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Jack Tarlin
11-26-2002, 15:23
I think it's time for a light-hearted thread, so just outta curiousity, what is absolutely the STUPIDEST thing you've been asked, or overheard being asked, while you were thru-hiking? I've got some doozies, but I'd like to hear some other ones first.

prozac
11-26-2002, 16:05
While hiking past Bear Mt.,NY in Oct 1999 I stopped for lunch near the lodge. A while later a family of four approached me after staring for a good 10 minutes. Fiquring I was about to go through the typical question and answer session I looked forward to possibly bumming a ride to town for resupply. To my surprise, they were only interested in where I was going skiing so they could take their two kids. After explaining the poles were for hiking and that I was hiking the Appalachian Trail which ran from Ga to Me, the wife gave me a look like I made the whole thing up. Not wishing to debate the subject with them and realizing no way was I gonna yogi a ride I left after wishing them a good day. Sometimes I forget the whole world hasn't heard of the AT and most people who have think its all smooth and flat.

DebW
11-27-2002, 10:41
I was out for an overnight trip on the trail a few weeks ago to spend the night at the Riga lean-to in Connecticut. After I was happily ensconced in the shelter, a group of 26 boy scouts showed up. They all milled around the front of the shelter for awhile waiting for their leaders to catch up and tell then where to pitch their tents. One of the boys asked me "Are you going to sleep there?" I replied that yes, I was planning to sleep in the shelter. Then he asked "Where, on the floor?"

Jumpstart
11-27-2002, 21:16
I had a 9 or ten year old kid we met with his folks in the Shenandoahs' ask us how we carried a TV....

And I had a girl at the Bea's Den Hiker Hostel ask me if I carried a blow dryer for my hair...

Yikes!

SGT Rock
12-01-2002, 19:28
I get this one a lot:

"Have you seen a group of Boy Scouts come through here?"

wacocelt
12-02-2002, 16:54
Just a few of the ones I can recall.

"Where is all your climbing gear?"

"Where is your rifle?"

"What are you gonna do if theres an avalanche?"

It's really hard to keep a straight face and not roll your eyes, but I pull it off most times. Poor, poor mundanes.

Minerva
12-02-2002, 17:52
Met a couple of day hikers while in Oregon on the PCT. They asked if we were using Oxygen. The drink tube of the platy threw them for a loop, didn't know it was a water tube.
Cin

Jack Tarlin
12-02-2002, 19:21
1. Question asked while I was looking for a place to stealth camp at Gettysburg (I was in full hiker regalia at the time):

"Are you one of them historical re-enacter fellas?"


2. Asked on the summit of Mt. Washington:

"How on earth did you get up here?"

When I told the gentleman I'd hiked up the mountain, he immediately asked,

"Well how on earth are you getting down, then?"


3. Asked at least 3 or 4 times over the years:

"Once you get to Katahdin, are you walking home from there?"


4. Overheard at Pinkham Notch Ranger Information desk:

"Excuse me, Ranger, but you could you please tell us what time of year a deer turns into a moose?"

Hammock Hanger
12-02-2002, 19:47
had me laughing so hard I almost peed. HH

Hikerhead
12-02-2002, 20:30
I thought all of these were funny. I especially liked the one from Cin, Are you on Oxygen? That's too much.

I'm still waiting to hear the Groundhog story from Jack.

stranger
12-04-2002, 21:22
On my 94 LT thru-hike: "Where are you hiking to?" The Canadian border I reply, "Are they going to let you in?" she asks. And I don't know how true it is but I once heard of a guy leaving Springer with a inflatable raft packed in his pack so he could cross the Kennebec safely, maybe urban trail legend but still funny.

Lugnut
12-05-2002, 01:47
Hikerhead. Bob Peoples told me a story about a goat, a tent, too much to drink and some guy named "Jack" at Trail Days a couple years ago. Since Jack started this thread maybe he will give his side of the story. The version I heard was hilarious!

P.S. Do you still have the goat?

Hikerhead
12-05-2002, 02:07
If there's anyone that has a few good stories to tell, it's Mr. Jack.

But, evidently, he must be writing a book and his publisher has demanded that he not tell anything. "Make em buy the book if they want to hear a story!"

OK OK!!!! I'll buy the darn book when it comes out. But for the time being just tell us a story.!!!

Streamweaver
12-05-2002, 02:34
About the guy on the summit of Mt Washington,How the heck did he get up there ?? Helicopter??? lol Erik

Bluebearee
12-06-2002, 22:24
Well, how about the perv who pulled over in his van as I was sweating my way up the road section of the trail up Bear Mtn. After several stupid questions, including the O2 one in regards to my water tube, I found out he was just leading up to the grand finale of "You've been out here 4 months? Would you like to watch me j*** off?"

Hammock Hanger
12-06-2002, 22:40
ahhh BB you had all the fun!!!:D Hammock Hanger

Easyhiker
12-06-2002, 22:49
Originally posted by Bluebearee
Well, how about the perv who pulled over in his van as I was sweating my way up the road section of the trail up Bear Mtn. After several stupid questions, including the O2 one in regards to my water tube, I found out he was just leading up to the grand finale of "You've been out here 4 months? Would you like to watch me j*** off?"

