I wish I knew that cotton underwear would cause brutal chafing.
I wish I knew that boots weren't necessary if I kept my pack weight low.
I wish I knew that nutrition mattered.
Rambo knife? The kids these days tell me it's a Bear Grylls knife!Originally Posted by dcdennis
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
Originally Posted by Dogwood
I wish I had known that I didn't need to know what everyone told me I needed to know.
"How can new hikers learn to hike from reputable resources without being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of opinions and advice? Is there someone or some resource that's really teaching it right?"
You're proving my first post. How can a beginner deem resources reputable or applicable in the first place? How do beginners get to the place to know when enough opinions and advice is sufficient to eventually just go backpacking?
Some resources, probably most, aren't reputable or individually applicable. I wasn't able to rightly distinguish which resources were reputable or not, generally applicable or not, until I gained my own on trail experiences sense of trail self. Pre first really long hike, I initially spent too much time, often stressed out, concerning myself with what everyone thought or offered as information. Much of it wasn't immediately applicable once the boots were on the ground, and even now only some of it, less than 5o % is, which was only determined after I got to I KNOW MYSELF, WHAT I WAS ABOUT, and WHAT I WANTED FROM ON TRAIL BACKPACKING EXPERIENCES.
Also, some resources communicate from an over inflated sense of being an authority, which Newbies can have a hard time detecting, offering oodles of rigid 'this is how it's done' opinions. In actuality they are communicating how they or their cadre approach backpacking or how backpacking is generally traditionally currently conducted in specific situations like on specific trails, in specific seasons, employing specific gear, specific sheltering choices, employing UL/conventional/fast and light/get er dun/etc approaches. Sometimes these opinions/approaches are tacitly disseminated as "the rule" particularly among the cyber hiking community and within cyber space and are easily leeched onto by Newbies. I would say the majority of resources are well intentioned but misguided who want to help Newbies but can commonly leave little room for the beginning hiker's evolution to find out what works best individually which is one of the most appealing aspects for many that backpack.
There's lots of room for different opinions and approaches to backpacking. There is rarely a one right way or one wrong way for all people all the time within this activity. Backpacking isn't a game with definitive rules like baseball or football. The gate to backpacking is wide with room for many. Backpacking is not best experienced from reading about it, seeing pictures of someone else doing it, or talking about it. At some point you just have to go and find the way that works best for yourself while being observant, open to new ideas/approaches/learning, considering, and then assimilating or walking away from information. This, IMHO, again is one of the most appealing aspects of non organized non group backpacking. You have to make personal decisions about it, have personal responsibility, and think about how you're going to be yourself.
So, who are the reputable resources you might ask? I can tell you that if you're humbly open willing to learn it can hit you surprisingly from some unexpected sources. Generally though, IMO these are the ones who have been there done it and yet have the ability to succinctly provide info and options without being overly rigid leaving aspiring backpackers/hikers/walkers the space to individually evolve to Hike Their Own hike. They are the people who lead me to the Kool Aid by way of a few bread crumbs but don't force me to drink it all and haven't spiked it too ridgidly with their brand of backpacking. Who can ultimately be the best determiner of what is best for the individual hiker?... the individual hiker.
I wish I knew before I laid out big bucks for a pair of handmade Limmer boots that all the grief I had had with other boots and shoes could have been avoided by wearing Chacos. Of course, I think that was a year before the founding of Chaco. But once I learned that you can even carry big packs up steep mountains wearing sandals, my life changed forever.
Take not what you want but only what you need....less is better!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
There are so many good books and resources nowadays to get started.
But the best way to learn is by doing. Do a simple overnight, close to home, in fair weather. Take notes of what works and what doesn't. Build on your successes, learn from your mistakes. Simple common sense goes a long way.
BTW, KC Fiedler welcome back. Haven't seen you posting in awhile. I enjoyed some back and forth on other threads with you offering insight and depth of content.
From what I recall on other threads you started or had made comments you seemed to have yourself pretty well put together already even reminding me or straightening out some things I had muddled. You sounded like one who already had much of the things stated here some-what dialed in for yourself.
I assume your thread here is about gleaning evolving more.
