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Nar Nar
07-09-2013, 18:54
When I hike, for some reason I always grab little ferns and leaves that are well within reach as I pass them and then let go of them and do it all over again. I have no idea why, and when I try to stop myself I just end up doing it again after I forget to stop. Does anyone else have little silly habits like this that they do when hiking?

rickb
07-09-2013, 19:04
When I hike, for some reason I always grab little ferns and leaves that are well within reach as I pass them and then let go of them and do it all over again. I have no idea why, and when I try to stop myself I just end up doing it again after I forget to stop. Does anyone else have little silly habits like this that they do when hiking?

I sometimes apologize out loud to trees for stepping on their exposed roots.

But only on wet days and when going downhill.

Wise Old Owl
07-09-2013, 19:06
I like Chheeeescake on the trail!

horsefarm
07-09-2013, 19:17
I have the habit of walking back up the trail when hiking with people slower than I am or those that take frequent breaks. I hate taking so many breaks and rarely like to take my pack off during the day except for lunch.

hikerboy57
07-09-2013, 19:19
I find myself smiling too much

johnnybgood
07-09-2013, 19:20
Count number of steps from one landmark ,say a shelter to a water source, especially the one's that purport to be 0.25/mile downhill. :rolleyes:

Slo-go'en
07-09-2013, 19:26
I have a habit of flicking sticks and small branches off the trail will my poles as I hike. Along with kicking the occasional loose stone off the trail which was just waiting to trip someone (or me) up. Humm, that's not really a useless habit. Some times I'll even stop to trim back a branch which almost poked my eye out. I really hate when that happens!

Old Grouse
07-09-2013, 19:47
Sometimes I speak respectfully to the spirits that inhabit certain prominent boulders.

Rasty
07-09-2013, 20:04
I check out Whiteblaze while hiking sometimes and have posted from my tent.

I'm not proud.

johnnybgood
07-09-2013, 20:46
I check out Whiteblaze while hiking sometimes and have posted from my tent.

I'm not proud.

this sounds like a cry for help....

Drybones
07-09-2013, 20:47
I used to have a habit of dropping my hiking poles until I learned what that strap was for...a buddy and used to keep count to see who won each day.

Rasty
07-09-2013, 20:55
this sounds like a cry for help....

I'm not addicted. I just choose not to quit.

rocketsocks
07-09-2013, 20:59
When the sun it just right, I kick my shadow in the nuts!

Drybones
07-09-2013, 21:05
When the sun it just right, I kick my shadow in the nuts!

Ouch!!!!!!!!!!....

coach lou
07-09-2013, 21:13
I like Chheeeescake on the trail!

I'm going to make that, when Overload and I go out some time soon, I hope.

coach lou
07-09-2013, 21:15
When I pause for a second to rest...i turn and face the way I came:-?

Malto
07-09-2013, 21:22
I like to see how many consecutive steps I can walk and fart at the same time without sharting. Highly entertaining.

Nar Nar
07-09-2013, 21:40
I like to see how many consecutive steps I can walk and fart at the same time without sharting. Highly entertaining.
As disgusting as it sounds, I think a lot of people can attest to this. I know the friends I hike with always do this haha. If someone ever asks me what backpacking is like I'm going to tell them that you basically walk around in the woods farting all day.

Rasty
07-09-2013, 22:06
I like to see how many consecutive steps I can walk and fart at the same time without sharting. Highly entertaining.

What's the highest amount of consecutive steps?

Malto
07-09-2013, 22:10
What's the highest amount of consecutive steps?

eight, I'm an amateur.

The Ace
07-09-2013, 22:11
I read Whiteblaze threads, then go slam my head against a tree. Repeatedly.

atmilkman
07-09-2013, 22:13
I read Whiteblaze threads, then go slam my head against a tree. Repeatedly.

Your letting it get to ya.

topshelf
07-09-2013, 22:15
I see how far I can walk without touching the ground(dirt) by only stepping on rocks and roots.

I also give animals such as deer, turkey, bear, etc. names. This makes writing about them in my journal more interesting...Last week I saw Barry just North of the Scales. I hadnt seen him in over 2 years.

Meriadoc
07-10-2013, 09:27
You guys have covered most of mine :P.

