High Sierra Topix

AlmostThere wrote:There's a balance to be had.
...

I'll amend the statement -- just say no to pointless, careless, stupid, immediate death. Reserve it for when you're really having an adventure, not when you're crossing a bridge three miles from the trailhead.

Agreed. I think we do a pretty good job here at HST as well, learning skillsets of those that ask for information, and we answer based on those questions asked of them. This has been a season of "turn around's", which is a healthy sign that some listen.

Hobbes wrote:It's not my website (ie I don't have a dog in the hunt), so if HST is meant to merely be an echo chamber for those kinds of opinions, so be it. However, if there's any intention or desire to create/maintain a learning resource, and foster an environment of generational involvement, then I can guarantee you 100% that these kinds of remarks & attitudes will kill the site.

Well spoken! I may only be a lurker on this site, but the reason I lurk is that it has the best beta on current Sierra conditions. I'd like to see more of that, not less.

I fully realize that this is the "Backpacking Cautionary Thread" so I expected a number of comments urging restraint as well as examples of backpackers showing little, but posts using insulting descriptors like "Darwin" "stupid" "not fixable" etc. are just plain nasty.

This is HIGH Sierra Topix. Take the HIGH ROAD. Or your readers will hit the highway.

jfr wrote:
Well spoken! I may only be a lurker on this site, but the reason I lurk is that it has the best beta on current Sierra conditions. I'd like to see more of that, not less.

When are you going to start contributing to it then? The site is only as useful as we make it.

I fully realize that this is the "Backpacking Cautionary Thread" so I expected a number of comments urging restraint as well as examples of backpackers showing little, but posts using insulting descriptors like "Darwin" "stupid" "not fixable" etc. are just plain nasty.

This is HIGH Sierra Topix. Take the HIGH ROAD. Or your readers will hit the highway.

It's really really really hard for someone who sees people who BRAG about being utterly, completely foolish and encourages others to do the same, to hold their tongue. The only way to counter is to speak out against that, call it what it is. So no, some people are not fixable -- they are brash, careless, and don't care anything about anyone but their ego. They think swagger and daring will win them success. They refuse to listen and eventually they will stop listening because those stupid choices catch up to them. There are old mountain men, and bold mountain men, but there are no old bold mountain men. The mountains do not care about your attitude. The mountains do not care if you are old, young, new, experienced or dead. They do not respect braggadacio or hubris. You are on an equal footing with everyone so far as the mountains are concerned. So you either respect and approach the mountains with an open and pragmatic and prepared manner, or you keep rolling the dice until you get snake eyes. Just because you didn't pay for willful stupidity today does not mean you never do.

People who make mistakes based in inexperience, are not stupid. People who make mistakes and learn from them are smart. People who come close to disaster are posting here. It's not arrogance -- it's a fact. You don't make it far on arrogance. I am not an equal to the mountains, I am but a spectator and a postulant. I've bailed out of bad situations and I've had to help others do the same. I used to think there was an arrogance to people who put forth strong opinions -- there are those who do it to brag, but there are also those who do it out of a strong desire to prevent death and suffering of someone who is hell bent for danger. Right now? this thread was started out of a desire to get the attention of the less aware, and make the point that this year is different, the season is not typical, there are risks over and above the usual -- do you think that is simply someone's ego at work?

Really?

In today's WaPo
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/pos ... 03a2859672

This guy got swept down Yuba River while swimming and had to be rescued.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nErkqs ... e=youtu.be

It’s worth pointing out that HST does provide a middle way between hitting the highway and tiresome engagement with the cranky, didactic, and overly opinionated. Judicious use of the “foe” list in your user control panel goes a long way towards making the forums more congenial, and you always have the option to override user blocks to read individual posts.

It may or may not speak to the larger points about the site raised by Hobbes and jfr that, according to the members list sorted by post count, I’ve got four of the ten most prolific non-staff posters on “Ignore.” (And one of the top ten hasn’t posted since 2014.) But my experience with other forums in the past has been that when there's a handful of people making a disproportionate share of the posts they effectively set the tone for the site. And it’s certainly not going to change by telling non-“Adict” (not in my dictionary; guess I don't have a current edition) members who object to it that it's all their fault for not making more contributions themselves. We’re talking drops and buckets here.

Going back to the members list, I'd be interested to know why the vast majority of the founding members have stopped visiting HST. I doubt they've all hung up their hiking boots.

WarrenFork wrote:I'd be interested to know why the vast majority of the founding members have stopped visiting HST. I doubt they've all hung up their hiking boots.

Nirvana: "Here we are now, entertain us." Janet Jackson "What have you done for me lately?" Shawshank "Get busy living, or get busy dying."

You're either engaged or you're not. A big part of parenting is seeing the world from your children's eyes. It's new and refreshing, bringing to life memories of the past as new lessons are learned and adopted.

The traditional trade hierarchy of master, journeyman & apprentice aren't only useful for purposes of regulating commerce and ensuring professional standards, but as a means of passing down knowledge and keeping old(er) generations vibrant and involved.

The young(er) generations just beginning to explore the High Sierra share the same physical/mental experiences as we did, but have different avenues of expression and communication.

If you want to (re)live the excitement of your youth, as well as be part of a continuous cycle dating back multiple generations to help lend assistance & advice, then it's merely a process of knowing where the market is located and adapting to those/their standards.

The only constant is change; technology and the way it is utilized defines how content is consumed & utilized. There's no reason HST cannot be a rollicking, active site fulfilling the media appetite for countless backwoods aspirants.

I appreciate all of the feedback. Sometimes I need harsh truths, too. I've been PM'ing with several of you, have shared some ideas that are already in the works as well as discussed any new suggestions you might have. Please be sure to use the Tech Questions and Suggestions forum to post other ideas, or, PM me if you're uncomfortable sharing publicly. I believe this thread has run its course and provides enough information, so I'm closing it down.