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Thread: Electronics

  1. #41
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    If you think it's all about a law, you don't understand the first think about a backwoods experience.

    interesting.....

    i explained that yeah, using law worked in shooting video in public spaces and yet you want a regulation
    to stop it on the AT....

    by that reasoning----you also don't understand the first thing (i spelled it right) about a backwoods experience....

  2. #42

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    I have no idea what your point is, except that it's clear again you have no clue what it's about.

    Do you take weekend hikes with video games and squirt guns and cell phones and consider it happy when you make it back with all batteries still pumpin juice?

  3. #43

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    For what it is worth, I don’t vlog, blog, YouTube or take a lot of pics. Use my phone to touch base with
    the office and wife few times a day, check weather and Guthooks.

    I don’t do drugs either, besides an occasional cocktail. But I’m in favor of full legalization. It’s a free country.

    It’s your sanctimony that I object to. I pity you and suggest you do the same for the people you run into with an unhealthy (perhaps) attachment to their gadgets.

    I wish you peace of mind, but not luck in this impulse to prescribe to others.

  4. #44
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    cur·mud·geon\, ker-’mej-en n [origin unknown] 1 archaic: a crusty, ill-tempered, churlish old man 2 modern: anyone who hates hypocrisy and pretense and has the temerity to say so; anyone with the habit of pointing out unpleasant facts in an engaging and humorous manner

    - I think this is from Jon Winokur's The Portable Curmudgeon. I particularly like the modern definition. Anyone remember George Carlin?

    Bronco96#, after reading your first post I really expected to fully sympathize with you, since I don't even hike with a phone. I've been on group hikes where we'd get to some great rocky overlook and instead of taking in the view, or chatting with their companions about the hike, people had their noses in their phones, and it just felt like a big letdown. But it didn't ruin my hike - I enjoyed the effort, the view, etc. The letdown was that we didn't enjoy those things together, as the others were largely paying more attention to their phones than their hiking companion or the views. But who am I to say what they should like to do at the top of a hill or mountain?

    However, you're coming across as really bitter and wanting to control how others experience the trail. It's one thing if they're filming you, or playing music loud, etc. But to the extent texting, listening to music through earbuds, checking electronic maps or GPS, taking photos, etc., only involve the person doing them, it's nobody's business but theirs. Look in another direction if it bothers you that much, but you can't live others' lives for them, nor should you try. The effort is guaranteed to be futile, which will just lead to more frustration. Instead, try leading by example and enjoy your low-tech hikes. Maybe some people will take notice and reconsider what they thought were needs.

  5. #45

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    Seasonal troll

  6. #46
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    Electronics have not ruined the AT that you experienced in 1996. I hiked ME-VA in 1976 with pen, paper, and a 110 camera. I could not afford a 35 mm. I thru hiked NOBO in 2010. I carried a digital camera and flip phone. These were two distinctly different hikes. Not because of electronics. Although in 2010 very few people carried smart phones or battery banks. In my opinion the loss of a "wilderness experience" is the result of the sheer number of hikers today versus 40 years ago. I have nothing against hikers using electronics except when they intrude. I remember stopping at the Overmountain shelter when two or three hikers came bushwacking down the mountain with their music blasting. I don't own a smart phone. I don't understand the addiction people have to their phones. I get a kick out of how hikers search out every outlet they can find to recharge their gizmos.
    More walking, less talking.

  7. #47

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    Quote Originally Posted by bronco96# View Post
    JN: You don't get it. You cannot have a "wilderness experience" when people are filming and recording all around you.

    I can't believe this topic hasn't come up on this forum already. I can't believe the ATC hasn't made some kind of regulations about this already. Do people want to have a wilderness experience or not? If they do, how can phones and video recorders be any part of that? What's next -- catering at shelters?
    Trail cameras at shelters and campsites.

  8. #48

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    If you want a "wilderness experience" you don't hike the AT. You go to an actual wilderness. But what exactly is a "wilderness experience" anyway?

    The smart phone is one of the handiest pieces of hiking equipment ever invented. It replaces all manor of things you might otherwise carry, all in one small convenient package. I can take photos to document where I've been. I can take videos if I want. It tells me exactly where I am and how far I need to go. I can read books, listen to music (the sound of wind and my feet stomping the trail gets kind of boring after a while). I can get the latest weather forecast and look at the radar which helps keep me safe. I can arrange for transportation. Finally, if I really need to, I can call for help.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  9. #49
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    Quote Originally Posted by Slo-go'en View Post
    The smart phone is one of the handiest pieces of hiking equipment ever invented. It replaces all manor of things you might otherwise carry, all in one small convenient package. I can take photos to document where I've been. I can take videos if I want. It tells me exactly where I am and how far I need to go. I can read books, listen to music (the sound of wind and my feet stomping the trail gets kind of boring after a while). I can get the latest weather forecast and look at the radar which helps keep me safe. I can arrange for transportation. Finally, if I really need to, I can call for help.

