You know might be addicted to hiking...

It just didn't seem that bad till you put it down in print.
And I started thinking..
We bought a "semi-retirement home in Bethlehem,because
it's close to the WMNF,and route 302 to get to Portland(kayaking)
And we immediately started planning how to turn the garage into a gear room-while we are still with the real estate agent!
I'm siting in my office -and yes I'm wearing Bergelene!
All the dates penciled in on our calendar are about hiking,kayaking,or something related to it.
My wife wanted to be extra careful xc skiing yesterday-she didn't want to get hurt before our Exuma kayaking trip
Our kitchen table is covered with gear,and magazines ,trail maps and REI or EMS sale flyers-so we eat in a different room.
And-I asked my wife to get me a titanium flask for Christmas!
Problem? What Problem?

- You make the dog go out on a cold winter night because you want to test your new mittens

- After a stressful day at work you take the D Line home so that you can stop at REI (just to look)

- All the reading materials in the bathroom are gear catalogs

you pretend to have enough gas money to get there.

you leave your car permanently packed.

(more ice climbing)-

you get suspended for doing pull ups on a pull up bar with your ice tools... (true)

you have ever wanted to wear your koflachs and crampons to work or school because of the ice and snow in the parking lot

you intentionally wear your 2700 ci technical packs to school, with only a notebook and a calculator in them

When you, your wife, daughter & dog go for a nice long walk - you politely ask & re-ask for anything and everything they might possibly need ... then pile it all into a daypack whilst smiling to yourself ...

Each morning your hands tremble until you look at a map, trail book, or VFTT

you need an apt with a spare bedroom to store all your gear

you get the shakes just driving past the exit for Campmor on the Garden State Parkway (that would be exit 163 for 17 north and BTW EMS is right next door)

Good reading consists of breaking out any trailguide, even if you have no plans to hike in that particular area

You have sweaty palms already and the Rainier trip isin't until August

You drive almost 10 hours in the fog to get to the NH VFTT gathering

On a rainy, windy workday, you're the only one at the morning meeting with dry pants.

Your neighbors come to check on you 'cause your vehicle is at your house on a Saturday morning!

(actually happened!)

you know....

You always have the best tanned face off all your friends and family in winter, without having travelling down south on vacation...

Your cabinets at work are filled with maps and the latest AMC White Mountain guide.

You routinely find you next screen saver from the latest trip report.

Your coworkers have a hard time reconciling your work demeanor/dress with that of a hiking.

You wear gaiters with dress pants when it snows.

You give your wife a set of crampons and an ice axe for Valentine’s Day and do not have to sleep on the couch.

You can sit on a chairlift at your local ski area and name every peak within sight as well as its elevation.

You have at least ten weather pages bookmarked on your work computer.

You have a first-aid kit in your car, office, home, and several backpacks.

The juxtaposition of “too much” and “gear” is an oxymoron.

After polishing your wingtips you instinctively reach for the hair dryer to heat the polish.

You have to remind yourself to use a Kleenex and not a farmer blow at a cocktail party.

You do not own a pair of cotton underwear.

You cannot understand why students will not use a hip belt when carry 60 lbs of books.

You wish all your pants had zippers on the sides.

You know every rest stop attendant between your home and the White Mountains by name.

Your coworkers know not to look for you or schedule anything after 12:00 noon on a Friday.

You get the same birthday, Christmas, and anniversary present each year: a gift certificate to EMS, or REI.

After reaching a certain age, you have discovered that Mature Hikers RULE!

...if you sculpt the snow mounds lining your driveway into a scale model of Crawford Notch.

Yer doggie developes a taste for taffeta...

. . . you know that a spork is not a subatomic particle.

. . . you know where to find Leptons, Muons, Neutrinos, and Quarks without using a particle accelerator.

. . . you're seriously thinking of doing the 48 in ascending order of elevation.

. . . you've already done the 48 in ascending order of elevation, in both summer and winter.

. . . you knew which one was lowest on the list, and its elevation, without looking in the back of the WMG. (OTOH, if you don't know which one is highest, better take a look in the book now before anyone finds out. )

...you have to move guide books, boxes of gear, mulitiple Atlas & Gazetteers, and many maps and magazines in order to vaccum the living room floor!

.....there are hiking sticks in your living room!

......you've been breaking in your summer hiking sneakers at work!!

Madriver: I feel your pain

... the storage bin in your Subaru has a hiking guide for NH, VT, ME, and NY with a full set of maps.
... you find yourself charging all of your batteries "just in case".
... you think nothing of sleeping in your car in the winter at a trailhead.
... you've gotten this far in this thread - just to make your self feel better.

... you keep a drum of formaldehyde in your car!

-Wu

...you lurk on VFTT for over a year, and then when you finally meet some VFTT members, you recognize them from photos and stories you have seen/read while you were reading trip reports etc. (planning your own hikes) and know exactly which people have done which mountains recently and who has a really great hiking dog!

...you already know exactly what you will buy with your REI dividend that you received by email yesterday

...you choose capilene underwear over cotten, no matter if you're going hiking or not

...you can look at a summit photo from the Whites and determine what peak it was taken from based on the view

...you keep three copies of the White Mountain Guide (same edition) just in case something happens to one or two of them

bunchberry said:

...you lurk on VFTT for over a year, and then when you finally meet some VFTT members, you recognize them from photos and stories you have seen/read while you were reading trip reports etc. (planning your own hikes) and know exactly which people have done which mountains recently and who has a really great hiking dog!

...you can look at a summit photo from the Whites and determine what peak it was taken from based on the view

Click to expand...

OK, now it's getting personal. A lot of these posts are hokie but this one nails me - big time. I flipped on channel 9 last night at 6:15 at it was a story on Brutus, whom I have never met. My wife was there and I said - That's Brutus - sure enough, it was...

" you know your addicted to winter hiking"
when your wife says she's cold...and you tell her "don't turn the heat up, go outside for a while, when you come back in you'll think you're in the bahamas."

...if you use the candle lantern at home becuase it s the most practical source of light you can think of.

...walking anywhere without a pack makes you feel naked

...found yourself asking the hut croo for recipe secrets

...leave gorp in your glove compartment 'just in case'

...if there is a Nalgene bottle in virtually every place you go...car, office, home, workshop.