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Unwritten Rules of Backpacking with Buddies


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Home Forums General Forums General Lightweight Backpacking Discussion Unwritten Rules of Backpacking with Buddies

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Viewing 22 posts - 76 through 97 (of 97 total)
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  • #1552566
    EndoftheTrail
    BPL Member

    @ben2world-2

    Four pages of posts (and counting) is a lot to write about unwritten rules!

    #1552581
    Sarah Kirkconnell
    BPL Member

    @sarbar

    Locale: Homesteading On An Island In The PNW

    Sigh…here is why we go solo in groups:
    Like many, I eat such a strict diet no one else wants to eat my way (my food is so low sodium most would be looking for a salt lick). I hike with vegans, gluten free diets, meat only (oh the tales about Sausage Boy! Never have I seen a man eat so many wieners in a sitting), raw food fans, people allergic to dairy, gahh….the list is so long I wouldn't want to go on. Basically, by being responsible for your own food you know exactly how much you need. To the 1/4 ounce. No one is hungry due to a partner developing a thru-hiker appetite.

    Don't get me wrong – when I go with my husband and son we share one stove and pot. That is different. For them I cook for all of us. But they will eat what I can eat.

    Most of us don't do dishes. Lets say that the FBC method was adopted by most.

    Shelters? This is a tricky area. I will share with my son and husband and as well with Dicentra on a cold night. I don't with others. This is simple: many of us are married and we hike with people who are not our SO's. It is respectful to those at home that boundaries are established. Yes, I am old fashioned. I wouldn't like it if my husband shared a tent with another lady, so when out with my male friends I sleep in my own tent. And frankly? Since most of us go out alone or with random people, all of us have plenty of solo shelters vs doubles. Doubles really only make sense if you hike with the same partner over and over. It works for us and there has never been any issues over the years.

    Camp chores? Set up shelter. Get water. Cook dinner. Go tie off Ursack. Go to bed. Not that much to share really. We share water and Ursack duties often as mentioned.

    #1552585
    Jay Wilkerson
    BPL Member

    @creachen

    Locale: East Bay

    Here's one–If we take my truck my buddies will pay for gas–If we take one of my other friends car then me and my other buddy will pay for gas. That's fair becuase of the ware and tare on the vehicle-right? We also play cards (Hearts) who ever looses takes out the trash (everybody's trash) and then also pay for burgers at In-N-Out…To be honest I am a very bad card player so I end up carrying out the trash and paying for alot of Double, Doubles. I am not complaining too much..Its all good!!

    #1552620
    Art Sandt
    Member

    @artsandt

    What's with the widespread fear of pee? It's not gonna kill somebody to pee on the plant two feet away from your tent, and it seems really inconvenient to bring a Howard Hughes-esque bottle just to have to walk 100 yards away from your tent every few hours, dump your pee waste, and walk back to camp. Trust me, the animals don't know and won't follow your defacatory rules, and a little pee in the soil never hurt anyone. Ah well, my list:

    Always have a positive attitude, even if your partner doesn't.

    All unsolicited hiking/packing/gear advice stops at the trailhead.

    Everyone is responsible for their own shelter/cooking/food unless agreed upon beforehand (which of course it often is in groups, but the default is still for individual preparedness)

    Don't do anything your hiking partner wouldn't do.

    Plan the trip with your hiking partner beforehand. Failure to do so may result in mutiny.

    #1552912
    Denis Hazlewood
    BPL Member

    @redleader

    Locale: Northern California

    Jay,

    I agree, farting in the woods is one very good reason to backpack in the first place.

