[at-l] communications

[spiriteagle99@hotmail.com (Jim and/or Ginny Owen)]

"Elliott, Patrick S" <Patrick.Elliott@allina.com> wrote:
>
>This thread has regressed way past the original post.

Patrick -
While I understand why you might think so, I can't agree with you.  But I 
will say "thank you"  :-)

>The person
>originally stated that they only wanted to carry a cell phone for
>emergencies.  Just in case something happens.

And that's precisely the point that a lot of people miss - that carrying a 
cell phone "Just in case something happens" is the end result of fear.  One 
of the things many long distance hikers tell others is to not carry anything 
that can be labelled "spare" or "extra" because they'd be carrying them 
"just in case".  It's extraneous and unnecessary weight.  For example, 
carrying spare batteries for your flashlight is an exercise in futility if, 
like I did, you only use one set of batteries between Springer and Katahdin 
- it's extra weight that you don't need to carry.  The only reason for 
carrying them would be that you're afraid of the dark.  "Just in case" = 
fear.

Similarly, for a thruhiker, carrying a cell phone "just in case" is 
generally an expression of the fear of being "out of contact" with humanity, 
or "civilization" or "the world".  By any name you want to call it - it's 
still fear.


>The discussion had
>nothing to do with the need to constantly keep in contact with the
>civilized world.

Of course it did. As a thruhiker, why else would you carry a cell phone if 
your expressed desire is to leave the "civilized world" behind?  For a 
thruhiker, the only purpose for a cell phone is to "stay in contact" - to 
provide that "lifeline" to civilization that so many people feel the need 
for. Many of us tell ourselves that the cell phone will stay in the bottom 
of the pack - but how many times does it really happen that way?  How many 
times does the temptation arise to call for pizza - or for a shuttle - or to 
talk to a wife or girlfriend - or ..... (whatever)?  And how many thruhikers 
will resist that temptation?  In general, the thruhikers creed is - "Never 
pass up temptation, it might not come along again"  :-))


>I think we all are in agreement that the primary goal
>when hiking is to escape civilization.

And now we're down to the nitty-gritty - if you're carrying a cell phone, 
have you really "escaped from civilization"?  If you can reach out and touch 
it, then by my definition, you're still in the cage - it's just a little 
larger cage.

One of the problems here is that most people don't believe that just 
carrying the cell phone (or any other material object) can change their 
attitude about what they're doing (like a thruhike).  Hopefully some of them 
will learn - but I don't expect it'll be an easy lesson for some of them.  
It wasn't for me.

An example - if you carry a gun, there's a level of paranoia that goes with 
it.  There's always the awareness that it's there and the possibility that 
it "might be needed" and the responsibility to keep it and the people around 
you safe.  If you don't believe that's a heavy load, then you just haven't 
thought about it.  But I can tell you that it definitely colors your 
attitude about life - it carries a level of responsibility that many people 
today aren't comfortable with.  And it's much too heavy a load to carry for 
a couple thousand miles on the trail.

You can argue all you want that the difference between a gun and a cell 
phone negates my argument - but you'd be wrong.  The bottom line is that 
they're both inanimate objects that are carried largely out of fear.  And 
the fear, not the object, is what colors your attitude and therefore changes 
your hike - or your life.  Yeah, carrying a gun would also change your 
attitude - and your hike. I dont recommend that either.

I won't tell you that I never operate out of fear - that would be a foolish 
assertion.  But when I discover that I'm doing so, I work to correct the 
situation, to eliminate the fear and its source, so I can live in freedom.  
Fear is a prison - whether on the trail or on the job - or anywhere else in 
life.  On the trail it condemns you to carrying too much food (fear of being 
hungry) or too heavy a sleeping bag (fear of being cold) - or even too big a 
pack (fear of not being able to carry all the "stuff" to assuage all your 
other fears).  Or a cell phone.

I have no problem whatever with NoName SOBO (or anyone else) carrying a cell 
phone.  But I have a problem with people who do so without actually thinking 
about what they're doing and why they're doing it and what the consequences 
are.  Unfortunately, I've found that a lot of people don't really think 
much.  William James, the philosopher, said: "Most people believe they're 
thinking, when all they're really doing is rearranging their prejudices".

I've also found that a lot of people don't understand the consequences of 
their actions.  For example, there was the PCT thruhiker last year who had 
airline tickets to leave Seattle on Oct 1.  We intended to finish the PCT on 
Sept 25 and we were having trouble going slow enough to finish that late.  
He passed us in northern California.  Think about that - he was putting in 
bigger miles than we were, had the same distance to travel - and intended to 
finish later than we did.  Where's the disconnect here?  It came as a great 
shock to him when he realized what I was telling him - because he'd gotten 
into what Rosie used to call Male Macho Mileage mode - and turned his brain 
off.  And he was, by any standard, a really bright person.

Now - am I off-topic here?  Not at all.  This is ALL hiking related - if you 
understand it.  If you don't - don't worry about it, it'll come to you 
sooner or later.  There was a time when I listened to an educational tape 30 
or 40 times trying to understand what the man was trying to tell me - and 
finally I gave up.  But when I came back and listened to that same tape 6 
months later, I was ready to hear what he was saying - I understood it the 
first time around.  And it changed my life.  Not all of us are ready to hear 
what we're being told the first (or sometimes the twentieth) time we're 
told.

I forgot to warn people that I'm still in "ramble" mode, didn't I?  Oh well, 
for those who got this far - congratulations on your patience.  For the 
others, well - I've also found that those who need a message most usually 
don't bother listening to it.  So I'm probably preaching to the choir again. 
  But that's life, isn't it  :-)

Walk softly,
Jim



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