Whats up with all the excuses

[barjor]

So when ever I go climb/Hike and I meet someone on the trail I usually say something like "Hi how's it going" Most people replay something like "great day to be out here" but a lot of people come up with an excuse why they didn't reach the summit. "My foot was bothering me to much so I had to turn around", "I turned 57 last week so I am to slow" And they are all so upset about the fact that they didn't reach the summit that they can't enjoy that they are out in the wilderness. I don't really care if they reached the summit or not I am just being polite but why do they feel obligated to confess there grand failure to a stranger within the first 10sec of conversation and why do they feel it is such a huge failure not to reach the summit. I more often then not turn around before the top and still have a great time. People need to lighten up and enjoy life.

[Alpinfox]

People need to lighten up and enjoy life.

 

Well, I would, but I didn't get to the summit of my objective this weekend, so I'm a little bummed.

 

[olyclimber]

And my foot is definitely bothering me.

[knotzen]

I always get people asking me if I reached the summit. Then I have to go into this long story about how I was talking on my cell to my mother's step-sister's cousin's former best friend from high school, tripped over the dog, hit my head on the doorknob, and now have a hangover from drinking whiskey to kill the pain, and that's why I didn't make the summit. Arggh. Wish they would just let me enjoy being out there and not ask if I made the summit.

[archenemy]

So you didn't make the summit?

[knotzen]

 

No. But the whiskey sure worked well.

[Squid]

It was good for me. Did you summit?

[knotzen]

I think you mean "peak."

[knotzen]

Here we are again, drifting from climbing to sexual innuendo.

 

Coincidence? I think not.

[archenemy]

Later, it will be you who is blamed for hijacking the thread and causing a stir.

[knotzen]

But it was Squidly! See, right here: "It was good for me. Did you summit?"

 

I merely clarified his innuendo.

[foraker]

She's only saying what we can all plainly see but are too afraid to talk about. Is it just me or are most of Squid's posts like that? ;-)

[barjor]

"I turned 57 last week so I am to slow"

 

Well if we are talking sex this might be a good thing

[olyclimber]

190. Squid 34 M 1:29:12 21 0:06:39 247 2:21 0:46:25 272 0:44 237 0:33:03

 

gotta love stalking via the internet. nice work!

Edited August 22, 2005 by olyclimber

[knotzen]

She's only saying what we can all plainly see but are too afraid to talk about. Is it just me or are most of Squid's posts like that? ;-)

I do try to be helpful. Thank you for recognizing that, Foraker. Obliged.

[olyclimber]

I find that Squid's posts are among the most meaningful, thought out, and developed here at CC.com. Any mention to the contrary just indicates someone pissing in the wind.

[foraker]

i think the phrase you are looking for is 'taking the piss out of someone'. please note 'winky' thingy in above post denoting sly humor. i've climbed with Squid and am just poking fun. don't be all serious and shit. unless you, too, are being sarcastic, in that case you need to work on your winky thingy skills and i could work on being less dense. ;-)

[olyclimber]

My posts speak for themselves. But not for me.

[Matt_Anderson]

You wondered:

why do they feel it is such a huge failure not to reach the summit.

and

why do they feel obligated to confess

After you ask:

"Hi how's it going"

 

They probably didn't realize that you thought that it was:

being polite

to ask a question when you

don't really care about

the answer.

 

They also probably don’t realize that you

more often then not turn around before the top

and are seriously lacking in empathy.

 

They quite likely don’t realize that when they simply answer the question of a complete stranger that that stranger

within the first 10sec of conversation

will determine that they don’t know how to

enjoy life.

 

Perhaps if all you want to know is if they are having fun, you could ask them a more specific question, much like the people that Knotzen runs into.

 

Or you could just accept the fact that some people are goal oriented and when they don't reach a goal they gave themselves, it affects how it's going for them. Some of those people are also polite enough share a little bit about themselves. They might also assume that any idiot can see that:

they are out in the wilderness

of their own volition and pretty much by definition having fun but be unaware that letting you know they didn't reach the summit would cause you to label their entire day a:

grand failure

.

 

If they did, they might give you the unsolicited advice to

lighten up.

 

[thelawgoddess]

So when ever I go climb/Hike and I meet someone on the trail I usually say something like "Hi how's it going" Most people replay something like "great day to be out here" but a lot of people come up with an excuse why they didn't reach the summit. "My foot was bothering me to much so I had to turn around", "I turned 57 last week so I am to slow" And they are all so upset about the fact that they didn't reach the summit that they can't enjoy that they are out in the wilderness. I don't really care if they reached the summit or not I am just being polite but why do they feel obligated to confess there grand failure to a stranger within the first 10sec of conversation and why do they feel it is such a huge failure not to reach the summit. I more often then not turn around before the top and still have a great time. People need to lighten up and enjoy life.

you're right, but some people believe you either succeed or you fail. hopefully you were able to enlighten them to the fact that success can mean something besides reaching the top.

[Dechristo]

I ran out of gorp