Classy. I hope to encounter lots of folks like yourself on the trail this March!
i have even seen hikers ruin there thru bc all they could think about was catching up to the girl in front of them. it was pretty funny watching them. most were 18 and 19 year old boys
Doing What You Like Is Freedom , Liking What You Do Is Happiness
I have to agree with this rule. As a woman, I'm not looking for preferential treatment. I don't need someone to hold the door, set up my tent, or carry my gear. But, when I hike, I am there to hike. I don't want to feel like I'm wading through sharks or like I'm the last filet at the meat market. I have nothing against talking with other hikers, having a good laugh, and sharing an awesome experience. I just don't want to feel like someone's pink blazing, leering and my boobs/ass, or otherwise making unwanted advances.
If you look like your current avatar, it should not be a problem.Originally Posted by Beccah
The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
Richard Ewell, CSA General
now that is funnyIf you look like your current avatar, it should not be a problem.
Thanks Canoe. I guess we all have our moments, and I just could not resist.
The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
Richard Ewell, CSA General
small towns are evil
What jackhole dredged up this thread?
Uh ... just above the sink there is a reflection... and its all good!
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
Good rule to abide by both ways! Haven't read all the posts, but I think most of us are out there to get away from the hassle, hustle and bustle of our "day lives". Treat others as you want to be treated. Seems I read something like that in a book somewhere by a guy named John.
I can't believe you haven't chimed in on nudity on the trail yet. Wassup?
"Hiking is as close to God as you can get without going to Church." - BobbyJo Sargent aka milkman Sometimes it's nice to take a long walk in THE FOG.
I'm sure there's a few women out there who would say you were being sexist for being a gentleman - but it WON'T be me!
How you are on the trail is how you are in life...if you're a goofball, you will be on the trail, too. If you're self center off the trail, you will be on the trail, as well.
If you're a gentleman in real life, it comes natural to be a gentleman on the trail.
Everyone is different - but I've always been one to appreciate a gentleman [on and off the trail].
Kudos to you, gentleman!
…speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee… –JOB 12:8
Don’t take it personal as I know you will not due to most know it all's don’t take things personal.. but I see this thread as something started to get a bunch of kudos for yourself for stating that you will respect women. Why cant the women be treated like men and we just respect everyone equally..I’m pretty sure most women would rather be seen as "just another hiker" then to be "treated" like anything. And I don’t see the trail as an off limits place for possibly finding the right person...Why does it matter?... lol my rant for the day.
Trail Miles: 4,980.5
AT Map 1: Complete 2013-2021
Sheltowee Trace: Complete 2020-2023
Pinhoti Trail: Complete 2023-2024
Foothills Trail: 47.9
AT Map 2: 279.4
BMT: 52.7
CDT: 85.4
Let's face the facts, people... Women don't usually rape - nor sexually harass - men. Not so, contrariwise. I agree wholeheartedly with the original post.
NOTICING a womans beauty, or FEELING sexual attraction is normal; hitting them up, flirting, etc. (as strangers, in the middle-of-nowhere) is rude, scary, impolite, and just plain douchebaggy. Men should treat women as equals regardless.
On-trail, us hikers are quick to bond and form friendships. Let's not sully the intimacy and fellowship of friendship-on-the-trail with base, carnal, erotic desires. I've encountered plenty of women on the AT and treat them with the same respect I'd treat my own daughters. And I've met AT hiking women who've told me that they've been sexually harassed almost DAILY on the AT. As with littering and other transgressions of the "Leave No Trace" creed, one HOPES that these indiscretions are NOT from "serious through- and section-hikers."
NEWSFLASH: Men, women ALREADY KNOW that you'd gladly have sex with them... if SHE wants it, she'll tell you!
Not sure which offensive thing should not be taken personally. My massive ego causes me to take everything personally, but also reminds me how personally awesome I think I am, thus shielding me from the offense, so it's a wash.
You are correct, I started this thread for my own personal gain. I imagined it would go something like this;
I am hiking along, stinking and smelly, but of course radiant with my long flowing hair and pretty skirt. I will approach a shelter near a pond to stop in for water and dinner.
Naturally this shelter will be filled with good looking women working on their tan. I will arrive and greet them in typical gentlemanly fashion and charm, respectfully withdrawing to the firepit to cook.
Of course, since every hiker is on Whiteblaze, and everyone is impressed with my sweet avatar photo I will instantly be recognized by these women. Most likely the redhead will say, "Wow, you're Just Bill!" in squealing glee. This outburst will of course encourage all the ladies to come running to admire me. After getting over being starstruck one of them will say, "Thank you for writing that thread on WB, I wish all boys were as gentlemanly as you!" Naturally, they will all feel this way and heap praise and affection on me. The redhead will coyly ask what a gentleman keeps under his skirt, which will of course insight a frenzy.
