High Sierra Topix

I have hiked with someone I'll call "Yuppie Backpacker." Baby boomer, well-to-do, accustomed to expensive guided trips with porters, wants to check off Roper's Route for bragging rights, doesn't really enjoy being out in wilderness, prefers to scurry from tent site to tent site, impatient and unable to adapt to schedule changes caused by anyone who is "to slow," OR "too fast," wants to be guided step by step over talus, rather than allowing companion to walk several yards ahead, complains about all aspects of the trip as if paying for a trip guide, pouts and sulks when "trip guide" answers that if he/she is so unhappy with trip, perhaps Yuppie Backpacker should try to get his/her money back.

I have one more addition. The "Naked Backpacker." Hiking up to Caribou Lake in the Trinities several years ago, good-looking, thirty-something man completely naked except for hiking boots and pack. Stopped to talk to my daughter and me--we were on our way down and were asking if there were any fires in the way. He politely held his camera case over himself, and I am ashamed to admit that both my daughter and I turned around to enjoy the rear view as he departed up the trail.

Re: the naked backpacker - lol - almost ashamed to admit that at another location Sierra, this could have been me.
June 21 - the longest day of the year and the first day of summer - also known to some dirt baggers as "naked hiking day." (Google it.) Not exactly sure how this tradition got started but...in years past, when solo, why not?

This year, June 21st found me at the Snow Creek overlook - one of the seven Sacred Pools of Yosemite. Crystal blue skies, no wind, (thankfully no mosquitoes)...paying a few hours homage to this tradition.
Sometimes you just have to free up the boys!

markskor wrote:

Re: the naked backpacker - lol - almost ashamed to admit that at another location Sierra, this could have been me.
June 21 - the longest day of the year and the first day of summer - also known to some dirt baggers as "naked hiking day." (Google it.) Not exactly sure how this tradition got started but...in years past, when solo, why not?

This year, June 21st found me at the Snow Creek overlook - one of the seven Sacred Pools of Yosemite. Crystal blue skies, no wind, (thankfully no mosquitoes)...paying a few hours homage to this tradition.
Sometimes you just have to free up the boys!

Under the best of circumstances markskor is not a pretty sight on the trail. The thought of seeing the above makes me ill!

Mike

I am not up on my popular culture, but I thought we baby boomers are well past (too old) to be a "yuppie". I do not think that classification is limited to any age group- could label it as the "want-a-guide-for-free" backpacker.

Or perhaps the "insecure bucket-list" backpacker. Not really interested in the process, just wants bragging rights, not sure of his/her skills enough to do it him/herself. This backpacker will ONLY do "big name" trails or routes well documented and bragged about on the internet- nothing obscure. Definitely this trip will entail a lot of "selfies".

WD - I liked yours - pretty funny.

WD, you may be correct. It may be that Baby Boomers are too old to be Yuppies. I'm too old to recall when "yuppie" came into the currency!

Sorry, I couldn't tell that it started in jest. I'm still not into classifying folks but if I had to, it would be "dumb@$$es" and the rest...

Here's the Wikipedia entry on "yuppie."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuppie

As a baby boomer (born 1951), "yuppies" were definitely the next generation. I know "baby boomers" are "officially" defined as 1946-1964, but if you weren't old enough to experience the Kennedy assassination, the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, and be draft-eligible for Vietnam (yes, I know women were not draft eligible back then, but they were old enough if we'd been less sexist) you are not a baby boomer.

Well since you're stereotyping people, SMH. Don't forget about the awful southern California hikers... the worst kind!.. They drive 7+ hours to the trailhead in their Lezbaru Outback wagons. They are the loudest most pretentious people on the trail. They are the ones us locals read about in the local news that got lost and died for doing something stupid in the backcountry. You're not in Disneyland anymore Mr & Mrs. SoCal.

I love that it only takes me 30 minutes to get to Sequoia Nat'l Park and that I can see most of the highest peaks from the second story of my home.