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  1. #61

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    Quote Originally Posted by colorado_rob View Post
    YET, when I approached you last year, right about this time on the BMT (actually, November 5th to be exact), at Beech Gap (I think, next road crossing after Mud Gap), I tried to say hello and introduced myself in person, you didn't even acknowledge me, ignored me completely, you were BURIED in a device of some sort in your hand, I believe it was a phone, don't think it was a camera. I was only a few yards away. Pretty sure it was you, looked like you, and there was a huge pack sitting nearby, red I think.
    I know you'd like to think it was me---convenient as a retort to my smartphone screed--- but you're mistaken. On Nov 5th 2018 I was coming up the Jeffrey Hell trail in Citico wilderness and road walking 2 miles to Grassy Gap for my shuttle ride pickup on the last day of a trip. Here's proof---

    https://www.trailjournals.com/journal/entry/605515











  2. #62

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    But to Colorado Rob---I did see several groups the day before atop Bob Stratton Bald ---

    Trip 193 Pt 2 (148)-XL.jpg
    Bob Bald group.

    Trip 193 Pt 2 (163)-XL.jpg
    Cold Spring Gap group.

    And anyway, on this trip if you saw my pack you'd say it's mostly yellow---

    Trip 193 (13)-XL.jpg

  3. #63
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tipi Walter View Post
    I know you'd like to think it was me---convenient as a retort to my smartphone screed--- but you're mistaken. On Nov 5th 2018 I was coming up the Jeffrey Hell trail in Citico wilderness and road walking 2 miles to Grassy Gap for my shuttle ride pickup on the last day of a trip. Here's proof---

    https://www.trailjournals.com/journal/entry/605515










    Forget about the cell phone thing, I am obviously mistaken on my gap names, seems like if you were sitting waiting for a shuttle along the skyway, then it WAS indeed you. I was getting a ride into town (then back out), my shuttle driver stopped to take some pics (and pee) and I was roaming around when I saw you. Sure wish I had taken a pic.... My last pic before that ride into town was at Mud Gap, where I got picked up. So, I suppose when I saw you, it was not actually along the BMT. And my "red" pack claim was fuzzy, but loos like you did actually have a red tent strapped to the side.

    Anyway, too bad you didn't say hi back, would have been nice to meet, but of course, after 21 days on the trail I don't feel particularly chatty either. I was only 10 days or so along my hike, plus I had stopped in at least one "town" recently, only a little restaurant/hostel really, can't remember its name.

    I drift, sorry..... but after seeing your trail journal, seeing where you were exactly when I was there, I'm now 100% sure it was you.
    Last edited by colorado_rob; 10-09-2019 at 17:48.

  4. #64
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    Quote Originally Posted by soilman View Post
    I also think that some of the adventure has been lost because of this wealth of information.
    I agree but you have to consider where the area is located. If you're in your own backyard, been there a 100 times and so close to a road you complain about the motorcycle noise, then you don’t need anything.

    Going cross country in wilderness, miles and miles from roads or towns, then Guthook, smart phones, gps tools are a nice addition, not mandatory but helpful.

  5. #65

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hosh View Post
    Going cross country in wilderness, miles and miles from roads or towns, then Guthook, smart phones, gps tools are a nice addition, not mandatory but helpful.
    One of the best things a person can have going cross country in wilderness is a paper 1:24,000 topo map. It's all we ever used for 40 years. And still use. If I'm going to a new place like Mt Rogers backcountry or the Snowbird wilderness in NC or into Pisgah NF/Grandfather Ranger District---I won't need GPS waypoints or smartphone maps or even guide books---but I'll do everything possible to acquire the pertinent topo maps.

    Here's an example of my Snowbird Creek map which kept me sane in a confusing place---and has no batteries to ever wear down.

    One helpful hint is to use a red pen to mark trails and a blue pen for creeks and spring sources. Want to bushwhack up Meadow Branch to Kings Meadow trail? A good topo is all you need.


  6. #66
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    you were BURIED in a device of some sort in your hand


    he was checking his Tinder....

  7. #67

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    Quote Originally Posted by TNhiker View Post
    he was checking his Tinder....
    I wouldn't be checking my Tinder on the last day of a trip---as I'm done building fires.

    But I definitely like having Tinder up and running at some point in the trip---either fatwood or birch bark---

    fatwood_sticks_720x.jpg

    YellowBirchCopyright.Original.jpg

  8. #68
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    Want to bushwhack up Meadow Branch to Kings Meadow trail? A good topo is all you need.


    actually, i wanna do it coming down from Kings Meadow....

    Patman and i had discussed doing this as he went down it a bit and found an old trail going down....

    that discussion was before my hiatus of backpacking.......