    That's all true. It is perhaps the most multi-use item a hiker will ever have. One word of caution, though - the other side of the coin is that it's a single point of failure item. Have you ever slipped and fallen? I have, and one time it resulted in a broken P&S camera. Ever had an electronic item die without warning? Run out of battery unexpectedly? Get wet and short out? I have. Had those been a smartphone on which I depended for so much, I'd be SOL. Consider how many eggs you want to put in one basket, or what backup plans you may want to have should something happen to the phone. For me, paper maps are thin, light, and never need recharging.

  10. #50
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    or what backup plans you may want to have should something happen to the phone. For me, paper maps are thin, light, and never need recharging.



    but the same could be said about paper maps------what if a paper map falls outta the pack? what if the paper map gets completely soaked
    after a ford? what if a paper map was never updated? what if a paper map wasnt correct?


    it's just shifting variables......

    and again, it's up to the individual hiker to chose which they want-----hike your own hike....

  11. #51
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    It's a personal choice. I carry a smartphone, deep inside my pack, almost exclusively for the phone call at the end of the hike that says "I'm on the way home." I'm way past worrying about what somebody does with theirs - if they want to film or photo, or talk to someone, that's fine. We can probably draw a line at loud music, use your earbuds for that. I prefer paper maps and guides, if you like yours on a blue screen, I don't care.

    And if I'm hiking a triple crown trail, I'm not expecting a wilderness experience. Is any trail a wilderness experience compared to going off trail? The AT has been very social for years, the PCT has become that way for much of the way (just check out pics of the crowds on traditional start days or early campsites). If you're really that upset about folks using electronics, I think it's up to you to find a place with less folks.

  12. #52
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    If you're really that upset about folks using electronics, I think it's up to you to find a place with less folks.


    i tried asking OP if they were forced to hike the AT or didn't realize that there were other long distance trails in the states,
    but all i got was a weak attempt at an insult instead of answers........
    Last edited by TNhiker; 07-02-2020 at 12:03.

  13. #53
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    Why stop at eliminating electronics on the trail to achieve a "wilderness experience?" Why not eliminate all shelters, privies, picnic tables, bridges, signs, and blazes?
    More walking, less talking.

  14. #54
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    What would Earl Shaffer or Grandma Gatewood think about those hikers in 1996 using all that new fangled technology? Nylon internal frame packs, down sleeping bags, leather boots with Vibram soles, well marked and maintained trail, staying at hostels, using shuttles to get to town or the trail, unexpected trail magic of cold drinks and food - where is the wilderness experience? The point is the thru hiker experience is different for different people or different times. Today's hikers are having a completely different experience than someone 10, 20, or 72 years ago because of changes in technology, the trail, and the world.
    More walking, less talking.

  15. #55

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    People throw out perspective when they post on the internet. Using one's electronic device on the internet to complain about electronic devices being used in nature. But, I want to use the power of the internet to communicate to as many people as possible, without the bother of talking to them in person, out in the wilderness. I want to take planes, and buses and cars, using GPS, listening to the radio on my way to the trail. I want to buy my equipment online, sourced from around the globe, delivered through a vast consumer network. But THIS! THIS is where I draw the line. Well, we all draw the line at slightly different places, that's what living in a society is about.

    What really annoys you about the behavior, not about the electronics, but about the behavior? Taking pictures? Was it alright when people pulled out an old Brownie camera, how about the instamatic with those super bright flash bulbs, the Polaroid instant developing cameras, was that where it went wrong? Is a phone camera really different from any of these?

    Music, videos, is that the kind of noise you've been running into? People blasting them at full volume, or are they wearing earbuds. Any different from someone playing a style of music that you maybe don't like with a guitar/ukulele/banjo around the campfire? Podcasts, how about private conversations and groups of hikers talking amongst themselves about a topic that interests them, is that also a problem?

    What is it that you really don't like? Is it that people aren't paying attention to you personally? That you've walked into a shared area on the trail, and that not enough people stopped what they were doing and greeted you properly? I hate to jump to conclusions, but that's generally what I get out of these electronics complaints threads. It's not so much that people are creating noise and light issues, it's that they ignoring you, when you feel like being social.

