View Full Version : Why Is All This So Complicated?
The Weasel
01-26-2011, 12:51
As I wander through the threads and entering my dotage, I'm struck by how complicated hiking (now known as backpacking) has become. Not that long ago - at least in geologic terms - I developed a love of hiking since (a) I got to see really neat stuff and (b) it didn't require either skill or much special equipment. All you had to know was how to walk and all you needed was a sack of some kind (for day hikes) and almost any kind of pack (for longer ones). Food wasn't much of a problem - it centered around oatmeal and other dried foods - and you wore some kind of sneakers with some arch support. You brought a compass, some basic bandages, and went for a walk in the woods.
Now I'm increasingly amazed: Gearheads have gone beyond obsessing. We have hundreds of comments about "safety" (as in assaultive crims) and more about "wilderness medicine." Debates rage about different kinds of electronics - "how shall I charge my iPod? Can I blog from the trail?" - and people want to know all about each trail segment before they ever see it. I don't think it's an exaggeration from reading WhiteBlaze to say that "backpacking" is now an expensive, gear-intense, risk-averse "sport" in which if I, with my old haversack, ground sheet and Peak1 stove show up at a shelter, will be ostracized as "weird." And now, "weird" appears to equal "bad."
Doesn't anyone else just say to themselves, "I wonder what the bear saw" and just go and see it?
TW
You can make it as simple or as complex as you'd like, I think.
I enjoy reading here about some of the minutiae, but on the end, it's still just walking.
* "in" the end, not "on." :)
Yes, I do. I do see the "obsessing" you talk about.
I don't believe it's necessary to spend tons of money on new equipment just to have the latest gear. I go hiking to be out in the woods, not to speed walk and miss all that nature has to offer. On long hikes I don't even stop in towns. I have plenty of time to visit towns when I am not hiking. My hikes are designed to keep me away from what I have to deal with on a day to day basis. No radios or hootchy what gadgets. Now I believe in HYOH and don't care what others need to have with them.....whatever they need for creature comforts out there. I don't need a lot. I consider myself a minimalist and more of a purist.
I always laugh when I read threads about the weather.........snow in the forecast...should I go? Well, duh, it's winter time and if you live in an area that generally gets hit with the usual winter weather maybe you shouldn't plan a trip if you don't want to deal with the snow.....or just GO!
I love Whiteblaze and will always start any research here. Tons of knowledgeable people and good reliable information...but ultimately I do/pack/hike what I feel works for me.
I get a kick out of the questions about water. "What will the water situation be like the 3rd week of June between Springer and Walasi Yi????"
Sickmont
01-26-2011, 13:26
Yeah, some of these questions that pop up on the forum here are crazy. What ever happened to clearing a week or so from work, throwing some stuff in a bag and going for a walk? Everyone's so afraid of this happening or that happening or whatever. Go out in the woods and have some fun, fer crying out loud.
58starter
01-26-2011, 13:30
I am not a thru hiker and never will be a thru hiker. I enjoy most of the threads on here and for the folks who have a comment about everything I just put them on th ignore list and do not have to read what they have to say. I also love to read trail journals. It seems like after they get past the first few weeks they no longer worry about what food they have or what equipment they wish they had. They just enjoy.
That is what I do when I section hike. I just enjoy nature and hope it does not rain or snow for the few days I am out there.
As I wander through the threads and entering my dotage, I'm struck by how complicated hiking (now known as backpacking) has become.
TW
I freely admit to posting drivel no one probably reads and I know I do more than my fair share of asking and answering questions that are more or less pointless in the overall scheme of things.
I think, for me, it's just a way of hanging out with folks of like mind. When I'm hiking the things I talk about with other hikers are things like "Where are you from?", "Where ya been?", Where you headed?" and things related to the current hike. You can't talk about that on WB.
If you've ever noticed, people sit around and have conversations about useless things constantly when quiet would probably serve the purpose better.
... I, with my old haversack, ground sheet and Peak1 stove show up at a shelter, will be ostracized as "weird." ...
TW
Like that has never happened before! :eek:
Lone Wolf
01-26-2011, 13:48
As I wander through the threads and entering my dotage, I'm struck by how complicated hiking (now known as backpacking) has become. Not that long ago - at least in geologic terms - I developed a love of hiking since (a) I got to see really neat stuff and (b) it didn't require either skill or much special equipment. All you had to know was how to walk and all you needed was a sack of some kind (for day hikes) and almost any kind of pack (for longer ones). Food wasn't much of a problem - it centered around oatmeal and other dried foods - and you wore some kind of sneakers with some arch support. You brought a compass, some basic bandages, and went for a walk in the woods.
Now I'm increasingly amazed: Gearheads have gone beyond obsessing. We have hundreds of comments about "safety" (as in assaultive crims) and more about "wilderness medicine." Debates rage about different kinds of electronics - "how shall I charge my iPod? Can I blog from the trail?" - and people want to know all about each trail segment before they ever see it. I don't think it's an exaggeration from reading WhiteBlaze to say that "backpacking" is now an expensive, gear-intense, risk-averse "sport" in which if I, with my old haversack, ground sheet and Peak1 stove show up at a shelter, will be ostracized as "weird." And now, "weird" appears to equal "bad."
Doesn't anyone else just say to themselves, "I wonder what the bear saw" and just go and see it?
TW
i know what your sayin'. i'm glad i started walkin' the trail "back in the day". there were no websites, books, videos, etc. to stress you out. the only planning one did was to set a day to start. nobody did shakedown hikes, tuckerization or other such foolishness. nobody droppped $500 bucks at neel gap like they do today. pack weight was a non-issue. slackpackin'and shuttles were almost non-existant. times change i guess. not for me though
LW, what's a tuckerization??
LW, what's a tuckerization??
I like it and don't even know what it is... LW?
Lone Wolf
01-26-2011, 13:53
LW, what's a tuckerization??
a newbie brings his/her pack to one of the 40 dozen a year AT get togethers and all the experts go through the pack telling newbie what he/she needs or doesn't need and most the experts don't know squat
4eyedbuzzard
01-26-2011, 14:13
i know what your sayin'. i'm glad i started walkin' the trail "back in the day". there were no websites, books, videos, etc. to stress you out. the only planning one did was to set a day to start. nobody did shakedown hikes, tuckerization or other such foolishness. nobody droppped $500 bucks at neel gap like they do today. pack weight was a non-issue. slackpackin'and shuttles were almost non-existant. times change i guess. not for me though
About he only "experts" back then were Colin Fletcher and Ed Garvey. Everybody just threw what they wanted in their Kelty or Camptrails pack and went hiking.
Can't say I mind all the stuff getting lighter though.
.........
Now I'm increasingly amazed: Gearheads have gone beyond obsessing. .....
Same thing happened when the first caveman showed up with new invention called the stick.
I think we all like to sit around discussing the minutiae because we aren't out there. We're in here instead. (Waiting for my code to compile....)
I was told a friend I might be doing a thru-hike in 2012. She said oh, that's great because then you have time to get ready. I told her all I have to do to get ready is load my pack and get to the trailhead. That's all it takes.
