Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board courtesy on whitney trail

I did a one day on July 13th. The one thing I noticed was that most of the hikers were very courteous and very friendly. The only group that was rude in my opinion were the teenage kids. Several times we would get off the trail to let people go by - one kid walked by and us and said nothing, no hi, no thank you. I guess that reflects society.

Yes we're all taught to be wary of strangers, and there's no reason that ingrained behavior would change on a trail that's as busy as a city street. There could be a number of other reasons, too:

** Maybe those other hikes were tired from hiking up/down and just focusing on reaching their daily goal;

** Maybe they were foreigners whose English wasn't that good;

Maybe your expectations of every hiker being "easy-going, casual, and as friendly like a car salesman" is not realistic. Not everyone has a "prozac personality." And how many times walking down a city street do you say "hi" to everyone - that would be like the old Steve Martin joke of "personally thanking everyone for coming to the show tonight: thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, . . . .

I don't necessarily consider this behavior rude.

Many people hike in wilderness to be alone (though the MWT is certainly not the best place to do that!).

Rather than nodding, smiling, or greeting everyone they meet, such hikers may prefer to just keep moving as if there's no one else on the mountain. I wouldn't let it bother you.

Andy

Did you go there to analyse other hikers social behavior or were you there to enjoy the freedom and the scenery and to reach the summit? Sometimes when you are tired you don't exactly greet everyone that you run into, especially if you had already said hello to 25 people that you saw that day, and when you are tired sometimes you can't even remember who you just passed. Relax and enjoy the hike and ..............

I think you're missing the original point of Kswitzer's comment in that he was frustrated because "several times we would get off the trail to let people go by - one kid walked by is and said nothing, no hi, no thank you..."

I didn't get the feel that Kswitzer was expecting a parade of "hi's and howya doing's", but just the common courtesy of an acknowledgement of the fact that he went out of his way and moved off the trail to allow the people to pass. A simple "thanks" would have appropriate.

And, unfortunately, I agree that it DOES reflect society. It shouldn't matter if you ARE tired... if someone goes out of their way to do something to make your life easier, then some type of acknowledgement is called for. Manners, courtesy, and thoughtfulnes is part of what makes us a civilized society.

OK.... so now I'll get off my soap box

I think I catch a whiff of repentance here.

Mark Twain observed that repentance is often misassociated only with sin. He remarked:"A great benefaction conferred with your whole heart upon an ungrateful man--with what immortal persistence and never-cooling energy do you repent of that! Repentance of a sin is a pale, poor, perishable thing compared to it." (Letters from the Earth: Uncensored Writings, 'Something About Repentance', 1908)

When someone overtakes you on the trail, they cannot see into your heart to recognize the beneficence of the boon with which you have endowed them and distinguish you from the lowly slugs unable to maintain a proper human pace who must throw themselves aside to avoid being stepped on.

I have always striven to inform such passers-by that I am a proper, right-minded individual by stepping aside with such a supremely coordinated artistic flourish that there can be no doubt as to the purpose of my action and the clarity of my intent.

Those morally correct people who recognize my action for what it is never fail to greet and thank me.

I believe that those who pass in silence are attempting to avoid any social contact and incumbent social contract that would slow their progress by requiring that they lend aid to the pathetic near-cripple who has fortunately fallen aside without blocking the trail. I think that the prevalence of this response among teenagers is due to their more recent playground experiences.

I hope that my observations can serve to assuage the concerns of any troubled hikers along the trail.

Dale B. Dalrymple
http://dbdimages.com

This is totally out of context from what Mark Train was refering to in your quote.

That still does not negate the fact that the common courtesy of a "Thank You" when someone opens a door for you, picks somethig up for you... or moves off the trail to let you pass is still appropriate and appreciated.

Dale, that was one of the more clever things I've seen on this board.

my stomach muscles will take awhile to recover from the laughing!

On a more serious note, I agree that it is nice for folks to acknowledge courtesy. Since I find myself in the "getting out of the way" mode a lot more often than the "blasting by" mode, people often do this towards me. I recognize the occasional person going the other way who is attempting to survive, rather than enjoy, the trail, and that they may be totally focused. I understand that. I can relate. I always try to say hi or nod my head as I encounter others, we're fellow journeyers upon the path! The teens, well, they are in their own world. Weren't we?

Dale-

Personally, I try to say hello or at least smile at anyone that I pass on the trail. To me it's just customary like the way boaters wave to each other. This reminds me of that boating commercial where the boating family waves to random people and they all think they're nuts.

I understand that some people are either in a hurry, loners, tired or focused and don't want any interaction, even if just a smile, so I don't let it bother me too much. It's just a shame though. We're all out here enjoying the wilderness (or in some cases suffering together) and you would think exchanging simple pleasantries to like-minded people would be natural. I guess some people take their hiking really seriously.

But I agree that if you let someone pass they should at least say thank you, nod, wave or something. It's common courtesy and very appreciated. Like when someone lets me pass on a mountain road, I always flash my hazards to say thanks. Also, whenever I come across someone going the other way, I always move to the extreme right no matter how wide or narrow the trail is and no matter if I have the right-of-way or not. It kind of bugs me when I do this but the other person or group makes no effort to move to the side either.

"just customary like the way boaters wave to each other."

~~~~~~~NOW we're talkin'!!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~

The new MWT etiquette: Wave with one hand, steer with the feet, and hold a beer in those little foam cozies in your free hand!

In the unlikely event that I need to pass someone ahead of me, I'll always come up with a lame excuse (I'm not wearing a helmet, do you mind if I go ahead?) and then thank them.

If the trail isn't wide enough for two to pass on an uphill, I'll pull over stating that I need to take a break. Saves me from having to insist on having the "right of way."

If someone yields to me, I always say Thank You. It IS good manners and tends to remind the other person (if they need reminding) that courtesy goes a long way towards making this place better.

If someone stop to talk, I'll talk. (Unless there is a risk of not getting where I need to go before dark. And in a lot of cases, if the person is interesting, I'll even violate this "rule." I do know how to hike/climb with a headlamp.)

I personally always try to be polite, but I guess I would be the quiet one in my group. I am more likely to think that if a person doesn't say anything or make eye contact, they probably don't want to talk. One of my hiking partners is one of those people that has to ask every single person we come across "how much farther to the top?" I guess I appreciate a few of the folks that walk by silently with their heads down.

But a quick thank you should not be too much to ask for.

I was just in Lake Havasu AZ this past weekend, and experienced the beer/steering wheel/video camera/wave quite a few times. At least at Havasu, it may be the combo of beer and public nudity that brings about the comradery. I don't know if that would work as well on the mountain.

In reality Richard is just looking them over to see if his stolen Power-Ade bottles are hanging from their packs.. :snicker:


Oh..and welcome back..we missed ya'..!