Passion vs. purists...

[Sarcasm the elf]

(This was originally written as a response to a recent thread, but I thought it justified it's own subject)

So here's the thing. Over the last decade or so I've found a peculiar and quite unexpected passion of mine; other people's passions.

I don't know what it is, but whenever I see someone who is truly driven by a love of a pursuit I can't help but support them. It doesn't matter if it's something I love such as hiking, or something that I have no interest in (for example) such as boat racing. When I meet someone that is obsessed with their own pursuit, who is driven by a love of what they are doing, and more importantly when they are actually doing it themselves, I can't help but get behind them. It doesn't matter if it's Snorkel trying to to set a pace of nearly 30 mile days on the A.T. or my good friends who run ultramarathon distances, often by themselves, or myself trying (failing) to reach a state of grace and flow while sparring, or my coworker who is working of a concourse restoration of a '67 Camaro or my old friend who is getting to the "rockstar" level of skill on the guitar, despite the fact that you will never hear him, or my little cousin's friends who are going nuts with acapella. Basically I can't help but be totally psyched when I see someone who is pursuing one of their own passions and absolutely rocking it by whatever standards they have set for themselves.

Sadly that is why it disappoints me so much whenever the subject of "what is a thruhike" is brought up on this site. The people I described above, and those that I support most are driven by a love of their own pursuits and that's what matter to them. One of the best runners I know has always sworn that the only opponent he has really raced is himself. So the question that always invades my mind whenever someone jumps on this site to say that they are the authority on thru hikes is: what the heck is is your weakness? Why do you need to validate your own accomplishment by trying to force others to abide by your own clearly unofficial and self appointed definition? If you thru hiked, then you thru hiked, it's a shi*load of an accomplishment, you earned it and nobody can take that away from you, so why are you being defensive?

Personally I love supporting people and if you say that your goal is to hike the whole A.T. while passing every white blaze and only using town stops for resupply, then good for you. You're psyched, and if you're passionate about it then i'm psyched too, because it's a hell of a goal and I want to see you succeed. But as soon as you start spouting off that this person or that person didn't do this or that because they didn't meet your personal criteria then you've lost me, and worse yet, it makes me think that you haven't learned anything from your journey.

One of the biggest things that backpacking has taught me is to be less petty and to stop judging people. It might be the 78 year old man who passes me at a crawl or the 19 year old with terrible gear and no knowledge, but I don't judge people or their goals on the trial because I've learned that they can always surprise and impress me.

I hate to say it, but if you need to denigrate the accomplishments of others in order to justify what you've done during your six month vacation, than you've clearly not learned enough from your experience.

You can keep trying to put down folks for what you see as imperfections in their trip, I will continue to support them in their own journey. So go Blue blazers, go yellow blazers and GO JOE GO! You'll all be better people for the effort and that's what counts.

[Odd Man Out]

Rule #1. Whoever has the most fun wins.
Rule #2. If you are arguing over the rules, you probably aren't having the most fun.

[Teacher & Snacktime]

You can keep trying to put down folks for what you see as imperfections in their trip, I will continue to support them in their own journey. So go Blue blazers, go yellow blazers and GO JOE GO! You'll all be better people for the effort and that's what counts.

+1

Here at Camp Toleration, intolerance will not be tolerated! (Hike your own hike - Live your own life)

[Sarcasm the elf]

+1

Here at Camp Toleration, intolerance will not be tolerated! (Hike your own hike - Live your own life)

Did I mention how good a time I had on our hike together? Watching you stop to show Snacktime the educational aspects of the trail was a highlight.

[rafe]

Elf: I thought the thread was calm and respectful. Most folks basically being open minded and tolerant. OP is a wide-eyed newb who's got the fever, bad. He asks good questions. Hits all the hot-button issues, one after another.

What the thread made me do was dig out my Philosophers Guide, the chapter called "Sapientia Callis." These issues we debate incessantly on Whiteblaze are as old as the hills we're trying to climb.