    #1553122
    Andy Bailey
    BPL Member

    @andybailey

    Locale: The Great Plains

    Someone wrote an article on this very subject, in very humorous fashion: Here it is in its entirety:

    Expedition Behavior
    The Finer Points
    Howard Tomb
    A good expedition team is like a powerful, well-oiled, finely tuned marriage. Members cook meals together, carry burdens together and face challenges together.
    A bad expedition, on the other hand, is an awkward, ugly, embarrassing thing characterized by bickering, filth, frustration and burned food.
    Nearly all bad expeditions have one thing in common: poor expedition behavior (EB). This is true even if team members follow the stated rules, such as Don’t Step on the Rope, Kerosene and Food, No Soap in the River, No Raccoons in the Tent, Keep your Ice Axe Out of My Eye, etc.
    Unfortunately, too many rules of expedition behavior remain unspoken. Some leaders seem to assume that their team members already have strong and generous characters like their own. But judging from a few of the campers we’ve encountered, more rules ought to be spelled out. Here are ten of them.

    RULE #1 Get out of bed.
    Suppose your tentmates get up early to fetch water and fire up the stove while you lie comatose in your sleeping bag. As they run an extensive equipment check, pack gear and fix your breakfast, they hear you start to snore. Last night you were their buddy; now they’re drawing up list of things about you that make them want to spit. They will devise cruel punishments for you. You have earned them. The team concept is now defunct. Had you gotten out of bed, nobody would have had to suffer.

    RULE #2 Do not be cheerful before breakfast.
    Some people wake up perky and happy as fluffy bunny rabbits. They put stress on those who wake up mean as rabid wolverines. Exhortations such as “Rise and shine, sugar!” and “Greet the dawn, pumkin!” have been known to provoke pungent words from rabid wolverine types. These curses, in turn, may offend fluffy bunny types. Indeed, they are issued with the sincere intent to offend. Thus, the day begins with flying fur and hurt feelings. The best early morning behavior is simple: Be quiet.

    RULE #3 Do not complain.
    About anything. Ever. It’s ten below zero, visibility is four inches and wind driven hailstones are embedding themselves in your face like shotgun pellets. Must you mention it? Do you think your friends haven’t noticed the weather? Make a suggestion. Tell a joke. Lead a prayer. Do NOT lodge a complaint! Your pack weighs 87 pounds and your cheap backpack straps are – surprise!, surprise!, – cutting into your flesh. Were you promised a personal sherpa? Did somebody cheat you out of a mule team? If you can’t carry your weight, get a motorhome.

    RULE #4 Learn to cook at least one thing right.
    One expedition trick is so old that it is no longer amusing: on the first cooking assignment, the clever cook prepares a dish that resembles, say, Burnt Socks in Toxic Waste Sauce. The cook hopes to be relieved permanently from cooking duties. This is the childish approach to a problem that’s been with us since people first started throwing dead lizards on the fire. Tricks are not a part of a team spirit. If you don’t like to cook, say so. Offer to wash dishes and prepare the one thing you do know how to cook. Even if it’s only tea. Remember that talented camp cooks sometimes get invited to join major expeditions in Nepal, all expenses paid.

    RULE #5 Either A) Shampoo, or B) Do not remove your hat for any reason.
    After a week or so on the trail, without shampooing, hair forms angry little clumps and wads. These leave the person beneath looking like an escapee from a mental ward. Such and appearance could shake a team’s confidence in your judgment. If you can’t shampoo, pull a wool hat down over your ears and leave it there, night and day, for the entire expedition.

    RULE #6 Do not ask if anybody’s seen your stuff.
    Experienced adventures have systems for organizing their gear. They very rarely leave it strewn around camp or lying back on the trail. One of the worst things you can do is ask your teammate if they’ve seen the tent poles you thought you packed 20 miles ago. Even in the unlikely event you get home alive, you will not be invited on the next trip. Should you ever leave the tent poles 20 miles away, do not ask if anybody’s seem them. Simply announce, with a good-natured chuckle, that you are about to set off in the dark on a 40 mile hike to retrieve them, and that you are sorry. It’s unprofessional to lose your spoon or your toothbrush. If something like that happens, don’t mention it to anyone.

