Thank you for one of the most entertaining posts I've read in years. Honestly. I hope it was half as fun to type as it was to read. Screamingly funny. :thumbup:
Let's see if we can find some common ground....
You and I are the same in that we both like to go into the woods for recreation. It's not our job, really. We do it for fun and that's ok.
You and I are the same in that we both take pride in the skills we've attained for being in the backcountry. And we both carry and use knives as a part of that.
And you and I are the same in that our backcountry recreation is tied our sense of manhood. For me, that means covering miles and gaining altitude. Call it "recreational walking". I can fancy up with words like "backpacking" or "mountaineering" or "ski touring" but it's all really just simple walking. For you (and I take your word on it), it's about chopping down trees and making shelters. Just as I said in my first post, you do "recreational wood chopping".
I will, in fact, tell you that you don't *need* to cut down trees and make shelters. To insist otherwise is to not only put your ignorance on display, it's putting it out on center stage with a bright spot light on it. You could, if you chose to, carry a lightweight tarp or tent and stove with weeks worth fuel and you could, learn and practice low-impact camping techniques. You choose not to, which is entirely your choice and if it makes you feel like a man to cut down trees, have at it. But please stop insisting it's a need. It's not. It's a choice.
After 3 decades of many backcountry trips a year, I honestly don't get the "survival" thing. Survival either means you screwed up badly or it's just a fantasy scenario. The rest is just managing risk and dealing, God forbid, with first aid and evacuations.
+ Camp near summit of Mt. Osceola. Nighttime lows of -15F. Next day around 11am, still 3 miles from the road, the party is dragging. Dehydrated, starting to bonk and crampons starting to catch on the snow from lazy feet. Water bottles are dry. Drop packs and dig out the stoves. It's a hinge moment. Functioning stoves mean melted water, hot tea/sugar and an easy rest of the hike. Stove failure allows the descent to hypothermia to continue.
+ Camp near Thoreau Falls. 8pm. Temps at -5F and heading for overnight low of -10F. One person on dicey ice shelf getting water from the stream. Errant step by another causes the shelf to collapse, putting the first person knee deep in the water momentarily and filling ski boot with water. Socks were changed for dry. Pant hung in tarp/tent and wearable for the 7 mile ski out the next day.
I could go on and on, but it will likely just bore or annoy you.
Camping with you? Sure. You carry your pack and I'll carry mine. I'll even stay with you and watch for the first night. I'll set up my tarp and roll out my bag and will fart around the lake for the day. I'll eat off my stove and enjoy some nice tea while I watch you tend your fire. Just don't ask me to deal with all the busy work of your shelter building and fire tending. I find it a waste of energy. I'd rather be out walking. You only get a night though. Next night, I'll be high up on a ridge near tree line.
Howker Ridge by
Pinnah, on Flickr
