Several years ago there was a guy who made a series of Youtube videos on how to thru hike the AT. In one he said you didn't need a first aid kit if you carried a phone because if something major happened you could call for help. Or just wait for some clueless hiker to come by and use their first aid kit.
More walking, less talking.
Yes, it was outstandingly difficult to remove the phone from my hip belt. The twisting motion (think revving a motorcycle throttle) turns it on, and opens the camera app. Touching the screen, also brutal, but I just managed it. I didn't bother to see how it came out at the moment. When I was in my tent, I forwarded the picture as a text to family.
No, I'm not losing the moment. I lost all of five seconds, and was able to share the moment with others, and with my future self. I have a terrible memory. I couldn't tell you even in what state, or in what month I saw the bunny. I had an additional 9 minutes and 55 seconds to watch the cute little bunny nibble at clover. Would it have been acceptable to you if I had taken out a piece of bark, and a bit of charcoal and sketched the bunny? Would that have been acceptable to you?
Seriously, a crappy Sean Penn movie as your inspirational source? Why would you imagine that I'd be moved by a scripted and directed line in a movie? You can't get more technological than that. Sean Penn doesn't move me. I don't even like movies, I find them super fake. I have poor memory, I hike for different reasons than you, I'm not you. I will never be you, it's weirdly authoritarian for you to suggest to me that it's better for me, to forego technology to better get in the moment. Let people manage their moments they way they see fit... or don't.
The comedian Sebastian Maniscalco calls taking a Selfie "taking a LONELY." sebastian maniscalco taking a lonely
I use my iPhone to identify plants and birds while hiking, so it enhances my experience.
I guess at 37 I'm in the generation that appreciates both methods.
Airplane mode almost all the time, I just use it for things that add to my experience.
It's a lot to do with motivation and personality as well. A lot of people out there are a different hiker breed now. They are seeking MORE solitude than at home in many cases, but not necessarily intense solitude. Ie: they want to video and post/comment on a lot of stuff daily, maybe socialize a bit more, etc.
Perfectly fine digital approach IMO, as long as they don't annoy me with excessive noise, etc, which is rare in this circumstance
There are two other lines I left out in that Secret Life of Walter Mitty Stiller Penn scene that provide better context. After Penn says his first line Stiller inquisitively asks "Stay in it?" Stiller's character(Walter Mitty) does not comprehend what Penn means by "stay in it." Then Penn says, "there, it's gone(the connection, the moment where he's IN IT); it's gone." That's the moment he's referring not just the Ghost Cat ghosting away. The Ghost Cat moving away as does a ghost, a vapor, is a metaphor for LIFE and ghosting through LIFE as Walter Mitty was. Life is but a moment on this planet and many coast - ghost - through it disconnected, separate, rigidly alone, here but not fully here, vacuous, not truly consciously aware of being "connected." The moment, being in it is, is a metaphor for engaging profoundly in life not coasting through it like a fart in the wind. That's what the movie is about - Walter Mitty being taught to live LIFE, to be in it with all his being rather than touching it, rather than simply passing through it squandering life, taking these precious moments, these precious lives, for granted.
It's a good lesson.
Muir was referring to the same principle.
“We are now in the mountains and they are in us, kindling enthusiasm, making every nerve quiver, filling every pore and cell of us.” ― John Muir
Most people are on the world, not in it-- having no conscious sympathy or relationship to anything about them-- undiffused seporate, and rigidly alone like marbles of polished stone, touching but seporate.
This is what,-- in debate circles,-- is called "setting up a straw man." Not really for you to say what "the whole idea" of backpacking is, is it?
BTW, I did not take time to read all the pages of posts, so apologies if I'm repeating someone.
My dear wife lets me go backpacking just about any time I want, where I want, for as long as I want. I am happy to and want to check in with her from time to time. Apologies to all whom my use of electronic technology offends.
[I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35
[url]www.MeetUp.com/NashvilleBackpacker[/url]
.
Which one. He has several Gerber Bear Gryllis branded knives, a multi tool knife(Leatherman like), take off SAS survival take off Bowie like, Swiss Army Grandfather multi tool type, Scout,...
Bear doesn't need no stinkin' knife. He'd stab Les with a stick IF Les din't catch him first in a stake lined pit snare and gag him with the harmonica.
He was right.
First aid kits arent for anything major
They are for boo-boos
But you stand a good chance of dieing from anything major, you are likely many hrs from help.
The whole premise of wilderness first aid for serious things ....is stabilize patient ( stop bleeding, make warm, comfortable, ) and get help . Much of it is recognizing symptoms of things to start with, so you can properly convey information to rescuers.
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 04-04-2019 at 22:00.