When I hike, for some reason I always grab little ferns and leaves that are well within reach as I pass them and then let go of them and do it all over again. Although this seems to happen more when I'm in a city - just reaching out for contact with something green and growing.


I sometimes apologize out loud to trees for stepping on their exposed roots. And to the wildlife for scaring it.


[I] rarely like to take my pack off during the day except for lunch.


Sometimes I speak respectfully to the spirits that inhabit certain prominent boulders. and trees, and wildlife.

Odd Man Out
07-10-2013, 11:18
Although it may not really be silly or pointless, I like to use pine needles and grass stems as dental floss while hiking. Spruce needles are my favorite.

Dogwood
07-10-2013, 11:40
I've been known to stop, hug a tree, and talk to it kindly. Sometimes they talk back! Did you know trees can have a sense of humor and are often well mannered?

I'll also see how far I can hike by just stepping on rocks. It improves my footwork which is really helpful when peakbagging. Around the Peaks of Otter I walked atop the wooden guard rail for more than 2 miles(without falling off). I look at long distance hiking as one long obstacle course that i"m in training for to prepare me for the Zombie Apocalypse.

I'll ask permission from and give respect to the Alii(gone on Hawaiian royalty) and Amakua(gone on revered Hawaiian Ancestors) when hiking in Hawaii.
I'll do something similar when at historical homesteads, ceneteries, etc in other areas where I've hiked. No need to pick unwarranted fights with good spirits.

Oh, I also pick my nose while hiking. Wait, I do that when I'm not hiking too. I have to end my therapy session now. The doctor is here.

Dogwood
07-10-2013, 11:46
Sometimes I find this pointless and silly. You've heard of being drawn into the town vortex while on hikes. Well, lately, I've been letting myself get drawn into the WB vortex while on hikes.

Odd Man Out
07-10-2013, 13:31
I've been known to stop, hug a tree, and talk to it kindly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn8YubD01sk

Do you also talk to empty chairs?

Dogwood
07-10-2013, 14:02
Never heard Clint sing. I now understand why. He's OK at it(marginally) but nothing to brag about. The trees weren't answering because it seems he was really desiring human companionship. Clint should know that tress and humans are not the same.

A tree is a living thing. Chairs are inanimate objects. Although one might talk to a chair as if it's a person, and hopefully resolve issues, if involved in psychological transference techniques. I guess it's similar to Tom Hank's "Wilson" in the movie Castaway.

Sunwolf
07-10-2013, 14:57
I always have a song or jingle of some sort stuck in my head. Sometimes it gets really bad. The worst is when I go backpacking after the kids have had the disney channel or nickelodeon on the tele for a while. It makes me a very upset person *twitchtwitctwittwitwt*

Pity me and my tribulations.

TEXMAN
07-10-2013, 15:21
When I hike, for some reason I always grab little ferns and leaves that are well within reach as I pass them and then let go of them and do it all over again. I have no idea why, and when I try to stop myself I just end up doing it again after I forget to stop. Does anyone else have little silly habits like this that they do when hiking?

Make sure they are ferns and not stinging nettles

Old Hiker
07-10-2013, 15:28
Used to try and touch every white blaze I saw on the Trail.

Tried to leave on the same path I took going off Trail. Going to a shelter for lunch, overlooks, bathroom breaks, etc. Didn't want to miss a foot of the Trail. BUT: if the Trail splits to go around a rock or tree, which is the proper path?!?!?

max patch
07-10-2013, 15:35
When the sun it just right, I kick my shadow in the nuts!

You should explore that with a professional as that could be a sign of being a transgendered individual. Good luck with that.

max patch
07-10-2013, 15:36
Didn't want to miss a foot of the Trail. BUT: if the Trail splits to go around a rock or tree, which is the proper path?!?!?

You should completely circle the rock or tree to be certain.

Sunwolf
07-10-2013, 15:40
... the Trail splits to go around a rock or tree, which is the proper path?!?!?

Tecnically you are require to go either up and over the tree or burn or chop it down with your knife. This is called "green blazing".

Dogwood
07-10-2013, 15:48
When the sun it just right, I kick my shadow in the nuts!


You should explore that with a professional as that could be a sign of being a transgendered individual. Good luck with that.

