Basic skills

[Rolls Kanardly]

Is this the thread where I can ask how long cheese lasts on the trail.

I believe that this is a two part question. How long will cheese be edible on the trail and how long with it last when starting to munch the cheese.
Good hard cheese, many miles, After the first bite two blocks. he he
Rolls

[TOW]

I've been on Whiteblaze for a while and I am just freaked out by the fact that people ask for the dumbest advice like " what do I do if I get cold" or " how much should my pack weigh"'.
I'm no Sgt Rock or some military operator ( by the way ,thank you guys for your service. You are ALL heroes.) but jeeze , I learned enough in cub scouts to go on a hike without encountering disaster. Does anybody else feel this way or am I being to harsh?

Yep you are harsh friend, not everyone was adept to learning at a very young life like you you did in the Cub Scouts and I bet if you take an honest jab at it you too will realize you have needed instruction on something so yo asked a question..........

Ignorance and inability can be cured through experience. I took my wife, youngest son, and his wife to Acadia this past weekend. I was the only one having fun. I was the only one carrying a pack. I was the only one who knew where to put my feet. They were trying. It was painful to watch. My wife did okay. The young couple were hopelessly lost. We take our base knowledge and muscle memory for granted. We are not superior. We were all clueless too at one point. It is why I try to answer the mundane questions. There are many more qualified people that can answer. I am still learning. Those asking are trying.

Yes. You are being too harsh. They are not dumb. They lack knowledge. They are asking for knowledge. They should not be made to feel stupid in the process.

[jjtrindc]

I'm less distressed by the basic questions. I've asked a few myself here and on other hobby forums. What bothers me is the lack of research before asking those questions. There is a wealth of info here (thanks to many of you)and on other sites that is easily searchable. I just wish people would take a few moments to look for it and ask basic, but more informed questions.

[BirdBrain]

The more I see my answer, the more I think I may have been too harsh. I think I could have expressed the same points without being so blunt. After all, his was a question too. Therefore, I apologize for the bluntness of my answer. He sought an opinion and I rediculed his words. Sorry. It was not my intent. My focus was too narrow. It should have included the OP. I should have started my answer with "no question is stupid, including yours".

[mtntopper]

Some people here on WB have WAY to much time on their hands............

[Feral Bill]

I'm torn here. I was a beginner once, asking questions (pre-internet), and I am happy to help others learn. On the other hand, a trip to a library or a decent book store can yield a wealth of carefully organized information between two covers. Shouldn't that be the starting place?

[The Splitter]

I've been on Whiteblaze for a while and I am just freaked out by the fact that people ask for the dumbest advice like " what do I do if I get cold" or " how much should my pack weigh"'.
I'm no Sgt Rock or some military operator ( by the way ,thank you guys for your service. You are ALL heroes.) but jeeze , I learned enough in cub scouts to go on a hike without encountering disaster. Does anybody else feel this way or am I being to harsh?

I don't think your being harsh. We all start out somewhere and I get that. But there is such a thing as a dumb question. When people are asking questions like "what do I do if I get cold?" Or "should I bring my rain gear?" Are a good example. By simply going online and looking at weather forecasts one can quickly determine weather or not they need to worry about being cold or wet without wasting my precious bandwidth.

I'm more than happy to answer beginner questions, I'm still learning too but there is a point where one needs to use s little common sense. Idk dude, is it supposed to rain?


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[The Splitter]

"no question is stupid, including yours".

I respectfully disagree Bird Brain. There are such things as stupid questions and I've asked them. Pappa Splitter used to say "you ask a stupid question you get a stupid answer." Which consequently got me to become more independent and start thinking things through before I just asked. I used to also get a lot of "I don't know, figure it out."

My old man wasn't (isn't) a dick, and was always willing to teach me something he knew I couldn't do but he also knew where to draw the line between raising a helpless child and being a total ass hole.

On the flip side my sisters had everything handed to them and as a result, neither can find their ass with a mirror. Ones starting to come around a little but it's certainly painful to watch.

Some people just don't belong in the woods, in fact most people don't. Most people probably should have one of those 4,000 lb rolling killing machines we call a "car" either, but they still do.

I think if someone is asking questions like "should I bring a jacket" it's only a matter of time before old Uncle Darwin has them come sit on his lap.



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[bangorme]

I'm not a beginner, but every time I see what I think is a novice question, I see an answer to it that teaches me something I didn't know. Guess I don't know everything... and never will.

