Trail Groove article: Technology on the trail

[Mags]

Shameless plug for an article I wrote about technology on the trail. May be of interest?

http://www.trailgroove.com/issue16.html?autoflip=49

[Feral Bill]

Good article. I remain appalled at peoples addiction to this nonsense, even as I walk around with a cell phone in my pocket. Fortunately, the back country in my region is devoid of reception.

[Another Kevin]

Good article!

The extent of the distaste that some people have for these devices baffles me. I leave mine in "Airplane Mode" essentially all the time I'm out, because otherwise the fact that I'm out of range causes it to burn the battery trying to find a tower. That means that the device will never interrupt me on the trail unless I'm using it as an alarm clock.

I mostly dislike wearing a headset on the trail, so I'm essentially never using the phone as a music player. If it isn't playing, it can't annoy anyone else with my tunes.

I often have an ebook or six on it, several alternative maps of the area that I'm hiking, a note-taking application, and of course I use the camera function (particularly if I haven't brought a separate camera). Personally, I don't see how that's different in principle from reading a book, consulting a map, taking field notes, or photography done with a less high-tech device, other than the fact that I'd be carrying a greater weight of paper. (I still bring at least one topo map of the region I'm hiking, a magnetic compass, and a wristwatch, so don't get on me about using GPS as a crutch!)

I do, when I get onto a high ridge where I think I might be able to find a signal, turn the radios on long enough to send a text message to my wife, in the interest of domestic tranquility. (She worries!) This happens about once a day. As Mags suggests, I treat it about the same way as I'd treat a side trip to dig a hole; don't do it in front of people, don't discuss the proceedings unless others have a direct interest (as in, "I got ahold of my wife, and she'll be happy to shuttle us," or similar information), and generally pretend it didn't happen.

But some people that I meet tell me it ruins their wilderness experience even to discover that the thing is in my pack. Is it rude to bring a phone out to use it as a camera, or look something up in a wildflower guide?

[moytoy]

Nice article Mags. Humans have been carrying radios to the tops of mountains to receive and transmit for longer than most of us have been alive. I now carry one myself. I have a new one that will be here next week. (9 oz) Do I string up my antenna in a shelter? No, and I go out of my way to stay away from others when I'm transmitting or receiving but I'm not going to apologize to a hiker who hangs around to listen just so he can complain. A cell phone is nothing more than a radio. The only difference is that anybody who wants one can have one.

[rocketsocks]

I'm having trouble accessing trail groove on my devise, so I'll read the article when I return home, now that said I can comment on the topic as it's one that has come up before, and I do have an opinion, go figure. I like technology ie; smart phones (computers really) with the ability for two way communication. When someone says "I saw a guy using his phone at a vista, and it ruined my trip" I think, wow, did it really ruin your trip, or would you have just prefered not to have that happen. When I read a post about someone journaling in a shelter on a smart phone and how this shouldn't be allowed, I think, dude are you serious! When we express ourselves on line, it's easy to use stronger words than we might otherwise in person, so when we say my whole trip was ruined, do we mean ruined, or do we mean " I saw a guy using his phone, and that style is not for me" just a thought.

[rocketsocks]

If the answer is "ruined, completely ruin my trip" than to that I say...you really need to get out more, maybe take a hike.

[Likeapuma]

I can't understand how me taking out my silenced/airplane-moded cellphone to take a picture is any different than someone else taking out a camera? Especially a big fancy camera with a tripod lol.

[Havana]

I'm just getting back into backpacking after decades away but I can't imagine not using smartphones like I use any other piece of new technology including these great internal frame packs and ultra light tents. Love the maps and the guides and the connection to home. Sure, there are folks who use technology inappropriately whether they're in an AT shelter or on the 5:25 out of Grand Central Station. Do people actually know that you don't have to yell in order for people to hear you? Do they know that I can hear the music coming out of the speaker tied to their backpack? Do they know that if they do that crap after dark at a campsite we're going to have words? That said, at the end of the day it all comes down to a principle that all of you have taught me: HYOH.

[Mags]

I honestly believe if people used the "bathroom principle", a lot of these discussions would not have to be had.

OTOH, I truly believe the electronic leash is going to be more and more pronounced in the years ahead. More and more people are on-call (outside of medical and other truly important services) and expected to be reached on vacation.

[Havana]

I'm one of those people. Of course, it cuts both ways. In a world of "work-life integration" I'm not expected to be at my desk between 9 and 5 but I am expected to answer the phone whenever it rings. That said, if I did a thru hike I'd untether myself from all that. Sadly, I live the life of a section hiker (for now).

[Old_Man]

I recently received an iphone--a gift, not something I purchased for myself. I'm not a Luddite but I don't get obsessed with technology the way many other young people do. The last time I went out for a multi-day backpacking trip, I listened to some quiet jazz while I was setting up camp and enjoying a glass of whiskey round the fire. Did I need the cell phone/radio? No, but it was nice having a little music to listen to. Later when I managed to locate a signal, I was able to call home and check in. Again, not absolutely necessary but I was alone and it was nice hearing a familiar voice after being out in the woods for a few days.