BEST original post and follow up post combination I've read in quite a while! We have a Pryor/Wilder, Laurel/Hardy, Lewis/Martin in the making.

Dogwood
07-10-2013, 16:08
I always have a song or jingle of some sort stuck in my head.

It's "Rain in the Summertime" by The Alarm or "Singin in the Rain" by Gene Kelly when, DUH, it's raining, "Alive and Kicking" by Simple Minds when I reach the top of a summit or saddle, and when on cruise control it's Bob Seeger's "Traveln Man"

Drybones
07-10-2013, 17:00
I always have a song or jingle of some sort stuck in my head.

It's "Rain in the Summertime" by The Alarm or "Singin in the Rain" by Gene Kelly when, DUH, it's raining, "Alive and Kicking" by Simple Minds when I reach the top of a summit or saddle, and when on cruise control it's Bob Seeger's "Traveln Man"


As I'm leaving camp each morning I normally sing a few verses of Willy Nelson's "On The Road Again"....to the displeasure of those that can hear me singing.

Drybones
07-10-2013, 17:05
I always step over a depression in the trail, never in it, as I dont want to add an inch to the elevation gain.

Dogwood
07-10-2013, 17:11
Got that Willie Nelson song as well as "Highway Man" on my hiking MP3 play list. I feel so old school even mentioning mp3 players anymore in this "gotta have the latest electronics" mentality era but they certainly serve my purposes. If it isn't broke don't fix it.

Odd Man Out
07-10-2013, 17:18
You should completely circle the rock or tree to be certain.

That would be an AT Roundabout.

22521

Dogwood
07-10-2013, 17:21
I always step over a depression in the trail, never in it, as I dont want to add an inch to the elevation gain.

That's not silly or pointless because I do the same thing for the same reason and I would NEVER do anything silly or pointless. Do you also take the inside route around curves in the trail to avoid hiking a further distance? I do. Same on my road walks. I seek to hike a route according to the outside tangents to the curves to eliminate unnecessary walking distances. What is weird is that at the same time on the majority of my long distance hikes I add miles by hiking, sometimes of trail, to other interesting places like waterfalls, cliffs, geological formations, overlooks, historical sites, gardens, museums, architectural interests, etc.

whatnot
07-10-2013, 17:22
I twirl my trekking poles. Getting quite good at it.

Dogwood
07-10-2013, 17:24
You should completely circle the rock or tree to be certain.

Might be difficult if the rock or tree is on the edge of a lake or cliff. But, you haven't done a thru-hike unless you do it. I read that in the ATC's new 2000 mile Certificate requirements.

rocketsocks
07-10-2013, 17:26
When the sun it just right, I kick my shadow in the nuts!


You should explore that with a professional as that could be a sign of being a transgendered individual. Good luck with that.


BEST original post and follow up post combination I've read in quite a while! We have a Pryor/Wilder, Laurel/Hardy, Lewis/Martin in the making.
alright...but I get to play the straight one :D

rocketsocks
07-10-2013, 17:27
I always step over a depression in the trail, never in it, as I dont want to add an inch to the elevation gain.
I like this one

Dogwood
07-10-2013, 17:28
Although it may not really be silly or pointless, I like to use pine needles and grass stems as dental floss while hiking. Spruce needles are my favorite.

Fine strips of some types of tree bark work better. I like chewing on Sassafras stems. Oral fixations are suspect!

Dogwood
07-10-2013, 17:31
Do you also take the inside route around curves in the trail to avoid hiking a further distance? I do.

I learned to do this from watching NASCAR.

Drybones
07-10-2013, 17:34
Do you also take the inside route around curves in the trail to avoid hiking a further distance? I do.

I learned to do this from watching NASCAR.


Always.........call me lazy.

Odd Man Out
07-10-2013, 17:34
Fine strips of some types of tree bark work better. I like chewing on Sassafras stems. Oral fixations are suspect!

I also like aroma therapy. I sniff sassafras and wintergreen leaves. Mmmmmm.

Drybones
07-10-2013, 17:37
Fine strips of some types of tree bark work better. I like chewing on Sassafras stems. Oral fixations are suspect!

I used to enjoy making assafras tea when the family camped until we were on the way home from camping one day and had been drinking a lot of tea and heard on the radio it was a carcenogen.