  9. #69

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    Quote Originally Posted by guthook View Post
    I do peek at Whiteblaze a little, so I'm happy to chime in :-)


    We never would have been able to build what we have without people telling each other about the app (we only started advertising in any serious way five years after we first released it), so we’re happy that people talk about it. That usually means they’re happy with what we’ve made. If the people you show the app to are interested in what they see, and go on to buy it later, that’s a better-informed purchase than it might have been otherwise. If they decide they don't need it, that’s fine, too.

    I wouldn't object to someone sharing info from the app to help out another hiker. I'm glad you all are having the discussion in the first place, because it can be a bit of an ethical grey area.

    Guthook! Very cool of you to stop by and chime in. Thank you - much respect,


    u.w. / willin'

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    Thank you, Tipi Walter, for free topography class. Very interesting and useful information.

  11. #71

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    Quote Originally Posted by stephanD View Post
    Thank you, Tipi Walter, for free topography class. Very interesting and useful information.
    Thanks for the input. A good map is the ticket price to enter the circus.

  12. #72
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    Quote Originally Posted by TNhiker View Post
    he was checking his Tinder....
    Hah! Nothing wrong with that, assuming he's single, after 21 days in the woods. He was certainly completely engrossed in his device, whatever it was.

    I think GPS devices (phones, whatever) greatly enhance maps.... Soooo easy these days to instantly pinpoint yourself on a map with your phone's GPS. This is sometimes very hard to do in the field with only a map and compass, especially in the densely forested east. Out west when you're mostly above timberline, it's very easy to navigate w/o a GPS.

    And I agree with a couple of statements below about modern tech taking a bit of adventure out of it, no doubt in my mind. Still, I partake in the tech... this does make one able to do some more extreme things with an additional safety margin of always being able to retrace a route or locate yourself (on extreme stuff, I carry a small, light backup GPS in case phone fails).

  13. #73

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    Quote Originally Posted by colorado_rob View Post
    Hah! Nothing wrong with that, assuming he's single, after 21 days in the woods. He was certainly completely engrossed in his device, whatever it was.
    I was taking a break on the road at a pull off. I guess you drove up and walked around as a rolling tourist. Who could know? You said it happened in Beech Gap but no it happened at the Brushy Ridge overlook. No pack on your back. I was probably either looking at my camera pics or writing in my trail journal---engrossed as usual. If someone pulls up in car I pay them no mind whatsoever as in my mind they're merely gawking rolling tourists checking out the view.

    And I certainly wasn't online surfing or streaming or GPSing or facebooking or live streaming cuz here's my call and text phone only---



    "Completely engrossed in his device"??? This certainly isn't a device worth getting engrossed in. Ain't no smartphone that's for sure.

    I was probably engrossed in my Panasonic camera and looking at 21 days worth of pics. Or I was keeping my exhaustive trail journal. Journal paper with pen is a REAL device.

    TRIP 174 187-XL.jpg

  14. #74
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tipi Walter View Post
    One of the best things a person can have going cross country in wilderness is a paper 1:24,000 topo map. It's all we ever used for 40 years. And still use. If I'm going to a new place like Mt Rogers backcountry or the Snowbird wilderness in NC or into Pisgah NF/Grandfather Ranger District---I won't need GPS waypoints or smartphone maps or even guide books---but I'll do everything possible to acquire the pertinent topo maps.

    Here's an example of my Snowbird Creek map which kept me sane in a confusing place---and has no batteries to ever wear down.

    One helpful hint is to use a red pen to mark trails and a blue pen for creeks and spring sources. Want to bushwhack up Meadow Branch to Kings Meadow trail? A good topo is all you need.

    I would think with the number of times you’ve been doing the same areas over and over again, a map would un-necessary. Topos are great, but if your hiking long distances with multiple sections, a smart phone/gps has much more flexibility. It can also serve as a camera, stop watch/timer, notebook, voice recorder etc.

    Its natural to resist change as we get older and set in our ways. Not clear why people get negative about technology and lash out against those who embrace it. Perhaps the fear of the unknown or humbling idea that we’re not up to the task.

  15. #75
    Registered User colorado_rob's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tipi Walter View Post
    I was taking a break on the road at a pull off. I guess you drove up and walked around as a rolling tourist. Who could know? You said it happened in Beech Gap but no it happened at the Brushy Ridge overlook. No pack on your back. I was probably either looking at my camera pics or writing in my trail journal---engrossed as usual. If someone pulls up in car I pay them no mind whatsoever as in my mind they're merely gawking rolling tourists checking out the view.

    And I certainly wasn't online surfing or streaming or GPSing or facebooking or live streaming cuz here's my call and text phone only---

    "Completely engrossed in his device"??? This certainly isn't a device worth getting engrossed in. Ain't no smartphone that's for sure.

    I was probably engrossed in my Panasonic camera and looking at 21 days worth of pics. Or I was keeping my exhaustive trail journal. Journal paper with pen is a REAL device.
    Aha! Peace. I hereby withdraw my heinous accusation of teching-it on the trail. HYOH, of course.