I hear you though on the electronics. It seems like at least 1/2 of the posts on the PCT-L are about electronics. I spent a night sharing a hotel room in Tehachapi with a bunch of young iPhone addicts. It was awful. I go to get away from that stuff. After that experience, I never spent another moment of my time stuck in rooms with electronic gadget addicts. Don't you all realize that the whole purpose of things like iPhones is to keep you consuming? Keep your attention focused on brands and logos and marketing messages? Leave that all behind and let reality cleans that junk from your head. You'll think so much clearer when you get home.
It's interesting to me the extremes that people seem to go through to drop weight, and I wonder if the toil of toting the extra weight is greater than the toil of doing without the stuff you didn't bring.
Until I started looking into organized trails I did just walk into the woods and that was just a few months ago, hell I still just walk into the woods. but this trail stuff is complicated because of all the laws and restrictions. You have to know every areas codes pertaining to pets, open fires, fire arms, licenses, where you can/can't sleep, ...too much crap! I want to just walk into the woods but humanity won't let me!
I like what 10k posted about like minds though.
waywardfool
01-26-2011, 14:26
Now I'm increasingly amazed: Gearheads have gone beyond obsessing. We have hundreds of comments about "safety" (as in assaultive crims) and more about "wilderness medicine." Debates rage about different kinds of electronics - "how shall I charge my iPod? Can I blog from the trail?" - and people want to know all about each trail segment before they ever see it. I don't think it's an exaggeration from reading WhiteBlaze to say that "backpacking" is now an expensive, gear-intense, risk-averse
The past couple of years, I've made a point when running into other hikers on the AT or other major trails to ask if they are members of WB, or another forum. Probably less than 1% are. I rarely catch the rush of thru hikers...mostly weekenders, and folks out for a week or three section hiking.
It's a big world out there....a great many people don't care about the Internet, they are out there living life, not talking about it. Read all you want, then go out and talk to the people actually out there.
(I'm not calling anyone a web-hiker...)
Blissful
01-26-2011, 14:31
Now I'm increasingly amazed: Gearheads have gone beyond obsessing. We have hundreds of comments about "safety" (as in assaultive crims) and more about "wilderness medicine."
Doesn't anyone else just say to themselves, "I wonder what the bear saw" and just go and see it?
TW
I would hardly call safety concerns these days an obsession. Crime is up and has been, hence safety issues. What you could do some 30 years ago you sure can't now. Wish it was different.
I would hardly call safety concerns these days an obsession. Crime is up and has been, hence safety issues. What you could do some 30 years ago you sure can't now. Wish it was different.
Violent crime in the United States is at a 30+ year low and is steady. Of course, specific cities may differ, but what's actually up is media coverage of crime. This makes people think crime is up, when right now is actually about the safest the country has ever been in my lifetime.
I think safety issues that have nothing to do with crime get a lot more coverage on this site anyway.
Graywolf
01-26-2011, 14:42
I understand what you say about "Gear Heads" I look at the pages here and somet5imes I feel I am flipping through the pages of a product catalogue. Wonder if half the "hikers" here are actually sells men from the companies..
Me, I find it entertaining sometimes to look at new equipment and gadjets, but when it comes down to it, just give me a pack, blanket, and water, and I will be off. With a smile..
Graywolf
Cookerhiker
01-26-2011, 15:14
......and almost any kind of pack (for longer ones). Food wasn't much of a problem - it centered around oatmeal and other dried foods - and you wore some kind of sneakers with some arch support. You brought a compass, some basic bandages, and went for a walk in the woods.....TW
This is a slight exaggeration - on my early days' backpacking trips 30-33 years ago, I still planned somewhat with a list of stuff and my boots were certainly more than sneakers.
Your basic point is sound Weasel, but sometimes we look at "good old days" which really were never as idyllic as they seem now, aided by our rose-colored glasses.
Re gear & electronics, I'm with you. For all my nigh-4,000 posts, I venture to say no more than 20 are about gear. Re: electronics, just last weekend, I was on a group dayhike in the beautiful Cumberland Falls area of Southern KY enjoying the cold weather, bright sunshine, spectacular rock shelters, and creative ice formations when one of the particpants pulls out her cell phone to see if she had reception under the rock shelter (no) and then again on the fire tower we climbed (yes). Others had their GPS to announce precisely how far we had gone & elevation gained/lost. I could have done without hearing all that but HYOH I guess.
...one of the particpants pulls out her cell phone to see if she had reception under the rock shelter (no) and then again on the fire tower we climbed (yes). Others had their GPS to announce precisely how far we had gone & elevation gained/lost. I could have done without hearing all that but HYOH I guess.
I don't wanna know this stuff or listen to a "report" at the end of the day while trying to relax in a shelter. I can't remember if I somewhere in Maryland or New Jersey when my daughter and I were playing cards while this guy was on his cell phone chit chatting loudly about nonsense. The gist of that conversation happened to be how cool it is to be able to talk to someone while in the woods. Ridiculous.
hikerboy57
01-26-2011, 15:47
I don't wanna know this stuff or listen to a "report" at the end of the day while trying to relax in a shelter. I can't remember if I somewhere in Maryland or New Jersey when my daughter and I were playing cards while this guy was on his cell phone chit chatting loudly about nonsense. The gist of that conversation happened to be how cool it is to be able to talk to someone while in the woods. Ridiculous.
Kind of like the guy who likes to listen to nature sounds on his ipod.(but at least hes not being intrusive,unless hes singing along)Yeah, HYOH, but dont pollute someone elses experience.
My rants... :)
http://www.pmags.com/dirt-bagging
http://www.pmags.com/the-new-gear-fetish
Mags, I enjoyed reading your "rants".
Smashing garlic beneath a knife blade is the only way to go, so therapeutic......I love garlic:sun.
I also think there's a big difference in terms of "freak-out levels" if you compare short hikes when a kid or even as an adult, versus planning for a thru-hike. People get very twitchy when they consider the fact that they're going to be using the gear for 4-6 months straight, and living in the woods (well, mostly) for that time.
I can see what you're saying Weasel. I've never been to Laguna Beach, CA. I honestly dont know if its a wilderness or not. However, coming from Fulks Run, VA (pop. 452) where you have to dial long distance to get internet I find electronics to be AMAZING. GPSs are one of my favorite things in the world. OH! and being able to blog to my friends and family about my adventure is crazy cool. Beats disposable cameras that suck once wet. And having my iPod so i can listen to Andrea Bocelli perform "Con Te Partiro" from the top of MT Rodgers is amazing. The song really captures the surrounding beauty. Electronics enhance my experience. However, luckily you dont have to hike my hike. You can HYOH. I dont mind.
Also if you took out all the questions about tech and logistics this board would die.
I hear what you are saying and mostly agree. But,I think we tend to blame the technological advances for the changes we see in fellow hikers that do not have the advantages of our years of experience. We ought to blame, IMHO, not the plethora of equipment choices but the dearth of personal responsibility shown by many users of that equipment. See almost any post on PLB's to back up my theory here. I think my hero, Colin Fletcher, would have said it that way. People have to get out the dictonary before they can disagree with you and it gives you time to run.
Anyway, FWIW, Colin was a gearhead. We look now at what he was doing then and think it was old school but really, if you were there at the time, he was pretty much cutting edge. I think he would like my new light gear list and also like that there is no GPS or PLB in my pack.