I like smartphones, although I'm in the usually-in-airplane-mode camp. As a Boomer, I spent more than half of my life without a cell phone, so I'm perfectly aware of how to function without it. I find the demands of constant connectivity to be annoying, and don't agree to to be instantly available at all times to assorted robocallers, or to my friends and family.
What I like: Camera from which it is completely simple to send pictures to wherever and whomever you want to send them to; text messaging to family, and to friends along the way whom I'm planning to visit; and to make the occasional phone call to reserve a room, or whatever. And this year I'm playing with the Guthook app, which I like. I've been hiking bits of the AZT this spring. When I get into an area with a lot of unmarked social trails, the app helps me pick out the correct fork to take. Saves a lot of backtracking.
Since the phone is usually easy to get at (so I can use it as a camera), I also use it to make typed or voice memo notes to look at later.
Can play music, and store reading material, both printed and audio, although personally I prefer to save the battery by not using it for those purposes when backpacking. Great flashlight, although again I prefer to save the battery, and find the flashlight so bright that it kills night vision for quite a while.
It can be helpful in an emergency, although I am as prudent as I humanly can be, and don't take chances that I expect other people to rescue me from the consequences of.
I have seen a lot of people state their intention to vblog their hikes this year. I wonder if they have any idea how demanding that will be? And how difficult it is to keep all that equipment dry and charged up? Seems like a headache to me. There's a reason Jester carries a heavy pack, and spends many months after a long hike editing the material into an entertaining movie.
If not NOW, then WHEN?
ME>GA 2006
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=3277
Instagram hiking photos: five.leafed.clover
I disagree. A smartphone won't stop a cut from bleeding or a blister from becoming infected. Things that are a real possibility if you are planning to hike 2100 miles. I ran into a kid in PA who was hiking in sandals. He gashed his toe on the rocks and was bleeding pretty good. He had no first aid, not even any hand sanitizer. It is irresponsible for you to rely on others for your well being.
More walking, less talking.
I am fully addicted to my smart phone and only in the last year have made strides to break up with it. Hiking is one of those areas I will not use my phone unless I need it. My challenge forthcoming is to try to leave it alone. Placed in a ziplock and at the bottom of my bag is where it should be.
To the OP suggestion, I don’t think tech is a bad thing per se but like Kenny Rogers, you got to know when hold em
I’m pleasantly surprised at all the feedback for this forum topic. Just like politics and religion,people have passionate feelings (including me). Someone suggested taking a poll. That might be a good idea. I’m not a regular here, but I’ll try to whip something up.
Till then, here’s a thought: My loquacious and intelligent friend, Puddlefish, posited the theory that hikers who are averse to rampant electronics on the trail might feel snubbed because they’re being ignored by those who carry “gadgets.” I find this theory pretty daft, myself (sorry, Puddle…by the way, I wasn’t the one whose inspiration source is a Sean Penn movie and, again, I don't think my raising this topic is being "authoritarian"...read my original post). But how about this theory:
Hikers bring their gadgets on trail because they’re a safety blanket. They provide a connection to home and civilization, and not just a literal connection, but a figurative one. Their toys are like Linus’s blanket. They remind them of their being civilized creatures who have “conquered” the wilds, which can often be threatening. A smartphone is not just a rescue device in an emergency situation, but it’s also a piece of the modern world that says “Look at the amazing thing that man has accomplished. This is on a scale with what God (god, Allah, Yahweh, whatever) has accomplished with these mountains, trees, flowers, and bears.” I DON'T mean people think this consciously, but perhaps subconsciously.
Also: those most offended by people (like me) who suggest there's too much technology on the trail, secretly feel guilty for having to rely on their "toys." I won't mention any names.
More controversy, maybe, but I think it’s worth considering.
Last edited by greenpete; 04-05-2019 at 08:19. Reason: Added some spaces, deleted word
Over a decade ago I traveled to the midwest to help my brother put a new roof on his daughter's house. Every time I turned around he would be up at the peak stroking and poking his phone. After half a day of this I finally said, "Put the %$#@ thing down or get off the roof." That was my first taste of how addictive they can be. I see it on the trail, too. Shelters are the worst; everyone stoking and poking; more in tune with their devices than fellow hikers.
I don't own one. I have an addictive personality. They are not for me.
I agree with greenpete, so no need to quote the entire thing.
My tech story is that I started section hiking the AT before cellphones were common, then I got one and carried it with me along with my camera, then later I ditched the camera, lastly I ditched the cellphone. Thankfully I'm not asked to or required to "check in" with anyone (I always think of Meriwether Lewis's letter to his mom before embarking on his journey, the last lines something to the effect of "I'll see you in a couple of years. Don't worry about me."). I'm much happier now without the gadgets -- I get enough of that stuff at home/work.
That's my .02