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  1. #181
    GA - Central PA 1977
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tin Man View Post
    Disagree with what? I quoted the definition of stunt and said all thru's are stunts. Maybe a few exceptional thrus fall under definition #2, but normal thrus fall under #1 with a some elements of #2.
    But definition #1 doesn`t apply to a thru..Words can have anywhere from 1-10 meanings and not all the meanings apply to that word in all circumstances (For example the word "set" has probably 10 unrelated meanings)... The definition of "stunt" given in #1 applies to a single momentary act involving physical prowess...i.e. the example they give of an acrobatic move...Only the second definition would apply to a thru IF it was done to draw attention to something or someone
    Sometimes you can't hear them talk..Other times you can.
    The same old cliches.."Is that a woman or a man?"
    You always seem out-numbered..You don't dare make a stand.

  2. #182
    Registered User ChinMusic's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by minnesotasmith View Post
    Those are totally different disabilities.
    Absolutely.

    Tony Volpentest has shown how successful a runner can be without lower legs. If fact it may be possible, with prosthetics, to achieve superior speeds compared to able-bodied athletes.


  3. #183

    Angry Reliance on a GPS -- Not Such a Big Deal

    For those who question whether it's safe to hike with total reliance on a GPS device, I guess none of you fly commercial. It's absolutely no different than a pilot relying on nav aids through zero visibility, and up to just a few miles visibility on takeoff and landing.

    Private pilots pursuing their Instrument Rating are all too familiar with the fogged-over goggles they have to wear while in air, in motion, and rely and trust entirely on just a few dials worth of instrumentation. Challenging, yes, impossible? Clearly hundreds of thousands of safe flights every year prove it is not.

    To be sure, this blind hiker will have challenges. But clearly, based on his outdoorsman experience already, he is an independent spirit and not afraid of difficult challenges.

    I wish him great success on his journey. He's already half-way done, making REALLY good time too, so clearly he's up for it.

    I'm just really shocked at all the nay-sayers here.

    You would think, if anyone would "get it" -- what challenges and being a free spirit unafraid to experience adventure -- it would be hikers.

    (I'm sure the same folks criticized the teenage kid who climbed Mt. Everest earlier this year and the teenage girl who attempted to sail around the world. Stunning. These people are all MY heroes!)

  4. #184
    Registered User ChinMusic's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by grabird View Post
    For those who question whether it's safe to hike with total reliance on a GPS device, I guess none of you fly commercial. It's absolutely no different than a pilot relying on nav aids through zero visibility, and up to just a few miles visibility on takeoff and landing.
    Oh brother...........
    Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.

  5. #185
    Springer - Front Royal Lilred's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by grabird View Post
    For those who question whether it's safe to hike with total reliance on a GPS device, I guess none of you fly commercial. It's absolutely no different than a pilot relying on nav aids through zero visibility, and up to just a few miles visibility on takeoff and landing.

    Private pilots pursuing their Instrument Rating are all too familiar with the fogged-over goggles they have to wear while in air, in motion, and rely and trust entirely on just a few dials worth of instrumentation. Challenging, yes, impossible? Clearly hundreds of thousands of safe flights every year prove it is not.

    To be sure, this blind hiker will have challenges. But clearly, based on his outdoorsman experience already, he is an independent spirit and not afraid of difficult challenges.

    I wish him great success on his journey. He's already half-way done, making REALLY good time too, so clearly he's up for it.

    I'm just really shocked at all the nay-sayers here.

    You would think, if anyone would "get it" -- what challenges and being a free spirit unafraid to experience adventure -- it would be hikers.

    (I'm sure the same folks criticized the teenage kid who climbed Mt. Everest earlier this year and the teenage girl who attempted to sail around the world. Stunning. These people are all MY heroes!)
    flying a plane is absolutely no different than hiking the AT??? Hmmmm I don't think there is anywhere up in the air, where if you misstep just a couple of inches in one direction, would cause you to plummett 100 feet over a sheer rock wall. No GPS is going to be that accurate, or know where all those 100 foot drops are located. Flying a plane and hiking the AT are absolutely NOT the same thing.

