SummitPost.org

"are you gonna drink that beer?"

Dumbest question I've ever been asked was in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I was on the Appalacian Trail hiking back to Newfound Gap from Charlie's Bunion. It was slightly crowded as it was fall and everyone had the same idea to get a good vantage point to see the leaves.

About one mile before reaching the huge parking lot at Newfound Gap I passed a group of three guys headed Northbound on the AT. They were all wearing tennis shoes, jeans, and long sleeve shirts.

One asked me "how much further to the end of this trail"?
Another asks "do you think we can make it to the end and back before the sun goes down"?

My response: "This is the Appalachian Trail, you have about 1800 miles until the end. If you try it dressed like that this will be the last time you see the sun go down."

My wife reports that the tourists coming off the cruise ships in Alaska routinely ask what the elevation is.

Having lived in southeast Alaska for years, I would on occasion get the "what's the elevation here?" question from cruise boat folks too.

And "what's the name of this lake here? .... referring to the salt water they sailed in on. And while threading my way through the tourists to get at my post office box or a package at the post office counter, I would hear "do you take American money? how much does it cost to mail a letter back to America?"

Have you climbed Mount Himalaya?

Not exactly a question asked on a trail, but found on a SP forum thread (exact wording was a bit different, but meaning remains):

Question by SP member: Have you witnessed climate change during your Himalayan climbs?

Answer: No, I could only observed weather change, as I did not stay 30 years on the summit.

I recently posted this on another forum. The person didn't ask me but a gal I know who worked at one of the local ski areas. "What do you do with all the man-made snow in the summer?"

ktnbs wrote:Having lived in southeast Alaska for years, I would on occasion get the "what's the elevation here?" question from cruise boat folks too.

And "what's the name of this lake here? .... referring to the salt water they sailed in on. And while threading my way through the tourists to get at my post office box or a package at the post office counter, I would hear "do you take American money? how much does it cost to mail a letter back to America?"

Perhaps they think it is still Russian!

One of my all time favorites:

Loser Guy to me at trailhead: Is that your husband's truck?

From an inexperienced, but not stupid, friend who had done most if not all of his mountain hiking on Pikes Peak, as we planned a trip to Elbert:

"Is there a store on the mountain where I can get a hat or something?"

I laughed a little, but took it as a warning that I needed to prepare him for a little less luxury on the mountain.

Fletch wrote:My beautiful, loving, and smart wife (who has a PhD from UCLA) asked me while hiking in New Zealand, "Does the sun still set in the west down here?"

I said "No honey. It sets wherever you want it to..."

I take it the Ph.D. is not in astronomy?

TacoDelRio wrote:Person A: "Did you go all the way to the top?"
Me: "No, I enjoy turning back about 15ft from it."

I do that on a regular basis. Not say that I did, but turn back just short of the top. I do training climbs on Pikes Peak and can't stand the zoo on top, so I turn around.

Not really a stupid question or a stupid person, but once while getting a new set of tires on the Lesbaru, the tire guy looked at my llama sticker and said "What kind of dog is that ??"

A good exchange I overheard here in Santa Fe ran:

Customer: "What's the elevation here?"
Waitress: "About 7,000 feet."
Customer: "Is that year-round?"