencies. IF an emergency situation arises on the trail, and I by chance do get a signal, I will use it, but the odds of a signal are pretty darn slim. It's the folks, like Wolf, who insist they shouldn't be on the trail at all, or shouldn't be used in an emergency, that boggles my mind. This thread asks if cell phones are part of the wilderness and the answer is yes. I simply gave my one example. NO, they are not a security blanket for emergencies and I am very well aware of this. YES, they can come in handy if a signal is available and an emergency arises.

Anyone who carries a cell for emergency situations is fooling themselves into a false security.

I hope I've cleared up your misunderstanding of my cell phone use.

Could you elaborate on that a little? :D
You're OK in my book.:sun

Flirty
04-10-2006, 15:32
Simply put thousands of years ago....Treat others like you would want to be treated.

Being a longtime car camper, newbie backpacker, ditto your thoughts, and bravo on the ages-old philosophy for life in general.

snowhoe
04-10-2006, 16:03
just about every thru hike i am meeting has a cell phone and enjoys using it. I bet that if you were out there you would ask to use it to if you could. sometimes you can only take so much of the trail its nice to here a pep talk from a loved one.

RockyTrail
04-10-2006, 16:12
Being a longtime car camper, newbie backpacker, ditto your thoughts, and bravo on the ages-old philosophy for life in general.

Do ya think cellphones are bad?

Consider this old saying about car camping: if you want some extra space at the campground, a tuba placed strategically on your picnic table will prevent others from camping next to you (or maybe even in the same county!):)

Flirty
04-10-2006, 18:11
Do ya think cellphones are bad? :)

I don't think cell phones are bad or good. My opinion of their use by people on the trail is inconsequential; each person makes their own decision. My values tell me to live by the "Do unto others" creed. Be respectful of others, and their opinions.

Farmer
04-12-2006, 20:47
Don't tell me I can't use a cell phone or a radio and I won't tell you you can't drink or smoke dope on the trail. How's that for HYOK?

Skidsteer
04-12-2006, 20:49
Don't tell me I can't use a cell phone or a radio and I won't tell you you can't drink or smoke dope on the trail. How's that for HYOK?

I can live with that.:D

neo
04-12-2006, 21:26
:D i carry two cell phones now:cool: neo

Heater
04-12-2006, 21:33
:D i carry two cell phones now:cool: neo

Good for you!Rockon dude!:cool: austexs

Alligator
04-12-2006, 22:05
:D i carry two cell phones now:cool: neo
Great, now you'll always have someone to talk to.

Heater
04-12-2006, 22:07
Great, now you'll always have someone to talk to.

My cell phone goes to 11...:cool: austexs

Frosty
04-12-2006, 22:08
crutch,

I teach CPR as an instructor as one of my many jobs. Anyone can have a heart attack. The truth be told even a fit thru-hiker is not Immune from havin a heart attack on or off trail.

The first couple minutes are critical and often tell if a person is going to survive. By the time the emergency crews got to him the out come was decided. The emergency crew took him to the hospital but really except for monitor him and basic steps in first aid did not do much.

WolfSo you teach that if you can't get a heart attack victim to a hospital within two minutes, you should just let him lie there and not bother trying to get him to a hospital because "the outcome was already decided?"

No, I think if a guy has a heart attack, on the trail or on the street, and someone with a cell phone happens by, then it would be a good thing to call for help. And I think the guys chances are better than if no one with a cell phone called, and he did not get help. To day that a heart attack victim was not served better by getting to a hospital than to be left in hte shelter is silly.

In fact, the CPR course I took said to call for help BEFORE starting resusitation. If I recall correctly (never a certainty any more), the instructor had the opposite theory as you. He said resusitation was stop-gap until paramedics arrived. Must have been a different instructor.

Sly
04-12-2006, 22:19
Great, now you'll always have someone to talk to.

Neo, neo, can you hear me now? Yeah, well I think so? The weather, the weather, I need to get the weather! Right on dude, looks cloudy. Could be a tornado!

What time is it? Ring, ring, don't forget to call your wife. Honey, this is awesome, wish you were here. Neo, the kids are acting up. Don't worry I'll be home soon.

Hello, Miss Janet. I wuz going to hike to Erwin but it's like raining, think you can pick me up at Spivey Gap? I should be there tomorrow afternoon. Try not to be late OK, I really want to come over because I hear CementHead is there and his registers coments are like awesome, dudess.

MJ: Is it an emergency?

CPuser: Well not not really.

MJ: See you when you get to town. Click!