Oh' that was you?

Dirtyoldman
12-07-2002, 05:44
Ez - you do that too! I thought I was the only one....:D

Easyhiker
12-07-2002, 23:41
Originally posted by Dirtyoldman
Ez - you do that too! I thought I was the only one....:D

Yes I do ...... but I don't annonce it in my trail name as you do you Dirty Old Man. LOL

Peaks
12-08-2002, 14:49
Originally posted by Bluebearee
Well, how about the perv who pulled over in his van as I was sweating my way up the road section of the trail up Bear Mtn. After several stupid questions, including the O2 one in regards to my water tube, I found out he was just leading up to the grand finale of "You've been out here 4 months? Would you like to watch me j*** off?"

Obviously he never saw the T-shirt that read "AT women sleep with men and mice"

SGT Rock
12-08-2002, 15:46
"WhAt kind of gun do you carry?"

I get asked this one a lot. For you prior service guys, you know the answer.

Lugnut
12-08-2002, 17:35
This is my rifle, this is my gun .........:p

Lone Wolf
01-28-2008, 16:30
I think it's time for a light-hearted thread, so just outta curiousity, what is absolutely the STUPIDEST thing you've been asked, or overheard being asked, while you were thru-hiking? I've got some doozies, but I'd like to hear some other ones first.

are you a male stripper?

warren doyle
01-28-2008, 16:42
Are you Baltimore Jack?

Furlough
01-28-2008, 16:45
Why on earth do you want to do that?

CaseyB
01-28-2008, 16:47
are you a male stripper?
I just realized you dug this out of the trash. Care to share the story?:-?

Ender
01-28-2008, 16:49
Overheard by me in 1998, at the Bear Mountain Zoo...

Zoo worker walks up to another thru-hiker, holding a ziplock bag full of cr@p.

Zoo worker: "Excuse me... I found this scat out behind our concession stand, and I think it's bear scat, so I put it into this bag. Are you familiar enough with bear scat to help identify it?"

Thru-hiker: "Sure, I've seen a bunch. Let me have a look."

...brief pause...

Thru-hiker: "Sorry that's not bear poop."

ZW: "What is it?"

TH: "Um.... .... it's human sh_t. Sorry."

Purple
01-28-2008, 17:13
before the trail

when I told my 16 yo granddaughter I was going to thru hike the AT she asked if she could go. Of course I said yes. After several discussions and instructions about the trip I gave her the responsibility to do the meal planning. It took her a week but she came up with what she thought was the perfect menu. After reading it I asked "and just how do you plan to keep all this refrigerated ... her answer ... "in the cooler of course" and then I asked how she planned to heat the "Hot Pockets" ...... she exclaimed "DUH! in the microwave!"

Needless to say when she discovered there were no coolers or microwaves in the shelters she decided not to go.

bfitz
01-28-2008, 17:17
For some reason I get this one a lot....

"Where do you go to the bathroom?"

Frolicking Dinosaurs
01-28-2008, 17:27
I've been asked:

Do the showers at the campsites have hot water?

How far apart are the bathrooms?

How do you keep from being eaten by the bears?

Are there any vending machines on the trail?

Are there alarm clocks in shelters?

How do you watch TV? (small child)

doggiebag
01-28-2008, 17:51
I was running low on cooking fuel while NOBO in South West Virginia. So I was making a little fire ring to cook my oatmeal (which I dismanteled after it's use). While I was making my fire ring and getting tinder together 3 day hikers passed my lunch spot on their way NOBO. After about 15 minutes and I was in the process of cooking my lunch here they come again ... they actually thought that when they saw me building my fire ring that I was using the rocks to get a spark to light my cooking fire. I couldn't tell if they were joking. But you never know.

Lilred
01-28-2008, 17:55
Had a couple ask me, as they were packing up to leave the shelter, where the garbage can was. I told them it was in their packs.

dessertrat
01-28-2008, 18:49
I was sitting on the top of a mountain once, about 20 miles and two days from where I had started my trip, when a dayhiker came up and asked me "do you have a car?"

I sat there staring at him. All I could think to say was "not right handy at the moment." (As it turns out, he was asking because he wasn't sure that he had parked in a safe place down at the bottom of the mountain, and was worried about getting towed, but for a minute there, I thought he was going to ask me to walk twenty miles to retrieve my car and give him a lift somewhere).

dessertrat
01-28-2008, 18:53
I've been asked:

Do the showers at the campsites have hot water?

How far apart are the bathrooms?

How do you keep from being eaten by the bears?

Are there any vending machines on the trail?

Are there alarm clocks in shelters?

How do you watch TV? (small child)

In Maryland, some of those are not such dumb questions: I think Dahlgren has hot water at the campsite, or at least I've heard that they have showers there. I haven't tried the shower there in the summer. It does have real bathrooms. There are in fact vending machines in a couple of places on the AT in Maryland. It is presence of vending machines that keeps the bears from eating the hikers-- they just fill up on Snickers and Cokes.

fehchet
01-28-2008, 18:58
Several of my fellow church members asked me this fall if I slept in a tent at night or did I just stay at motels.