I encountered a person on their 2nd day of first time ever trip recently. Had this discussion with them for a while.
They were surprised how much everything cost. And were already thinking all their gear was too heavy. When the guy at rei told them they could save 1 lb on a tent for another $100, they said no way, but we're already wishing they had spent more money on lighter gear. No one told them how hard it would be (3 miles first day) how that clothing doesn't dry overnight in Appalachians (washed clothing and it stayed wet), or that they didn't need backup everything, including clothing
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 10-21-2016 at 22:51.
Slow down on your pace. Take a few deep breathes. Enjoy the silence that surrounds you. See the beauty of a shower of leaves as they fall and rest on the Earth.
I have been keeping an eye on the forum but haven't been posting in a while. It's always fun to get involved again.
As you may know, I'm an outdoor educator by trade (backpacking trip leader and full time ski instructor) and I'm thinking more and more about how I can better help serve educating those new to backpacking. Trying to get as much feedback and insight as I can from the community with the hopes of being able to improve my own educational skills.
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
1) weigh everything
2) buy the best you can afford
3) priorities: safe, dry, warm
4) train, train, train
5) lose a much weight as practical before starting
6) test everything on overnight hikes
7) accept everybody suffers.....
Just like you'd consider, weigh, test, challenge, and reconsider pretty much anything else you read on the Internet.
Books are good, too. I give them more credence than web sites. The best test is personal experience. Read up, decide what you think is best. Go out and test it. More than once, preferably, unless it's a dismal failure. Keep a journal of what works and what doesn't.
Trail journals are another good source of info.
Forums are good for personal stories, gauging opinions, getting a feel for what's popular. "Fact" is often subjective, particularly with regard to hiking, walking, trekking etc. It really comes down to, whatever works for you.
Buy good gear but no need to go crazy at first. It's not the gear, it's the skills and attitude that matter most.
IMO one of the best resources online is Andrew Skurka. The guy knows long and short-distance backpacking intimately and his website is pretty comprehensive:
http://andrewskurka.com/
Erik the Black http://blackwoodspress.com/blog/ is also a good place to start, and Philip over at http://sectionhiker.com/ has some great recommendations and advice.
I wish I had known that you don't have to eat carbage like top ramen noodles and pop tarts. Being just sugar and no nutrition, hey just make you sick and ravenous. There are better, more ancestral options.
The romanticism of a hike may not be equivalent to the daily rigors.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I've been watching this thread and struggling to figure out if there is anything I wish I had known when I started.
1) I don't remember when I started because I was too young.
2) I've learned things and continue to learn things along the way that allow me to do more things better and more enjoyably.
But, I can't think of ANYTHING that I wished I had known when I started. The journey has been and continues to be inspiring and rewarding. I can't think of any bad experiences or false expectations that I would like to have been able to change with more/earlier knowledge. Acquiring the knowledge has been central to my joy along the way.
Nope, I thought of something. I wish I had realized earlier in my life how important it is to get out and follow your passion, even if it is not a passion shared in the same way by others that are close and dear to you. Sometimes, more often than may be comfortable, you just gotta go do it.
I'm not lost. I'm exploring.
Never wet your sleeping system . Sorry never get it wet
thom
Bibles, guns, and those huge fixed 'survival' knives, get sent home from Neel Gap and Monson. The hiker box at Shaws in June is a treasure chest.2. If you had to guess the single most-often ditched piece of gear carried by new hikers, what would it be?
Teej
"[ATers] represent three percent of our use and about twenty percent of our effort," retired Baxter Park Director Jensen Bissell.
A thru hike turns in hard, hard work. Day after day after day of hard work with an occasional day off. Yes, it can be fun. It can be interesting. It helps you meet people (briefly) who can inspire you to keep going. But in the long run, it is hard work.
Less weight.
Getting into towns that are off-trail isn't really that hard.
Old Hiker
AT Hike 2012 - 497 Miles of 2184
AT Thru Hiker - 29 FEB - 03 OCT 2016 2189.1 miles
Just because my teeth are showing, does NOT mean I'm smiling.
Hányszor lennél inkább máshol?
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