    And didn't some teenager just die on Mt. Everest within this last week? he couldn't make it down and his team had to leave him to die. Is he your hero too??

    Encouraging a complete stranger, whom you know nothing about, to do something that could conceivably kill them, or cause great bodily harm, is not, imho, good advice. Add to the equation a significant disability like blindness, and it would be negligent not to warn about all the possible problems from people that know the AT intimately.

    I have hiked some of the AT. I know there are places where a step to the left and you drop straight down 50-100 feet and at the same place, a step right would cause you to slide down a mountain 100 feet over a sheer rock face. Now you and I could probably fair ok on the slide, but someone without sight might wonder just where and into what he slid. BIG difference and a GPS is useless in that situation.

    Relying too much on technology in an activity that could kill you, is never a wise choice and certainly not any advice I would give. You mention how you think hikers who 'get it' would be more supportive? It's because we know what's out there. We know what he's up against, and we know a gps isn't going to tell him about that cliff that is right next to him.

    Bill Irwin hiked the trail and relyed on his dog and other people. To say you are going to rely soley on a gps, is not something I would encourage.

    Of course, I still hope he makes it and am rooting him on.
    "It was on the first of May, in the year 1769, that I resigned my domestic happiness for a time, and left my family and peaceable habitation on the Yadkin River, in North Carolina, to wander through the wilderness of America." - Daniel Boone

  6. #186

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    No seriously, have we become a nation full of pansies?

    Just 250 years ago, 10 and 12 year olds were getting on ships for 7-8 month voyages at sea to land on a foreign land where they knew no one, had no money, and no promise of survival.

    But today, everyone is so concerned about living forever.

    News flash: YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE, sooner or later.

    Life is meant to be LIVED and enjoyed to the fullest. I will NEVER deny someone their right to fulfill their dreams, andI will always encourage them to the fullest extent possible. Yes, including strangers, and yes, including those whose dreams involve life-threatening risk.

    If you're so concerned with a perfect, safe life, stay home and crawl into a corner in a fetal position.

    Seriously, some of you have significantly lowered my expectations for the kinds of people I would find along the A.T. Where I thought I would adventurous spirits, I'm hearing self-righteous naysayers who think only they alone are experienced and qualified to pursue and live their dreams.

    Disgusting.

  7. #187
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    Quote Originally Posted by grabird View Post
    Seriously, some of you have significantly lowered my expectations for the kinds of people I would find along the A.T. Where I thought I would adventurous spirits, I'm hearing self-righteous naysayers who think only they alone are experienced and qualified to pursue and live their dreams.

    Disgusting.
    Please wear I label saying "grabird" so I can avoid you. You seem like the type I would like to avoid.

    I guess I'm bored. PLEASE enlighten us how saying hiking with a GPS while blind is like flying a plane on instruments only.

    I think I will enjoy the laugh.

    Oh, and are you a troll?
    Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.

  8. #188

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    Calling me a "troll"... (God, you're one of THOSE people huh?)

    I shouldn't waste another second on you. But on the chance that you're not stupid but just ignorant...

    When flying a plane using instrument flight only, you do not rely on ANY visual reference. You are 100% dependent on instrumentation: a heading indicator (telling you which direction you're headed), altimeter (telling you your altitude), attitude indicator (whether you're level or not), radios (for communication and direction to nav aids), and turn coordinator (telling you how well you are performing a turn). Air traffic controllers simply advise you when you are off course and whether to speed up or slow down to avoid other traffic. THAT'S IT. You are TOTALLY flying blind and entirely dependent on instrumentation. (Which is WHY, during Instrument training, you are asked to wear goggles that effectively fog out all of your window views, all you can see is the instrument panel).

    As part of a non-Instrument rating exam, a new pilot may also be asked to try this, just to see how they react. I know because I went through it. It requires an incredible amount of faith and trust in your instruments and the instructor/examiner (who acts as the air traffic controller). If you get that, you passed your flight test, and they're just letting you have a taste for IFR rating, your next step.