Wise Old Owl
01-26-2011, 17:15
http://sf0.org/media/smackin/hobo-and-dog59776.jpg
Welcome Weasel to the minutia!
Cookerhiker
01-26-2011, 17:22
....Also if you took out all the questions about tech and logistics this board would die.
If you're correct, what does that say about today? There wouldn't be enough on trip reports, wildlife sightings, feelings about being outdoors, experiences with fellow hikers, and more to keep a website alive? Don't know.
Powder River
01-26-2011, 17:25
The past couple of years, I've made a point when running into other hikers on the AT or other major trails to ask if they are members of WB, or another forum. Probably less than 1% are. I rarely catch the rush of thru hikers...mostly weekenders, and folks out for a week or three section hiking.
I hate this question. I've been asked it in person before and it is usually a loaded question. Once I was asked by a lady who I had just met on the trail. I said yes and it turns out she was the wife of the the guy who's received quite a bit of criticism here on Whiteblaze because he leads supported hikes with a vehicle every two years. (Can't remember the guy's name) She immediately launched into a defense of their program, without me saying a word.
Lone Wolf
01-26-2011, 17:28
i get asked if i'm the lone wolf on WB and tell 'em hell no that guy's a jerk
Cookerhiker
01-26-2011, 17:35
I hate this question. I've been asked it in person before and it is usually a loaded question. .....
Sorry that's been your experience. It hasn't been mine. Everytime I meet someone and we discover we're both on WB, things are amicable.
And I even defend LW! Well, to a point....:cool:
Appalachian Tater
01-26-2011, 17:40
The Weasel, all I can say in response to your post is HYOH and let others hike theirs.
garlic08
01-26-2011, 17:40
Here's an excerpt from a journal entry from my '09 walk on the PNT:
"...Several backpackers came up from Ross Lake just before dark, and I'm having fun watching them play with all their REI toys, comparing stoves, filters, fuels, coffee presses, altimeters, GPSs, multitools, halogen headlamps, thermarests, etc. I could not join in because either I don't own any of that stuff or don't know anything about it. They must wonder about me, the poor quiet guy without any toys...."
I also remember the days when you could get on a bicycle and ride without buying "gear". Most folks I see on bikes now have spent more on their shoes and socks (special bicycling socks, for gosh sakes!) than I have on my bicycle. That's not counting the pedals--another bike there, for me.
garlic08
01-26-2011, 17:45
PS: I never heard of WhiteBlaze until after my AT hike, when my friend Mags told me about it. I never heard anyone mention it on the AT. I don't think this site is (or should be) much of an influence to the average hiker.
NerdyJohn
01-26-2011, 17:55
Darn Lone Wolf. I was so hoping that the term had something to do with the Marshall Tucker Band. In 1982 they put out an album called "Tuckerized". Pretty close, huh?
"From Spartanburg, South Carolina, Capricorn recording artists The Marshall Tucker Band". That's the intro to "Where We All Belong". Yes, I have it on vinyl... scratches, pops, maybe even a skip or two.
Why am I writing this?
If you're correct, what does that say about today? There wouldn't be enough on trip reports, wildlife sightings, feelings about being outdoors, experiences with fellow hikers, and more to keep a website alive? Don't know.
All it says is times are changing. Not bad not good but different. I love looking at everyones pictures that are being shared here. I have a whole list of GPS coordinates for super cool places on the AT. You know like old abandoned homes, swimming holes, other cool rock outcroppings. They are programmed in so i dont miss them.
Plus most people's experiences are very similar. There trail journals are mostly the same. Every now and again a unique one will crop up but for th most part if youve read a couple youve read them all. I am looking forward to reading Delta Dawn's blog cuz shes hiking SOBO with a 11yo girl.
New tech means new stuff to talk about.
Rain Man
01-26-2011, 18:00
This is a slight exaggeration - on my early days' backpacking trips 30-33 years ago, I still planned somewhat with a list of stuff and my boots were certainly more than sneakers.
Your basic point is sound Weasel, but sometimes we look at "good old days" which really were never as idyllic as they seem now, aided by our rose-colored glasses.
Gosh, Horace Kephart was writing articles and books over a hundred years ago about all this stuff and apparently the magazines and mail-order catalogs were full of it. He was very concerned about gear and pack weight. And he was not alone, but had predecessors and contemporaries aplenty.
To me at least, very little of this is new, though the medium for discussion is now the electronic word rather than the printed word.
Here are a few quotes from the 1917 edition of his "Camping and Woodcraft":
"If one begins, as he should, six months in advance, to plan and prepare for his next summer or fall vacation, he can, by gradual and surreptitious hoarding, get together a commendable camping equipment, and nobody will notice the outlay." p. 43
"It is great fun, in the long winter evenings, to sort over your beloved duffel, to make and fit up the little boxes and hold-alls in which everything has its proper place, to contrive new wrinkles that nobody but yourself has the gigantic brain to conceive, ...." p. 43.
"To be sure, even though a man rigs up his own outfit, he never gets it quite to suit him. Every season sees the downfall of some cherished scheme, the failure of some fond contrivance. Every winter sees you again fussing over your kit, altering this, substituting that, and flogging your wits with the same old problem of how to save weight and bulk without sacrifice of utility." p. 43
"If some misguided genius should invent a camping equipment that nobody could find fault with, half our pleasure in life would be swept away." p. 44
"The art of going 'light but right' is hard to learn. I never knew a camper who did not burden himself, at first, with a lot of kickshaws that he did not need in the woods; ... nor even a veteran who ever quite attained his own ideal of lightness and serviceability. ... 'Nessmuck' came as near to it as any one.... He said his load ... 'never exceeded twenty-six pounds' ... in summer." p. 110
"A pair of scales are good things to have at hand when one is making up his packs. ... He will note how the little, unconsidered trifles mount up; how every bag or tin adds weight." p. 111
And as to why we all chat about it here? He said
"Solomon himself knew the heart of man no better than that fine old sportsman who said to me 'It isn't the fellow who's catching lots of fish and shooting plenty of game that's having a good time: it's the chap who's getting ready to do it.'" preface
Kephart was a great writer ... and plainly an experienced backpacker! :D
Rain:sunMan
.
I would hardly call safety concerns these days an obsession. Crime is up and has been, hence safety issues. What you could do some 30 years ago you sure can't now. Wish it was different.
I have ZERO concerns about people related safety issues, and I often hike in areas where marijuana growers frequently set up shop. Like animals, if you leave them alone they leave you alone.
I have no concerns where I used to have them - but over the years, I have worked with juvenile offenders, gang members, etc. and found that they all stay in town. The people I meet on the trail are always there for more or less the same reason I am - we love the wilderness and we love getting away from society's craziness. I've shared beers with thru hikers in Yosemite, given rides to people I've never met before and never will again, and gotten rides from other hikers - never felt like I was in any danger whatsoever. I can't say the same about walking down the street.
I worry sometimes about leaving my car at a trailhead, but only because other people can drive up to do their dirty work. Hikers don't do damage, they are there to hike. Where gear has been stolen is Little Yosemite Valley, in the campground there - because people can get there in a day, pick up $500 tents and leave again while folks are dayhiking Half Dome. Never heard of it happening anywhere else, and I talk to a lot of hikers... Never had anything stolen, and if anything I get more gifts in the wilderness than I do at home! I still recall clearly how wonderful the pizza tasted when the guys with the Outback Oven had extra. There was the wonderful steak dinner shared with a young couple who'd brought backed potatoes with all the trimmings, too.
