The bureaucracy of hiking Hungary's Blue Trail

Post by cinntaile » Thu, Feb 03, 2022, 2:36 PM UTC

n4r9 wrote: post #29

nerdponx wrote: post #2

I get the impression that this is a system wherein honest mistakes and failure to adhere to strict rules are punished, while outright cheating is allowed simply because it's difficult or impossible to catch. Meanwhile, the strict rules exist in part in order to try to make cheating harder, but don't actually seem to make it harder to cheat, they just make it harder to complete the trail in an honest fashion. As such,…

In this case it doesn't seem so bad, as long as the cheats aren't massively damaging the reputation or enjoyment of the trail. Let them have their petty triumphs. It reminds me a bit of the current popularity of Escape Rooms. A lot of the ones in the UK will rank your time and keep track of monthly or overall records. Of course, it's easy to get the record just by doing it twice, or first listening to how your friend…

Post by pc86 » Thu, Feb 03, 2022, 3:18 PM UTC

bbotond wrote: post #20

WolanPe wrote: post #18

As someone who actually hiked that trail: I think the author is just missing the point: yes the whole system could be improved, that´s correct, but that´s not IMPORTANT! Collecting the stamps is just to motivate people, give them a feeling of accomplishment. You can opt for not getting a single stamp, but collecting them is just part of a tradition, which has it´s roots way back before the socialist era. Also note: t…

Agreed. Each stamp print is a small reward and seeing more and more of the beautifully designed prints appear in your booklet feels great. I started hiking the trail in 2019 with my dog - we both have separate collection booklets - and I hope when we finally complete the trail, he too can get his own badge.

Post by raducu » Thu, Feb 03, 2022, 4:51 PM UTC

helloworld11 wrote: post #30

antihero wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do people still make jokes like this about marriage? It seems very outdated.

Because people like to joke about things that are common causes of little problems (and sometimes big ones) to so many of us in life. What exactly is so outdated about it? or the real fact that marriage is a marathon sometimes?

Post by Hokusai » Thu, Feb 03, 2022, 6:05 PM UTC

dustintrex wrote: post #5

nerdponx wrote: post #2

I get the impression that this is a system wherein honest mistakes and failure to adhere to strict rules are punished, while outright cheating is allowed simply because it's difficult or impossible to catch. Meanwhile, the strict rules exist in part in order to try to make cheating harder, but don't actually seem to make it harder to cheat, they just make it harder to complete the trail in an honest fashion. As such,…

"Stamp rallies" in Japan are so common that they invented their own pseudo-English word for them. The OG is the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, which requires you to collect stamps from 88 different temples, preferably by walking 1200 km: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikoku_Pilgrimage Although there's no prize or verifying authority for completion.

Post by LorenPechtel » Thu, Feb 03, 2022, 9:21 PM UTC

lacker wrote: post #6

I hiked 30 miles over 3 days once and it was an epic adventure, leaving me exhausted. It's hard for me to even imagine what a 700 mile trip like this on foot is like! And the PCT is almost four times longer....