Hikerhead
01-28-2008, 19:06
This guy at Mt Rogers asked me how far off of the trail should he go to PEE.

ScottP
01-28-2008, 19:06
You could probably do 90% of the AT, or maybe even 100%, by just running from hotel to hotel if you really wanted to.

ScottP
01-28-2008, 19:07
Oh, and I got this series from someone that picked me up hitchhiking:
"What do you do on the trail with no girls around?"
"Do your clothes come off easily?"
"Do you want to get a hotel room and drink some beer?"

Jack Tarlin
01-28-2008, 19:19
Wow. This thread is over five years old, folks, but I'm glad to see people are still enjoying it.

Lone Wolf
01-28-2008, 19:21
i'm glad you approve

Frolicking Dinosaurs
01-28-2008, 19:24
Wow. This thread is over five years old, folks, but I'm glad to see people are still enjoying it.Some threads are timeless - thank goodness The Thread isn't one of them :D

LIhikers
01-28-2008, 19:31
When my wife and I finished one section hike in the town of Boiling Springs. As we hiked southbound across the Cumberland valley we arrived at a road crossing the same time as a big SUV with a middle aged, woman driver. she powered the window down and asked us if we were hiking the Appalachian Trail. We said yes and then she asked where the trail went. I pointed back over my shoulder and said that if you walked long enough it would take you to the statte of Maine. Then my wife pointed ahead of us and said if you walked long enough that way you'd wind up in the state of Georgia. There was no recognition or reaction to what we had just said and the woman went on to ask us where we were walking to. When we told her we would be finishing our hike in Boiling Springs she got all histerical and didn't believe that we, or anyone else, could walk that far. Then, without another word, she shut her window and drove away. We still laugh about it :)

Hikerhead
01-28-2008, 19:42
A friend and I were walking up Tinker Mtn starting from the Park and Ride at Daleville, Va. When we reached the top of the hill you walk a little ways in the lawn of the Hotel there. We kept on hearing a lady yelling "Yoo Hoo", turned around and here comes this lady jogging towards us from the hotel. She said she been seeing all of these people walking up by the lawn with backpacks and daypacks and wanted to know what was going on. I explained to her that this was the AT, Ga to Me trail and we were just hiking to the top to the nice overlook over looking Carvins Cove. She asked how long it took to get there, I told her, she then jogged back to the hotel to fetch her husband. I don't think I've ever been "Yoo Hoo'd" at before or since.

cowboy nichols
01-28-2008, 19:56
There I go again--I didn't notice the date on the first entry--But I have laughed enough to add a couple of years Thanks

Jack Tarlin
01-28-2008, 20:05
Geez, Wolf, lighten up.

Of course I approve of people still enjoying this discussion.

It was me, after all, who started the thread in the first place!

Lone Wolf
01-28-2008, 20:06
you tellin' me to lighten up? :D christ that's funny. i forgot the smiley

ofthearth
01-28-2008, 20:51
Not from the trail but right here on WB. One of the funnyer(sp?) trail related things I've read- http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=27650 read the first two posts.

bessiebreeze
01-28-2008, 21:03
I met a couple of people on the AT who were obviously stressed out - they had no water, no maps - ask me -

"Doesn't this trail with the white markers loop back to the parking lot?"

Gray Blazer
01-28-2008, 21:50
You could probably do 90% of the AT, or maybe even 100%, by just running from hotel to hotel if you really wanted to.
There's a rental car company that can pick you up at the road crossings.

quasarr
01-28-2008, 21:55
When I told my friend of my plans to hike the AT, she said

"What are you going to do for food, shoot deer?" :-?

JAK
01-28-2008, 21:56
Not from the trail but right here on WB. One of the funnyer(sp?) trail related things I've read- http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=27650 read the first two posts.I also thought that was one of the all time best responses.

A-Train
01-28-2008, 21:58
As I walked out of the Perkins Tower on Bear Mtn, a woman asked me "Is it worth it"?

Of course I assumed she was asking about my trip to walk the AT in one shot. Unfortunately she was refering to the 50 odd steps needed to climb to get to the top of the tower.

Bearpaw
01-28-2008, 22:06
One concerned grandmotherly type in Virginia asked me, "Who does your cooking for you?":rolleyes:

Skidsteer
01-28-2008, 22:12
One concerned grandmotherly type in Virginia asked me, "Who does your cooking for you?":rolleyes:

Sheesh! Did she have "Yogi me" tattooed on her forehead?

Don't tell me you let that pass!

ScottP
01-28-2008, 22:16
Sounds more like an offer from the grandmother than a situation requiring yogi-ing.

bigboots
01-28-2008, 22:16
I met a couple of people on the AT who were obviously stressed out - they had no water, no maps - ask me -

"Doesn't this trail with the white markers loop back to the parking lot?"

That is one lengthy mistake.

jettjames
01-28-2008, 22:20
I think the stupidest question I got was at trail days last year. It was late at nite on my birthday after I had, um, had a few, ok more than a few, ok a lot.

a female hiker wandered up to me and asked straight up " do you want to f***?"

Stupidest question I've ever heard.