Never met a dangerous hiker - a little attention starved and talky sometimes, a little odd, but generally nothing I'd label a menace to society. One of the reasons I enjoy being on the trail.
Rocket Jones
01-26-2011, 18:13
Gosh, Horace Kephart was writing articles and books over a hundred years ago about all this stuff and apparently the magazines and mail-order catalogs were full of it. He was very concerned about gear and pack weight. And he was not alone, but had predecessors and contemporaries aplenty.
To me at least, very little of this is new, though the medium for discussion is now the electronic word rather than the printed word.
Here are a few quotes from the 1917 edition of his "Camping and Woodcraft":
.
.
.
Kephart was a great writer ... and plainly an experienced backpacker! :D
Rain:sunMan
.
Wonderful post. There is truly very little new under the sun.
Wonderful post. There is truly very little new under the sun.
I was getting ready to say this very same thing and then saw your post. I was hiking the AT 30 years ago. Nothing different today. save for lighter gear, etc. I saw UL hikers then with not much more than a blanket and a sack over their shoulder. The net has allowed for more prep in advance. I think it's a good thing.
read Our Southern Highlanders if you like Horace Kephart. thats the book he wrote when he ran off to live on Hazel Creek in the Smokies, its nuts.
Gosh, Horace Kephart was writing articles and books over a hundred years ago about all this stuff and apparently the magazines and mail-order catalogs were full of it. He was very concerned about gear and pack weight. And he was not alone, but had predecessors and contemporaries aplenty.
Edna St. Vincent Millay - “It is not true that life is one damn thing after another. It's one damn thing over and over.” :D:D
I tend to be geeky about anything I am very interested in. It's the hallmark of the geek - examine minutiae, experiment, test, figure out how it works - and eventually you too will have a box of failed alcohol stoves and gear marked loaners.
It's only because we're not hiking. When I went on a hike in January I stopped coming by here afterwards for about a week or two. There's so much anticipation and excitement right now about hiking since I start in a month and a half.
fredmugs
01-26-2011, 18:32
"Those who cannot remember the past are comdemned to repeat it."
Some people don't want to know what awaits them and some people are obsessive extremely anal planners like me. I already printed out the sunrise and sunset times for every day I'll be hiking this July in Maine. I am not, however, obsessive about gear.
There is one person on here that I have probably hiked close to 1,000 miles with. He's the only expert I have because he's the only one who knows me and my capabilities.
Complicated means I get the most out of every hiking trip I take.
It's only because we're not hiking. When I went on a hike in January I stopped coming by here afterwards for about a week or two. There's so much anticipation and excitement right now about hiking since I start in a month and a half.
I'm glued to this website. Right now i can't get out there and do much backpacking. So i spend all my time on here posting. Need something to argue about.
Cookerhiker
01-26-2011, 18:52
I have ZERO concerns about people related safety issues, and I often hike in areas where marijuana growers frequently set up shop. Like animals, if you leave them alone they leave you alone.
I have no concerns where I used to have them - but over the years, I have worked with juvenile offenders, gang members, etc. and found that they all stay in town. The people I meet on the trail are always there for more or less the same reason I am - we love the wilderness and we love getting away from society's craziness. I've shared beers with thru hikers in Yosemite, given rides to people I've never met before and never will again, and gotten rides from other hikers - never felt like I was in any danger whatsoever. I can't say the same about walking down the street.
I worry sometimes about leaving my car at a trailhead, but only because other people can drive up to do their dirty work. Hikers don't do damage, they are there to hike. Where gear has been stolen is Little Yosemite Valley, in the campground there - because people can get there in a day, pick up $500 tents and leave again while folks are dayhiking Half Dome. Never heard of it happening anywhere else, and I talk to a lot of hikers... Never had anything stolen, and if anything I get more gifts in the wilderness than I do at home! I still recall clearly how wonderful the pizza tasted when the guys with the Outback Oven had extra. There was the wonderful steak dinner shared with a young couple who'd brought backed potatoes with all the trimmings, too.
Never met a dangerous hiker - a little attention starved and talky sometimes, a little odd, but generally nothing I'd label a menace to society. One of the reasons I enjoy being on the trail.
Lori, I agree that the problems aren't bona fide hikers but town & country locals. Now it sounds like most of your experience is in the West. The AT is largely not a wilderness trail - there are frequent road crossings and often the towns aren't that far; in a few cases. the trail goes right through the towns. So I suspect there's more opportunity for miscreants harassing hikers on the AT than some of the trails in the West, especially the wilderness ones e.g. JMT.
You directed your response to Blissful. You may not be aware that she shared on WB a few weeks ago that she was stalked for a few hours on her AT SOBO hike last year. Fortunately (and typical for thruhikers), she was in much better shape than the guy and put was able to put enough distance between them.
runnergirl
01-26-2011, 18:57
I generally agree. Hiking, like many other "sports" and activities, has become more about the technology than about the actual experience. It is encouraging, however, to know that there are like-minded people who gather together and discuss what they love-hiking. And some go too far, yes. And some over-analyze-yes. And I only read a handful out of a hundred posts-yes. But what it boils down to is that you can talk about it all you want here, but will you actually go out and do it?
kayak karl
01-26-2011, 19:06
you act like this is the only thing that has gotten complicated. ever try to pick out a phone or carrier. in the day it was this or nothing :)
http://www.insidesocal.com/bargain/rotary-phone.jpg
and Ma Bell
you act like this is the only thing that has gotten complicated. ever try to pick out a phone or carrier. in the day it was this or nothing :)
http://www.insidesocal.com/bargain/rotary-phone.jpg
and Ma Bell
I get overwhelmed just trying to pick out a stinkin' tube of toothpaste!:eek:
Lori, I agree that the problems aren't bona fide hikers but town & country locals. Now it sounds like most of your experience is in the West. The AT is largely not a wilderness trail - there are frequent road crossings and often the towns aren't that far; in a few cases. the trail goes right through the towns. So I suspect there's more opportunity for miscreants harassing hikers on the AT than some of the trails in the West, especially the wilderness ones e.g. JMT.
You directed your response to Blissful. You may not be aware that she shared on WB a few weeks ago that she was stalked for a few hours on her AT SOBO hike last year. Fortunately (and typical for thruhikers), she was in much better shape than the guy and put was able to put enough distance between them.
No, I wasn't aware of that ... as you can see the AT is a long way from me, tho I've certainly heard a lot of stories about this or that happening. How unfortunate!
I don't really think of the JMT as wilderness necessarily, either, as it's certainly one of the more populated parts of the mountains - but it's populated by hikers, and the pack trains. No roads other than the ones to resupply points come close to it.
I've been stalked as well, but not on the trail. It's really upsetting that the closer to "civilization" we are, the less civilized people seem to behave. I feel so much safer surrounded by hikers anymore that I have been focusing farther out and avoiding Yosemite Valley, despite my love for the place.
you act like this is the only thing that has gotten complicated. ever try to pick out a phone or carrier. in the day it was this or nothing :)
http://www.insidesocal.com/bargain/rotary-phone.jpg
and Ma Bell
"I have always wished for my computer to be as easy to use as my telephone; my wish has come true because I can no longer figure out how to use my telephone."