    I'm suggesting that this is simply the way of life when people share space. No one owes you personal interaction at any given moment. It's not a current generational thing, it's not about electronics, curmudgeons have been whining since the dawn of recorded history about kids these days. Know what's changed on the trails? A lot lot more people are using them, including me, and including you. You can enjoy the chance encounters with the people you meet, who are in the mood to chat with you, and you can smile and give space to the people who aren't interested in talking with you at the moment. Or, you can follow the grand tradition of complaining about kids these days.

    https://historyhustle.com/2500-years...er-generation/
    Last edited by Puddlefish; 07-02-2020 at 12:40.

  16. #56
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    It’s your sanctimony that I object to


    i particularly liked the part where OP put someone down for having a spelling mistake----

    then has a spelling mistake a few posts later.....

  17. #57
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    While hiking in my local park this morning I had the opportunity to face time my son and his family while they were at Baxter Peak. I know Grandma Gatewood couldn't do that, but I think it was kinda awesome.

  18. #58

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    Wow, a lot of great points in here... I am of the mindset that I love my iPhone on and off trail. It has made me and my life much more efficient.

    On trail its my GPS, map, camera (pretty darn good one at that), communicator(when cell service is available), pedometer to check milage.

    I relay more on the paper map, either printed pre trip or picked up at park office. I keep that in the fanny pack for easy access. I would say 80% of the time it works great. Sometimes if there is a trail reroute, or a hard to navigate sign it is nice to be able to see a gps location of you ovelayed on a digital map. Same goes for tracking milage via Apple Watch, If there is a road walk for say, 2 miles, its easy to see exactly how far I've walked and that i should start looking around for a trail cut in.

    I should mention I usually on go for 2-4 day adventures. Any longer I would ditch the smart watch and leave the phone in airplane mode. I only carry a 10,000mAh bank. I think thats good for 3 (6 Day+/-) recharges on the phone. I wouldn't want to waste the energy on the watch.

    I guess it bothers me when people are obnoxious with there electronics. Blasting music from a speaker on trail, loudly making phone calls at camp, watching netflix at night in their tent loudly.

  19. #59

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    For the last 6 months or so I've been doing weekly day hikes with a younger woman. (is 45 young? A lot younger then me!) We do White mountain hikes, mostly 4,000 footers and the 52WAV list. Most of the routes are in the ALLTRAILS data base and she downloads the route to her phone. The phone starts beeping when you go astray. Nice feature. It has saved us a couple of times when we accidently missed a turn and started going off route. .

    We're also guilty of playing loud music. Sorry. Okay, not really loud, just moderately loud. Not much louder then talking.

    Typically the music comes on during the decent when we're getting tired and need to put a little spring back into our step. Plus we've run out of things to talk about. I've taken to hanging a little Bluetooth amplified speaker off the back of my day pack. (Which actually sounds amazingly good. If your gonna play music, it should at least be of good quality). She broadcasts the music and if we start to get too far apart, the speaker starts to cut in and out. So I know to slow down and let her catch up. We hike on Mondays so there are typically few others on the trails we hike. If we do see someone, we mute the music although no doubt they heard us coming. We'll never see a bear or other critters too, but that's okay.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  20. #60
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    Quote Originally Posted by Slo-go'en View Post
    For the last 6 months or so I've been doing weekly day hikes with a younger woman. (is 45 young? A lot younger then me!) We do White mountain hikes, mostly 4,000 footers and the 52WAV list. Most of the routes are in the ALLTRAILS data base and she downloads the route to her phone. The phone starts beeping when you go astray. Nice feature. It has saved us a couple of times when we accidently missed a turn and started going off route. .

    We're also guilty of playing loud music. Sorry. Okay, not really loud, just moderately loud. Not much louder then talking.

    Typically the music comes on during the decent when we're getting tired and need to put a little spring back into our step. Plus we've run out of things to talk about. I've taken to hanging a little Bluetooth amplified speaker off the back of my day pack. (Which actually sounds amazingly good. If your gonna play music, it should at least be of good quality). She broadcasts the music and if we start to get too far apart, the speaker starts to cut in and out. So I know to slow down and let her catch up. We hike on Mondays so there are typically few others on the trails we hike. If we do see someone, we mute the music although no doubt they heard us coming. We'll never see a bear or other critters too, but that's okay.
    That's awesome! I like it!

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