Skidsteer
01-28-2008, 22:26
I think the stupidest question I got was at trail days last year. It was late at nite on my birthday after I had, um, had a few, ok more than a few, ok a lot.

a female hiker wandered up to me and asked straight up " do you want to f***?"

Stupidest question I've ever heard.

That is stupid.

Why would she care if you want to fart?

JAK
01-28-2008, 22:28
Maybe she wanted to play that baseball game.

Lone Wolf
01-28-2008, 22:28
i thought it was FAIL

jettjames
01-28-2008, 22:29
now skid, THAT is funny.

pt

Skidsteer
01-28-2008, 22:30
So what did you say, Jettjames? :D

Lone Wolf
01-28-2008, 22:31
I think the stupidest question I got was at trail days last year. It was late at nite on my birthday after I had, um, had a few, ok more than a few, ok a lot.

a female hiker wandered up to me and asked straight up " do you want to f***?"

Stupidest question I've ever heard.

i bet i know who it was

minnesotasmith
01-28-2008, 22:32
Who was going to take his 12-YO or so aged son on a 2-week AT hike, and wanted the appropriate maps. The clerk brought out all the ATC maps for Georgia, that being a reasonable distance for a relative newbie with a kid to tackle in 2 weeks. The guy tells the clerk to bring out all the other maps, the ones for the rest of the Trail, with the idea he and his kid can hike the whole thing over the two weeks. He won't begin to listen to the clerk tell him that it will take a LITTLE longer than two weeks to do the whole AT.

He also is clear that they're not bringing sleeping bags or a tent or other shelter, seeing those as pointless weight. His reasoning is that they'll just stay at "all the motels and hotels all along the AT", and didn't understand why everyone else didn't do it the same way he was planning...

I'd have given 50 bucks to hear how this guy's trail experience turned out...

Paul Bunyan
01-28-2008, 22:33
Yea, i had a few doozies.

The usuall, like "Where do you get your food?", "After you get done, how do you get home, walk?", and of course, "Where do you sleep?"

The one question i could never answer is "Why are you doing this?"

Still don't have an answer.

JAK
01-28-2008, 22:34
Who was going to take his 12-YO or so aged son on a 2-week AT hike, and wanted the appropriate maps. ...I didn't know there were age appropriate maps. ;)

jettjames
01-28-2008, 22:36
Actually, I said no. I think I was the only one on the trail last year that did say no. I promptly fell down after that happened. But don't worry, I broke my fall with my face.

Wolf, I'm sure you got the right person in mind.

minnesotasmith
01-28-2008, 23:25
Some threads are timeless - thank goodness The Thread isn't one of them :D

Just let me try another thruhike, this one shooting for under 5 months... :D

dessertrat
01-29-2008, 00:15
Geez, Wolf, lighten up.

Of course I approve of people still enjoying this discussion.

It was me, after all, who started the thread in the first place!

This is a good reason for getting rid of all smileys on the site. Now, if you don't use a smiley, everyone thinks you're serious as a heart attack.

Oh, I almost forgot. . .:)

River Runner
01-29-2008, 01:39
Who was going to take his 12-YO or so aged son on a 2-week AT hike, and wanted the appropriate maps. The clerk brought out all the ATC maps for Georgia, that being a reasonable distance for a relative newbie with a kid to tackle in 2 weeks. The guy tells the clerk to bring out all the other maps, the ones for the rest of the Trail, with the idea he and his kid can hike the whole thing over the two weeks. He won't begin to listen to the clerk tell him that it will take a LITTLE longer than two weeks to do the whole AT.

Yeah, about 16 days according to Wild Cowboy. :rolleyes:

A-Train
01-29-2008, 01:42
Yeah, about 16 days according to Wild Cowboy. :rolleyes:

Or Bryson. That's the beautiful thing about the AT. Just walk it till you feel like it. Then get off and proclaim you hiked the whole thing

Lone Wolf
01-29-2008, 04:56
bryson never proclaimed that. but there's lots of hikers out there with patches and certificates that say they did

jrwiesz
01-29-2008, 05:22
...4. Overheard at Pinkham Notch Ranger Information desk:

"Excuse me, Ranger, but you could you please tell us what time of year a deer turns into a moose?"


Answer to #4: "When Bullwinkle pulls a rabbit out of the hat!!!":D......
....................."Nothing up my sleeve...Presto...musta been the wrong hat!

Jim Obermeyer
01-29-2008, 07:16
4. Overheard at Pinkham Notch Ranger Information desk:

"Excuse me, Ranger, but you could you please tell us what time of year a deer turns into a moose?"

Now that's a good one, I was kind of wondering about that myself. lol

HIKER7s
01-29-2008, 09:55
#1. (from a teacher, after I gave a presentation to his class about the trail)
"well, umm, why only 2 pairs of undershorts...dont they get crusty"

#2. (my mom)
"how well spaced out are those cafeterias on the trail"

#3. (a question from a friend inspired when I was telling him about backpacking a LD trek)
"so how many times can you get a beer"

#4. (LOL), Dont you get lonely

#5. Do you worry about being lost

#6. (ok, from a little kid...) How many tigers did you see?

Marta
01-29-2008, 10:40
From my mother, when I called from Monson after 8 days on the Trail:

"You're still in Maine?"