Pizza anyone? :)

Almost There
04-13-2006, 09:04
Forgot, there is another great use for a cellphone on the trail. If you can't get conjugal visits from the significant other, or you are terrible at hooking up....there is always phonesex!:eek:

Grampie
04-13-2006, 09:42
[QUOTE=Lion King]Cell phone users are hand in hand with drop out rates...the more likely it is you carry a cell phone and use it the more likely you are to drop off.

In 2000 I met a guy, right after Springer. We hiked a few days together and shared a cabin at Goose Creek Cabins. He owned several chain resturants in Ohio and was going to manage them, while doing a thru, by cell phone. Well, He soon learned that cell phone reception was nill in a lot of spots. He got so agravated that he thru the phone off the top of the next mountain and left the trail. This guy was a marathon runner and was quite fit. He told me that a thru hike was a piece of cake to do. But, he couldn't do it without the phone.:D

Grampie
04-13-2006, 09:55
I was beaten and robbed by a drunken group of Cell phones in a Tiajuana Brothel, that made it personal.

Hay Lipn King. Sounds like the makings for another DVD.;)

c.coyle
04-13-2006, 11:32
I'd like to see Wi-Fi hot spots at all shelters.

neo
04-13-2006, 12:38
Some hikers really need to get their priority straight. When a thru-hiker needs to ask another hiker, “What do you sleep in?” or “What do you use for shelter” or complains they are cold at night but makes extra sure they have their cell phone to call home something is seriously wrong. An AT thru-hiker should already know this stuff long before hitting the trail. Shelter, sleeping gear, warmth are some of the basic fundamentals that is needed for keeping a hiker safe. When hikers are getting on the trail without knowing the basic, then what good is their cell phone? Is it so important to tell some one how ill prepare they are. I'm not talking everyone what it seem like a lot of ill prepare hikers.

I'm just getting back from hiking N to Springer Mt expecting a wilderness experience but repeatly interrupted by repeated cell phone conversations. It seem like 1 in every 4 hikers had a cell phone with a call that just couldn’t wait until they got into town. I’m not talking 911 emergency calls either.
<O:p</O:p
People simple put, worry about your food, shelter, sleeping gear, basic wilderness skills and less about who you can tell about your adventure. Enjoy the wilderness and nature. Your love ones really can wait a few days while you hike between towns. Then you really can tell them so what it like to be free in the wilderness.
<O:p</O:p
Wolf

like it or not,cell phone are here to stay neo

Wolf - 23000
04-13-2006, 21:20
like it or not,cell phone are here to stay neo

And the wilderness is going because of it.

Wolf

Wolf - 23000
04-13-2006, 21:34
So you teach that if you can't get a heart attack victim to a hospital within two minutes, you should just let him lie there and not bother trying to get him to a hospital because "the outcome was already decided?"

No, I think if a guy has a heart attack, on the trail or on the street, and someone with a cell phone happens by, then it would be a good thing to call for help. And I think the guys chances are better than if no one with a cell phone called, and he did not get help. To day that a heart attack victim was not served better by getting to a hospital than to be left in hte shelter is silly.

In fact, the CPR course I took said to call for help BEFORE starting resusitation. If I recall correctly (never a certainty any more), the instructor had the opposite theory as you. He said resusitation was stop-gap until paramedics arrived. Must have been a different instructor.

Frosty,

I only have a minute but if I taught my CPR classes, "that you should give up on someone after two minutes" as your suggesting, I would be out of a job. You are correct, that you are to call 911 for an adult first but what would improve a victom chance more would be if you carried an AED. Do you carry an AED inside your pack? The faster you connect an AED, the better chances the person has of surviving.

Wolf

bugbomb
04-13-2006, 21:35
And the wilderness is going because of it.

Wolf

On the AT? If you can get service, you ain't in the wilderness.

Ben

Frosty
04-13-2006, 22:12
Frosty,

I only have a minute but if I taught my CPR classes, "that you should give up on someone after two minutes" as your suggesting, I would be out of a job.

WolfI was not suggesting it. I was objecting to YOUR suggesting it, as you did to Crutch in post #166.

I was objecting to your stating that calling for help and gettting the Muskrat Creek heart attack victim to a hospital was pointless. The point you were making in the below and other posts was that cell phones are not helpful to a heart attack victim because his fate had been decided in the first two minutes. I think that it is always a good idea to get a heart attack victim to a hospital, and the quicker the better. That is why I think the victim at Muskrat Creek Shelter was well served by someone having a cell phone at the shelter.

There is no doubt that a heart attack victim will get to a hospital quicker if a cell phone is used rather than someone hiking out and hitching to a pay phone. I find it hard to say that getting any heart attack victim to a hospital hours quicker is not a good thing.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolf - 23000
crutch,

I teach CPR as an instructor as one of my many jobs. Anyone can have a heart attack. The truth be told even a fit thru-hiker is not Immune from havin a heart attack on or off trail.

