Whiteblaze.net is Anti-ultralight

Harrison, I agree with most of that. It seems on BPL people show/tell you how something can be done. How to make a quilt, how to shave ounces from pack, how to bring lighter food etc etc. If something new comes along folks want to know more and how it could help them.

WB they would rather tell you that you can't. "you can't thru hike with <10lb base weight" "you can't be safe with sub x baseweight" "you can't enjoy yourself at x miles/day" New ideas seem to scare and intimidate WB members and push them away.

You can only go so long in a place where everyone tells you that the activity that you do is wrong and not fun. With no respect or moderation by the administrators it is a pretty frustrating thing.

(Cola, i never said i did not like or appreciate the posts and posters here, i just did not find that the way Ryan handled the spam issue was the best method. It is because of the posts and posters that this place stays alive, despite the shortfallings. Content and contributors will always be the most important piece)

If the folk on Whiteblaze want to be like that then leave them off drinking the Kool Aid, Bpl is still the best gig in town, its not perfect, but if it was it would not be Bpl.

"But what has BPL accomplished? I can tell you this. There was nothing remotely like this blog before."

Well to be fair ….. there was TLB, which some here are also still active on.

Dare I say that everyone gets intimidated by any new ideas? Especially if those ideas aren't presented as alternatives, but as "the right way?" And isn't it so much easier for anyone to tell you what you can't/shouldn't do than to help you understand how to arrive at a decision?

Someone who says something like "you won't enjoy yourself if you do this" is assuming their audience will follow exactly along with their point of view, will find exactly what they find enjoyable to be enjoyable as well, and to find them an indisputable source of direction. But if you think about it, someone who responds negatively to someone else's suggestions, and then can't explain why they are responding negatively– why the suggestions don't mesh with their view, their ideas, their feelings, their knowledge, etc.– suddenly, they are the ones starting the conflict.

It's perfectly fine to "agree to disagree," but the disagreements have to be explained. Otherwise, it's just "head butting." The bottom line is that if someone responds dogmatically to someone's dogmatic suggestions, both are equally responsible for any disagreement, misunderstanding, and/or conflict.

The most common thing i saw was people wanting to X miles a day or a trip in X days and people would immediately jump on them and say to slow down and enjoy themselves. As if going their speed is somehow prevents them from having fun.

WB'ers have an inability to comprehend that someone could be having fun while doing something other than their exact idea of a hike. Things like this were seen in the Speed hiking and also the ultralight forums so it's not like OP's aren't trying to narrow the focus with like minded people. just folks can't keep their mouth shut and have to butt into every thread and be disruptive.

so it's not just one idea arguing with another. it is one idea disrupting people trying to discuss another idea. I don't sleep in a hammock, so i have no reason to be in the hammock forum telling people they should sleep in a tent.. Just like people who hike 8 miles in a day have no reason to post in a thread about hiking 20mpd. it should be clear the views are not going to match.

Jake D –
You've going on for a week about a culture which you can not change.

What do you expect to accomplish here, or anywhere, with such a constant negative diatribe?

Just wondering ….

really, to me it seems i didnt say a thing for 5 days and was responding to Harrison.

I understand your frustration Jake.

That is why i suggested listening to that song.. as a reminder that the trail and people you meet out on the actual AT are totally different than those you meet online.

I got some pretty negative responses and even a few PM's from Whiteblaze because I hiked the AT in 100 days with a 7 1/2 lb pack.
Even though i never posted that, some folks figured it out from my journal and felt the need to send me mesages telling me i was going too fast and could not be safe carrying only 7 1/2 lbs.

I responded as politely as i could. (Something that does not come easily to me..)
The type of people i work with as a plumber are not exactly "gentle" folks and some of that attitude transfers over to other parts of my life.

But put me on a trail.. Then i am a totally different person.
I am kinder, and friendlier.
Wish it wasn't so but i tend to revert back to my "city" persona after a long hike quite quickly.

Just can't wear my feelings on my sleeve in the field i work in. They would tear me up.

I think what you are experiencing is a similar phenomenon.
A lot of White Blaze regualrs are writing out of their city personas.
On the AT itself I only met a few jerks. Almost every single person i met on that great trail was kind and non confrontational.

The most crap i ever got on trail was for carrying my umbrella.
Even that completely did a 180 when they saw me using it in the rain.

Know i am not going to change your mind here.. just wanted to share.
.

I am perfectly fine on the trail. I can generally choose who i'll be around and the people that think I am doing something wrong are usually still asleep when i move in the morning and won't see them again.

i do think i should be allowed to vent some online when I got a ton of crap from multiple users on there with no response from the ass admin but a few steps near the line and i get watched with a microscope. then given no chance to discuss things. When the single person with the ability wants kick you off, he will find a way to do it.

if this gives folks a heads up what kind of attitude is over there, then i'll be happy.