A-Train
01-29-2008, 11:08
bryson never proclaimed that. but there's lots of hikers out there with patches and certificates that say they did

Really? So when he says "I hiked the Appalachian Trail" he wasn't proclaiming he hiked the trail? Please, tell me what he meant then..?

Lone Wolf
01-29-2008, 11:11
he hiked on the AT. he never said he hiked it all

dessertrat
01-29-2008, 11:14
Really? So when he says "I hiked the Appalachian Trail" he wasn't proclaiming he hiked the trail? Please, tell me what he meant then..?

He meant he had experienced what he believed was a wide range of what it has to offer, as Katz said. "Hiked it in cold, hiked it in heat, in rain, in snow, in the South and the North." He got a good feel for the experience of it, even if he didn't thru-hike it. Anyone who reads his book cannot help but understand that he is not claiming to have hiked it all. But what really twists a thru-hiker's knickers is that his attitude does pooh-pooh the value of thru-hiking. That's why people get so peeved with him-- he's saying that while a thru-hike isn't a bad thing, it isn't the be-all end-all.

Lone Wolf
01-29-2008, 11:16
thru-hiking is way overrated

dessertrat
01-29-2008, 11:17
thru-hiking is way overrated

Agreed. I'm not saying he shouldn't have said it. But that's why thru-hikers hate him.

Lone Wolf
01-29-2008, 11:20
Agreed. I'm not saying he shouldn't have said it. But that's why thru-hikers hate him.

plus he has a best selling book and soon a movie. thru-hikers are generally boring. most books suck as do journals

A-Train
01-29-2008, 11:23
He meant he had experienced what he believed was a wide range of what it has to offer, as Katz said. "Hiked it in cold, hiked it in heat, in rain, in snow, in the South and the North." He got a good feel for the experience of it, even if he didn't thru-hike it. Anyone who reads his book cannot help but understand that he is not claiming to have hiked it all. But what really twists a thru-hiker's knickers is that his attitude does pooh-pooh the value of thru-hiking. That's why people get so peeved with him-- he's saying that while a thru-hike isn't a bad thing, it isn't the be-all end-all.

Yeah, I mean, I know what he was trying to say. IMO, he used bad wording.

Pedaling Fool
01-29-2008, 11:24
I wonder how much Bryson will be getting off this movie and if "Katz" will get any.

Wise Old Owl
01-29-2008, 11:25
In Maryland, some of those are not such dumb questions: I think Dahlgren has hot water at the campsite, or at least I've heard that they have showers there. I haven't tried the shower there in the summer. It does have real bathrooms. There are in fact vending machines in a couple of places on the AT in Maryland. It is presence of vending machines that keeps the bears from eating the hikers-- they just fill up on Snickers and Cokes.


In Maryland???? - There's your sign.:-?

wakapak
01-29-2008, 11:25
one of the funniest and stupidest questions I was asked while out there was:
"why are going from GA to ME?? wouldn't it be all downhill if you went the other way???"

I just started laughing...and kept laughing!

bigmac_in
01-29-2008, 11:27
I'm NOT a thru-hiker, but on a section hike four of us were plopped down near a road resting when a car pulled up and a lady came over and asked -

"Are you REAL hikers"

I wasn't sure how to answer that - what the heck does that MEAN?

I just said yes - she took our picture and drove away.

dessertrat
01-29-2008, 11:28
I wonder how much Bryson will be getting off this movie and if "Katz" will get any.

A bundle. The movie rights would be negotiated between Bryson and the studio, and they will probably pay him not much in Hollywood terms, but a bundle in writer's terms. (Yes, there's a big difference between writer money and Hollywood money). I'll bet Bryson stiffs "Katz", since "Katz" won't have any legal right to any of the money, just a moral right.

dessertrat
01-29-2008, 11:29
one of the funniest and stupidest questions I was asked while out there was:
"why are going from GA to ME?? wouldn't it be all downhill if you went the other way???"

I just started laughing...and kept laughing!

It is downhill. There's about a 2000 foot difference over 2100 miles.

Wise Old Owl
01-29-2008, 12:15
I wonder how much Bryson will be getting off this movie and if "Katz" will get any.

Katz was a fat slob, litterbug, thoughtless, and the slapstick comic relief sidekick of the book. All human endearing qualities that most women want in a man, of course he will be getting something! :D

God I love this thread! - I almost bust my gut!

yappy
01-29-2008, 12:25
in 05 I had a guy ask me if i carried a screw driver in case i needed to fix things..huh ? and, of course, the BATHROOM one.. do i just poop in town ? or folks asking me where the bathroom is ?..but, the best one i got was in Alaska... while hiking some lady asked me when they guy who " sweeps the glaciers " was gonna show up cuz they are " so dirty ".. she really seemed to be fretting over that. When i told her that that is thier natural state and they don't sweep them she got upset !

BigDaddy99
01-29-2008, 13:50
Wow. This thread is over five years old, folks, but I'm glad to see people are still enjoying it.

