I'm back, sorry about that, I have enjoyed your posts, and videos, and have nothing against you. I just want to help you understand that you can not dismiss stories of Waltz and others by trying to compare yourself to them.
You seem to be a great hiker for our era, but there are little girls, and old women nowadays that you can not keep up with. In Waltz era, people were conditioned to walk. Waltz didn't start his trips at a trailhead, he walked from town to his mine, and he would walk with his loaded mule to sell his gold at different places, a good distance away.
Everybody was conditioned to walk back then. Today there are still places where people are conditioned to do so. Watch a few videos of the Tarahumara, they run through rougher mountains, and have set records, like 435 miles in 48 hours. They are conditioned because they live in Copper Canyon which is said to be like four Grand Canyon's rolled into one.
The little girls are the ones who look after the goats, and you know goats can climb. These little girls keep up with those goats in rougher mountains than the Superstitions. Hope this helps you understand the stories better. Keep posting videos.
Homar
I appreciate your response and well thought out reply.
I see a lot of sense in it, however the Tarahumara and Jacob Waltz do not belong in the same sentence, imo, nor was he a little girl
. They're not even close to the same culture, lifestyle, body type, diet, etc... I have to disagree that because they can do it, Jacob could.
Jacob lived off hundreds of pounds of flour, and bacon, it seems and in his last debatable trip, he wasnt anywhere near Tarahumara condition.
People of the olden, romanticized days, age just like modern humans...and have since cro-magnon. A lifetime of beating your body up does not make it stronger, maybe temporarily, but your life span goes down. I know a lot of PA coal miners. You'll have to try hard to convince me otherwise. A case could be made for someone who spends a lifetime in the fitness world, doing things in a controlled setting, but not a miner. Again, in my humble, uneducated opinion.
Some men could absolutely have done this and still could. Waltz could have been one of those. Sure. Its been proven to me on this thread that SOME exceptional men are out there. I've already conceded that.
Its not the norm however. Id say its abnormal and that most older men, especially those, who spent their lives in hard, manual labor, are in pain most of the time, not stronger superhuman superhikers (a reference to the Wagoner, not Waltz....Waltz at least had a burro). Whats the average lifespan of a doctor or lawyer compared to a miner? Who physically works harder? Who lives longer.........?
I dont mean this to be offensive. Im just bad with words :/ which is one reason why Ive been shy here lately. I gotta work on that
This may be all moot because there may be a bit of confusion. I am asserting that the Wagoner, couldnt have done it, not even close, as explained in the BS story. (Sick, couldnt travel during the day, contemporary acquaintences stating he didnt do it, etc...) Thats what I remember asserting anyway....been a while since Ive logged in. As far as Waltz... Im not sure what about that story I even believe. I think he probably didnt go to far. Not that he couldnt go in, just that I dont think he went in too far.
I dont know..... I want to try to "be open minded" but I also want to be realistic and not gullible believing everything I read. Maybe Im not walking that line correctly, missing the middle path...... I can concede that.
Thank you for reaching out! I hope you and yours had a wonderful Easter and were able to spend it doing something that brings joy. As far as the videos..... Im working on it. Its getting real hot here........