The first couple minutes are critical and often tell if a person is going to survive. By the time the emergency crews got to him the out come was decided. The emergency crew took him to the hospital but really except for monitor him and basic steps in first aid did not do much.

Wolf

Almost There
04-13-2006, 23:14
There is plenty of wilderness left in the world...just not in the Eastern U.S.

I think at this point the AT is a "Wilderness Type Experience"

You want true Wilderness, go up to Denali or Siberia would work too!

Come to think of it, just go west!

Sly
04-14-2006, 00:38
There is plenty of wilderness left in the world...just not in the Eastern U.S.

I think at this point the AT is a "Wilderness Type Experience"

You want true Wilderness, go up to Denali or Siberia would work too!

Come to think of it, just go west!

That's a tired answer cuz the same people that feel a cellphone is necessary on the AT feel moreso, in a truer wilderness environment, such as the trails out West.

Face it, you're into two-way gadgets and want to stay connected, be damned with wilderness.

MOWGLI
04-14-2006, 00:55
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Cell phones in & of themselves are not evil. It is how they are used. In 2000 I predicted that a day would arrive, and soon, where folks felt that they are "entitled" to a cell phone signal, and the lack of a signal would constitute a threat to their safety. We are nearly there. The first generation to grow up with cell phones all their lives is coming of age.

Secondly, I find the whole blowback by the pro-cell phone crowd labeling the "anti-cell phone position" as "garbage" about as laughable as I do Dan Bruce's position that we can't talk about it. Each position is just the other side of a politically correct coin. No thank you.

Lastly, those that have hiked with me know that on occasion I have carried a cell phone. Just last Monday I thought I had left my phone in my rental car, and while striding up the Profile Tral at Grandfather Mountain, the cell phone starts ringing in my day pack. I stopped, grinned, took off my pack and answered the phone with a laugh. It was my wife. She seemed surprised that I was on the trail talking to her. We both laughed and I agreed to call her after the hike. I guess the difference is, that I have hiked the entire AT without a cell phone (while employed by Verizon) so I know that it's not only possible, but actually enjoyable. It's a damn slippery slope though.

doobe01
04-14-2006, 03:12
technology is wonderful off the trail. I am leaving this message via SONY PSP. No need for it on the trail!

Almost There
04-14-2006, 09:25
That's a tired answer cuz the same people that feel a cellphone is necessary on the AT feel moreso, in a truer wilderness environment, such as the trails out West.

Face it, you're into two-way gadgets and want to stay connected, be damned with wilderness.

Actually, Sly...you're way off. In the past I worked for Nextel and had to carry a phone and a Blackberry. After I left Nextel I didn't carry a phone for several months until my wife and I decided we would get them to communicate with each other and for the purpose of cheap long distance. We took the free phones vs. getting ones with gadgets, and have the cheapest least amount of minutes rate plan. I never go over 250 minutes on my cell phone, so as for the need to stay "connected". It's called being responsible and courteous. I can take it wherever I want, doesn't mean I need to, or am going to use it! BTW, good luck getting your phone to work up in Denali...it won't!!! Unless, you buy a Sat. Phone, but that is completely different.

Frosty
04-14-2006, 10:08
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Cell phones in & of themselves are not evil. It is how they are used. In 2000 I predicted that a day would arrive, and soon, where folks felt that they are "entitled" to a cell phone signal, and the lack of a signal would constitute a threat to their safety. We are nearly there. The first generation to grow up with cell phones all their lives is coming of age.

Secondly, I find the whole blowback by the pro-cell phone crowd labeling the "anti-cell phone position" as "garbage" about as laughable as I do Dan Bruce's position that we can't talk about it. Each position is just the other side of a politically correct coin. No thank you.

Lastly, those that have hiked with me know that on occasion I have carried a cell phone. Just last Monday I thought I had left my phone in my rental car, and while striding up the Profile Tral at Grandfather Mountain, the cell phone starts ringing in my day pack. I stopped, grinned, took off my pack and answered the phone with a laugh. It was my wife. She seemed surprised that I was on the trail talking to her. We both laughed and I agreed to call her after the hike. I guess the difference is, that I have hiked the entire AT without a cell phone (while employed by Verizon) so I know that it's not only possible, but actually enjoyable. It's a damn slippery slope though.Excellent post. As a recent convert to the "pro cellphone crowd" I think it is fine to hike without a cell phone. I think there is nothing wrong whatsoever with hiking without a cellphone. Or with one.