Drybones
07-10-2013, 17:40
I also like aroma therapy. I sniff sassafras and wintergreen leaves. Mmmmmm.

When I'm going into the woods to bow hunt I break a few small pine branches off and rub all over myself to serve as sent cover...makes me smell better too.

Dogwood
07-10-2013, 17:44
Do you also take the inside route around curves in the trail to avoid hiking a further distance? I do.

I learned to do this from watching NASCAR.


I saved an entire 1/2 mile on my AT thru doing this! Wise minds think alike. :D And the number of ft in elevation changes I saved by not stepping into depressions was staggering, like 200 ft. Speed and speed record attempting hikers take note! I bet Skuka didn't think about these things. I take that back. Skurka probably did.

kolokolo
07-10-2013, 17:50
I try to repeat some silly word phrase (in my head) to keep things light. One of my favorites is 'Bananaphone". It's only when I pass another hiker, and they give me a really strange look that I realize that I have been saying it out loud! :o

hikerboy57
07-10-2013, 18:03
on wet rainy days i irrationally try to avoid getting my feet wet, stepping over or around puddles. this fruitless exercise lasts for about a half hour until i realize the folly and just stomp right through those puddles.i also avoid depressions, try to keep as level a pace as i can and i also take the inside track on curves.

T.S.Kobzol
07-10-2013, 18:23
I think about baseball to curb surprise erections

sent from samsonite using tapioca 2

Migrating Bird
07-10-2013, 19:10
I have a habit of flicking sticks and small branches off the trail will my poles as I hike. Along with kicking the occasional loose stone off the trail which was just waiting to trip someone (or me) up. Humm, that's not really a useless habit. Some times I'll even stop to trim back a branch which almost poked my eye out. I really hate when that happens!

I do the exact same thing. I also try to pick up 3 (small) pieces of trash per day.

hikerboy57
07-10-2013, 19:14
I think about baseball to curb surprise erections

sent from samsonite using tapioca 2
throw away those blue pills.

The Ace
07-10-2013, 21:10
Do you also take the inside route around curves in the trail to avoid hiking a further distance? I do.

I learned to do this from watching NASCAR.


Wears out the tread on my left shoe too fast.

The Ace
07-10-2013, 21:10
I do the exact same thing. I also try to pick up 3 (small) pieces of trash per day.

I prefer to hike alone.

Nar Nar
07-10-2013, 22:14
Make sure they are ferns and not stinging nettles
Haven't experienced this yet, thankfully.

Dogwood
07-10-2013, 22:38
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/Eloquent/miscgreen/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by Dogwood http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/Eloquent/buttonsgreen/viewpost-right.png (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=1499685#post1499685)
Do you also take the inside route around curves in the trail to avoid hiking a further distance? I do.

I learned to do this from watching NASCAR.





Wears out the tread on my left shoe too fast.


Nah dat has me a thinkin - does NASCAR allow for fatter tires on the side of the car that faces the inner or outer side of the track? And, are NASCAR races all run in the same direction? - counter clockwise? WOW, this is important stuff. Never knew I could learn about NASCAR and hiking at the same website!

Dogwood
07-10-2013, 22:42
I also like aroma therapy. I sniff sassafras and wintergreen leaves. Mmmmmm.

This is getting weird now. I think you've been spending too much time alone in the UP ice fishing during winter and slapping, uhh, skeeters and black flies during summer.

Rasty
07-10-2013, 22:44
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/Eloquent/miscgreen/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by Dogwood http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/Eloquent/buttonsgreen/viewpost-right.png (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=1499685#post1499685)
Do you also take the inside route around curves in the trail to avoid hiking a further distance? I do.

I learned to do this from watching NASCAR.





Wears out the tread on my left shoe too fast.


Nah dat has me a thinkin - does NASCAR allow for fatter tires on the side of the car that faces the inner or outer side of the track? And, are NASCAR races all run in the same direction? - counter clockwise? WOW, this is important stuff. Never knew I could learn about NASCAR and hiking at the same website!

