Are We Going Soft? Asks the BMC’s Carey Davies

You know, I think the same question was asked for similar reasons back in the days of the Romans.

More seriously, I think the author of the article has his head on back to front. Why should the general public go out in bad weather, when they have so many other things to do? And would they be competent to handle bad weather anyhow? Perhaps we should be pleased that so many do go out in good weather?

Cheers

I am all for a little weather and a big pass to keep the crowds down.

"You know, I think the same question was asked for similar reasons back in the days of the Romans."

I didn't know that they had high-tech German labs back then.

Roger, tell us how it was.

–B.G.–

Roger is right. Essays were written by Romans of the 'empire period' pining for the days when Romans lived simple lives instead of wasting away their time in marble baths.

No need for hi tech German labs and today, no need for fancy iPad apps to tell us the same or similar.

But sometimes, softer can be a good thing too. Having spent the last few weeks in the Arabian peninsular – I thank The Almighty for whoever invented air conditioning!!

Absolutely. Pretty hard to find someone that can flank a mammoth with a wooden pike these days.

> "You know, I think the same question was asked for similar reasons back in the
> days of the Romans."
> I didn't know that they had high-tech German labs back then.
How do you think the VisiGoths managed to sack Rome in 410?

Cheers

Personally the fact that most people are "fair weather" hikers and campers thrills me- well, except when I've organized a Meetup and all the ladies bail out on me at the last minute. Haha. But still, I love that on a drizzly day (or windy, or cold) I can go out and see almost no one.

If I/ we have a trip planned I prettymuch refuse to cancel it if its a rainy forecast.

If its a spur of the moment weekend getaway and its raining a ton then I usually might find something else to do.

I enjoy/ prefer some rain though especially when its warm.

There are a thousand kinds of rain. I love walking the river valleys on a rainy winter day and watching the steamy clouds drifting into the trees on the ridges overhead. It's like watching the earth breath. The colors are soft gray above, steely gray water, the rusty red of fallen leaves, pale yellow grasses, lichen dappled alder trunks and deep green ferns and conifers.

Winter walks mean drizzle and overwhelming your rain gear. A fleecy mid layer and a spare base layer can keep you comfortable. There are dry clothes and a thermos of hot coffee in the car to make it all worthwhile. And oatmeal raisin cookies :)

One Sunday morning in January, I went to the grocery store for hiking snacks. The clerk said, "what's the score?" I said, "I'm doing great— headed out for a hike." The clerk said, "no, man, THE GAME, what's the score?" I asked him what game, and he replied, "ARE YOU FROM MARS? IT'S SUPERBOWL SUNDAY!!!" I had the woods all to myself :)

I'm a fair-weather hiker. But if it starts to rain and I'm already out, I usually enjoy it and wonder why I don't go out in the rain more often.

Most people are soft because they think they need all that high-tech stuff to just take a little walk outside. Add to that list the air mattresses and pillows and certain kinds of unnecessary creature-comforts they tend to bring. Oh and don't get me started on people who need GPS and phone and solar charger just to take a little day hike.

Yeah, I don't use my solar charger on rainy day hikes ;)

A little adversity might make a short, slow overnight into a satisfying adventure as I recently found out. Normally I do not mind a little rain or even some minor snow flurries, ..but going up into a thunderstorm with lightning cracking? No, I will live to hike another day. Same thing today with a massive cold front coming in, it may be time to test out the clothing by itself on a small day hike.

"Pretty hard to find someone that can flank a mammoth with a wooden pike these days."

Wait'll the economy tanks for real, and Joe 6 Pack runs out of cheep beer and Doritos. You just have to be hungry enough….

If you can't handle hiking in serious rain much of the time, and snow most of the rest of the time, you are going to be spending most of the winter indoors. That means either climbing on one of the many varieties of hamster wheel available at your local fitness facility and risking brain death, or going seriously soft. OK, OK, going seriously soft, period.

"Absolutely. Pretty hard to find someone that can flank a mammoth with a wooden pike these days."

I though that was a herd of snuffleupagus. I can nail a banana slug with a trekking pole from a distance. They aren't bad with a little BBQ sauce ;)

I did a 3-day hike in Lost Creek Wilderness and environs once during some awful weather. Slushy rain, hail, snow- always right around freezing so it would melt, get you wet, then freeze again.

And it was AWESOME! I only saw one other group out hiking all weekend! (A couple who looked just as blissful as I.)

Not to mention that bad weather can be scenic as hell.

That trip did convince me to bring a 'real' knife in such conditions in the future, though, when I had trouble getting a fire started for lack of any fuel that wasn't waterlogged and/or frozen solid and no practical way to split logs to get at some…

Yeah. I finally got an Opinel that is up to the job

In those kind of conditions I really value the ability to start a fire. There is so much utility in warming yourself up, drying clothes, and even keep warm through the night if necessary (has happened to me more than I want to admit). I find that a flat tarp works best for receiving that warmth while sheltered. Of course this doesn't work so well in exposed areas, only in well forested sheltered areas.

Anyways, not considering weather, I find that the general reluctance of most backpackers to hike off trail leaves plenty of options for solitude. The high sierras are an exception here, as off trail travel is pretty popular up there, but still plenty of solitude. I've walked off crowded, almost traffic jammed trails to explore up some creek or canyon and I have never seen anyone while doing that, often no trash or old fire rings.
Seems like cross country travel was more popular in the past. I liked reading about the los padres hiking club and allison ward back in the 60's.

Dale, I bet you could shave a mammoth with that thing.