- Bjarne Stroustrup (famous programmer)
it was complicated before I hiked the trail...now it isn't. It's a bit like the apprehension of going off to college or the first job. One has to overcome the fear. You rarely see anyone who has hiked a long distance post a thread about gear or electronics.
garlic08
01-26-2011, 20:38
...You rarely see anyone who has hiked a long distance post a thread about gear or electronics.
Excellent observation.
it was complicated before I hiked the trail...now it isn't. It's a bit like the apprehension of going off to college or the first job. One has to overcome the fear. You rarely see anyone who has hiked a long distance post a thread about gear or electronics.
You know everyone who posts well enough to determine that?
Not trying to be snide... just wouldn't ever think to suppose that was true. No way to know.
You know everyone who posts well enough to determine that?
Not trying to be snide... just wouldn't ever think to suppose that was true. No way to know.
and no I don't know everyone so I guess I am making some assumptions. With that being said, most every post that begins with "critique my gear list" or "what bag should I carry for a March 3rd start date" or "trail runners vs. boots" is probably not coming from someone who has hiked the trail. Would you agree that this is a fair assumption? However, I (and I assume other long distance hikers) may REPLY to these threads because others gave me the same courtesy when I was a newbie but I still stand behind my original statement. Of course you are welcome to disagree.
I love your picture, WiseOldOwl! So simple and true.
I do really enjoy coming on WB just to get info and hear opinions about gear and get a good laugh every now and then. And it just gets me more excited about getting back to the woods. But the technology talk is just too much for me. I like hiking because it gets me away from the internet and cell phones.
I'm planning a 2 month section hike this summer and a friend couldn't believe I could be gone that long. She asked, "Aren't you going to be bored? There's nothing to do in the woods." It made me laugh because that's what I'm looking forward to, walking in the woods and lying in a hammock :)
You know everyone who posts well enough to determine that?
Not trying to be snide... just wouldn't ever think to suppose that was true. No way to know.
You're so argumentative. So confrontational. So liberal. I think i'm in love.
SassyWindsor
01-27-2011, 01:56
I put myself into a mindset akin to Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. From the land of Black & White (home) to that of Color (the outdoors). On a journey that begins with a first step to the Emerald City following a trail of yellow brick. Meeting friends along the way. When the hike has ended it's becomes that time, once more, to convince yourself that there is no place like home.
vamelungeon
01-27-2011, 01:57
When I was a kid we would go hiking/camping with our stuff in a sack. My favorite was some kind of bag the old man had kept from WWII, like a gas mask bag but bigger. It had shoulder strap like a paper boy's paper bag. We would roll up a quilt or blanket and take some food from the kitchen- some of it in cans or GLASS JARS! Maybe even a bottle of Coke, but some of us had surplus pistol belts and metal canteens. No special shoes, clothes, packs, etc. Just tennis shoes and blue jeans. We had a ball.
Wonderful post. There is truly very little new under the sun.
Verily. When I read Benton Mackaye's proposal today, it always strikes me how he notes that government employees can expect about a month of paid vacation, white collar workers about 2 weeks, and for blue collar workers it's a crapshoot(obviously he didn't use that word).
That would be a reasonable thing to state in 2011.
And Rain Main's post is going to make me check for that book at the Library.
Ladytrekker
01-27-2011, 07:54
Times change and social media is the now and the future that will not change. My son does not know life without computers and electronics it is just moving forward and that is how life does. Hiking lets us clear our heads but why not enjoy what the technology age has given us. You can't turn back time so embrace the future.
Is chatting about gear/weather/logistics necessary to the hiking experience? No.
Is it fun? Yes.
We're like sports fans anticipating, and then reliving The Game. Once that game has been played, another one comes along and you can start all over again.
ESPN has built an empire on that desire.
double d
01-27-2011, 08:46
As I wander through the threads and entering my dotage, I'm struck by how complicated hiking (now known as backpacking) has become. Not that long ago - at least in geologic terms - I developed a love of hiking since (a) I got to see really neat stuff and (b) it didn't require either skill or much special equipment. All you had to know was how to walk and all you needed was a sack of some kind (for day hikes) and almost any kind of pack (for longer ones). Food wasn't much of a problem - it centered around oatmeal and other dried foods - and you wore some kind of sneakers with some arch support. You brought a compass, some basic bandages, and went for a walk in the woods.
Now I'm increasingly amazed: Gearheads have gone beyond obsessing. We have hundreds of comments about "safety" (as in assaultive crims) and more about "wilderness medicine." Debates rage about different kinds of electronics - "how shall I charge my iPod? Can I blog from the trail?" - and people want to know all about each trail segment before they ever see it. I don't think it's an exaggeration from reading WhiteBlaze to say that "backpacking" is now an expensive, gear-intense, risk-averse "sport" in which if I, with my old haversack, ground sheet and Peak1 stove show up at a shelter, will be ostracized as "weird." And now, "weird" appears to equal "bad."
Doesn't anyone else just say to themselves, "I wonder what the bear saw" and just go and see it?
TW
Good posting Weasel, but I think the points you make have been made for a long time, just in different historical timeframes (such as the obsession on hiking gear, technology on the hiking trails of America, etc.). Just my opinion of course.
Pedaling Fool
01-27-2011, 09:12
I think one day all these feelings of staying "connected" and balancing that with the urge to experience the wilds will drive us crazy and we will revert back to the basics of a true wilderness experience completely disconnected from society, no spot-like devices, cell phones, mini-computers...After all why would you need all that when all you got to do is say, "Computer stop program".
brotheral
01-27-2011, 09:19
As Henry David Thoreau said. "Our life is frittered away by detail !! Simplify! Simplify! Simplify!"
Simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary. We all have different ideas on that.... I get alot of valuable information here... Feel like I know some of you..
I'm just trying simplify my outdoor experience... by getting the best gear for ME... :sun
the goat
01-27-2011, 09:31
As I wander through the threads and entering my dotage, I'm struck by how complicated hiking (now known as backpacking) has become. Not that long ago - at least in geologic terms - I developed a love of hiking since (a) I got to see really neat stuff and (b) it didn't require either skill or much special equipment. All you had to know was how to walk and all you needed was a sack of some kind (for day hikes) and almost any kind of pack (for longer ones). Food wasn't much of a problem - it centered around oatmeal and other dried foods - and you wore some kind of sneakers with some arch support. You brought a compass, some basic bandages, and went for a walk in the woods.
Now I'm increasingly amazed: Gearheads have gone beyond obsessing. We have hundreds of comments about "safety" (as in assaultive crims) and more about "wilderness medicine." Debates rage about different kinds of electronics - "how shall I charge my iPod? Can I blog from the trail?" - and people want to know all about each trail segment before they ever see it. I don't think it's an exaggeration from reading WhiteBlaze to say that "backpacking" is now an expensive, gear-intense, risk-averse "sport" in which if I, with my old haversack, ground sheet and Peak1 stove show up at a shelter, will be ostracized as "weird." And now, "weird" appears to equal "bad."
