You know might be addicted to hiking...

You have problems waking up to go to work everyday,
but you are up before the Saturday 4 AM alarm even goes off.

...voted for teddy roosevelt in november

........your family and friends know exactely who you are talking about (and don't give you odd looks) when you speak of friends by their trailnames.

...you already spent your REI dividend and get home to find it in the mail

.....Outdoor store employees live vicariously through your stories and adventures.

When you stand in your house looking out the back window and your wife says to you " The mountains are calling you, aren't they?"

Jasonst said:

...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...

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I think that falls into a "You Know You're a VFTT Addict When...." sub-catergory. Tho Brutus is such a celeb in hiking circles, not just a canine VFTT'er. I referred to recognizing and finally meeting Brutus on Madison as "like an Elvis sighting". And no one here asked what I meant!!!

Had a good laugh on a lot of the other posts as well. Particularly those that hit home with me -- like wearing my gaiters to walk to work -- and dogs' preference for gear chewies. No one in my new real world understands why it's so funny that my dog still knows to check out my backpack for leftover GORP when he feels the need to score a snack. Or why I eat GORP as a midday snack (washed down with my own exact blend of watered down lemon/lime Gatorade) to begin with!!!

Thanks for the chuckles. It's made my hiking withdrawal more bearable.

When the toll taker on the Mass Pike asks "are you headed up to the White Mountains again?"

You know might be addicted to hiking...

...if you see a female wearing popular hiking gear clothing and use that to strike up a conversation with her.
nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more!

you know you may be addicted to hiking when...

...the word 'paradise' doesn't make you think of palm trees or beaches, but something more like this...(click below)

....when your photo collection of your hikes take up a entire closet. ....when you have so much extra equipment you can outfit at least "two friends" who want to try hiking. ....when ,while trying to figure out your altitude,you use five different insturments to do it,and there is only two of you on the hike.

When your wedding plans include a ceremony on Cascade complete with family and friends in "semi-formal" hiking garb. This would describe my wedding plans up until a few months ago when the future in-laws put my ideas to rest. Darn flatlanders...

You know the compass bearings to every point in your house, from any point in your house

You know might be addicted to hiking...

...if you check the VFTT forums to look for new topics before you even check your e-mail at work every morning.

...if you sometimes pace yourself coming down a mountain so that you can make it to the Mountain Wanderer book store before it closes.

...you have it set up so that you get an e-mail every time somebody adds to this forum.


keep it going folks, this is one of the best forums I've ever read.

I am an addict.....

You consider moving near your favorite trailheads (even though the chances for employment in that area are slim to none).

You tell your mother your going to the Goodwill Games in Lake Placid for the weekend- she replies "Oh,- just admit it - any excuse to go hiking......" she was thinking I meant the 'Special Olympics'.(-please no one take offense to this..........sometimes her meds are off......) The family thinks I have "a little problem".

I actually can't take the credit for this one - I have seen it out on the net before- but it is an all time favorite:

You quit your "six figure a year" job to work for a sporting goods/gear store for minimum wage- because with the employee discount - you will actually have more money left over in the long run....... (or something like that).

.....when you camp out in the back yard to test some new winter gear.

.....when you would rather sleep in a sleeping bag instead of using blankets in bed.


.....when you make coffee and cook breakfast on a soda can stove.

Or are willing to.

....when you are having a conversation with your spouse over dinner and after ten minutes of her talking and you just listening she says "You're dreaming about hiking aren't you?"

...you go on a two day hike with a friend then go away the next day with your wife for a couple of days. When you get back some non-hiking friends ask you how the trip (meaning the wife trip)was and you automatically start telling them about the hiking trip. YOU'RE BUSTED!

email exchanges with friends frequently start like this:

"I don't have my map with me but..."

Way to go

....When the Trailhead is easier to find than the way to work!

....When the conversation with the Customs guy at the US/Canada border goes....... " Hi! Where are you going?"..."Adirondacks!" ..."What for?"...."Hiking"..."OK! Watch out for the bears!"
Actually it's a long time since that kind of conversation occured....Us Canucks even need a passport nowadays.

prino said:

....When the conversation with the Customs guy at the US/Canada border goes....... " Hi! Where are you going?"..."Adirondacks!" ..."What for?"...."Hiking"..."OK! Watch out for the bears!"
Actually it's a long time since that kind of conversation occured....

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still happens. A few months ago.
"Where you going?" "Down to work with the 46ers" "You a 46er? Me too. What mountain did you finish on?"....

You just have to get theright guy.

Pete: Just have to ask, please enlighten all of us who do not know. What the heck is a "TFC motto?" Inquiring minds want to know!

This is one of the best threads yet, superb replys -- two thumbs up!!!

MtnMagic said:

Pete: Just have to ask, please enlighten all of us who do not know. What the heck is a "TFC motto?" Inquiring minds want to know!

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Dunno. It's on my son's T-shirt. The shirt of a crew that lives in the woods, weilds huge axes, and moves 800 pound rocks.

I just like it.