I'd like to hear about the groundhog :D :D :D

Bobbo
01-29-2008, 14:47
I remember a fellow hiker being asked - "if he was a professional hiker?" by a youth of some kind.

tha
01-29-2008, 14:52
In 1963, on my first AT hike with 3 other school mates, we were apparently camped pretty close to the Army Rangers' night moves. I think we were 3 days out of Springer.
About 3:00AM, the world's biggest German Shepherd comes charging into the shelter where we were camped. That sucker was slobbering all over everybody and everything and eating all the food he could get to. One of my buds, my future thru hike pal I hope, pulls out a monstrous sheath knife and starts yelling "it's a f***ing Army dog!" He didn't do a darn thing with that knife.

About 30 secs later, 2 Rangers, in full camo and combat gear, stick their head around the entrance to the shelter with sticks and twigs dangling from their helmets and asked, ever so innocently and calmly, "oh, is our dog bothering you?"

We obviously replied, "Of course not. We were just feeding him."

Scared the pee out of all of us.

Frolicking Dinosaurs
01-29-2008, 15:13
I'd like to hear about the groundhog :D :D :D::: Dino seen running for cover http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/scared007.gifhttp://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/scared005.gif :::

Gray Blazer
01-29-2008, 15:16
I'm NOT a thru-hiker, but on a section hike four of us were plopped down near a road resting when a car pulled up and a lady came over and asked -

"Are you REAL hikers"

I wasn't sure how to answer that - what the heck does that MEAN?

I just said yes - she took our picture and drove away.

You missed your chance to tell her you were imaginary hikers.

wakapak
01-29-2008, 15:18
It is downhill. There's about a 2000 foot difference over 2100 miles.

that may be correct, but it is not downhill the entire way, and i can tell you that is what the guy was thinking!!

Footslogger
01-29-2008, 15:32
I think it's time for a light-hearted thread, so just outta curiousity, what is absolutely the STUPIDEST thing you've been asked, or overheard being asked, while you were thru-hiking? I've got some doozies, but I'd like to hear some other ones first.

==================================

Well ...I guess if you consider the person asking the question it might not be all that STUPID. But, prior to my thru in 2003 I was asked by a non-hiker ..."How do you carry 6 months worth of food with you ...and all that water". The person was serious !!

'Slogger

leeki pole
01-29-2008, 15:35
It is downhill. There's about a 2000 foot difference over 2100 miles.
Realistically, no. Katahdin at 5,267 and Springer at 3,782 does seem like a downhill but the terrain is exactly the same whether NOBO or SOBO. Do the math, dude. You gotta climb 4,177 feet from the Birches to get to the summit on Katahdin.:cool:

dessertrat
01-29-2008, 15:42
Realistically, no. Katahdin at 5,267 and Springer at 3,782 does seem like a downhill but the terrain is exactly the same whether NOBO or SOBO. Do the math, dude. You gotta climb 4,177 feet from the Birches to get to the summit on Katahdin.:cool:

And your point is what? It's an overall drop in elevation to go from Katahdin to Springer. Therefore, one could argue that it's downhill.

Do I really believe it is significant? No. I gotta start using more smileys, or everyone will think I'm serious all the time.

superman
01-29-2008, 15:51
It seemed like it was up hill to me ...at least half the time.:D

Lilred
01-29-2008, 16:07
Really? So when he says "I hiked the Appalachian Trail" he wasn't proclaiming he hiked the trail? Please, tell me what he meant then..?

If you read the book, he says towards the end that he did not hike the whole trail. I haven't hiked the whole trail, but I would not be wrong if I said " I hiked the Appalachian Trail" because I did, just not all of it. I'm reeeeaaally tired of people splitting hairs over what Bryson said. He in no way tries to make people think he hiked the whole thing.

rafe
01-29-2008, 16:12
An exasperating question that's almost always asked by folks back in the real world: "Did you hike alone?" Not that it's a dumb question, but there's no simple, truthful, yes/no answer. (If I were asked this while on the trail, I'd answer "no," truth be damned.)

bigmac_in
01-29-2008, 16:17
You missed your chance to tell her you were imaginary hikers.

Wish I had thought of that. We had been awake till 4:00 AM, slept a few hours and had just hikee about 8 miles. Too tired to think of a good comeback - just wanted her gone. I can remember laughing and repeating "real hikers". I'm laughing now just thinking about it.

dessertrat
01-29-2008, 16:17
If you read the book, he says towards the end that he did not hike the whole trail. I haven't hiked the whole trail, but I would not be wrong if I said " I hiked the Appalachian Trail" because I did, just not all of it. I'm reeeeaaally tired of people splitting hairs over what Bryson said. He in no way tries to make people think he hiked the whole thing.

Nope. He just "insults" thru-hikers by saying maybe it doesn't matter whether you hike the whole thing or not. ;)

bigmac_in
01-29-2008, 16:21
In 1963, on my first AT hike with 3 other school mates, we were apparently camped pretty close to the Army Rangers' night moves. I think we were 3 days out of Springer.
About 3:00AM, the world's biggest German Shepherd comes charging into the shelter where we were camped. That sucker was slobbering all over everybody and everything and eating all the food he could get to. One of my buds, my future thru hike pal I hope, pulls out a monstrous sheath knife and starts yelling "it's a f***ing Army dog!" He didn't do a darn thing with that knife.

