Here's a wide range of topics I'm throwing out for the crowd.

I read this story about his 38 year old mom that went off hiking on her own during an excursion in Zion Natl. Park and went missing. They found her two weeks later. Her daughter claims she was an "experienced" hiker. That brought several thoughts to mind.

WTF does "experienced" hiker mean in the Pajama Boi/HGTV age? Does it mean they go and walk on well marked flat trails frequented by 100s of others once a month? For the Millennial crowd, that is probably accurate. That's why I call them the HGTV generation. They want to live in condos and cluster homes in town with almost zero yard, walk to celebrity restaurants during the week, and then escape to "nature" on the weekends or vacation.

Brings up the next thought, where do these urbanites learn their outdoor skills? Youtube? At the REI store demo? I learned basic outdoor and survival skills in the Boy Scouts. How to read a compass, tie knots, blaze a trail, make emergency shelter, and how to make fire. I learned orienteering, and how to read a typo map. How to find Polaris or Cassiopia in the northern sky at night. Scouting did teach survival skills. Scouting is dead today.

Also brings up the point that some people don't belong off a paved road. I swear this is a true story. Was in Jackson, WY a few years ago staying at a small hotel. We were on our way out when one such couple that fit the above HGTV description passed by the front desk. Dude working asks where they were going today and they said Grand Teton Park.
He asks "Do you have bear spray?" They answered in the negative
"Here, take one of ours. Do you know how to use it?"

They answered in the affirmative and started toward the door, but paused and asked:

"Do you spray it all over your clothes or just on your bare skin?"

With a straight face, the dude answers "Ma'am, if you attempt either, please step outside first."

Today with the reliance on GPS, nobody can read a map and they don't have a good sense of where they are when they start. Forget a compass. They will never look at the direction of the sun when they start. If their cell phone goes dead or loses signal, they have no clue.


Just a bunch of random thoughts. I'm sure you guys see plenty of this.

"The Democrat Party looks like Titanic survivors. Partying and celebrating one moment, and huddled in lifeboats freezing the next". Hatari 2017

"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid." Han Solo