    This is what killed JFK Jr., because he was not rated for it and got into nighttime total fog conditions over the ocean. He did not know HOW to rely on his instruments and put his total trust in them.

    This hiker did trial tests to insure that he GPS was super accurate, and he's got a long 10' walking cane and knows how to hear 100X better than you and I, able to distinguish the sound of a trodden or clear path vs. brush, and obviously able to identify cliff edges. He's also prepared by analyzing every single FOOT of the pathway (with help) and detailing exactly where he needs to be extra cautious. He's also got a film crew with him during the more dangerous areas.

    People who persue adventure understand the risk, but take measures to minimize their risk. Just like you do, I'm sure, by preparing for a hike. Just like smart motorcycles riders who take safety training and wear proper gear at all times. Just like people who climb Mt. Everest and pick the best possible teams who maintain radio contact and hire the most experienced Sherpas (like the teen kid did to achieve his 7-summits goal).

    If you watched the Discovery series on Mt. Everest, you even saw an asthmatic try to reach the summit w/o oxygen, to prove to the world that it could be done. He risked DEATH. They even PASSED a guy on the way down who was DYING right there in front of them (but he was already essentially gone). The asthmatic trusted the team leader and stopped short of the summit. A second climber, a DOUBLE-AMPUTEE, made it to the summit (only to lose all his fingers and above both knees to frost-bite).

    Why do people do this? Because LIFE is MEANT TO BE LIVED. It isn't safe. It isn't guaranteed. And ALL of it is RISK. (You probably don't give it a second thought when driving past me at a net of 100mph+ with just a 1/8" high line between us, but I could EASILY swerve and KILL YOU with a head on collision. THAT'S more risk that you don't give a second thought to, even though you do it several thousand times a day, than a blind hiker who has prepared extensively for his goal.)

    Whatever dude. I'm sure you don't represent the majority of hikers. And I'm sure I'll never run into you on any trails. With your kind of attitude, karma will take care of you long before I'd ever need to.

  9. #189

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    All in all, just after seeing the tread title, and not reading any of the thread, I would just like to say I would prefer to hike with a talking dog and no GPS.

  10. #190
    Registered User ChinMusic's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by grabird View Post
    This hiker did trial tests to insure that he GPS was super accurate, and he's got a long 10' walking cane and knows how to hear 100X better than you and I, able to distinguish the sound of a trodden or clear path vs. brush, and obviously able to identify cliff edges. He's also prepared by analyzing every single FOOT of the pathway (with help) and detailing exactly where he needs to be extra cautious. He's also got a film crew with him during the more dangerous areas.
    Yes he does doesn't he?

    His whole shtick is hiking the AT blind with only a GPS to prove something. It's not MY shtick. Read his site.

    He is tackling a VERY difficult task but it is NOT with GPS only. I cannot imagine doing what he is doing. IMO the GPS is helpful but without the help of a sighted human or dog he could not through the difficult parts. And there is NOTHING wrong with that. A GPS, no matter how accurate, is not going to be accurate enough when a 6-inch error can kill you.

    Remember it isn't the posters on WB that set up parameters. It was Mike.

    Many of the posters on WB simply said the GPS was not going to be enough and that the sight of another human or dog would be needed.

    Above in red you state JUST THAT.
    Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.

  11. #191
    Registered User ChinMusic's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BigFoot2002 View Post
    I would just like to say I would prefer to hike with a talking dog and no GPS.
    Absolutely. A GPS alone is not gonna cut it. Even grabird states this.

    I work with the blind through our Lions Club. I know from personal experience that the blind are utilizing GPS technology with GREAT success in urban settings. They are no longer locked into set patterns requiring great memory.

    I just wish Mike would emphasise how important his crew is in getting him through, as grabird states, "dangerous areas" and that the GPS is not sufficient for these areas.
    Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.

  12. #192
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    stunt hikes will always be a part of the AT. at least the views are always the same

  13. #193
    Registered User ChinMusic's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lone Wolf View Post
    stunt hikes will always be a part of the AT. at least the views are always the same
    Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.

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