balzaccom
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Waiting for spring...
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Post by balzaccom on May 12, 2024 6:53:47 GMT -8
There is a nice Spanish expression that came up during my hiking of the Camino Primitivo to Santiago de Compostela. I thought I'd post it here and see what you think:
“Si quieres ir Rápido, ve Solo.
Si quieres llegar Lejos, ve Acompañado”
If you want to go fast, go solo. If you want to go far, go with more people.
The first one is a cardinal rule of hiking: the speed of a group of hikers is inversely proportional to the number of hikers in the group. When one person stops to tie a shoe, another readjusts their pack. At which point another chooses to find a bush and answer a call of nature. And what was a ten second stop becomes a ten minute stop. Repeat ad infinitum.
But the second one?
Thoughts?
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on May 12, 2024 6:58:10 GMT -8
That second one is food for thought. Go with company. I think it’s addressing our essentially social nature, and raises the question of how long we can carry on solo. But there’s also the aspect of actual help and teamwork. When I hiked with my husband, we could do 10 days, because he could carry more than his share of that extra food weight. When I go solo, I can’t do that. So there’s something of the “many hands make light work” aspect of it—and that saying also (I think) touches on both practicalities and the social aspect.
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driftwoody
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Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
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Post by driftwoody on May 12, 2024 9:10:13 GMT -8
Hiking with a group of people provides mutual support if not friendly peer pressure to complete a planned trek. However, the least fit member of a group can limit mileage and number of days. Epic hikes aren't for everyone.
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Travis
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Post by Travis on May 12, 2024 10:07:09 GMT -8
I'd consider both (even the first) to be generalizations worth considering but founded on premises that do not always hold true. I know of one group with four or five members that likely travels faster as a group than any one of them would travel as individuals. The reason is that each member tends to be highly competitive and inclined to speed up in the presence of their peers.
On the other hand, for the same reason groups are often slower, they may travel less distance. If the weaker member can limit speed, he or she can also limit distance.
We used to be told, "Never wear cotton," or "Never hike alone" in mountain lion or grizzly country. Those are valuable guidelines that are important to understand. But there are exceptions to each that are also valuable.
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Post by Lamebeaver on May 12, 2024 11:45:44 GMT -8
what if you only want to go "half-fast...?
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trinity
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Post by trinity on May 12, 2024 11:59:13 GMT -8
I have always been told this is an African proverb. At any rate, I am quite certain that it does not have its origins in backpacking. It is a more general expression, I believe, of the inherent strength and sustainability of community. Humans are, I believe, inherently social animals, and cannot last long solo. As an off the charts introvert, this was a hard truth for me to come to.
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driftwoody
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Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
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Post by driftwoody on May 12, 2024 14:26:41 GMT -8
what if you only want to go "half-fast...? HYOH, but that sounds like cheeky trail philosophy with only one cheek.
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driftwoody
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Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
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Post by driftwoody on May 12, 2024 14:31:41 GMT -8
trinity, does not someone always walketh beside thee?
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on May 12, 2024 17:53:50 GMT -8
My trail philosophy is that I like to go. Sometimes I like to stop for a bit, too.
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Westy
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Post by Westy on May 20, 2024 4:20:45 GMT -8
Sometimes I like to stop for a bit, too. Yesterday, I took a 45 minute nap at a sweet spot on the trail. Comments remind me of Theory of Constraints. ![](https://i.ibb.co/GM04V7d/theory-of-constraints-case-study-webinar-5-728.jpg) Common new school from the kids at The Trek is the term tramily which acts more as a social group rather than team.
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Post by marmotstew on May 21, 2024 11:02:30 GMT -8
Three is the biggest group I’ve ever hiked with. That’s not really a group but more of a gaggle.
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Post by Coolkat on May 22, 2024 6:34:27 GMT -8
Humans are, I believe, inherently social animals, and cannot last long solo. The tv show "Alone" is more or less proof of this. Many tap out because of this exact reason. Its also the same reason I believe that solitary confinement while incarcerated is a feared punishment.
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trinity
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Post by trinity on May 22, 2024 17:07:33 GMT -8
Its also the same reason I believe that solitary confinement while incarcerated is a feared punishment. Feared and, IMHO, inhumane.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on May 24, 2024 11:50:44 GMT -8
I like hiking alone. Maybe these days it would be more accurate to say by myself. I almost always see people on the trail in recent years.
Sorry if this is thread drift but solitary confinement is way different than solitary hiking.
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driftwoody
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Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
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Post by driftwoody on May 24, 2024 12:23:33 GMT -8
Mrs. Driftwoody likes dayhikes, then a nice rental house or cabin for the night. I've done a mix of solo and with a buddy, but the friend I've trekked with the most sadly has medical problems and can't join me.
I hope I'm still fit after I retire at the end of this year, then I'll have more time to do as I dang well please.
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