Doesn't anyone else just say to themselves, "I wonder what the bear saw" and just go and see it?
TW
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly agin’
Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’:)
Odd Man Out
01-27-2011, 11:50
As Henry David Thoreau said. "Our life is frittered away by detail !! Simplify! Simplify! Simplify!"
Simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary. We all have different ideas on that.... I get alot of valuable information here... Feel like I know some of you..
I'm just trying simplify my outdoor experience... by getting the best gear for ME... :sun
The OP was complaining about how complicated this has become these days. Maybe this is nothing new. Thoreau was writing in the mid 19th century.
The OP was complaining about how complicated this has become these days. Maybe this is nothing new. Thoreau was writing in the mid 19th century.
Nothing is ever new. Most of the people that complain about to much tech are running around with GoLite packs, modern sleeping bags, and ultralight tents. Tech is ok as long as its tech that they use. They wouldnt be caught dead with a wicker or even a canvas pack.
Everyone says HYOH. Thats like the biggest BS statement ive ever heard because threads like this are extremely common. If we all believed that this thread wouldnt even have been started. It definitely wouldnt have gotten over 70 replies.
hikerboy57
01-27-2011, 12:28
overcomplicating everything in our lives seems to be the trend.I remember one time waiting for Starbucks coffee, lady behind me gets on her cell phone, says "Hi where are you?" The lady 2 people in front of me picks up the phone, says "I'm in starbucks!." the whole line had a good laugh(which made up for waiting in line for overpriced coffee).
Hiking is as simple as putting one foot in front of the other until you feel you're done. Anything you feel you need to add to that is a personal choice.
I freely admit to posting drivel no one probably reads and I know I do more than my fair share of asking and answering questions that are more or less pointless in the overall scheme of things.
I think, for me, it's just a way of hanging out with folks of like mind. When I'm hiking the things I talk about with other hikers are things like "Where are you from?", "Where ya been?", Where you headed?" and things related to the current hike. You can't talk about that on WB.
If you've ever noticed, people sit around and have conversations about useless things constantly when quiet would probably serve the purpose better.
We should contact Larry David........Seinfeld was based on this very idea!
A WB sitcom...
Cookerhiker
01-27-2011, 13:04
....Everyone says HYOH. Thats like the biggest BS statement ive ever heard because threads like this are extremely common. If we all believed that this thread wouldnt even have been started. It definitely wouldnt have gotten over 70 replies.
I disagree. In starting this thread, Weasel was musing about how technology has changed things but he wasn't imposing his preferences on anyone else. Rather he was just observing trends and wondering aloud if others shared his perspective.
Sharing/offering different views has nothing to do with HYOH unless one's "shoulding" others re their hiking, i.e. you should do this, you shouldn't do that. As I said recently on another thread, I was pointedly told while on the trail that I "should lighten my pack." That's not what's going on here as far as I can see in these 70+ responses.
There's a folksinger from Texas named Alan Wayn Dameron who wrote and performs the song with the title: "Don't should on me and I won't should on you." To me, that capsulized HYOH.
I disagree. In starting this thread, Weasel was musing about how technology has changed things but he wasn't imposing his preferences on anyone else. Rather he was just observing trends and wondering aloud if others shared his perspective.
Sharing/offering different views has nothing to do with HYOH unless one's "shoulding" others re their hiking, i.e. you should do this, you shouldn't do that. As I said recently on another thread, I was pointedly told while on the trail that I "should lighten my pack." That's not what's going on here as far as I can see in these 70+ responses. The OP wasn't self-evaluating, though. The observation was that others are increasingly becoming more dependent on technology than the OP deemed necessary.
I do share the OP's sentiment, somewhat, but I would have worded it differently, as you put it Cookerhiker - asking if there were any hikers that shared his preference, while encouraging everyone to HYOH regardless.
I posted something similar to the OPs complaint on my own blog. I was noticing that people obsess over gear and how nice it is that after a while on the trail the gear talk stops and gear doesn't matter anymore. I got a very interesting response from Crow* who said that she thought the same thing until she realized that when she didn't have the right gear, the gear was the boss of her hike and not her.
When her pack was too small she couldn't carry enough water that made her hike in the desert difficult.
When she wore cotton undies on the Florida trail, she got blisters on her crotch.
She wrote:
As I was swaggering down the road like cowboy that had spent too much time in the saddle, I thought, "It is sort of about the gear"
*Crow has probably hiked the PCT nearly as much as Billy Goat, plus she's hiked a lot of the other trails as well.
brotheral
01-27-2011, 16:13
The OP was complaining about how complicated this has become these days. Maybe this is nothing new. Thoreau was writing in the mid 19th century.
I know when Thoreau was writing. His advice is even more relevant "these days". :)
Trailbender
01-27-2011, 16:37
I think a lot of it is with any other sport or activity, materialism and consumerism has found its way into hiking. It's pretty sad to come up on a shelter and see adidas or nike symbols carved into the wall. I go into the woods partially to escape all that crap.
Tenderheart
01-27-2011, 16:51
I am certainly glad to see this thread. I, too, have lamented over the increasing gadgetry of simple walking in the woods. Man has a great tendency to complicate everything that he puts his hand to. It's actually more difficult to keep things simple. I read questions that people ask on this site and I just want to scream "it ain't that complicated". And that's my two cents.
litefoot 2000
The Weasel
01-27-2011, 17:13
I can see what you're saying Weasel. I've never been to Laguna Beach, CA. I honestly dont know if its a wilderness or not. However, coming from Fulks Run, VA (pop. 452) where you have to dial long distance to get internet I find electronics to be AMAZING. GPSs are one of my favorite things in the world. OH! and being able to blog to my friends and family about my adventure is crazy cool. Beats disposable cameras that suck once wet. And having my iPod so i can listen to Andrea Bocelli perform "Con Te Partiro" from the top of MT Rodgers is amazing. The song really captures the surrounding beauty. Electronics enhance my experience. However, luckily you dont have to hike my hike. You can HYOH. I dont mind.
Also if you took out all the questions about tech and logistics this board would die.
Laguna Beach is uniquely lucky, for being surrounded by about 10,000 or so acres of coastal wilderness, and the ocean on the other side. So it is a very special place. But my point is more that even "HYOH" is becoming a complicated concept, and I think a lot of people are becoming stressed and losing some of the values of "wild walking' by thinking that an iPod is even desireable; the wilderness is a sensual place (in the true sense) that appeals to all 5 of them (think about it), and by using substitutes for some (such as music, and thus missing the sounds of rain, or wind, or branches, or...) there is much that is lost, and much more to "do" to be ready.
If this forum didn't have gear obsessions, it would be pretty much as it was when we started it 7 or so years bac: Mostly a discussion about, "where you going, and when, and where have you been, and what was it like." That would be refreshing, too. Now it's like reading Backpacker: A little about trails, and the rest about "You need to buy this, and don't go without knowing this!!"
Time just to go for a walk in the woods.
TW
Rain Man
01-27-2011, 17:24
And Rain Main's post is going to make me check for that book at the Library.