Forgive me, all, for keeping the discussion going. I'll shut up now. Carry on. :-)

hey… taking time to post here distracts them from getting the Flame war to 4000 posts.. i mean THERE is a worthwhile waste of time.

Im not going to read all 4 pages, I read the first.

You have a gripe you want to air. Great.

But you are also wrong. Whiteblaze is not anti-ultralight. There are all kinds, from UL to ultra heavy. There is an ultralight forum there as well.

A case can be made for more robust shelter and raingear and spare clothing for a 5-6 mo hike, as opposed to shorter hikes, mostly in the arid western US. Especially given the very wet cold nature of the AT in early spring.

I preach UL there under a different name, as I hike several hundred miles per year on it. They havent banned me yet, nor have I had any conflicts with anyone. Just respectful conversations. I can see both sides, I know when ultralight is a good approach, and when it may not be, and also for whom it may not be.

Some of the older hikers there have seen poorly equipped hikers suffer in early spring when it rains 2 out of 3 days and is cold.

By the time they get halfway, most thru hikers that are successful are hiking 20-30 miles per day. To say they are opposed to high miles is just ridiculous. But you cant start that high for a sustained hike. The body has to adapt slowly or injury WILL occur. It is best to start slow and build up slowly, and that is exactly what most there reccomend, from their own experiences and observation of others.

Anyhow.  The thread was originally about shoelaces and most of the people who responded missed my original point.  I need replacement laces for a pair of Merrell Moabs that I <span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>wear to work</span>.  I work in an office (with a written dress code) so homemade laces just wont cut it.  Big bruising lumberjack laces also are very out of place in an office.   I’m well aware of making my own from cord.

I was particularly frustrated after driving all over looking for laces.  I think everyone missed the absurdity of that.  Shoelaces used to be widely available.  For those of you who think I was crazy enough to waste hours of my day looking – I did not.  I went to 4 separate places and worked them into my regular routine.  Still, its absurd.

I’m sorry that I responded in the way I did to Dave’s n/m comment but I had no idea what it meant and I thought it was meant to be derisive in some way.   He clarified that he was saying never mind to a post that he deleted.  n/m out of context (deleted post) was interpreted by me as this is a silly thread – don’t bother responding to it.   I responded in a way that was equally cryptic which was interpreted as being confrontational.  It was not intended that way – just meant as a post that means nothing to the intended recipient.  I wouldn’t do it again and I’m sorry that I did but I own it.

To the people who suggested buying online – yes obvious.  However,  what is available is often expensive and limited.  REI no longer carries laces for the boots and shoes the sell.  Eastern Mountain sports has what they sell on clearance.  I still have to go to work tomorrow and didn’t have time to wait for the mail.  Anything ordered Friday would probably arrive on Wednesday – tuesday if lucky.

I apparently set off a rabid discussion of White Blaze and its policies. There are apparently many here who have been treated badly there.  I have never intentionally treated anyone badly on any internet forum and agree that its uncalled for.  I belong to nearly 10 on-line forums and misunderstandings occur fairly frequently although until this thread I’ve never been involved in one.  I’m sorry you were treated that way by the moderator at white blaze.  I’ve never had any problems but I have had some of my threads deleted over at hammock forums because they were not hammock oriented enough.  The guy was adamant that my question about a good backpack for fitting all the stuff needed for hammock gear was not a hammock related question and as such it violated the terms of service.  It annoyed me and after several back and forth emails about it I just let it go.  Hammock camping is great but the bulkyness of some of the items makes it challenging to fit them into a pack – a uniquely hammocking problem. I just hope that guy, whoever it was, doesn’t get elected to political office.  So, for the point of discussion, I understand the comments made here about being censored.

I did cancel my subscription to backpacking light.  This place is just not for me.  I amend my comment though about providing no value.  That’s not quite true.  One member was kind enough to provide me some pictures and dimensions from his backpack.  That info was valuable.  I have started a few threads where I got some opinions.  Those were of limited value.  Still, for me,  I don’t need to be a member here.

I finally found some laces at Cabela’s yesterday.  They are too long, too thick and in other ways not quite right but they will work.  FYI, next time you need laces for your shoes REI no longer carries them,  Eastern Mountain Sports no longer carries them and you’ll be driving all over to find them.  If you plan ahead for a broken shoelace event you can order online and get something close for far more than you used to pay for them.

nm

you might notice the date of the previous post, 2012

good you found some laces

Ken – nm? – you devil : )

Well, thank goodness this has all been settled, even if it festered for six years and took a devastating shoelace crisis to bring the issues to light.

lol

On a positive note…

White Blaze is a lot better now since the trolls have either gone away or just died .

You still there?