HikeArizona.COM

He works @ the Babbits store in GC Village.

http://www.practicalbackpacking.com/aud ... -Hiker.mp3

Yeah, well, he is annoying as all get-out. And when he led some women on a backpack, who were real non-hikers, one weighed at least 300 lbs., he went off ahead of them and left them to fend for themselves on the Havasupai trail. Our group had to help them. When we met him later on that trip (which was several times, unfortunately) my friends wouldn't even talk to him they were so disgusted with him already, they walked off. I talked to him because I was curious.

He meets you on the trail and it goes like this: "Hi, I'm Maverick, I'm 79 years old and I've done Rim to Rim 356 times!" He then shoves a business card at you. Then he goes on: "I use Go-Lite gear. My pack weighs 20 lbs." Etc., etc. And this is only after you just said hello, like you would say hello to any other hiker. Never does he ask you how your trip is going, how are you, or anything about you.

I have met a few other-80-year-old backpackers. I would like to be still backpacking at 80 and I am aiming for it. I hope I am not as annoying as he is when I'm 80, though!

If we dig enough we can find negative stuff about just anything.
Personally I think life's too short and prefer to learn from the positives.

"Take an ounce and a half off your feet and you'll go an extra mile a day."
That isn't big news as I've hit hard on this factor for at least six years now.
Let's see, my sandals weigh 1 lb 6 oz, my boots weigh 3 lb 12 oz. That's a weight difference of 30 oz. At one mile per 1.5 oz that's 20 extra miles a day.

"An umbrella drops the temp upto 20 degrees"
Personally I think there's more to it than just degrees. At any rate this is a big factor too. It's allowed me to hike year 'round in the areas I prefer.

Personally I think life's too short and prefer to learn from the positives.

I couldn't agree more Joe, no sense in complaining all day long. It never does anyone any good.

joe bartels wrote:If we dig enough we can find negative stuff about just anything.
Personally I think life's too short and prefer to learn from the positives.

"Take an ounce and a half off your feet and you'll go an extra mile a day."
That isn't big news as I've hit hard on this factor for at least six years now.
Let's see, my sandals weigh 1 lb 6 oz, my boots weigh 3 lb 12 oz. That's a weight difference of 30 oz. At one mile per 1.5 oz that's 20 extra miles a day.

"An umbrella drops the temp upto 20 degrees"
Personally I think there's more to it than just degrees. At any rate this is a big factor too. It's allowed me to hike year 'round in the areas I prefer.

:bigth:

Sorry to come across so mean or negative, you guys. But I did meet and talk to the guy, and the thing with those poor ladies he was guiding, especially the heavy-set one, did rub us the wrong way, and basically prejudiced us against him. I'm sure he has a lot of really good tips--which is why I did stop to talk to him about his Go-lite gear, and I did learn some very interesting tidbits regarding ultralight hiking in the 20 minutes I talked to him. I asked him quite a few questions about his gear. I was not able to open the link at the beginning of the thread you have all been quoting from--I was speaking from direct experience with him.

joe bartels wrote:
"An umbrella drops the temp upto 20 degrees"
Personally I think there's more to it than just degrees. At any rate this is a big factor too. It's allowed me to hike year 'round in the areas I prefer.

Offering the best protection under the sun (and rain) for mere ounces, the Golite Dome umbrella should be your first choice for coverage! A durable, full-stick design holds up to wilderness use.
The Chrome Dome (pictured) features a metallicized canopy for serious protection in intense sunlight.
25" long - merely 10 oz!

Little update on Maverick...
http://www.ksl.com/?sid=743088&nid=148

azbackpackr wrote:Sorry to come across so mean or negative, you guys. But I did meet and talk to the guy, and the thing with those poor ladies he was guiding, especially the heavy-set one, did rub us the wrong way, and basically prejudiced us against him. I'm sure he has a lot of really good tips--which is why I did stop to talk to him about his Go-lite gear, and I did learn some very interesting tidbits regarding ultralight hiking in the 20 minutes I talked to him. I asked him quite a few questions about his gear. I was not able to open the link at the beginning of the thread you have all been quoting from--I was speaking from direct experience with him.

It seems like if you are guiding someone on a hike, then wouldn't you be responsible for their safety or the group's safety? I know that we are talking about adults here but, not everyone has the same skill levels and hiking experience. I have been on my share of search and rescue missions that were caused by someone not looking out for their partner or keeping track of the group that they were hiking with. Great to see someone that old hiking like that though.