    RULE #7 Never ask where you are.
    If you want to know where you are, look at the map. Try to figure it out yourself. If you’re still confused, feel free to discuss the identity of landmarks around you and how they correspond to the cartography. If you A) suspect that a mistake has been made; and B) have experience in interpreting topographical maps, and C) are certain that your group leader is wrong, speak up. Otherwise, follow the group like a sheep.

    RULE #8 Always carry more than your fair share.
    When the trip is over, would you rather be remembered as a rock or a sissy? Keep in mind that a pound or two of extra weight in your pack won’t make your back hurt any more than it already does. In any given group of flatlanders, somebody is bound to bicker about your weight. When an argument begins, take the extra weight yourself. Then shake your head and gaze with pity upon the slothful one. This is the mature response to childish behavior.

    RULE # 9 Do not get sunburned.
    Sunburn is not only painful and unattractive, it’s also an obvious sign of inexperience. Most green horns wait too long before applying sunscreen. Once you’ve burned on an expedition, you may not have a chance to get out of the sun. Then the burn gets burned, skin peels away, blisters sprout on the already swollen lips. Anyway, you get the idea. Wear zinc oxide. You can see exactly where and how thickly it’s applied and it gives you just about 100% protection. It does get on your sunglasses, all over your clothes and in your mouth. But that’s OK. Unlike sunshine, zinc oxide is non-toxic.

    RULE #10 Do not get killed.
    Suppose you make the summit of K2 solo and carrying the complete works of Hemingway in hardcover. Pretty macho, huh? Suppose now that you take a vertical detour down a crevasse and never make it back to camp. Would you still qualify as a hero? And would it matter? Nobody’s going to run any fingers through your new chest hair. The worst thing to have on your outdoor resume is the list of the possible locations of your body.

    All expedition behavior really flows from this one principle: Think of your team, the beautiful machine, first. You are merely a cog in that machine. If you have something to prove, forget about joining an expedition. Your team will never have more than one member.

    #1557856
    Steven Hanlon
    BPL Member

    @asciibaron

    Locale: Mid Atlantic

    1. if you get hurt tell someone
    2. help collect fire wood
    3. share food, gear, fun
    4. wait for slower hikers at junctions
    5. don't complain

    one of the best "large group" trips saw rule #3 taken to the extreme. everyone thought they would surprise the others with a can of beer for each member of the group. 6 guys, 36 beers. helped pass the 14 degree night nicely.

    #1557880
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    "Unfortunately, too many rules of expedition behavior remain unspoken. Some leaders seem to assume that their team members already have strong and generous characters like their own. But judging from a few of the campers we’ve encountered, more rules ought to be spelled out. Here are ten of them."

    If this post is truly "tongue in cheek", please disregard the following comments. If it is serious, read on.

    These rules read like something out of an Introduction to Backpacking manual for Cub Scouts or a parody of The Ten Commandments. There is a good reason that the rules governing expedition behavior remain unspoken: By the time people get to go on expeditions, they don't need to be told these things. Expedition members are generally selected according to Chennault's Corollary to the First Law of Expedition Planning: "Choose your partners carefully", for you go in harm's way.

    Don't step on the rope is a formally stated rule? Huh??
    The closest anybody who doesn't know that gets to rope is a 4' section of discarded Kern Mantle for practicing their clove hitches and square knots. ;-}

    #1557899
    Ken Helwig
    BPL Member

    @kennyhel77

    Locale: Scotts Valley CA via San Jose, CA

    Great thread Jay.

    As I have hiked with Jay in the past, I will say, that Jay is a fantastic host that shares everything he has, does scramble around for firewood when others won't (that would be me twice, once faced with altitude sickness and the other was when I was having some hypothermia issues).

    I do agree on the: I brought my own beer and you should have your own. I also mention that I am bringing stuff and that it is mine. If you want to partake in some libations, then you should bring your own. As for special food, I think as a group everyone should bring something so that everyone shares.

    One important rule that I follow is waiting for others at trail junctions, especially when hiking with my wife. She hikes MUCH slower than me (and I am slow too). I need to make sure she is taking the correct routes. That is just being a good hiking partner.

