lisae wrote:

mrchad9 wrote:
When I'm in the mountains I pay attention to my surroundings... and never use an Ipod.

yep. I want to hear the wind, moving water, the birds . . .

agree again and completely

btw...who brought that whole "religion" thing into this discussion. Going into the mountains to seek inner peace, solitude, serenity, tranquility, and trying to "recharge" and enjoy nature has by itself nothing to do with religion.

twoshuzz wrote:+4

Never have been able to understand why some choose to shut out so much of the environment they come to experience.

that's the whole point, because they (or many to be cautious) who do that don't come for the "environment"

yeah I don't listen to music out there. I was out for 15 hrs last Saturday and had no desire to listen to anything other than the sounds around me...


as for Vibram Five Fingers - they promote a forefoot strike and reduce impact forces - which reduces the loudness of running and brings us even closer to nature

FortMental wrote: While we're at it, let's ask SP members how many native Americans they've encountered on their hikes/climbs.... Then ask how many religiously inclined (no pun intended) indigenous peoples were encountered on other climbs of mountains around the world.

Define "Native American." I often hike with a guy who is more than half Inca, and see lots of folks who are likely more than half Amerind by descent.

I love the mountains for the variety of experiences they can provide.

Sometimes I go to the mountains for "cardio", bagging peaks and churning out miles and elevation as fast as I can. Other times I go to work on technique in climbing, or sometimes purely for adventure and exploration, not quite knowing where I'm going.

In recent years I've started seeing the mountains as a place to go for art. I see it everywhere, and lately I've been planning some trips to areas in mountains (or even to particular summits) based purely on the photography potential.

Fast and hard dayhikes are nice, but miss out on some of the experience. However, overnight trips where you are moving slowly and lugging a big pack suffer the same problem. So does only doing peaks by their easiest routes in their easiest seasons, or only seeking out the the technical lines and forgoing routes that aren't hard enough.

The mountains are a church/spiritual place for many, but they are much more than that. The only thing that gets me shaking my head is when people fail to explore some of this variety outside of one niche experience.

As for MP3 players, I don't see a problem using them so long as you use common sense and not wear them where being able to hear is important - e.g. dangerous animals, rockfall potential, etc. just like how I choose when to listen to them on my bicycle in the city.

Ze wrote:as for Vibram Five Fingers - they promote a forefoot strike and reduce impact forces - which reduces the loudness of running and brings us even closer to nature

Hi, how are you?

I thought that they might have some ergonomical (?) advantage. But they look odd. I've seen a few out there wearing them and I just can't help to laugh.

FortMental wrote:Few indigenous populations, aside from assorted "Holy elites" have a culture of actually going into mountains for a spiritual experience. As for the US, I'll bet that for every peak peppered with some native religious artifact, there are thousands.... thousands that are not. (Read early accounts of surveys and explorations). While we're at it, let's ask SP members how many native Americans they've encountered on their hikes/climbs.... Then ask how many religiously inclined (no pun intended) indigenous peoples were encountered on other climbs of mountains around the world.

http://protectbearbutte.com

This is one example. Simply being on the site is to experience- summiting is not necessary, I'd say (when I was there years ago, the atmosphere there was holy, for me anyway). I'd say that the reason that one doesn't see many native Americans in the mountains is that, percentage-wise, there aren't a lot of them out there compared to pretty much most other ethnicities I can think of. They are around, though. Also, many are still on reservations, most of which are far away from many of the major population centres that many of those reading this habitate. Some of the holy sites are on/near reservations, places that most of us won't visit any time soon. Shiprock is a good example of a holy mountain in the US that the "locals" frown upon people going to strictly to climb. In fact, I think that the mountains I can think of native Americans holding as holy are frequently too 'holy' to climb. Another example is Cave Rock on the shores of Lake Tahoe- after a lengthy battle, climbing was banned from the formation (it was, however, a sport climbing area- filled with bolts).

let's ask SP members how many native Americans they've encountered on their hikes/climbs....

Quite a few in my neck of the woods actually on a regular basis.

Here is one local NA that is one of the best in the world and comes from a long blood line of local NA warriors.
His Father did a great and powerful job in preparing
and teaching him the true values of the mtns...

SoCalHiker wrote:I thought that they might have some ergonomical (?) advantage. But they look odd. I've seen a few out there wearing them and I just can't help to laugh.

I'm interested in them but I'd probably cut my ankle on a rock or something on a trail. I do run barefoot a mile or two around the track, it's quite liberating

Alpinist wrote:Trail running is fine so long as you're not wearing these.

The KSOs aren't quite the right model for running on trail. Trek Sport or Bikila is the ticket. And what's wrong with 5-Fingers anyway? I run in them.

Deb wrote:And what's wrong with 5-Fingers anyway? I run in them.

"Oh, it looks good on you though."
\


(Crappy image, but anyone culturally literate will get the reference.)

Deb wrote:

Alpinist wrote:Trail running is fine so long as you're not wearing these.

The KSOs aren't quite the right model for running on trail. Trek Sport or Bikila is the ticket. And what's wrong with 5-Fingers anyway? I run in them.

Well, I've seen a few wearing these around the city, and heard positives about them, but still don't know much about them. They offer enough support for running? Bit like running barefoot I spose. I was thinking of getting some for camp shoes/slippers/ whatever you might call them.

dskoon wrote:

Deb wrote:

Alpinist wrote:Trail running is fine so long as you're not wearing these.

The KSOs aren't quite the right model for running on trail. Trek Sport or Bikila is the ticket. And what's wrong with 5-Fingers anyway? I run in them.

Well, I've seen a few wearing these around the city, and heard positives about them, but still don't know much about them. They offer enough support for running? Bit like running barefoot I spose. I was thinking of getting some for camp shoes/slippers/ whatever you might call them.

Deb's feet probably look a damn site better in them than mine would. I'm not sure those things would contain my 6 inch Bunion.