[greentick]

Experience is something you get right after you need it.

[MuddyWaters]

I've been on Whiteblaze for a while and I am just freaked out by the fact that people ask for the dumbest advice like " what do I do if I get cold" or " how much should my pack weigh"'.
I'm no Sgt Rock or some military operator ( by the way ,thank you guys for your service. You are ALL heroes.) but jeeze , I learned enough in cub scouts to go on a hike without encountering disaster. Does anybody else feel this way or am I being to harsh?

Yep, your being too harsh
People new to hiking are apprehensive about everything.
All the what-ifs...
What if they are cold
what if they are wet
what if they get hurt
what if they run out of water
what if they run out of food
what if they get attacked by a deranged inbred hillbilly drunk on impure corn liquour
what about .....BEARS...
On top of that , they have no idea how far they can walk per day
they have no idea how hard it really is
they dont know what they should really wear, carry, or use
Should they listen to the bozo at REI that wants to sell them every gadget in the store, or not?

they are looking for re-assurance about just about everything

The good thing, is 1) they are smart enough to ask questions. That gives them a good chance of success. 2) it only takes a few days on a trail for them to see how paranoid they were being about everything.

[BirdBrain]

I respectfully disagree Bird Brain. There are such things as stupid questions and I've asked them.

True. I just felt like I was saying "don't ask such a stupid question". I will concede your point. I just don't want to be the guy saying so. I don't want to come off like that.

[egilbe]

True. I just felt like I was saying "don't ask such a stupid question". I will concede your point. I just don't want to be the guy saying so. I don't want to come off like that.

I had an Army instructor once, who said, "There is no such thing as a stupid question" then under his breath ("Only stupid people asking questions"). I never forgot that and it still makes me laugh thinking about it. I do research before I ask questions because of that moment in the past and in the research, I usually find the answer to my question. I often times won't answer a question without referring to the source to try to teach people to find their own answers.

[Hoofit]

Hope this isn't a dumb question but.......
Does anyone know of a backpack with helium pockets to 'lighten the load'?

[BirdBrain]

Hope this isn't a dumb question but.......
Does anyone know of a backpack with helium pockets to 'lighten the load'?

Most have pockets. What you put in them is up to you. However, made of helium? No.

[bangorme]

I invented one, but every time someone took their backpack off it disappeared.

It was a commercial failure.

[4eyedbuzzard]

I invented one, but every time someone took their backpack off it disappeared.

It was a commercial failure.

Hmm, Skyblazing?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...oudhoppers.jpg

http://d3gls0gl48g4d4.cloudfront.net...7593411852.jpg

[Traveler]

There is really no such thing as a stupid question if one doesn't know the answer. Basic questions to those with vast experience and are at the top of the Bell curve can sound "stupid". To those who are at the flat line part of the learning curve these issues are genuine. We are all new at whatever we do at some point. Think of that the next time you are in an unfamiliar airport with 6 terminals, 20 minutes to catch a flight on a regional carrier, and can't discern what route to take. Asking someone how you get to Gate F33 from the B concourse sounds kind of stupid if you know your way through the maze. Though I can make my way around O'Hare, DFW, or Atlanta with my eyes closed now, I remember how daunting it seemed when I was new to it.

As a consideration, asking basic questions has other purposes beyond looking for knowledge. Validation of an opinion, concept, or existing knowledge may be the driver for asking. Sometimes its just a place to start a conversation in something the OP can join in on at the level of experience they have. Rather like coming into a new group of people at a Christmas party, you have to start a conversation somewhere about something if you are going to participate, "does the egg nog have rum in it" is sometimes the best ice breaker.

[gbolt]

To me, the thread title is an important key. This title, "Basic Skills" means that I expected some very simplistic questions and answers. So under a thread like this, No question is to dumb, IMHO. Yet, even under this thread I have learned things. I learned Bird Brain is reflective and doesn't mean to be blunt except when on purpose. People new to hiking are just apprehensive and some threads aren't about the specific question, but a way to get their feet wet. Like Bangor, I seem to learn something from every thread I read - otherwise, I just skip the thread next time. Matter of fact, I had skipped this one and almost missed "helium pockets" and when would any of us type helium pockets into the search engine! lol Now back to my egg nog and virgin rum.

[WingedMonkey]

Sometimes there are more stupid answers than questions.