    Also and example would be, checking and making sure you hiking partners are ok when not feeling well. Sickness of any kind in the backcountry can be dangerous.

    When hiking with my wife, I usually take on more weight and than her to insure that she has an enjoyable time.

    #1557902
    BlackHatGuy
    Spectator

    @sleeping

    Locale: The Cascades

    Okay, okay, here's mine:

    1. Stay away from my scotch
    2. Stay away from my hammock
    3. Stay away from my food
    4. Keep up, I'm not waiting
    5. KEEP UP, I'M NOT WAITING (shouting in case you've fallen behind)
    6. If I wanted to chat, I'd be in a diner
    7. Your dog, however, can slobber all over my hammock, nibble at my food, and I'll talk to him/her throughout the hike.
    8. But keep your dog away from my scotch

    #1557905
    Patricia Combee
    Member

    @trailfrog

    Locale: Northeast/Southeast your call

    We have one major rule:
    No whining!
    You can make a generic statement about something, but you are not allowed to whine about it.
    Second rule: It is what it is.

    #1557961
    Miguel Arboleda
    BPL Member

    @butuki

    Locale: Kanto Plain, Japan

    If I need to keep at my own pace and hug my beer all to myself then I'll go hike by myself. If I go with other people, though, it is for the very essence of sharing that I go with them. And when I meet people in the mountains I share anything that I can spare, happily so, even offering things like snacks and drinks without being asked, because that is one of the things about being in the wilderness that almost never happens in the city. I love the camaraderie that the mountains asks of us, of the cooperation born of hardship and powerlessness in the face of something so much bigger than ourselves. And I love what I believe should be the way people should be living with one another as a matter of course. It feels natural.

    Of course, there is something to also having certain limits and rules, too. There are few amenities up there, after all, and people do get tired or upset when the burden falls too much upon them.

    I agree with a lot of the points Sarah made. Her trips seem like a lot of fun. The before and after rules also make sense, because that rounds out the whole experience.

    Some of my own observations:

    – When walking on a brushy or loose rock trail make sure to either keep the branches from whipping back into the faces of the walkers behind you and call out to whoever is below, even if they are not in your group or you don't know if anyone is there, when you dislodge rocks that fall.

    – Keep an eye on one another. Often someone who is not feeling well will feign cheerfulness or energy, though they might be hurting. Or, as often happens here in Japan where access to difficult climbs is often easy, make sure that newbies don't start hiking up the trail at three in the afternoon on a winter day. At the very least warn them about the danger.

    – Keep an eye on one another's belongings. If someone places his pack at the edge of a cliff during a rest stop, make sure that the pack is safe from slipping away into oblivion. This happened to a buddy of mine once, when he turned to take a photograph. There was a gust of wind and when he turned back to the pack it had fallen 5,000 feet to the boulders below. Everything he needed for walking was in that pack. Luckily he was not alone.

    – If you reach a relatively empty campsite area and you see one tent pitched out of the way, don't automatically plunk down your own tent next to theirs. They might want to be alone or get away from the snoring in other tents. Often asking if it is okay might make them feel awkward to refuse, so the best bet is to set your tent apart and then drop by to talk later if you want company and they are willing to share it. If they don't want to talk don't make them feel bad or ruin their experience just because you were rejected. They might have come up here to be alone.

    – Just because you are in a group doesn't give you the privilege to make as much noise as you want. Remember that tents have thin walls and someone might be trying to sleep.

    There are probably more, but here are some that I've thought about over the years.

    #1559714
    Ed Collyer
    Member

    @ecollyer

    Locale: East Bay Area

    Them some good rules: especially the dog section!

    #1581933
    Corey Miller
    Member

    @coreyfmiller

    Locale: Eastern Canada

    This is my kind of sharing

    Last year on a short hike/camp about an hour into the trip a buddy and I stopped for a break. He went for his water and realized he forgot his bottle of booze back in the car.

