What happen to our adventure spirit?

[rlown]

What is that white stuff again?

I'm still impressed by dogs on snow. They don't seem to complain like we do. Nice pic.

[schmalz]

Also, I've brought this up, but I think it bears repeating. I think that people who complain about this are also people who were given resources growing up to learn about backpacking, which is something that is becoming increasingly rare for today's youth. How many of you complaining here are self taught backpackers? The internet is a great resource for someone like me who didn't go backpacking until they were an adult and had to learn how to do it on their own.

[rlown]

Hmm.. lets see. My first real trip, post boy scouts was '76. No Internet. Got my drivers license in '77 and 3 of us went to the Bezerkly REI. We got gear, books and then went out that summer. Picked up the Sierra North guidebook and then we hit the Mokelumne wilderness, quickly followed by Emigrant.

Other than the boy scout experience, pretty much do and learn out there. I don't really like people asking "where to camp" or "give me gps coordinates." You can figure that out when you get near your destination. But to each there own.

[schmalz]

Hmm.. lets see. My first real trip, post boy scouts was '76. No Internet. Got my drivers license in '77 and 3 of us went to the Bezerkly REI. We got gear, books and then went out that summer. Picked up the Sierra North guidebook and then we hit the Mokelumne wilderness, quickly followed by Emigrant.

Other than the boy scout experience, pretty much do and learn out there. I don't really like people asking "where to camp" or "give me gps coordinates." You can figure that out when you get near your destination. But to each there own.

Having boy scout experience and 3 like minded friends at 16(ish) to go backpacking with is worlds away from what I was working with at that age. Having parents that would allow me to drive to a trailhead and head out for a few days at that age? Forget about it. I think that my experience was more the norm than the exception for my generation. I expect younger generations have it even worse. The world is much different and expectations have to take that into account.

[rlown]

Yeah. I was hunting big game with Dad at 13. I had some time out there prior to learn things, and didn't die from it.

I see the generational rift. I don't see the desire to learn the skills.

[schmalz]

Yeah. I was hunting big game with Dad at 13. I had some time out there prior to learn things, and didn't die from it.

I see the generational rift. I don't see the desire to learn the skills.

That is really cool. I'm sure you are still grateful. We are already working on my son to do our part in helping inspire a new generation of adventurers.

[Hobbes]

Yeah, Cali is a helluva trail dog; we're hatching a plan to get her up this incline next spring:

The Chute on Whitney's main trail used when the cables on the 99 switchbacks are iced over:


To second what Brian said, simply extending the hiking season - especially into the longer days of spring - is an easy way to gain solitude while still accessing some of the "prime" spots in the range.

To illustrate another comparison of changing times & values, when I started surfing Santa Cruz in the 70s (hitching over from Los Gatos before getting my license), there weren't any stairs down to either Steamer Lane or Pleasure Point. No one cared, no one made it easy - we were pretty much on our own in our own little world. (I saw a kayaker get killed after getting washed onto Seal rock during a heavy swell. 2 years later, a stunt pilot doing loop-de-loops crashed right offshore from us.)

There certainly weren't any surf schools. There weren't any video cameras either, so you could get into a fight without being sued. Even so, since the "old guys" were only in their 20s, there weren't any assets to go after either. Now, there's a ton of old guys (no one ever quit as expected) in the truest sense, with a house, family and savings, and no can do or say anything without the ever present eye recording the action.

http://hbcams.com/live/pier-north.html

I'm sure you could take a look at any sport/activity and describe a similar arc.

[Rockyroad]

Reading through this thread, I would say that the main point of this thread is...

...how do we regain the spirit of adventure, or more importantly, those of use who do have it, pass it on to fellow backpackers, and the next generation.

where adventure is defined per Maverick's opening post...

noun
1. an exciting or very unusual experience.
2. participation in exciting undertakings or enterprises: the spirit of adventure.
3. a bold, usually risky undertaking; hazardous action of uncertain outcome.
4. a commercial or financial speculation of any kind; venture.
verb (used with object), adventured, adventuring.
5. to risk or hazard.
6. to take the chance of; dare.
7. to venture to say or utter:
to adventure an opinion.
verb (used without object), adventured, adventuring.
8. to take the risk involved.
9. to venture; hazard.

But even with all of these specific definitions, I agree with WD that an adventure to one person may not be an adventure to another. So what is it that we want to pass on to fellow backpackers and the next generation?

Should we tell them to leave the gadgets at home? How many of us have taken advantage of the latest technological advances? Cuben fiber this? Carbon fiber that? Inreach toy? Do these and other advances really limit the "spirit of adventure"? Maybe. Or do they just give us the opportunity to spend more time doing what we love? Or maybe some added confidence so that we could be more "adventurous".

Do we tell them to limit their research and just go? Some people plan vacations with very detailed agendas. The same people that have every hour planned on their Paris vacation will want gps coordinates for setting up their tent. These are also likely to be less experienced backpackers, who with experience, will soon realize that this is unnecessary. But they'll ask initially. And we can answer as I've seen on this forum. Or we can be more vague. But most of us will also do our own research. We'll look at topo maps, Google Earth, check the moon calendar for photography... How much information is too much? Why wouldn't we want to optimize our limited vacation time and even gather information for alternative plans just in case? I think each of us has fine-tuned or will continue to fine-tune our pre-trip research based on experience and whatever information is available.

My opinion is what we really want to pass on to fellow backpackers and the next generation is the joy of backpacking and let them decide through their own experiences what gadgets and information they need rather than force them to adopt "our" definition of "adventure".

[rlown]

I guess, buy a paper map. understand how to read it and compass work as well. Convince your parents your ok with your endeavor, and go, if the parents won't help you, thats a different problem. If you just stand at the trail-head and look at the map and what your embarking on, you get a start/feel.

If you're staring at your gps to make sure you're on trail like a cell phone, you haven't let go.

devices are support. no direct help for common sense.

If you look at Hobbes drawing of his potential route for Cali, That is really enough info. They won't follow it exactly because every time out is different. You have to roll with it.

[Wandering Daisy]

For the younger generation, there may be more obstacles to "adventure" as parents have become such "helicopter parents" and plan and organize their every activity! Adventure starts with letting kids "free range" a bit more. I think we more experienced backpackers need to also inform/educate parents to actually LET their kids go backpacking. It is sad that there are fewer organized groups for kids to join and learn the basics. Great if your parents already backpack and can teach you; harder for those kids who have no access either to adults who backpack or the means to even get to the trailheads. I guess what we really should do is reach out to a kid (neighbor, friend's kid) and take them backpacking with us.

By the way, my daughter will not let me take my grandkids backpacking yet (they are 5 and 7)- I took her on some highly "adventurous" backpacks when she was a teen and she actually did not like it. She thinks I will kill her kids. I probably dunked her head into too much "adventure" a bit too early.

An old friend of mine has a 14-year old who just went on a week backpack with the scouts. She was very concerned and had me e-mail the scout leader to be sure he was qualified. She was a nervous wreck the whole week! But at least she has her kid in scouts.