Twenty postings indicates some interest in the topic; and this thread is not a “debate” as you put it.
Perhaps you would care to respond to the issues presented in the original post?
Conan.
Conan
Watch vs. No Watch
system
#22
Conan, considering the 20-something posts hotly dispute the pros and cons of taking a dog on the trail, it is a “debate.” Stumps, stop being a wuss and take sides.
box turtle
system
#24
There is no debate.
Neither is there any hot dispute. Only one person, Sundial, has gotten off the track and responded aggressively–and Tumblina, in her wisdom, did not respond in kind.
If you will review the thread, you will see that the other responses come in the form of people simply expressing their thoughts without rancor.
Conan
Conan
system
#25
I don’t wear a watch, I carry a watch. A replica of an old railroaders pocketwatch–but lighter–deep in a pocket or in the pack. So if I really need to know the time I can find it but am not always looking at a wristwatch.
Of course this doesn’t stop me from continually asking my wristwatch-wearing hiker friends what time it is!
Skyline
system
#26
The camera I carry while backpacking (an old cheap lightweight Minolta Freedom 101 35mm) has a small digital clock/calendar, so I rarely wear a watch out on the trail…I typically carry it in an easily accessible lower outside pack pocket…the model I carry gives me the option of imprinting the date inobtrusively on the bottom right of any picture I take should I choose to…I didn’t realilze the full value of that option until I finished my AT thru-hike–21 rolls of pictures, all date-stamped, and easily matched to my daily journal entries…made assembling a scrapbook to share with friends/family a breeze…if you’re the type who carries a camera it might be something to investigate…they may even have a model now that has an alarm function to rouse you on maildrop days…hope that helps!
Okie Dokie
system
#27
:lol :lol @ Tumblina, she looks like she can take care of herself. For the record, I wear a watch. Always have and probably always will. I see the side of not wearing one, but because I wear a watch does not mean I’m trapped or controled by society. I have a great time when ever I’m on the trail and feel free.
xman
system
#28
I am not sure the point of carrying a watch. Judging by some of the responses to those who like watches it seems as though you are scared to rely on yourself for knowledge. In my opinion one should walk when they feel the urge, stop when they feel the urge and eat when they feel the urge. If you find yourself at a shelter near dark and the next water source is six miles away… and you still feel like walking… grab some water and try actually camping out. It seems as though people are so scared to forsake the world of numbers and live naturally. Like someone stated… check out that big yellow thing in the sky. I would never consider hiking with a watch… it seems rather pointless. But then there are people who enjoy looking at profile maps and let the world of numbers dictate their every move. I would never have found half the kick ass spots I slept at in 2004 if I had lived my life accordingly to captain clock and profile maps… I always stopped when I found a perfect cliff to watch a sunset/sunrise/moon rise or a waterfall to sleep listening to the natural mystic. Reduce your stress and trust yourself… no worries. It will happen at the right time.
Peace Aswah
aswah
system
#29
:lol There are alot of hippy types on this forum. And that’s ok, I like thier philosophy on some of these topics on here. :cheers
XMAN
system
#30
A few weeks back I was on the AT north of Bear Mtn, NY. I had a page from Wingfoot’s book for guidance but no compass, or watch. I pitched my tent as it was getting dark, I took off my shoe and saw I had an ugly infected toe. Long-story-short, I found myself a half an hour later on a deserted road and I wanted to get to town, but which way? Started off walking in the wrong direction. Eventually a very nice guy gave me a ride to Cold Spring and I returned home soon after. Now, before this I poo-poo’d the compass but now I can see it has its utility. Next time I go out I think I’ll have one of those compass/alarm clock things, with a silly altimeter thrown in. I’ll be using it only occasionally, most days I’ll never even look at it because it’ll be in my pocket not on my wrist but it weighs what, less than an ounce?
Brian Osborne
system
#31
Hi all -
one point to throw out there. Even if you’re anti-watch for all the good reasons people have put forth, it’s a great idea to keep one in your 1st aid kit. if you ever run into trouble, or into someone else’s trouble, it’s really important to be able to measure heartbeats and breaths per minute, as well as knowing how long it’s been between taking vital signs, between medication doses, if someone has blacked out, etc. when you’re the only person for miles with even basic first aid, a watch can be a great tool to have.
so hoorah for the watch! even if it’s buried in your bag.
Sonia
system
#32
Brian, I hope your toe is better. Pretty cool that you had a need to get to town to address and infection and you walked the wrong direction and ended up getting the ride. Perhaps if you had gone “the right way” you would have missed the ride. It is funny how the world conspires to help those in need.
Having lived near Bear Mountain I can assure you that you could have walked just about any direction and gotten to some human habitation fairly quickly. The AT is not so wilderness in that area. I think I believe the one spot on the AT farthest from human saturation is tri corner shelter in the Smokies… I believe it is 15 miles in any direction to a road. Most of the AT is a little too close to civilization…
Peace and Stay Free
Grimod
aswah
system
#33
“I think I believe the one spot on the AT farthest from human saturation is tri corner shelter in the Smokies… I believe it is 15 miles in any direction to a road. Most of the AT is a little too close to civilization”…
I did not know that, thanks aswash. 
Xman
system
#35
i just got back from a 95 mile section hike in north carolina[winding stair gap to newfound gap]and did not use a watch for the entire trip. we judged the time of day by the sun light and it was very accurate. if u know your basic hiking speed and you pay attention to where the sun comes up to start the day u should be able tell the approx time of day. the sun always reaches an apex in the sky then it starts to decend upon decending u should realize the day is starting to shorten up on you…watch no watch; its what u like and what makes u comfortable.how much does your watch weigh? cmon…nitewalker:cheers
nitewalker
system
#36
I need my watch to be sure that five minutes has passed after mixing my Aqua Mira, before adding it to my water bottle.
Slow Walker
system
#37
My previous post is supposed to say that I add the Aqua Mira to the water, not that I add the Watch to the water! Just in case there was some confusion about that!!
Slow Walker