    I thought for a while, and told him I had a "Quart" for two nights. .94 Liters for you American folk :)

    We both like to drink a bit the first night and sleep in the next day on these short hikes.. Its just a weekend away from the city.

    Anyways, I said give me your gear if you want to go get it.. about 30 pounds of it. I strapped my pack to his because his was heavier than my 22 pounds. Told him to go Jogging and I would set up camp.

    It was only about a 3 hour hike.. by the time I got there he was only 25 minutes behind me. He's in much better shape than I am!

    I set up his tent, then mine as soon as I got there. Got some water and took a little break by the river..

    He comes into camp with his bottle… I was suprised. Told him to take a break, gave him a mars bar and told him "I still had to go grab some firewood"

    He sat down with me and pointed to a large bunch of bushes along the river side. He said "there is probably lots of wood over there"

    We walked over after a break and beyond the bushes I stumble across a huge pile of dead wood.. I said "s@#t check this out" he said "betcha its a pile of wood" and laughed.

    I laughed too and I know this guy hiked out there with his dog the weekend before and must have spent a good 4 hours collecting every single peice of dead wood out there.

    btw his Dog is un-effing-believable at bringing wood back.. He does it all night and we give him treats for it.

    Anyways… we were generous in our own ways and it made the tale of our trip all that much better!

    IMO You have so much more to gain by hiking with the right friends!

    #1581938
    Corey Miller
    Member

    @coreyfmiller

    Locale: Eastern Canada

    You guys in America dont use liters either do ya lol… 1/4 or so of a gallon then?

    #1581960
    Matt Lutz
    Member

    @citystuckhiker

    Locale: Midwest

    I only have three rules, only two of which are stated:

    Stated and discussed with hiking partner(s): 1. Tell me everything about pain and how you are generally feeling. If your feet hurt, I get to know. If you're dehydrated, I get to know. Cold/Hot/Etc? Same answer. And I will do the same. Reason? If you can't help yourself, I'm the only one you got. Same if the roles are reversed.

    2. Talk about the expectations of the trip before the trip. Solo, I like to hike from dawn to just before dusk. And I walk fast. With my fiancee, we hike only as long, far and fast and each of us can go. Know what you're getting into before you leave. The trip will be much more fun.

    Unstated: Enter the woods with only those you trust. You learn a lot about a person by observing how they hike and what they do when they hike. And what they do when life gets real.

    The rest of the so-called rules are dependent on general social graces. With a hiker funk, of course.

    Also, @Doug: I laughed when I read 4 and 5 (especially the latter), but it's not my style.

    #1581967
    Nick Gatel
    BPL Member

    @ngatel

    Locale: Southern California

    "You guys in America dont use liters either do ya lol… 1/4 or so of a gallon then?"

    People are trying to force us though.

    Most of use don't do centimeters, milimeters, meters, kilometers, Celcius, etc.

    :)

    #1581970
    BlackHatGuy
    Spectator

    @sleeping

    Locale: The Cascades

    "Also, @Doug: I laughed when I read 4 and 5 (especially the latter), but it's not my style."

    Hi Matt! Laughter (chuckle, grin, etc….) is what I was after. I wrote the whole thing with UL tongue planted firmly in UL cheek! Well, most of it anyway….. ;-)

    #1581979
    Travis Leanna
    BPL Member

    @t-l

    Locale: Wisconsin

    >UL tongue planted firmly in UL cheek

    UL tongue and cheeks? Is that a surgical procedure?

    #1581981
    BlackHatGuy
    Spectator

    @sleeping

    Locale: The Cascades

    What, you mean you haven't had lipo on your tongue and cheeks? And you call yourself UL!

    #1581992
    Travis Leanna
    BPL Member

    @t-l

    Locale: Wisconsin

    Well, I have been getting titanium bone replacements…..

    #1584383
    Nick Truax
    BPL Member

    @nicktruax

    Locale: SW Montana

    "8. But keep your dog away from my scotch"

    A rule which to live by, lol. Nice one Doug.

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