Just so you know, that book came out in a variety of forms over the decades. First it was magazine articles. Then it was a volume or two, then a single volume, then a condensed volume (or some such, I might have the time-line wrong), and each time it had a slightly different title. "Camping and Woodcraft" is what I know it by. Kephart (or his publisher) was ahead of his time in marketing schemes, to milk new dollars out of valuable old product, I do believe! LOL
I got mine from alibris.com, where I get a lot of old, used, and out-of-print books, cheap. I also highly recommend his "Our Southern Highlanders" about his living among mountain folk in the area now known as the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in the early 1900s.
Rain:sunMan
.
sheepdog
01-27-2011, 17:41
I remember a couple cans of pork n beans, a blanket and a canvas boy scout pack. Those were the days!!
max patch
01-27-2011, 17:55
Laguna Beach is uniquely lucky, for being surrounded by about 10,000 or so acres of coastal wilderness, and the ocean on the other side.
Don't forget the world famous Boom-Boom Room!
Don't forget the world famous Boom-Boom Room!
Off-topic, but...I remember there was a really awesome seafood restaurant there right on the beach, but I can't remember what it was called.
I remember a couple cans of pork n beans, a blanket and a canvas boy scout pack. Those were the days!!
I can't believe carrying CANS of pork n beans!!! But I did the same thing. I hate to admit it but cooking them in the can right on an open fire just like cowboys....nothing better. Sipping whiskey while we watched the paper burn off while they cooked. Simplicity.....ahh.
I can't believe carrying CANS of pork n beans!!! But I did the same thing. I hate to admit it but cooking them in the can right on an open fire just like cowboys....nothing better. Sipping whiskey while we watched the paper burn off while they cooked. Simplicity.....ahh.
Can't ya just smell the campfire? :sun
4eyedbuzzard
01-27-2011, 21:53
I remember a couple cans of pork n beans, a blanket and a canvas boy scout pack. Those were the days!!
With Vienna sausages of course too.
Hikes in Rain
01-28-2011, 07:32
I can't believe carrying CANS of pork n beans!!! But I did the same thing. I hate to admit it but cooking them in the can right on an open fire just like cowboys....nothing better. Sipping whiskey while we watched the paper burn off while they cooked. Simplicity.....ahh.
Should I be embarrassed to admit I still do this?
Should I be embarrassed to admit I still do this?
You should probably commit Seppuku, as you have dishonored the the hiking community. Only reasonable option, I'm afraid.
:p
4eyedbuzzard
01-28-2011, 10:00
You should probably commit Seppuku, as you have dishonored the the hiking community. Only reasonable option, I'm afraid.
:p
With something like this of course
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_K14oJgSllks/S_85ALaxw5I/AAAAAAAADsE/X05zPW-5fOk/118_1806.JPG
I've read this and think we're missing one point.
YES...things have changed for backpackers over the decades but guess what? MANY things have changed. When I started backpacking it was canvas for tents & backpacks. The only backpacking food we had was in cans!
That was before home computers, the internet, DVDs, debit cards and more. That was before there was such a thing as a triathlon or big screen televisions or iPods.
I LIKE many of the changes that have happened over the years. Tents & packs are lighter & better. I enjoy taking an ipod touch, small weather radio and some very comfortable hiking shoes. Many of the changes have encouraged people to visit nature who might have otherwise found backpacking too difficult. We now have LNT. Not followed by all but those who do, in my opinion, make a difference.
I don't find backpacking more complex, I find modern gear provides me more options.
Have people laughed at my gear at shelters because it wasn't the latest? You bet, but these are the same type of people who whould jude you by your house, car etc. Such people are everywhere and I refuse to let such people keep me from doing anything.
I enjoy backpacking more now than a few decades ago. Modern gear makes it easier and more enjoyable. I'm actually looking forward to future innovations in backpacking.
Just my two cents.
The Weasel
01-28-2011, 11:20
Don't forget the world famous Boom-Boom Room!
The world has forgotten the Boom Room. It's closed, owned by a computer magnate who wants to change the Room and its hotel into an upscale boutique hotel.
TW
Rain Man
01-28-2011, 11:42
I don't find backpacking more complex, I find modern gear provides me more options.
Hmmmmm ... isn't that part of the very definition of complexity? More options.
Rain:sunMan
.
Hmmmmm ... isn't that part of the very definition of complexity? More options.
Rain:sunMan
.
wise man sir. Going back to my earlier point, the complexity of choices is often overwhelming to those getting started. There is only one way to get past that - spend a long time on the trail. There you have a chance to see what works for you AND realize there are many different ways to skin the cat - hammock vs. tent, shoes vs. boots, cannister vs. alcohol, etc. People want to start with the perfect solution - there is none. Everything is a tradeoff of weight/comfort/cost and once you have enough miles under your belt you dial in on what works for you and let go of the gear fixation.
As has been noted elsewhere in this thread,same thing happens in other hobbies - golf, cycling, fishing, hunting, etc. Madison Avenue has led us to believe that we can substitute technology and products in lieu of the work required to actually become proficient in these things.
max patch
01-28-2011, 13:09
The world has forgotten the Boom Room. It's closed, owned by a computer magnate who wants to change the Room and its hotel into an upscale boutique hotel.
TW
I guess that explains the population decline of 3% since the 2000 census after years of steady growth.
Hikes in Rain
01-28-2011, 13:20
You should probably commit Seppuku, as you have dishonored the the hiking community. Only reasonable option, I'm afraid.
:p
Oh well, darn! <grabs multi-tool from next post, walks off into wood muttering>
The Weasel
01-28-2011, 13:24
I guess that explains the population decline of 3% since the 2000 census after years of steady growth.
Actually, most of it occurred after people realized The Weasel was living amongst them.
TW
All that complexity and the worry about whether you'll measure up to "trail fashion" is the reason why I like to recommend the article here "How to Dirtbag and Gearshop like a Professional" I even carry around little cards with a link to it I can hand to people. (Other links on there, too, to lightweight gear makers like Tarptent or Gossamer Gear.)
Rain Man
01-28-2011, 17:58
People want to start with the perfect solution - there is none.
Right you are! I'd say in my years of backpacking on the AT that I have never once carried the exact same outfit of gear, clothing, and etc. I tweak it every time. There is no perfect, one-size-fits-all solution.
I think one of my posted Kephart quotes says the same thing, if'n I rightly 'member. LOL Dang it... now I'll have to go back and see.
Rain:sunMan
Yep, here's the one I wuz thinkin' of:
"To be sure, even though a man rigs up his own outfit, he never gets it quite to suit him. Every season sees the downfall of some cherished scheme, the failure of some fond contrivance. Every winter sees you again fussing over your kit, altering this, substituting that, and flogging your wits with the same old problem of how to save weight and bulk without sacrifice of utility." p. 43
.
Kaptain Kangaroo
01-28-2011, 20:00
I remember a couple cans of pork n beans, a blanket and a canvas boy scout pack. Those were the days!!
Yeah I remember those days............
The tent didn't really keep out the rain,
You froze under the blanket,
5 days of food weighed about half a ton
The pack frame was uncomfortable...
So were the boots
The hiking was great though......
It wasn't the hiking that was simple & that we remember fondly, it was life in general...........no job, no mortgage, no kids, no worries !
Luckily the hiking is still great, and now the gear is much better.