Then I googled "Sapientia Callis" -- cuz I never studied Latin, and I was only guessing at the meaning -- and this was the first hit:

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=448242

I wouldn't sell my copy for all the tea in China. I wish it were in the public domain so more people could read it. Just about every topic that's ever been debated here is covered in that chapter from 25 years ago.

[Biggie Master]

Excellent post Elf.

[WingedMonkey]

Better question might be, why do folks that have never and will never do a thru hike any way, seem to know what a thru-hike is?

[magneto]

It's worse than that, rafe. All of these same types of discussions and debates are repeated on boards that are dedicated to different passions, be it hiking, religion, aviation - whatever.

It's a really interesting phenomenon to study: the patterns and personalities are the same, only the subject matter changes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rocketsocks]

Nothin like a good screed in the morning to reflect on throughout the day...Thanks Elf!

[Hikes in Rain]

What the thread made me do was dig out my Philosophers Guide, the chapter called "Sapientia Callis." These issues we debate incessantly on Whiteblaze are as old as the hills we're trying to climb.

Then I googled "Sapientia Callis" -- cuz I never studied Latin, and I was only guessing at the meaning -- and this was the first hit:

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=448242

I wouldn't sell my copy for all the tea in China. I wish it were in the public domain so more people could read it. Just about every topic that's ever been debated here is covered in that chapter from 25 years ago.

I've never had the opportunity to see a Guide, but did find this: http://atmuseum.org/Philosophers_guide_83.htm Is it close?

[rafe]

I've never had the opportunity to see a Guide, but did find this: http://atmuseum.org/Philosophers_guide_83.htm Is it close?

Nice find! Same guy, same tone, several years earlier. By 1990 it was a nicely type-set paperbound book, about 160 pages worth. Sapientia Callis is about 18 pages worth.

[RockDoc]

Regrettably, in our society there are really rather few people who genuinely follow their passions.

[Teacher & Snacktime]

Did I mention how good a time I had on our hike together? Watching you stop to show Snacktime the educational aspects of the trail was a highlight.

It's absolutely mutual here. I can't thank you and Kevin enough for your willingness to slow down and keep us company. You added camaraderie to the outing and made the "work" part fun. And then of course there was the rescue..... When I'm up and able again we're absolutely planning to finish, and hopefully we'll all get together again.

We hiked our own hike....it was fun.

[RED-DOG]

Better question might be, why do folks that have never and will never do a thru hike any way, seem to know what a thru-hike is?

I agree, I hate the people that only does like a one night quickie hike and does not make it to their original distination then come on WB and other forums and try and give advice to people that has more hiking exsperience than they do and in reality they really don't know what they are talking about so in my oppinion these types should stay off WB until they get some miles under their feet, and they know who they are. this is the biggest problem i have with WB, this is my WB RANT and RAVE.

[Another Kevin]

Back at ya, Elf, Teacher, Snacktime! For me hiking isn't about the trails, it's about the tales.

OK, I've been obsessing a little bit about the Catskill 3500-footers, but even that's more a catalogue of nifty places that I most want to get to. So far none of them, even the viewless ones, has really disappointed.

Hey, Elf, now that my time is loosening up for summer, wanna get out sometime while we're waiting for Teacher to heal up? (If you can tolerate a slow old man...) I have a couple of trips in mind that are within my personal risk tolerance to lead, but not to solo, and perennially have trouble lining up partners. This summer, it looks as if I'm free most weekends, and can extend to a three- or four-day weekend with a week's notice.

[rafe]

I agree, I hate the people that only does like a one night quickie hike and does not make it to their original distination then come on WB and other forums and try and give advice to people that has more hiking exsperience than they do and in reality they really don't know what they are talking about so in my oppinion these types should stay off WB until they get some miles under their feet, and they know who they are. this is the biggest problem i have with WB, this is my WB RANT and RAVE.

If folks are giving bad info, call it out. There's no requirement for folks to meet a certain skill level before posting on WhiteBlaze.

[Tipi Walter]

I agree, I hate the people that only does like a one night quickie hike and does not make it to their original distination then come on WB and other forums and try and give advice to people that has more hiking exsperience than they do and in reality they really don't know what they are talking about so in my oppinion these types should stay off WB until they get some miles under their feet, and they know who they are. this is the biggest problem i have with WB, this is my WB RANT and RAVE.