I don't think we can really compare the multi-thread cell phone discussion here at Whiteblaze with Wingfoot's method of not allowing discussion on Trailplace. We are discussing it in a couple of different areas (safety, convenience, impact on other hikers, right to carry what you want in your own pack). The internet always makes things worse discussion-wise compared to face to face. Too long between responses, no way to nod your head, shrug or do the non-verbal things that soften andcivilize a discussion. And no way to say at the end, "Oh well, it's 4:00. Let's head down to the AYCE and try to bankrupt them."

Everybody argues (except on Trailplace). Parents, children, siblings, spouses, friends and lovers. Even a strong disageement (fight) is not a sign of animosity. Just a sign of strong beliefs. Rarely are even fights here on Whiteblaze mean-spirited. And at the end of it all, we are all still friends. Well, maybe one or two hold a grudge, but that I think is a measure of their individual personality, not symptomatic of this forum. And at at Rucks/Trail Days/Hiker Bash, everybody gets along with everyone no matter what had previously been typed into a keyboard.

Besides, be honest. You know that some hot topic will be debated here. Aren't you glad for a temporary replacement to the old white blaze/blue blaze, water filter/chemicals/nothing treatment method, maps/no maps, ford/ferry the Kennebec, alcohol is fun/alcohol is behind most lost services, slackpacking, GPS, and dog discussions?

weary
04-14-2006, 10:15
Well, there is very little of the Appalachian Trail that qualifies as "wilderness." And by any definition of wilderness that makes sense to me the presence of devices that purport to provide instant communication with rescuers, families, and businesses is especially not wilderness.

Weary

grrickar
04-14-2006, 19:00
There are very few places on the trail that are 'remote'. From most places you can see houses and such, if not hear cars and trucks and other noises associated with everyday life. So much for getting away from it all.

The best etiquitte for cell phones is be discrete when using them and keep them off when not making a call. That works on and off the trail, although most would likely choose to leave them on when they are not on the trail - else what is the point?

grrickar
04-14-2006, 19:09
Frosty,
Do you carry an AED inside your pack? The faster you connect an AED, the better chances the person has of surviving.

Wolf

His cell phone has a built in AED :D

Wolf - 23000
04-16-2006, 15:06
I was not suggesting it. I was objecting to YOUR suggesting it, as you did to Crutch in post #166.

I was objecting to your stating that calling for help and gettting the Muskrat Creek heart attack victim to a hospital was pointless. The point you were making in the below and other posts was that cell phones are not helpful to a heart attack victim because his fate had been decided in the first two minutes. I think that it is always a good idea to get a heart attack victim to a hospital, and the quicker the better. That is why I think the victim at Muskrat Creek Shelter was well served by someone having a cell phone at the shelter.

There is no doubt that a heart attack victim will get to a hospital quicker if a cell phone is used rather than someone hiking out and hitching to a pay phone. I find it hard to say that getting any heart attack victim to a hospital hours quicker is not a good thing.


Frost,

I think you need to reread post #166. I never said someone should give up after two minutes nor did I imply it either. The only post that I could find that suggest someone should give up on someone after two minutes is on post #185 written by YOURSELF when YOU suggested teaching others to give up on someone after two minutes.

I said the first couple minutes are critical and normal deturmine the out come. Even if someone calls 911 by the emergency personal will take longer then the 10 minutes to reach the person. When they do arrive the only thing they can do is monitor the person.

If it is a big worry to you of running into someone having a heart attack, carry an AED with you and use your CPR trainning will someone gets help.

Wolf

solace
04-16-2006, 16:19
Cellphone Jammers Would Rule!!!!

Ridge
05-01-2006, 20:31
http://www.cumberlink.com/articles/2006/05/01/news/news27.txt


Article with saftey tips

Wolf - 23000
05-01-2006, 21:28
Ridge,

I'm going break down the Karla Browne thinking of staying safe:

• Hiking with at least one partner reduces the potential for
harassment.

Most murders of the AT happen to partners. This is suppose to make the hiker safer ??? Most of my hiking has been done alone and during some very EXTREME adventures, I was very glad I did not have a partner for their own safety.

• Leave an itinerary with family and friends that includes destination
and return time, whether the hike is short or overnight.

I for one don't do this in case I'm held up for one reason or another. My family is up there in the age. The last thing I need on my plate is my family worrying about me because I got held up for a few days.

• Dress appropriately for the weather.
• Drink plenty of water and carry a first-aid kit.


Most people are smart enough to know this aready. I'm suppost to value this person expertie, Why???

• Carry a cell phone.

Findly. A cell phone give people a false sence of security - if I get in trouble I can always call for help. Anyone who enters the wilderness needs to be respondible for their own safety.

Wolf




([email protected])