Always to the left

hikerboy57
07-10-2013, 22:46
Always to the left
its great to watch a bunch of cars make 2000 left turns

Rasty
07-10-2013, 22:48
Always to the left
its great to watch a bunch of cars make 2000 left turns

Your really looking for the occasional right turn.

hikerboy57
07-10-2013, 22:50
Your really looking for the occasional right turn.
you're praying ​for an occasional right turn

Rasty
07-10-2013, 22:51
Your really looking for the occasional right turn.
you're praying ​for an occasional right turn

Never watched a race myself

hikerboy57
07-10-2013, 22:53
Never watched a race myself
youve missed out on a lot of left turns.


and the occasional right

Odd Man Out
07-10-2013, 22:54
This is getting weird now. I think you've been spending too much time alone in the UP ice fishing during winter and slapping, uhh, skeeters and black flies during summer.

Ya shur ya becha. Gunna dip smelt eh? Wanna come wit?

Rasty
07-10-2013, 22:55
Never watched a race myself
youve missed out on a lot of left turns.


and the occasional right

They go to fast and need to slow down to enjoy the trip.

Dogwood
07-10-2013, 22:56
I knew Harry Hogge(Robert Duval) meant something important when he said, "Those tires are matched perfect and staggered special." That's what kept Cole from hitting into the wall.

Trevor Lord
07-10-2013, 23:07
My wife likes to count the number of times I lose my footing or slip. I tend to be a little off balance.
On day hikes I search for the perfect walking stick
i also like to help caterpillars cross the trail so they don't get stepped on.

Drybones
07-11-2013, 08:06
My wife likes to count the number of times I lose my footing or slip. I tend to be a little off balance.
On day hikes I search for the perfect walking stick
i also like to help caterpillars cross the trail so they don't get stepped on.

Every time I trip I always think of my, cause every time I trip and she's with me I hear, "have a nice trip?, see next fall".

Drybones
07-11-2013, 08:17
Every time I trip I always think of my, cause every time I trip and she's with me I hear, "have a nice trip?, see next fall".

Every time I trip I always think of my wife, cause every time I trip and she's with me I hear, "have a nice trip?, see next fall".[/

flemdawg1
07-11-2013, 11:27
Do you also take the inside route around curves in the trail to avoid hiking a further distance? I do.

I learned to do this from watching NASCAR.


Just don't draft me. Seriusly, I've had to reject a few hiking partners, because they didn't understand the concept of personal space on the trail. If you step on my heel, I'll beat you with my hiking pole.

Dogwood
07-11-2013, 12:41
I can't stand that hiking in a straight line thing. What's that about anyhow? Guess it's why I didn't enlist in the military. Besides, it creates a critical mass of hiker funk smells that the skeeters and flies zone in on. I feel you on that personal space thing just on the basis of it being unsafe. I don't want all of us resembling dominoes should one of us trip and fall. And, DON"T EVER STEP ON MY FEET AS A HIKER! That's akin to slapping me in the face.... when I didn't deserve to be slapped in the face. As you might have gathered I prefer to solo hike.

Dogwood
07-11-2013, 12:44
Have you ever seen hikers who mainly solo hike suddenly bunch up? They all start going their own ways all over the trail resembling NASCAR drivers warming up the tires. They can't get away from each other fast enough.

Omaha_Ace
07-11-2013, 12:54
I like to see how close I can get to novice hikers without them knowing I am there.

rocketsocks
07-11-2013, 13:10
I like doing math problems in my head, angles, volumes, distances, areas...kind of a OCD thing really.

rocketsocks
07-11-2013, 13:11
I like to see how close I can get to novice hikers without them knowing I am there.
Boo.............:)

Odd Man Out
07-11-2013, 13:39
I like to see how close I can get to novice hikers without them knowing I am there.

Ninja blazing?


I like doing math problems in my head, angles, volumes, distances, areas...kind of a OCD thing really.

Me too. I check my watch and calculate average speed more than I should.

Omaha_Ace
07-11-2013, 13:46
Boo.............:)

Indeed. A couple of weeks ago I was on my way out of a 10 miler and hooked up on a cross-trail about 200 yards behind a polo-shirt / khaki shorts / tennis shoes guy. 5 feet behind him I gave a "On your left" and could have gone under him he jumped so high.

I don't really intentionally stalk people down, I just walk very quietly.

Drybones
07-11-2013, 22:12
I never hike close enough behind someone that they can see my shadow or hear my breathing unless we're having a conversation...consider it trail. etequette.