This not only happens with backpackers and their hiking suggestions, but with glowing gear reviews after a couple nights of use. The worst are those who set up a new tent in their living room and proclaim it to be the best tent ever made and able to withstand any weather. And then there are many tent reviews on backpackgeartest.org which applaud a shelter after just 6 to 10 days of total overnights with the thing. Sets up fast! No condensation! Floor doesn't leak! Handles the wind!

And the popular SectionHiker.com has numerous pieces of gear sent to him to test but in my opinion the quantity makes it almost impossible for him to do a thorough testing of single items and find the inevitable failures. This is thread drift I know but it seems to relate to how a lack of backpacking experience results in someone becoming a "whiteblaze expert."

[Another Kevin]

I agree, I hate the people that only does like a one night quickie hike and does not make it to their original distination then come on WB and other forums and try and give advice to people that has more hiking exsperience than they do and in reality they really don't know what they are talking about so in my oppinion these types should stay off WB until they get some miles under their feet, and they know who they are. this is the biggest problem i have with WB, this is my WB RANT and RAVE.

Since I'm always tempted to do that, I have a stock warning to the left of all my posts, right over my picture.

That said, I like to think I've learnt something in my fifty years of doing one-, two- or three-night quickie hikes, some of which make it to planned destinations and some of which don't. I'm entirely ignorant of how to manage twenty-mile days (I don't plan that kind of mileage, because I'm never on trail for long enough periods to work up to doing that comfortably) or what to do about resupply in Nowhere, Tennessee (because my trips are short enough that I carry everything). But things like how to pick out a stealth site, where to find water, or how to stay warm in 35 degree rain, are the same whether you're out for one night or a hundred.

[Miner]

If you don't feel like how you did your hike was the best possible way, then you did it wrong. Go back and do it over again to rectify that. So its natural to feel that your way was the best way for you. Where people make the mistake is extrapolating that to mean that the best possible way for everyone to do their hike is just like you did.

That said, I still think the guy I met carrying heavy cans of Chef Boyardee out of town for his resupply was doing his hike wrong. And I was never jealous of how it smelled cooking in the shelter as I ate my summer sausage withe cheese for the 4th night straight.

[rocketsocks]

Nothin like a good screed in the morning to reflect on throughout the day...Thanks Elf!

So having taken a long walk yesterday I actually thought about this subject. I had an friend who has since passed (older gentlemen) and a very smart man, and all around neat guy. Al was a model maker and designed the walk through heart at the Franklin institute in Philadelphia. The very first day I met him I was standing in line waiting my turn to view some minerals laid out on a table at a rock and mineral show, Al was seated next to the very slow progressing line a empty chair was next to him, he said, "Why don't you take a seat, yer not going anywhere" I did. He then asked "What are you interested in" I think I said something like, "Well this is pretty new to me, so I like it all" Then I asked him what he was interested in, he said "I'm interested in people who are interested in the things i'm interested in" That line always stuck with me, and could not have been more true, Al was a people person...I've since adopted that philosophy as well. That's the Passion.

Thinking about the purist side of my hiking endeavor, I've come to learn a new word as it applies to hiking...Style! I've never heard that word used before in that context before I started hanging around here in the hiking community. Did I have a style? sure I did, we all do. But I've come to the conclusion that I don't have to be pigeon holed into just one style. If I want to go slow, I go slow, if on a different trip I want to turn it up and burn it up, I can do that too, if I want to hike to camp (I like this style, and will likely settle into this, with some punching out to different parts) I do so. The point is no matter what your Style is, you can always change or tweak it to suit your needs for that trip. Just because you have invested in super ultralight gear, does not mean that every hike you take has to be of the nature, and respectively, if your normal load has you only doing 3 miles, nothing says you can't go on a hike and take only the very minimum of gear...loaf of bread and a poncho, it's your style your life, do what ever pulls your hearts strings...That to me is being a Purist.