Trail Buddies- Why it Works?

imported
#1

I’m sitting here wasting state dollars at my state job and speculating why people on the trail seem to become fast friends. I wonder if the same people met in a bar or at work if they’d be as close.

The obvious immediate difference is simply time to talk and the fraternity bred by shared experience. Obvious enough, right?

Then I began wondering about tribal cultures and if closeness might stem from reduced external influences. To make a quick, broad, unqualified generalization, if you assume our competitive capitalist society is divisive by nature, then escaping this milieu may yield stronger interpersonal connections?

Hell, I dunno’. I’m bored, humor me.

JamesGoefasture

#2

I think it’s all of what you said plus I have one other observation. While on the trail, most people are going to be living out there with the bare minimum of “stuff”. This includes external influences of our society and the material things that one feels they “must have” when they were out there in looney land. But when on the trail you’ve peeled away layers of “gunk” which allows you to become more of the true person that you really are. Your interaction with others and the environment reflect this - most people become all together different out on the trail. An “interpersonal connection” takes place with all that is around you. When you take away all those material, comfortable things you thought you couldn’t live without, and all that’s left is yourself and no demands but to just “be you” out there, - hey, it becomes a different culture that breeds love and caring relationships, including one with yourself. Another sign of good on the trail -Trail Angels that just keep happening. Hephzibah is having a couple of Trail Angels visit her soon (Bushwhack & Bramble '01)to give her support on her northbounder. There is a continuing connection with trail people that just keeps happening.

Peep

#3

Thought provoking. Responding to the capitalist point, having just come out of a study of great economists and their legacies, though, and seeing the tragic (TRAGIC) human cost of some other systems (and I am not even counting non-economic parts like easy target Stalinist repression and killings – let’s stay purely economic and focused on the costs to working families stuck in those systems where the opportunity pie cannot easily grow, and most people cannot get a decent slice of it), it seems like saying the capitalist system gets in the way (especially when 20% to 30% of our GDP is governmental and largely devoted to easing pain of a thorough going capitalism, not unlike governments that spend 30-40% of their GDP on easing pain, but are called socialist) would be a mistake.

Doesn’t it seem more likely that the economic system presents challenges that relatively small groups of the population are forced to overcome together, and that any competition with other groups would also have the same tendency – to drive people closer together? The challenging part anyway seems more like nature than unlike it.

Not that there isn’t bad things happening that stresses and drives people apart. I am just disturbed by any move away from freedom when I see the costs, and the rarity of what we have. Oh yeah, keeping it on topic with the forum, I’ll add my brother just got back from being a mountain guide in the former USSR this summer, teaching Russian college kids about the outdoors and leadership (they don’t have a broad outdoor ethos there yet, though there are some great guides). Those in the program didn’t seem any closer together because of their economic system, from what he told me, but they did have a great time and come together as a team in nature.

Aeschylus

#5

People on the trail are sharing a common experience the likes of which you do not find in regular life. This gives rise to a feeling of team and comraderie. There are people I met hiking who in my other life I wouldn’t have crossed the street to spit at if their hair was on fire. I missed out on meeting a lot of great people prior to my time on the trail. Hiking can be a fine and pleasent misery that we all share.

Big B

#6

i would say that it is a combination of being out there without your usual network of friends family etc, so you are VERY open to meeting new people (who are likewise alone and open to new friends), and the intense nature of being on the trail (hardships, fun, new things everyday, etc etc you know what i mean). this adds up to quick and close friendships. same thing happens when you start college, everyone alone and ready to meet new people, try new things. starting a new job is not that way because you are the only new one, everyone else has their little network of friends staked out so will not make the same effort. humans like to be with groups of other humans, when you are out there all alone you will take that extra step to get to know the people around you.

h y

#7

…any competition with other groups would also have the same tendency – to drive people closer together?

Good point which is readily demonstrated by sport team affiliation (particularly the Ohio State madness in my area).

I hate to distill the entire thing down to, “Altruism, sharing, good… Making money, bad.” On the other hand there is a competition myth, namely that the best things come out of competition. We see this very early on in things as innocuous as spelling bees, science fairs, schoolyard games, etc.

Teaching reflects the values of a society. If those values stem from a Protestant work ethic, wealth accumulation, and competition in a Capitalist then it’s no surprise this inherent divisiveness manifests itself in our daily lives.

Anyway, interesting discussion. I wrestle with the fact that as much as I’d like to blame EVERYTHING on a destructive, divisive, greedy social and economic system, it’s a gross sophomoric generalization.

Blah blah blah… still wasting taxpayer money…
Johnny Goefasture

Johnny Goefasture