About 30 secs later, 2 Rangers, in full camo and combat gear, stick their head around the entrance to the shelter with sticks and twigs dangling from their helmets and asked, ever so innocently and calmly, "oh, is our dog bothering you?"

We obviously replied, "Of course not. We were just feeding him."

Scared the pee out of all of us.

Canteen Boy and I were sitting and relaxing a little bit in Cooper Gap when two truckloads of those Rangers came over the hill with a pair of M-16s pointed over the cab of the truck. I almost threw my arms up in the air to surrender. Ah, the things that happen on the trail. At least THEY didn't ask any stupid questions.....

dessertrat
01-29-2008, 16:25
I though the rangers on the AT got in trouble if they encountered hikers? We're sort of like the enemy guards they have to avoid?

bigmac_in
01-29-2008, 16:31
I though the rangers on the AT got in trouble if they encountered hikers? We're sort of like the enemy guards they have to avoid?


It's "off topic", but as I understand it - the Rangers are not supposed to use the trail. They are supposed to bushwack through the hills. Maybe we should start a new thread about interesting things that happened in encounters with the Rangers.

tha
01-29-2008, 16:33
I though the rangers on the AT got in trouble if they encountered hikers? We're sort of like the enemy guards they have to avoid?

Well, this WAS 1963. It was also 3:00 AM or so. I seem to recall that they were lost. Things may likely have changed since then.

I also thought their question about the dog was a tad goofy, but nobody was going to argue with them. Nice PUPPY!!

zoidfu
01-29-2008, 16:36
The dumbest question? It was from a thru-hiker of all things! He asked, "why do you carry a 12 pack in your backpack?"

bigmac_in
01-29-2008, 16:39
The dumbest question? It was from a thru-hiker of all things! He asked, "why do you carry a 12 pack in your backpack?"

That's funny. No - a thru-hiker wouldn't understand (too much weight). But I do......


Mmmmmmm.......Beer.

Hurley
01-29-2008, 16:49
My sister in law asked me. "What are you going to do for fun out there?

( I figured I'd just head north and maybe something neat will happen.)

Lilred
01-29-2008, 18:00
Nope. He just "insults" thru-hikers by saying maybe it doesn't matter whether you hike the whole thing or not. ;)

He doesn't 'insult' thru hikers, but maybe, some thru hikers are insulted by what he said. It shouldn't matter what he said. He wrote a book for entertainment, and it is very entertaining. With the right partner for Redford, I imagine the movie is going to be hilarious.

Now getting back to the thread at hand, whenever I tell someone I'm hiking the A.T., I always get asked these two questions first, and usually in this order,

"Aren't you scared?"
and
"Are you taking a gun?"

Does everyone get these questions or are they only reserved for ladies, because I know other women get this too.

leeki pole
01-29-2008, 18:14
And your point is what? It's an overall drop in elevation to go from Katahdin to Springer. Therefore, one could argue that it's downhill.

Do I really believe it is significant? No. I gotta start using more smileys, or everyone will think I'm serious all the time.
Heh, heh just trying to get you thinking and smiling. Heck, I was bored.;)

Hurley
01-29-2008, 18:37
-From my sister-in-law.

"What are you going to do for out out there?"


I figured I'll just walk north and maybe something neat will happen.

Hurley
01-29-2008, 20:55
Appearantly one stupid thing I've done is post the same thing twice iin a day.

Tin Man
01-29-2008, 22:31
The dumbest question? It was from a thru-hiker of all things! He asked, "why do you carry a 12 pack in your backpack?"

I would have said, "traveling light kid? I got me a case in my pack." And I did carry a case with full gear for 4 miles and my pack weighing in at 72 pounds. After that experience, I taught my buddies what bourbon was all about.

minnesotasmith
01-29-2008, 22:35
I would have said, "traveling light kid? I got me a case in my pack." And I did carry a case with full gear for 4 miles and my pack weighing in at 72 pounds. After that experience, I taught my buddies what bourbon was all about.

I saw this written in the register:

(name)
(date)
"I have decided that packing in a 6-pack and a carrot cake was one of my better ideas."

So eloquent in just a few words. So evocative of the likely reaction of most other nearby hikers, looking on... ;)

jettjames
01-30-2008, 01:56
It's "off topic", but as I understand it - the Rangers are not supposed to use the trail. They are supposed to bushwack through the hills. Maybe we should start a new thread about interesting things that happened in encounters with the Rangers.

Rangers use the trail. Sometimes it is even their objective. They use it for physical training, they run on it , they hike on it, but their hiking is really running. Sometimes when they are on maneuvers or doing a mission, they are told to avoid the trail. I'm sure they use it as a navigation tool. It is a fixed object.
They don't have to avoid hikers unless it is part of the mission, like avoid civilian contact

pt

jrwiesz
01-30-2008, 16:44
You missed your chance to tell her you were imaginary hikers.

We're not just, real hikers. We're the "new and improved, synthetic, uber-lightweight. pack-sniffing. cyber-yuppie. imaginary, real-hikers".

Or, No mam, "We're just a hallucination".

