first timer needs some encouragement

“Yes Nigal, butt . .
“deep down you kind of liked it.”

I don't know which one is my favorite pun here. The "butt..." or the "deep down". Haha!”

“You all never accused me of being a troll. But I got accused of being the troll who was stalking Ewker... Hmm.

Paul, one thing no one has mentioned yet (I think) is that never ever go backpacking alone without leaving your itinerary with a friend or family member. So many dumb butts go out in the wilderness and don't tell anyone where they are going and then something bad happens. I know you all are inspired by Aaron Ralston, but the guy is a total fool! He'd still have his arm if he hadn't been so damn cocky and stupid.

And here is a helpful website for trekking Ok. Just kidding. But that's in case you are in fact a troll. LOL!”

“Is the Sierra Club in England?”

“Paul,

You have a lot of opportunity right round you.

Have you done (parts) of the Penine Way or the Coast to Coast trail? My buddy from Yorkshire has done both and just the weather conditions will set you up in skills and mental toughness for most things here.

You have, as you know, Millet, Berghaus and www.karrimor.co.uk to set you up with gear (kit), as well as a bunch of out of doors shops in your town.

There are also a lot of outing clubs in your area. Have you hiked in North Wales and the Highlands of Scotland? - they are near to hand and will whet your skills.

If I were going to start a dream, I'd look up some of the trips out West on the Trips page.

Doug”

“Beware the Moors during a Full Moon














Or is it "Moops"?
last edited: 1/18/05 2:49:18 PM”

“Hi gremlin
I have done the penine way walking, mountin bikeing and camping,iv also done the lakes and very nice views thay have.
wot all ov you are callin backpackin i call camping and have done this for many years but now feal the need to do it somewhere else with
differant views and people to meet, you know us english its a good morning/afternoon then carry on are way, where you american\\\'s stop tell your stores get to know one another probley stay the night have a bit of a sing song around the fire then go your own way, its just that iv never had the balls to just get up and go to a differant country and do it, i dont know why but now iv got the urge to just get up and go but befor i do i wanted to get some advice from others that have
last edited: 1/18/05 3:10:02 PM”

“Paul,

Other than you being way over there, your story sounds an awful lot like mine. I had been canoeing and camping for years. I had talked with my wife about getting into backpacking, but never had the guts to venture out on my own or seek out individuals that I could hike with. It wasn't until we visited a local outfitter and she saw a flyer of an individual that had a hiking club nearby. I contacted him and we met up for my first hike.

My life changed that weekend.

If you are interested in hiking in the States and can get away for awhile, stay tuned in. Visit the trips page often to see if there is something interesting. Usually the trip planner will post an information thread about the trip and you can chime in there.

You can always bum a ride with someone that can pick you up at an airport, just ask.

We are all pretty friendly around here.”

“Paul, from what I have heard of European hiking, you take a sleeping bag, clothes, and hike hut to hut, and buy food at the hut. That sounds wonderful!!! In the U.S., you carry all your gear, and camp at remote lakes, trails, meadows, etc. A lot fo the newbie advice on this site is for the U.S. kind of backpacking. If I were in England, I'd be heading to the Alps for some hut to hut hiking.

The hike I've dreamed of doing is one of the pilgrimage routes from France to Spain. Several routes join together, and are called the Camino Real?? or something like that. The route is a stone paved trail with hostels and villages along the way, where you can sleep and get food. It ends at a church in Spain, and from there, the pilgrims go home. People do the hike on foot, bikes, and burrow, and have been doing it for centuries. The length and time required depend on the place you start, and how fast you hike. The villages along the way have a tradition of being kind to pilgrims, and many cafes and hostels make their living from pilgrims (hikers). That's what I'd do.”

“Paul, as a Brit, you should check out the magical place in the States called Milwaukee. But watch the movie Love Actually first. Then you'll understand.”

“lol...”

“That movie got me in trouble with my wife!”

“How did you get in trouble? I'm confused.”

“The body-double sex scenes...”

“LOL

Those were hilarious! I don't know how anyone could carry on a matter-of-fact conversation like they did without busting a gut laughing.”

“Oh, I thought so too! But my wife was Not Amused.

I thought it would just be a nice romantic comedy until the first scene where she has to take off her top.

My wife did watch the rest of the movie, but she and British comedy just don't mix well.”

“Oopsy, Bit.”

“Ruby! You are funny!”

“lets go backpackers, lets go!”

“Paul;

I'd suggest you try and find a hiking trip around the Memphis area during the (english) football off-season. That way you can get in some hiking AND possibly get a picture with the ManUtd's first team goalkeeper (he lives in Memphis in the offseason). Take that picture back to your favoirte Manchester pub and you'll be a hero!”

“Trolls are posters, who, for obvious reasons, don't identify themselves, whose sole intentions are to stir trouble.

This board has apparently had some problems in the not-too-distant past with all kinds of deceptive trolls. One storied breed was the type that would introduce itself as a young, attractive, female hiker. I'm sure you could imagine where that went...

With that in mind, it's not hard to understand why so many people have a skeptical attitude against newbie (rookie) posters. Actually, for many, it's just a running gag -- a longing for the days of yore, when over half the posts on the board were nonsense troll garbage. (I can't imagine why anyone would long for that...)

Anyways, feel free to poke around; there's all sorts of useful information all around the site. Oh yeah, and take any responses you get here with a grain of salt (because you'll need that around here). Eventually, the "Salem Witch Trial Jury" will move on to the next rookie and you will be out of the spotlight.”

“dont listen to phantom soul. hes a troll. from new jersey. peeyew.”

“New Jersey. The Garden Troll State.”

“a true board rookie posts a response to the ipod thread to the first timer thread. hes probably back at the other thread wondering where the hell his post is. duh.

:P”

“hahahahahahaha too late i saw it.”

“I just call them like I see them. Sometimes my glasses are dirty or fogged.”