Definitely chit chat. It's fun to be friendly, if the other person is into it. Read the room, so to speak. Some people want to chat, some don't, ya know?Guy wrote: ↑May 8th, 2018, 1:43 pmThanks Amy, well I definitely don't say it to everyone it's one of many casual greetings / comments I may or may not make to people on the tail along with comments about the weather, condition of the trail etc, etc. Idle chit chat! I can say honestly though that whether I say it or not has nothing to do with the persons sex, size or shape. I'm just as likely to say it to a man or a woman & I've had men and women of all ages say it to me. I see it as a camaraderie thing with others doing the same thing (hiking).I'm glad you were not offended by it, if you heard it from me it would be said in the spirit of sharing the experience with a fellow hiker.I wasn't offended. I rolled my eyes. It wasn't necessary. Why say it? Did my friend and I look lost or confused? Did we look fat and like we were having a hard time making that last climb? Were they just excited to tell us we were close to the view they'd just seen?
Well I guess we just see things slightly differently but not by much. Too me only saying Hi for fear of offending someone just seems very impersonal to me. I feel it leads to people not wanting to talk to each other for fear of upsetting someone. Not looking to change any minds here. Just my view.It varies. To me it's on the shoulder of mansplaining.
Why not just say hi?
I definitely see what you're saying about athletic events. I love people cheering me on when I run. I see this being one of your apples and oranges situations though.mjirving wrote: ↑May 8th, 2018, 1:58 pmThe grocery store analogy is apples and oranges. I don’t encourage people on the way to the grocery store as it’s a mundane trip that people do in their sleep. My intent in encouraging people to the summit of something is that it’s hard work for all of us, and yes, I’m an equal opportunity encourager. Just like at an athletic event when you cheer people on at the finish line encouraging them to give it their all as they are almost there. That’s probably the root of it for me personally as that was always common practice to cheer people on, particularly in the long distance stuff when they were working hard to achieve a goal. I had this happen to me in triathlons and marathons when I was younger, and observed it even in high school athletics like when I did cross-country. It never occurred to me that it would be construed any other way. Having said all that, I liked the comments a few posts above about not assuming everyone has that reaction and the burden is not on them to understand my intent. So, I don’t plan to do that anymore, and I’m grateful for this new understanding. I still plan to smile and say hi and chit chat if I get a positive response as obviously this shouldn’t be taken as black and white to stop talking to people, which hopefully we all can clearly see and understand.
When I go for a hike, I haven't entered an athletic event. I may be on the same trail as you but not even heading to the same destination. Some people hike for solitude. Some don't. It's about respectful boundaries and taking cues. Say hey, for sure. Beyond that? See where it goes, just like everywhere else.