Life is good ! :)
It wasn't the hiking that was simple & that we remember fondly, it was life in general...........no job, no mortgage, no kids, no worries !
Life is good ! :)Excellent point! So many of us idealize memories for reasons that have nothing to do with the ultimate carefree utopia in cherished childhood memories.
beakerman
02-16-2011, 13:47
Looking in on all of this as a non-tru-hiker and probably wont be one...
It seems to me that the folks that are the most obsessed about the micrograms they can shave off their toothbrush or the latest and greatest gear or planning to the millisecond when they will hit a certain town are the thu hikers. not knocking them here just an observation so far...
Now with that in mind and the general concerns we all face in our day to day lilves that keep most of us from committing to a 6 month leave with out pay...I would want to plan as much as I could as well. I think the issue has always been there to a certain extent but wit the advent of the internet information becomes readily availible and folks are just a little more comfortable in committing to an action once they have assured tehmselves that they will succeed.
For you old-timers out there it may seem odd because you all just up and did it with some financial planning (or maybe you were very young and didnt care about that stuff yet) and maybe a guidebook...and I agree in the end that, along with a pack to stuff yoru crap in, is all you need but would you have felt a little more confident on your odds of completion if you had more information?
As I wander through the threads and entering my dotage, I'm struck by how complicated hiking (now known as backpacking) has become. Not that long ago - at least in geologic terms - I developed a love of hiking since (a) I got to see really neat stuff and (b) it didn't require either skill or much special equipment. All you had to know was how to walk and all you needed was a sack of some kind (for day hikes) and almost any kind of pack (for longer ones). Food wasn't much of a problem - it centered around oatmeal and other dried foods - and you wore some kind of sneakers with some arch support. You brought a compass, some basic bandages, and went for a walk in the woods.
Now I'm increasingly amazed: Gearheads have gone beyond obsessing. We have hundreds of comments about "safety" (as in assaultive crims) and more about "wilderness medicine." Debates rage about different kinds of electronics - "how shall I charge my iPod? Can I blog from the trail?" - and people want to know all about each trail segment before they ever see it. I don't think it's an exaggeration from reading WhiteBlaze to say that "backpacking" is now an expensive, gear-intense, risk-averse "sport" in which if I, with my old haversack, ground sheet and Peak1 stove show up at a shelter, will be ostracized as "weird." And now, "weird" appears to equal "bad."
Doesn't anyone else just say to themselves, "I wonder what the bear saw" and just go and see it?
TW
Everything changes with technology. Not only that, but generations change. Kids grow up, have other kids, their kids want to be different, and so on and so forth. Spend as much as you like and HYOH. Who cares what other people think, just ignore any snide remarks and go on with your happy self! Your feet walk just like theirs do! This is similar to what I told myself in high school when people would drive by in fancy cars "My wheels turn just like theirs do!"
I don't know, but I love all this junk. I remember camping with all my dads old army surplus gear and C rations. Had fun got some newer stuff when I got a little older, had fun, Got lighter, Had more fun. Got on the internet to talk about all of it, having lots more fun.
I like walkin and campin, but my favorite part of all is that hour at the end of the day when I'm lying in the woods and peaceful. It's that hour I go for.
S
Hymnsinger
02-17-2011, 01:53
Hi everyone,
I've really enjoyed reading all the posts. It's been fun reading you folks itching to break from the gate! In March, unless we get a heavy snow, I will walk the short section behind Watauga Lake. It will probably take me a week!! :eek:
Some of you have read my few posts, but my story is this . . . I am a veteran camper (long term base camping, wilderness camping, survival camping) but a newby hiker. I'm seeing a divide opening up between the hiker and the backpacker. I think I'm a backpacker and may never be a true hiker though I'm going to give it a try.
About simplicity . . .
My first camping experience was when I was about 11. I took a blanket, pillow, some canned soup and Chef Boy R Dee, a candle and matches out to an old shed on the edge of our property, seemed like miles away at the time, and spent the night. I was all by myself and it was simply amazing to me that I had a hot meal out in the woods!
After that I often slept out in the yard in a tent, pretending that I was a wilderness explorer. We had the stinkiest old canvas tent!! And canvas cots too!
In my teens and twenties when I walked to my campsite I wore jeans, boots or sneakers and usually a cotton blend tee shirt, cotton blend socks and carried a wooden walking staff that I picked out on the first day and improved as I went. I still keep each one to remember each trip too.
I cooked over a small wood fire (leaving no trace, of course) carrying whatever food I desired, including a steak or two, packed frozen in an insulated bag, consumed when thawed. Best steak I EVER had was cooked over a small pine fire with a few mesquite chips thrown in. I hunted my own greens and tubers to go with dinner and enjoyed crayfish when I could get them.
I walked till I got tired, if my feet hurt (or blistered) I'd stop till they didn't, I'd sleep as long as I felt like it and only go as far as I wanted to. Back then I would walk 5 or 6 miles and camp for a week, sometimes move my site, camp another week, and walk out again. I have never walked more than 10 miles in a single day!
Of course all this was in my youth. Now I'm overweight, out of shape and a bit overwhelmed by all the "right" gear I have to have! Well . . .
Now that I get out in the woods for my walk every other day (or night) or so, I'm itching to get back out to camping. Soon (when the night temps are above 50!) I'll walk away from the house for a few miles and test my "new" stuff on an overnight. By the way, night woodswalking under a full moon is awesome!
I can't afford the latest gear, will never buy trekking poles, will carry water in two liter soda bottles, will use a stove only if it's too wet to light a fire, I'll wear my good ole Wal-mart Ozark Trail boots, and well, enjoy my walk in the woods. I'll have my cell so my son won't worry about me, a book or two, journal, etc. The only thing that I need now that I didn't then are two really good pads and a pillow!
This hiking thing (getting from A to B) is going to take a bit of getting used to! LOL :D "Dude, where's my car??"
It won't be long now!!
Tracey :sun
Life is simple...It's the folks who live it that make it complicated....
Toolshed
02-17-2011, 19:57
Many of us older folks were either military, had a lot of backcountry skills growing up, and/or just picked up Coling Fletchers book and read to our hearts content.
Now everyone want specifics on every freaking little thing they plan.
Many of todays kids never served, never camped, absolutely never grew up on a farm, never drove a tractor, never hunted, never trapped, never spent a week picking/digging fruits/veggies, cooking food over coals, drinking from a communal jug in a field..Ha...never really even go out from under their parents panicky watchful eye to do much on their own.
I don't mean to come off on young folks, there are plenty of hardcharging yourhs out there that accomplish the above, but they are becoming more and more the minority.....
tirebiter
02-17-2011, 22:48
Now in defense of techie kids like myself, we know that it doesn't have to be this complicated. We just like it this way. :p
Hymnsinger
02-18-2011, 01:20
I made my son join the boy scouts just so I could go camping! lol Yep, he hated it! Hung in there for two years though. Now I'm a Scout chaplain for our local troop/pack. My son? He's allergic to the outdoors!
Tenderheart
02-18-2011, 13:19
I made my son join the boy scouts just so I could go camping! lol Yep, he hated it! Hung in there for two years though. Now I'm a Scout chaplain for our local troop/pack. My son? He's allergic to the outdoors!
So are my daughters.:mad:
litefoot 2000