Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board hiking with I-pods

I discovered that there are a number of types of replacement ear pads for the helmet I wear downhill skying. One comes with a headphone jack so I don't have to be bothered with bulky earphones. Another comes with two headphone jacks. Does this mean I have to get a cell phone?

Dale B. Dalrymple
http://dbdimages.com

those that hate ipods/ mp3 players must not do any winter mountaineering. first you usually go to bed when the sun goes down ie 6:00pm. and you lay there tossing and turning on your oh too thin thermarest. right hip, butt, left hip, butt, right hip until an hour or two before sun up. an ipod makes that time goe by a litte faster . dont get me started on what is like when a storm rolls in so hard that you cannot even leave the tent for 48 plus hours. some good jazz or electic blues helps keep the sanity. I usually have it in the tent or bivy and thats where it stays.

Interesting topic. I didn't see anyone mention portable speakers... some of my best buds & hiking partners are suckers for the music and have Ipods with portable speakers that work off AA batteries. While I like the occasional beats around camp, they would play it 24/7 if a few of us didn't occasionally request that they turn it off to enjoy the peace and quiet that nature has to offer... including our weeklong adventure up and around Whitney last year. To each is own I guess (or whatever that saying is).

Why go that far only to hear the city?

I'm a volunteer Scoutmaster for my son's local Troop, and I tell the scouts to bring whatever they want for the ride to the wilderness, but if we're hiking, to please leave that stuff in the car so that they can enjoy and hear what the outdoors is playing. It's worked pretty well for our group.
That's my preference.

We go one step farther.I'm an assistant Scoutmaster. Any electronic device found on our hikes and camps is confiscated and NOT returned.

I once threatened to put this idea to work on a fellow visitor at the top of Angels Landing, Zion.

Electronics used judiciously can be okay in some circumstances. Harvey

I have to agree with len... I was once tent-bound by a multi-day storm with nothing to read but Starr's Guide. After practically memorizing the guidebook, I proceeded to calculate the number of 'rip-stop' squares there were in my nylon tent... uhhh! (And that was only the first day of the storm!) I learned to always bring a novel with me on the longer trips,but an MP3 player for those storm-bound occasions would be truly fantastic!

I usually bring my Ipod with me on my trips but I never turn it on while actually hiking. I don't want to disturb the gift of silence that I've been given. But my hiking buddy snores like a bear. Actually we both do. Throughout the night we're elbowing each other. When the other one wakes up, then you immediately grab your chance to get some sleep before he falls back to sleep. So I starting bringing my Ipod and I turn it on before I sleep. I usually listen to the Bible or my other books on tape.

All things in moderation. I do use my shuffle when hiking, or during social time. But when my hiking companions retreat to thier tents, and I get a bit lonely missing my family, my shuffle is a godsend.

I can see having one for the night, especially when the wind is flapping your tent incessantly. But listening to music while hiking is something I just don't get. The same way I don't understand people who get high while skiing. It doesn't get any better than flying down a mountain at mach 2 with your hair on fire. I'm not trying to foist my experience on anyone else but I'm glad that I learned how to enjoy the solitude of my own thoughts, prayers and company while in the wilderness. If I'd had music I don't think I'd have ever gotten that because I'd never have had to get over the hump of what seemed like boredom but was actually noise and business of spirit.

I have found it hard to listen to music when going uphill 9000 feet or higher. The rythm/beat screws up my breathing.

It (ipod) is quite useful at nightime, especially if its been a quick ascent to 13000+ and its hard to sleep because of various factors. Nothing like 8-12 hours in a row of Pink Floyd.

Just have some caution as hard drive manufacturers caution about higher altitude use because the disk relies on an air cushion to float the heads above the flatters, and there is less density to the air. Flash-based players like ipod nano and shuffle don't have this limitation.

trail mix of downloadable mp3s

MP3: Dinosaur Jr. - I Got Lost

MP3: Shapes and Sizes - Wilderness

MP3: Talking Heads - I Get Wild

MP3: Numbers - Beast Life

MP3: The Shins - We Built a Raft

Yeah, listen to some nature sounds on your ipod as you hike.

I am a songwriter and my two passions are mountains and music. I don't own an I-pod yet but was going to buy one for my Kili trip. I thought it would be great for a 7 day climb. I did not end up getting an I-pod before I left for Kili and I am glad I did not. I was solo (except for my guide) and I loved listening to the sounds around me and just having time to think. Also, I have heard that I-pods at high altitude can have problems. I do love music when I am working out in the gym...that is a must!!!

MC

Only reason i could think i would want to have one with me was if i wanted to shut someone out that would not shut up..or..if you ever camp at elevation and the winds get up it could help you with handling the stress of feeling like your going to get blown on the mountian.. high winds at night can sure mess with you securtiy...or lack of!

When I went up the Main Trail a few weeks back for a dayhike, probably 80% of the dayhikers that I saw had iPods or MP3 players. I used one as well, mainly during the night portion because I can't see anything anyway and the music helps me get into a hiking groove. But I wouldn't use a music player if I had to do any technical climbing or anything where you need to concentrate or be extra aware.

What I do though, is I only use one earbud, usually the right one and I set the volume very low so it's just background music. If I have both earbuds on, I feel too isolated from the environment and that's not good for safety and other reasons. With just one earbud on low volume, I still feel aware of my surroundings and have some music to make the miles pass by quicker. Also, by having one earbud in the right ear, I can hear if someone says hi or asks a question when I come across them on the trail.

I would never use an IPOD while hiking but have no problem with others who need or want one. I don't understand the need for them while you're in the midst of nature, but to each his own. I've noticed more and more hikers using them on the trails. Last week on the JMT in Yosemite I saw at least 30% of the hikers using them, which is more than I've ever seen in past years.

I would be concerned with the safety aspect of hiking with an IPOD. Hearing is an essential sense on the trail, at least to me. Just as I don't run on a city street with an IPOD, I wouldn't hike with one.

I hike and trail run with an IPOD, not on remote wilderness trips, but trails that are frequented by lots of folks. Yesterday I was running with my IPOD and even over the Rolling Stones (showing my age) I could hear the rattle snake going nuts as I approached. It did scare me, but I was glad the IPOD earphones did allow enough environmental noise in to warn me. I was easily able to avoid the snake, but I could see where there could be a problem.

I like to hear the sounds of nature and just enjoy the peace and quiet when I hike. But at night, I like to read to go to sleep--books are heavy (I've been known to cut a large paperback in half to make room & less weight) and hard to read with a head lamp, etc.. I used an iPod (shuffle--because it's so light) on my Whitney trip last week to listen to a book on tape at night. The "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" was the perfect thing to help me relax and head off to slumberland.

Karen

If you need to bring an IPod to "listen to your tunes," you probably wouldn't want to hike with me. You wouldn't hear my weak voice telling you you're about to walk off a cliff.

Boom Boxes. IN the early 1990s I was spending a night at the top of Mt. San Gorgonio (So. Calif). There were two rangers up there, too. Just before sundown a group comes up to the summit, and one of them had a HUGE boom box on his pack. He drops the pack, puts the boombox on a rock, and cranks it up. The rangers go over and "crank up" a citation for noisemaker in the wilderness (backcountry rangers actually existed back then, and wrote citations, too). Cool