Ray Jardine hiking the AT in 2009 ??
A hiker told me that he met and spoke with Ray Jardine hiking the AT in Vermont this month. It would be great to meet and listen to his trail stories!!!
Why?????
He is just another hiker no better or worst than most hikers who are out there.
Wolf
He has done some very cool things.
like what?
Jardine
Originally Posted by Jeff
Yea...& to see if he is still as "LITE-WEIGHT" as he once was...
Hiking in Antarctica sounds pretty "cool".
If he is out there, he was either day hiking or section hiking. I find it extremely difficult to believe he hiked from GA to VT without anyone knowing. Of course he could be attempting a SOBO.
if you got the money you can do about anything. like climb everest
For one thing, he did more to change the footwear that we wear when we hike than anyone else. I think 80% of us have reaped the benefits of that.
He has also designed a lot of gear and companies have used his ideas to change the way packs, tents, tarps, etc are now made. (less bells and whistles for one thing)
Not only in backpacking, he also invented "friends" i believe in the rock climbing sport. (they are used all over the world in sport climbing and do a lot to save the rock for others)
A true "free thinker", he has also been to the south pole, climbed some big mountains, and i think he even paddled across the Atlantic!
I can only wish i would've done half as much!
Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams
That not hard to do. I for one was carrying more weight because of his book compare to if I never picked it up. When I bought his first book, I thought it would be like WF, AT Handbook not a do "it my way book". I found very little benifit to it.Yea...& to see if he is still as "LITE-WEIGHT" as he once was...
Wolf
fiddlehead,
I'm going to disagree with you on some of this stuff. I'll start with the foot wear. I know myself back in 1989, was hiking long distance in sneakers/lightweight boots. Warren Dole has been doing it way before me. Grandma Gatewood before him. It been done by many hikers long before Jardine ever even came out with his book.
The only company that really used his idea for gear is Go-Lite which I never consider them as an Extreme Ultra-light company. The true is, gear has been out there for years without the bells and whistles. Hikers could travel Extreme ultra-light before Jardine and lighter than anything he advertise. You of all people should know that. You travel light weight before Jardine ever came around.
Going to the south pole I think would be kind of cool. I've only known two people who have been there. I'm sure some of us hard core hikers might find a way to get there.
Just my $.02
Wolf
He has also done some hard core kayaking up here in Alaska. I tried sneakers in 96 on the pct and I never looked back . I believe Fiddlehead did the same thing that yr. remember the corn pasta craze though on the Pct that year Fiddle dude ? yuck, now THAT was gross.
I find it interesting to read about the triumphs of people just like the ones on this site I take it all in. I have had the pleasure this year to become friends with and have day hiked and paddled with (this weekend for one) with Sue "Hammock Hanger" Turner, she is the one that has really inspired me to want to hike and she is quick to share with me her experiences and knowledge and could sit and talk to her forever, I always have so many questions. Ray Jardine seems like he would be another fascinating person to chat with.
If you can’t fix it with duct tape or a beer; it ain’t worth fixing
Ok Wolf, i'll agree that some of us tried lightweight shoes and sneakers out before Jardine's book.
But when i hit the PCT in '96 and his book was the craze, almost everyone was doing it.
And i even went lighter weight. I had been wearing hi-tech ankle high lightweight shoes but in CA everyone was wearing "running shoes" So, that's the first time i tried those.
I remember writing a letter in '90 or '91 to Wayne Gregory of Gregory packs and asking him to make a lightweight pack without the bells and whistles. He never wrote back and is now not so well known in the backpacking world as before cause he didn't make the switch.
Jansport, Lowe, Gregory, Dana. These were the biggest names in packs back in the 80's and early 90's from what i remember. (most of them heavier than lead)
Then Jardine came along and Go-lite introduced his design and now you rarely even hear of those old heavy packs.
Companies started up who saw the forward looking wisdom that came from a long distance hiker who had the credentials because of his "friends" invention (which by the way he sold to Black Diamond I believe who is another big name in the climbing world)
Anyway, sure you can disagree with me. That's what these forums are for. But the way i see it, he changed the hiking world because of his extreme ideas and everyone was at least discussing them and some were using them.
Now, on the negative side, i do believe he is a "run for the border" kind of hiker or at least once was. (and he sure hated horse people, aye? and they built the PCT!)
I'm waiting to hear what Nean has to say here. He knows him personally and was around him back when these ideas were brand new.
Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams
Yeah, Yappy, i remember the corn pasta muck.
Remember when rainman didn't add enough water and it turned to a solid? One of the few times he gave me food on the trail!
I bet Blister Sister remembers that day.
Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams
I never quite understood that corn pasta thing! I recall meeting RJ back in the late 90's, thought he was a little full of himself but that could have been me. I recall he had invented some sort of climbing device that was popular within that circle.
E-Z---"from sea to shining sea''
I do not necessarily need to like a person to enjoy hearing what they have to say, and Ray has said some insightful things, IMO. I do not have to adopt all of his techniques (and food choices!) to benefit from his (or anyone's) experiences. He ain't no one special, but like many others including some here, he can make you think about your choices - and that can be a Good Thing.
I know he's off on a solo thing, but I hadn't heard the AT. In fact, I was rather under the impression that he and Jenny really weren't considering another AT thru at all. Jenny ended up not being able to go at the last minute, IIRC. Good luck to him where ever.
Ranc0r
.
Hmmm, Ray was always pretty nice to me but I never cared for him for several reasons. The way I saw him treat others, the tone of his first book, his exaggerations, his conspiracy theories, his WD sized ego, him taking credit for todays ALDHA-West when he was in fact the biggest obstacle in getting it started. Hard for me to respect anyone like that. I credit him w/ making the rat race mentality popular on the trails.
Having said that, he has done some REALLY cool stuff and that part I can admire. The adventures, not the man.
When he hiked the AT before he used a trail name, as I understand it, so he wouldn't be slowed down talking to people.
i agree with you. i don't want to listen to somebody i totally agree with. that's like listening to my own babble. i want to ask: Why?, What would you do different?, Would you do it again?
that's what makes life interesting. its better then the i'm right , your wrong attitude.
good luck Ray
TY
KK
I'm so confused, I'm not sure if I lost my horse or found a rope.
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