It seems like there are a lot of gizmos being marketed to outdoorsy people now, particularly since there are solar charges that you can strap to your backpack. I'm all for hike your own hike but I like to hike light and a lot of that stuff is heavy.

[10-K]

If you hike solo, or pseudo-solo, it's a non-issue.

[Pedaling Fool]

I honestly believe if people used the "bathroom principle", a lot of these discussions would not have to be had.

...but, but, people have Rights...

There are many people that feel this way and when they are confronted with this principle they are actually offended. What can you do...

So much for etiquette

[rocketsocks]

I honestly believe if people used the "bathroom principle", a lot of these discussions would not have to be had.

...what is the bathroom principal? I keep getting google stories of...well, never mind. but it ain't pretty.

[Another Kevin]

I'm one of those people. Of course, it cuts both ways. In a world of "work-life integration" I'm not expected to be at my desk between 9 and 5 but I am expected to answer the phone whenever it rings. That said, if I did a thru hike I'd untether myself from all that. Sadly, I live the life of a section hiker (for now).

I hike a lot in places where coverage is entirely nonexistent. Someone else had better be 'on call' when I'm out of range. Even the doctors and emergency workers arrange for people to take their calls when they're off duty. And few managers are actually willing to come right out and say, "Yes, I expect you to be available all the time, even when I'm not paying you." In fact, if you pitch it right, it comes across as responsible: "If we never put them on the spot, how will we know if Joe and Sally can handle issues if God forbid I get run over by a truck?"

Of course, this doesn't work if you actually do work for a psychopath. But in general, good luck with that. Giving in to a psychopath's demands simply invites more abuse. I had a gig like that some years ago. I did a total "by the book" on it - wound up writing to my division VP, the head of HR at my site, and the customer's boss requesting a specific weekend off - six months in advance. Everyone said, "you don't have to do that!" I replied, "I have reason to believe that I do, and I'm continuing to request written permission to take off that specific weekend for travel." I was stubborn enough that I got written permission. I left a formal call plan for who would take my calls for what responsibilities.

I sent a reminder to all concerned two weeks before the date. Again, it was, "You don't need permission to take time off on a weekend!" I replied again, "I have reason to believe that I do."

Of course, when the date actually came, the customer simply tried to call me and then had a temper tantrum when I didn't pick up the phone immediately - called my boss's boss in a range demanding to know where I was and why I wasn't available. This turned out to be an eye-opener about how he was treating my team. The end result was that it cost the customer a LOT of money when the contract came up for renewal. He knew he couldn't do without us, and wound up paying a much higher rate than our standard scale.

I also started being able to get away with saying things like, "I thought this issue looked familiar, and went back into the logs. I found that I'd signed an engineering change order on an emergency basis at two AM last Christmas Eve addressing it. It appears that you still haven't actually deployed the change. The problem was important enough for you to drag me out of bed on Christmas, and eight months later it was important enough for you to drag me out of bed on my vacation. It's puzzling that in the intervening eight months it was not important enough for you to order your technicians to deploy the change during routine down time."

The day after that, the guy called me with another question, and his boss came into the room remembering the previous contract negotiation (and the fact that my boss had called him up to warn that the situation was not improving). The boss guy said to the customer, "Is that Kevin on the speakerphone? You have two minutes to get off the phone with him. Then see me in my office."

(It took another couple of years, but we eventually fired the customer. We preferred ones that actually paid the bills and didn't abuse our staff.)

[Another Kevin]

...what is the bathroom principal? I keep getting google stories of...well, never mind. but it ain't pretty.

Treat using a phone like going to the bathroom. You don't do it in the middle of a group of other hikers or at a table in a restaurant. You excuse yourself and step away from the group, because nobody wants to see or hear either activity.

[rocketsocks]

Treat using a phone like going to the bathroom. You don't do it in the middle of a group of other hikers or at a table in a restaurant. You excuse yourself and step away from the group, because nobody wants to see or hear either activity.

aaah, I couldn't get my mind past flush it, Thanks Kelvin

[rafe]

It's just another tool. I started hiking in the 1970s, long before cell phones existed... so I didn't miss them. Didn't get my first cell phone till about 2002 or so, and my first "usable" smart phone less than a year ago.

I use the phone to keep in contact with my wife on multi-day hikes. She's a nervous Nellie, wants to hear from me. She understands that there will be days when I can't call. I've also used it to make contact with shuttlers and other service providers at road crossings.

Phone is off except when I choose to make a connection, usually in the evening, or sometimes at a high open peak where a signal is likely.

If battery life were not an issue, I'd use it for other things as well -- for music, maybe as a camera, e-book reader at camp, etc. On short hikes I may leave it on and use it as a camera. For local hikes (near my home) I've found the navigation features extremely useful. Just finding the trailhead is often a battle!

[rafe]

Just as an aside, the photography in TrailGroove is beautiful!

[Tuckahoe]

I can just imagin a tavern in Venice, about 1210AD and that crusty ol sailor bitching and whinin about those damn young hot shot sailors and their new fangled compass...