    Being a year ago, I don't remember all details (like the gap name), except that you did not look up at my greeting, though if you had, one glance (or sniff) and you would have know I was a fellow LD hiker. I imagine I was rather disappointed that you weren't receptive to a chat, since I was excited to mention how much I was enjoying the BMT, and IIRC, you (and some others) have promoted the BMT on whiteblaze.

    As a side note, semi-related to this thread, a few days before Mud Gap, I got temporarily "lost" down near a creek/small river, can't remember the name, basically I missed a faint left turn at a fork because the prominent trail went right, then eventually disappeared along the river.... A quick glance at Guthook (the BMT is an optional map-set on the AT Guthook app) set me straight and I quickly corrected my error. A time/energy saver, to be sure. In this case, a paper map might have also been nearly as quick, though seeing you blue-dot position vs. the actual trail is sure handy.

  16. #76

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hosh View Post
    Its natural to resist change as we get older and set in our ways. Not clear why people get negative about technology and lash out against those who embrace it. Perhaps the fear of the unknown or humbling idea that we’re not up to the task.
    My negativity towards technology in this case is my distaste for going online during a backpacking trip. I'm all for new technologies---heck my McHale pack uses all sorts of spectra fabrics and doo-dads etc---and my digital camera ain't simple.

    StephanD said it best: "I spend 10 hours a day in front of a computer. When I'm hiking last thing I want to do is looking at a screen." Amen, brother.

    Using a screen to Stay Connected might be all the rage for current outdoorsmen---live streaming their hike on FB, gathering GPS points and your locations, posting your route in real time, using web maps on the phone, ETC---but I come from a civilized American world where everyone seems glued to their smartphones 24/7---while driving, shopping, sitting on couches, waiting in offices, during family gatherings, walking thru Walmarts etc. I call it the Drooling Lemming phenomenon. My opinion only.

    And so I won't have any part of it while out in the woods away from people. A backpacking trip should be and is a perfect time to cut the phone and online addiction. If I needed to buy such a device to have a more fulfilling backpacking experience I'd just hang it up and stay at home and watch nascar races on television. What's the best way to see if you're addicted to phone immersion? Cut it cold turkey on a long backpacking trip.

  17. #77

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    Quote Originally Posted by colorado_rob View Post
    As a side note, semi-related to this thread, a few days before Mud Gap, I got temporarily "lost" down near a creek/small river, can't remember the name, basically I missed a faint left turn at a fork because the prominent trail went right, then eventually disappeared along the river.... A quick glance at Guthook (the BMT is an optional map-set on the AT Guthook app) set me straight and I quickly corrected my error. A time/energy saver, to be sure. In this case, a paper map might have also been nearly as quick, though seeing you blue-dot position vs. the actual trail is sure handy.
    If you were south of Mud Gap down by a creek that probably means you were hiking up the Sycamore Creek trail next to . . . uh . . . Sycamore Creek. There are three prominent switchbacks on this trail (a 7 mile climb from Tellico River/Fish Hatchery to Whiggs Meadow with a gain of 3,000 feet).

    I'm thinking you probably missed the third switchback and went up parallel to the creek on a faint trail which ends in a small campsite right above the loud creek. I call it Hobo Camp and it's one of my fave CSs.

    Trip 158 399-XL.jpg
    Here's what the side trail away from the BMT looks like---with Sycamore Creek down to the right.

    Trip 158 319-XL.jpg
    There used to be a BMT trailsign on this post at the mentioned switchback---gone now. People don't see the switchback to the left and continue straight up into that campsite next to Sycamore Creek.

  18. #78
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    Quote Originally Posted by soilman View Post
    Believe it or not, some people do not have a smart phone.
    The point I was trying to make is perhaps those asking for information cannot purchase Guthook because they have no smart phone. I have nothing against smart phones and technology. I do have a problem when people assume everyone has a smart phone or even internet access. A new restaurant opened a couple of years ago and has 20 craft beers on tap. The first time I was there I asked what beers to you have on tap? The waitress replied we have an app that lists the beers, their abv, ibu, etc. I aked if they had a list on paper. She said no but said I could use her phone to look at the list.
    More walking, less talking.

  19. #79
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    The waitress replied we have an app that lists the beers, their abv, ibu, etc. I aked if they had a list on paper. She said no but said I could use her phone to look at the list.


    just outta curiosity, what do you do?

    I know what i would have done (and i dont drink anymore but if they had this way for food orders)-----I would have walked out.....

    but then again, i probably wouldnt have walked into a hipster doofus selling crap, errr, i mean craft beer....

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hikingjim View Post
    Yes, the experience of being totally unplugged for days is one that I think people should experience at least a few times. .......
    I took a road/car camping trip to Alaska this summer and spent some time in the Yukon as well. Most of the time I was without cell service on the trip. Some how I managed to survive and thrive in spite of suffering from electronic signal deficiency syndrome.
    If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.

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