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MadRiver

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Joined
Sep 4, 2003
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Location
Thornton, NH
I do not sleep very well on overnight trips, so I’m usually up as soon as the sun rises. I do, however, make it a practice not to disturb anyone else while I go about my morning rituals. If I’m sharing a tent platform or shelter with others, I will take my stove and make my morning coffee far enough away, so the sound of my stove doesn’t disturb anyone else.

I do not believe that I have the right to determine when others are to be awakened. That being said, I have been on trips with others who think nothing of making as much noise as possible during their morning ritual to wake the dead. They go about their morning task without a thought as to how their actions might affect others who might want a little extra sleep. If confronted, they simple say “deal with it”.

So I ask you, where do you fall along this scale? Are you as quiet as a church mouse, or do you say to hell with everyone else and go about your morning ritual with reckless abandon?
 
quiet as a mouse

I am up very early (my old life as a bakery manager has forever short circuited my internal clock) and I get up eaven earlier when not in my bed.
I keep very quiet, in fact I organize all of my morning needs before I go to bed/bag so my clothes, food and pack are ready to roll in the morning with no fuss. (My wife is thankful that I even do this at home.) If I were being awakened by discourteous, loud tent or cabin mates I would be very tempted to "deal with it" as I see fit!
 
All the people I've ever camped with have always been considerate of others in the AM. As for me, no one has ever accused me of being loud at any time of day! I can't imagine wanting to camp with someone twice who makes a lot of noise and then rudely says "deal with it."
 
This is not really a camping discussion, but just a common courtesy discussion. No different at home or in a suburban neighborhood.

Someone who carelessly and unnecessarily makes noise, while someone else wants quiet, and during a time where quiet is reasonably expected, is just plain inconsiderate.
 
Once I had no choice but to reserve bunks in a 12 man bunkhouse. We arrived around 8pm to half of the bunkhouse filled with sleeping people. We tried to be considerate and quiet, and since there was no break in snoring, it appeared that we disturbed no one.

Unfortunately we did not get the same consideration from that party when they awoke at 5am - not for an early hiking start, but for an early start home. I've never shared space with such a rude bunch.
 
Reminds me of a couple of things...

Thing One:

For the most part, none of the folks I hike with are early risers, at least not in winter. We often all pretend we are asleep until one of us can’t wait anymore and gets up to start a stove and boil some water. Nothing like getting up on a brisk winter morning to a hot beverage.

Thing Two:

(dave.m will remember this one) on a winter ski-in to Sawyer Pond Shelter, two friends (neither of who (whom?) were dave.m) got up before the rest of us and tried to keep it down to a dull roar.

We join them after they have gotten out of their sleeping bags but before they are completely dressed or shod:

FIRST EARLY RISER: [quietly] whisper, whisper, whisper.

SECOND EARLY RISER: [also quietly] whisper, whisper.

FIRST EARLY RISER: [again, quietly] whisper, whisper, whisper, whisper… [violently and very loudly slamming icy hiking boot on floor (the same floor that most of the rest of us up-'til-now sleepers have an ear against) to loosen ice, then, again, quietly] … whisper, whisper.

ME: [regular, if sleepy, speaking voice] I don’t think you need to whisper anymore.
 
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TCD, I tend to disagree.

I dislike my suburban neighbors, so I fire up the snow blower/lawn mower nice and early on Sunday mornings. If they come over to complain, I start up the chainsaw too. ;)
I would never be that inconsiderate of my fellow campers. :D
 
Generall we're quiet people in the morning. "we" meaning the group I usually hike with. But, we do like to wake the other slackers up by doing the "still-in-sleeping-bag-cross-lean-to-log-roll" across the other drowsy bodies. Usually ends up in a fight of some sort, but it's fun.

I don't like to be awakened before I'm ready, though. So don't try.

Nice story, bob. HA!
 
Puck, I'm guilty of that too. Even though the neighbors are OK!

I used to work 2nd shift, typically got home about 2 AM. When there was fresh snow during the evening, I had a choice of:

>Run the snowblower now, at 2 AM, while I'm up and dressed; or

>Try to go to sleep at 2, wake up at 5, to clear the driveway so my wife can get to work.

Needless to say, there were a lot of 2 AM sessions! :)
 
Since no one else will own up to it, I will. I'm not a morning person. When I wake up I make more noise than I'd like to admit. Daintiness was never my forte... I don't mind getting woken up early - otherwise I'd end up sleeping in late. Everyone has a limited amount of time in the outdoors. If a little noise gets them up, out, and happy, so be it. I won't let 20 minutes of noise ruin my time in the outdoors. Flame suit on :eek:
 
SherpaKroto said:
Since no one else will own up to it, I will ... Flame suit on :eek:
Go -- go, and never darken my avatar again, sir (not that we have room for you anyway)!

Then, again, I'd rather put up with you in a shelter than be next-door neighbor to the 2AM snoblower!
 
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