5 ms·

And here I thought the goal of hiking a long trail was pride of achievement when you get when you finish it. Silly me.

lmm 5y ago
A little bit of structure and tradition enhances the experience. You feel more part of a shared culture, and it gives you a reason to stretch a little further than you would otherwise.
oh_sigh 5y ago
Have you hiked a long trail before? I did the Camino de Santiago, starting at Vezelay, and I am not a sentimental person, but I very much cherish my stamp book. It elicits very different memories from me compared to when I look back at pictures I took, or read my diary from that time.
- sizzzzlerz 5y ago
  Why yes. Yes, I have. The John Muir trail in California. Three weeks, 213 miles, 47,000 feet of elevation gain, and all I got was a lifetime of memories.
  - stickfigure 5y ago
    I've hiked both and they are very different experiences. The JMT offers natural beauty and (relative) solitude. The camino is a cultural and social experience. The little passport book is a cute and benign part of camino culture.
  - oh_sigh 5y ago
    And you took no pictures, and wrote no words, and took no memorabilia? Where would you even get a stamp book up there?
    - sizzzzlerz 5y ago
      Are pictures and written words a requirement now? Wish I knew that 35 years ago when I made the trip.
      - oh_sigh 5y ago
        No one said they were a requirement. It's bizarre how defensive you are over these questions.
NoPie 5y ago
Maybe that is something about European psyche that worships bureaucracy as the highest human achievement. I am more into the camp which likes hiking for the sake of it instead of recognition by some regulatory body. Camino de Santiago has a stamp system but it is mostly for the purpose of getting free lodging and meals on the way. People can cheat but those people probably are not interested in those simple accommodations anyway.
smcl 5y ago
Well there are a lot of things people enjoy about hiking. Trying to follow a tradition stretching back 90 years of collecting stamps in a little book does sound quite appealing, like taking daily pictures with a soft toy, or keeping a journal with pics or sketches, or developing fun little in-jokes with the people you’re with. There’s a lot more you can enjoy on top of completing the walk itself

lmm 5y ago

A little bit of structure and tradition enhances the experience. You feel more part of a shared culture, and it gives you a reason to stretch a little further than you would otherwise.

oh_sigh 5y ago

Have you hiked a long trail before? I did the Camino de Santiago, starting at Vezelay, and I am not a sentimental person, but I very much cherish my stamp book. It elicits very different memories from me compared to when I look back at pictures I took, or read my diary from that time.

sizzzzlerz 5y ago
Why yes. Yes, I have. The John Muir trail in California. Three weeks, 213 miles, 47,000 feet of elevation gain, and all I got was a lifetime of memories.
- stickfigure 5y ago
  I've hiked both and they are very different experiences. The JMT offers natural beauty and (relative) solitude. The camino is a cultural and social experience. The little passport book is a cute and benign part of camino culture.
- oh_sigh 5y ago
  And you took no pictures, and wrote no words, and took no memorabilia? Where would you even get a stamp book up there?
  - sizzzzlerz 5y ago
    Are pictures and written words a requirement now? Wish I knew that 35 years ago when I made the trip.
    - oh_sigh 5y ago
      No one said they were a requirement. It's bizarre how defensive you are over these questions.

NoPie 5y ago

Maybe that is something about European psyche that worships bureaucracy as the highest human achievement. I am more into the camp which likes hiking for the sake of it instead of recognition by some regulatory body. Camino de Santiago has a stamp system but it is mostly for the purpose of getting free lodging and meals on the way. People can cheat but those people probably are not interested in those simple accommodations anyway.

smcl 5y ago

Well there are a lot of things people enjoy about hiking. Trying to follow a tradition stretching back 90 years of collecting stamps in a little book does sound quite appealing, like taking daily pictures with a soft toy, or keeping a journal with pics or sketches, or developing fun little in-jokes with the people you’re with. There’s a lot more you can enjoy on top of completing the walk itself