Rockhound
01-30-2008, 17:06
I think the stupidest question I got was at trail days last year. It was late at nite on my birthday after I had, um, had a few, ok more than a few, ok a lot.

a female hiker wandered up to me and asked straight up " do you want to f***?"

Stupidest question I've ever heard.
what was her name?

splash1986
01-30-2008, 17:22
Hahahaha, you didn't know that deer turn into moose? I thought that was common knowledge.....

Nean
01-30-2008, 17:40
I once woke up to a moose that - just the night before- was a dear.:eek:

Rockhound
01-30-2008, 17:53
He meant he had experienced what he believed was a wide range of what it has to offer, as Katz said. "Hiked it in cold, hiked it in heat, in rain, in snow, in the South and the North." He got a good feel for the experience of it, even if he didn't thru-hike it. Anyone who reads his book cannot help but understand that he is not claiming to have hiked it all. But what really twists a thru-hiker's knickers is that his attitude does pooh-pooh the value of thru-hiking. That's why people get so peeved with him-- he's saying that while a thru-hike isn't a bad thing, it isn't the be-all end-all.
i think it just twists your knickers.no offense, but why should his feelings have any impact on you? It's just how he feels. he has a different perspective. I've heard many people say "It's just walking. How hard can it be?" I don't let those people decrease the value of hiking for me personally. As for those hikers who say they have hiked the whole thing & are lying, oh well. inside they know the truth. It doesn't diminish your accomplishments. or at least it shouldn't. Myself, I hiked 2/3 of the trail last year & i do have a GA to ME patch (they hand out to just about everyone at trail days) but i don't wear it to lie to the world and make myself feel superior to others. I wear it to cover a hole in my pants. If I'm able to have enough time, I do intend to do the whole thing one year, but if I don't, thats O.K. too. It's not the "end all be all" for me, nor the author you're so peeved with apparently. What ever happened to hike your own hike ? the value of thru-hiking is a personal thing & shouldn't be affected by what others think or feel. "If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad. If not, don't worry. Just forget about it." the Dalai Lama

dessertrat
01-30-2008, 17:57
i think it just twists your knickers.no offense, but why should his feelings have any impact on you? It's just how he feels. he has a different perspective. I've heard many people say "It's just walking. How hard can it be?" I don't let those people decrease the value of hiking for me personally. As for those hikers who say they have hiked the whole thing & are lying, oh well. inside they know the truth. It doesn't diminish your accomplishments. or at least it shouldn't. Myself, I hiked 2/3 of the trail last year & i do have a GA to ME patch (they hand out to just about everyone at trail days) but i don't wear it to lie to the world and make myself feel superior to others. I wear it to cover a hole in my pants. If I'm able to have enough time, I do intend to do the whole thing one year, but if I don't, thats O.K. too. It's not the "end all be all" for me, nor the author you're so peeved with apparently. What ever happened to hike your own hike ? the value of thru-hiking is a personal thing & shouldn't be affected by what others think or feel. "If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad. If not, don't worry. Just forget about it." the Dalai Lama

First, I was explaining it to someone else. I am actually on Bryson's side here. And by the way-- I have never thru-hiked!:p Why the hell would it offend me?

Repeat: I approve of Bryson's remarks. I just happen to be good at understanding why some thru-hikers get mad at Bryson-- it's an ego thing.

Rockhound
01-30-2008, 18:06
I forgot my smiley face. in the spirit of keeping this thread light, the stupidest thing I've heard (and said) was "it's all downhill from here":)

The Old Fhart
01-30-2008, 18:22
A few of the people I used to work with were on a trip to Baxter to climb Katahdin. As they were climbing the mountain one of them (you have to excuse him-he's a programmer;)) asked, quite seriously: "Are we above treeline yet?"

ki0eh
01-31-2008, 12:29
a female hiker wandered up to me and asked straight up " do you want to f***?"


Is Kirby prepared for this? :-?

Thoughtful Owl
01-31-2008, 13:16
Is Kirby prepared for this? :-?

If not he will just :o and :D and then maybe :jump. LOL Just kidding with ya Kirby.

thecaptain
01-31-2008, 15:36
off the subject but amusing...I am a landscape photographer and sell my work at festivals and art shows during one show a lady ask me if i took all these photos....my answer was yes then see ask if i had been to all those places...i responded no but I have one hell of a zoom lens

MamaCat
01-31-2008, 16:19
This isn't from hiking, but doing some maintenance. I was coming off the approach into ASP and was asked "did ya find anything?". I said huh?? Then they said, "yer lookin' for gold ain't ya". I then told him more than he wanted to know about maintenance.

Cookerhiker
01-31-2008, 20:55
I haven't thru-hiked myself but when talking about AT thruhikers to a non-hiking person, I was asked if thruhikers carried all of their food with them for the entire hike, i.e. starting at Springer with 5-6 months of food.

mindi
02-01-2008, 01:15
I had a dayhiker couple ask me if I had food buried at different points along the trail.

mweinstone
02-01-2008, 02:05
baltimore jack tarrlin turnned to me after just the right amount of study and asked,"matty?,...what do you think is wrong with you?" he was sweet and could not be blamed for wondering.