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Friendly
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PostThu Aug 15, 2002 11:46 am 
What do you suggest when your hiking and need to pass someone? My girlfriend and I usually become pleasantly chatty when approaching fellow hikers to let our presence be know. Usually this prompts the hikers to pull over and let us pass, but sometimes we have to "tail gate". We don't want to be rude at all, but heck let us through.

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MCaver
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PostThu Aug 15, 2002 11:56 am 
I will usually ask politely if I can pass, and I've never had anyone give anything but a pleasant response. There have been a few cases where I wanted to pass a large party and decided to just wait it out instead of trying to squeeze by so many people. Once noticed behind them, they usually move aside to let me by.

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McPilchuck
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PostThu Aug 15, 2002 7:57 pm 
Loud farts work so says a friend of mine <grin>. just joking of course. I find most everyone on the trail I meet are nice folks and I enjoy chatting with all. Respectively, we share the same interests in why we are there. Met some great people over the years, one of my pleasures is to engage new people in conversation while in the mountains/forests, finding out somehing about who they are and what they do in life...

in the granite high-wild alpine land . . . www.alpinequest.com
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Newt
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PostFri Aug 16, 2002 8:28 am 
I'm a slower hiker also. I do look back periodically to catch the view and see what may be behind so I usually know when someone is approaching. I usually step aside at the next good spot. Gives me a break also. If I'm approaching someone then I will usually cough or make some noise so they are aware. If hiking with someone we will usually make sure we are talking. When catching up, the other party will usually pull over and I say excuse me, thank you or hello. Sometimes it will involve conversation. I have had occasions where larger parties have had some folks that don't like to be passed in which case I tailgate until it's obvious. Usually kids. honk-honk, beep-beep. NN smile.gif

It's pretty safe to say that if we take all of man kinds accumulated knowledge, we still don't know everything. So, I hope you understand why I don't believe you know everything. But then again, maybe you do.
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catwoman
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PostFri Aug 16, 2002 9:00 am 
I've usually not had a problem, but there is the occasional person that is either clueless or just disrespectful about letting you pass. I would say large groups are difficult because they don't usually all hear you. Maybe often the ones that are in the large groups are also often the ones that aren't frequent hikers (I know this isn't always the case) and maybe they think that bunching up and slowing others down just happens. I don't know, I'm rambling.....

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salish
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PostFri Aug 16, 2002 10:23 am 
Getting Passed
I'm in that cadre of slow hikers and I'm usually the one being passed. I'm extremely conscious of that so I almost always beat the fast people to the punch and pull over before they even see me. I appreciate chatty, friendly types. On those rare occasions that I'm passing some people I usually let them know I'm coming by saying hello from a distance. My hiking buddy is a loud SOB so this usually isn't necessary, since they can him yakking as we come up (which is why we never see any wildlife). Like McP says, we're all out there for the same reasons. I've almost been run over several times by runners on Mt. Si and a couple of times at Ingalls. I find these people much more annoying than slow hikers.

My short-term memory is not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my short-term memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
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kleet
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Joined: 06 Feb 2002
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kleet
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PostFri Aug 16, 2002 10:38 am 
Ain't that what them hiking poles is fer? Jabbing slow hikers in the arse is one more reason to buy hiking poles, kids! baaa.gif

A fuxk, why do I not give one?
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MtnGoat
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PostFri Aug 16, 2002 10:40 am 
triple ditto on the trail runners... most of them are OK, but the *only* times I've ever had passing issues, of all the people traveling on foot, or horseback for that matter, is with trail runners. For some of them it's as if the trail is their personal playground and you're just in the way for no good reason. Three times I've just about been bowled over, the worst one in a narrow spot where I was *trying* to get out of the way, and the a**hole couldn't even be bothered to break his stride to allow the time to do so. Nearly went down the hill as he brushed by me, I expected at least another fraction of a second to move over for his highness. Here I am grinding uphill with my pack, got my head in the zone on this set of switchbacks, plod plod plod, and wham "TRAIL!" and somebody shoving by me *inside* of the tread. I was so stunned and outraged by this SOB that for an instand I considered braining him with a rock, which is hard to outrun when you are *below* someone on a hill of switchbacks and the place I was standing was right near a nice supply of fist sized missiles. I'm about the most laid back person there is, but this outright show of arrogance, impatience, and aggression in the middle of the woods in the space of 5 seconds, pushed me right into the red zone. Luckily for me I didn't act on it, though the temptation was definitely there. Ruined the rest of my day though, as I was so pissed off and stupefied that someone could be so thoughtless and such a complete and total )(&(*&!@E)*&^.

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
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ajgoodkids
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PostFri Aug 16, 2002 11:10 am 
A non-issue in our experience. Never thought about it as the passer or passee. Do trail runners really yell "Trail!"? Yucch. Where'd they dream that one up? Do trail runners run uphill? If someone wants a running challenge, I would think talus running would be a fun test of skill.

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RainierRidgeRunner
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PostFri Aug 16, 2002 11:34 am 
I run on some of the trails. I can't see yelling at someone who is in front of me. They have as much right to the trail as I do. I usually just smile and say hi. Never had a problem. smile.gif

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catwoman
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PostFri Aug 16, 2002 2:26 pm 
"trail"?! Yeah, if I would hear that, I'd say, "yes, it IS a trail." That's stupid. Or is the runner indicating that it's HIS trail so step aside? Phooey!

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Roxann
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PostFri Aug 16, 2002 5:00 pm 
I have to echo the sentiment on trail runners......Also why do they pick a busy trail to run on on a Saturday. Do they not know there will be a lot of people to negotiate around? rant.gif As for those of us that are slow. Just say hi, excuse me, or make your presence known and we will gladly get out of your way. A "hey how your hike going?" goes a long way to making people move. Although on our last trip up Skyline Divide my partner moved aside for this guy before he asked. She commented that she was slow and that he should go ahead. He snorted (part laugh) at her. waah.gif How rude. mad.gif She was only being nice.

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MtnGoat
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PostFri Aug 16, 2002 5:22 pm 
The innate physical challenges of mtn travel seem to breed a certain contempt among some folks, for those who are not as fit as they are, or may be doing different activities they find not as worthy as what they are doing. The satisfaction of applying oneself to a difficult physical task, which I think we probably all understand (and enjoy!), sometimes seems to spill over into a disdain for folks not as fast, who haven't climbed as high, who aren't as skilled, who perhaps hike instead of run, watch instead of climbing, etc. This arrogance shows it's presence in many ways, most often thankfully in print where you can avoid it by choice, but the worst of which is face to face expression of the kind of disrepectful, lousy behavior you witnessed. down.gif I hope you didn't let Mr Butthead's attitude have any effect, after all it could be worse, you could be related to this person or have to work with him!

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
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Backpacker Joe
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PostFri Aug 16, 2002 8:00 pm 
I usually say, "excuse me, may I get by" and that works! Dont get TO involved in the details! TB

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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