One group will invite me to inspect their sleeping gear in the shelter, the other will demand I join them for skinny dipping in the pond. While the redhead and the Native American princess are in the pond group, there is much to be said for the shelter set, including the brunette twins. As a true gentleman I will agree to satisfy all their requests. I will propose a coin-flip to see which group goes first, but being an Ultra-lighter, I have no coin- and so instead ingeniously propose that we all go skinny dipping in the pond, then move to the shelter, then perhaps back to the pond to wash up before having a smoke around the fire. After some entertaining tales of the gentlemanly life we will all drift off happily in a pile near the embers.
So yes- it took a few months and several pages of posts to sort things out- but you have reached the heart of the issue. As this and similar encounters have happened already I see no need to proceed with this farce of a thread. With the truth told the burden on my conscious is much relieved Sir. (That and to be honest, I'm having trouble keeping up with the ladies)
A gentlemanly congrats to you
Last edited by Just Bill; 06-24-2014 at 16:14. Reason: ego
As a southerner, this was bred into me in general, every day life. I apply that daily, not just on the trail. This is just good old, southern common sense. Terrible it even has to be pointed out.
I could be wrong about this, but I seem to remember this thread was started on the heels of some other threads that were floatin around at the time that called into question this very subject, "Horn Dogs and Hook Ups" so it wasn't just outta the blue, or off the cuff, as I recall. It was relevant, poignant, and in the context of the day.
Last edited by rocketsocks; 06-24-2014 at 20:01.
Yar, and since starting it I've had a chance to read the Barefoot Sisters books- that being the year of the hike where such a notion first took hold in my head. Thank you to Merry for steering me in their direction.
A read through will cause one to note that this type of issue, even among friends, was a weary topic often encountered by the sisters in 2000/01.
I've also wandered down Skywalker's collection, where if one is looking, one may note this issue still quite common- even if innocent and accidental. Although he seems to recount a minor re-occurring theme regarding women turning tables out west and using the puppy dog attractions to gain some advantage that some would frown on. Things have evolved a bit in these more recent books.
And of course a few young ladies stopping by have shared situations a well bred gentleman may take offense to, and occasionally they harbor a grudging acceptance of the issue that any respectable trail lady may find appalling. Men and women are equal, but not the same- if they were the human race wouldn't have made it past one generation.
But I am not the moral police, not much of a hiker these days in point of fact. Like most gents here I have passed the age and marriageable condition when this rule is applicable to me in any but the most basic sense of politeness and decency. It was always meant to be primarily a younger man's rule to check the very real romance of the trail and the encounters it often seems to bring. When the scale is out of balance- one side must go out of it's way to create equality. To be treated as equals, as hikers, a young gent may need to realize that a young lady may view him as a mild threat, a pest, or an obstacle to her experience as a hiker, despite any good intentions or fair notions of love and romantic pursuit. Offering to go to coffee on a street is a far cry from appearing out of nowhere in a lady's boudoir in the woods. Going out of our way to treat all as fellow hikers, and nothing more, will likely level the field once again.
Once comfortable with the field of battle- all is fair in love and war as they say. A gentleman may need to realize that the woods are not yet a fair field of battle, and few women are looking for love or war when they enter- so leave them in peace; or to the detriment of both men and women alike, they will stay home. I hope one day my daughter can enter the woods with full confidence, fight with nobility and scandalous debauchery on a level field, leaving a trail of heartbroken boys from Georgia to Maine and back again.
But either way- you are wrong in your recollection of events Rocketsocks- this thread was started with the express purpose stated a few posts above, if you will excuse my rambling my friend I seem to have picked up a case of keyboard flu once again and made a most regrettable mess on my desk.
What's even more funny is that as you posted this, I made an edit at the same time further strengthening my recollection...which I guess by proxy so to speaks makes it even more wrong in recollection.
...but then on the other hand, one need only read Hiker Trash Confessions.com to see the real horndoggery that goes on.
Last edited by rocketsocks; 06-24-2014 at 20:18.
I do things that most would consider being a gentleman. I act this way not because of what the woman is but because of what I am. If you asked me, are you opening the door because I am a lady, my answer would be, because I am a gentleman. Personally I'm sure I have opened doors for women who were not ladies. Part of my job is adjudicating legal complaints, about 10% of sexual harassment cases are against women. Cases are under reported by both genders. I think if many women were actually treated the way guys treat each other they would get insulted pretty quickly. I personally joke around with guys in ways I would not with a woman. The issue is in part perspective. A cat batting a mouse around may feel it is just playing around, mouse may see it differently. What you mean with a certain behavior is important, but it is just as important to consider how it will be received. This is not hard, not a big deal . . . it takes all of 1 second to consider someone else's feelings. There are lots of advantages to being a female on the trail just as there are some disadvantages, that's just reality. Same thing is true for males, just different. We don't have to make it that hard.
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