Well that was a fun road trip. Yosemite, Moab, and ultimately meeting the world's OK-est thru hiker :D Glad the timing was right, I had no idea that morning leaving Moab to head back to Indiana, I'd be driving right by you in the desert. Glad I checked my Insta to see your location that morning. Cold cokes and water are always a winner. Great to meet you and fun convo, also glad your next water cache wasn't dry.
The truck pullover at the start of the video is the first exit into Colorado from Utah (signed as Rabbit Valley). It's actually quite an interesting stop because there is a short developed trail on the north side of the freeway which takes you to a series of dinosaur footprints and bones with educational signs along the way. To the south is the McInnis Canyons area which has several side canyons from the trail that lead down to the Colorado, quite a lot of petroglyphs in those canyons (unmarked). Unfortunately there is no water in the area other than the river which is inconvenient for hikers.
I'm from California and I get the comments too! It was the worst in Wyoming on the CDT. "If I'd known you were from California I wouldn't have given you a ride." That sort of thing. Really bums me out.
Seveneves. I have a soft sport for near future space survival books. Didn't actually realize that was what this book was or I'd have listened to it years ago. Only other Stephenson book I've actually read was Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. which I ended up rather frustrated with. Excited to read more though now.
@@FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikes Seveneves is great! Some of his not-as-thick-as-a-brick books are great too, and get into cyberpunk (Snow Crash) and really amazing scifi. Others like the Baroque Trilogy are more based on history, but still awesome. Also Cryptonomicon is great. But then I haven't read a bad book by him :) What I like most is the in-depth descriptions which create very imaginable worlds.
@@marleenvos4126 I tend to struggle with books sometimes while hiking that get a bit too in the weeds while I’m trying to distract myself from the fact my feet hurt and I’m tired and I have 15 more miles to go today. I’ve gravitated more to fantasy these past few years because as a genre they tend to keep things moving a bit better. The Expanse was a refreshing outlier when it came to that. And a few others I can mention. But a lot of older scifi can take a long while to move the plot forward
All day I've faced a barren waste Without the taste of water, cool water Old Dan and I with throats burned dry And souls that cry for water Cool, clear water... - Marty Roberts. I hope you never get into such danger again. Thanks for sharing the adventure, I hope you are in a safe place.
Wow, reminds me of a certain 'nun' from Indiana! God bless the couple from Australia that saved you in your desperate need for water!!!! Thank you Chris and your wife from Australia for saving our friend in need!!! ❤❤❤❤🤗🤗🤗🤗
I had some frustrations with Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. but I really enjoyed the first two sections of Seveneves to the point I’m excited to read more by him. Granted I just really like near future space survival like Ark/Flood, Pushing Ice, Children of Time, etc
@@DrDavidThor I was impressed how Seveneves kept moving along. At least until the 3rd section. I kept expecting it to drag and spend a bunch of time spinning wheels (like many other authors I could point to) only to have it jump to the next major event and BAM things happen. That is something I sadly find rare in a lot of scifi these days.
People use their common sense regarding encounters with strangers. After dark some big, smelly dude comes up asking for water isn't a normal occurrence. Like asking to use the phone old dodge. Thats a reasonable expectation.
I can see your pov because you were genuinely in trouble and needed some help from the RV lady (or anyone, really). I would caution judging the woman though, regardless of whether she was alone or not. My wife's entire family was robbed when her Dad opened the door to a young man "needing help" finding the correct room in the hotel they were staying at. Needless to say, we're super skeptical in our family about late-at-night door knocks.
Matt, the RV lady could have been alone and simply scared. She didn't know you and she was being careful, she's not there to take care of you. She could have thrown you a water bottle, but if you were dangerous, you might have stuck around if she did. I am suggesting a different point of view, though I'm sure it will be unpopular here. We can be thankful for people like Terry.
Your view is very popular on UA-cam, where pseudo-experts advice women to bluster at men. But as someone who was a street person for seven years, I know that no matter how popular this sort of opinion is on social media, being rude to potential antagonists is NOT the best course of action. Water might make a thirsty man hang around, but what will keep a bad guy around is rudeness. Please don't give out this wrong advice to women.
@@Najitaka Yes indeed. I'm an expert. Many years wandering the desert, and seven years as a street person. As someone with an intense sense of justice (I chose to be on the street rather than keep getting dirty gold money as a professor), I would often have to settle down some angry dude who'd been insulted by a woman who'd watched some "confidence" video. I'm good at getting street guys to re-direct, to think about other things. I wouldn't directly challenge them. so much as do what it took to get them to re-focus. Because I'm big, my specialty was to walk right up to big angry men, get fully into their sight line so they can re-direct their anger at me. And then I've got more tricks up my sleeve than Carter has pills. But yes, most assuredly, I'm an expert on big dangerous men. Your idea of throwing a bottle out was a good one. The view that the lonely and vulnerable should do rude things is not, as you imply, unpopular, but sadly common. Rudeness escalates.
Tell everyone you're from Kansas... Not a lot to hate in Kansas.... Trust me, I know... As a Texan who has lived in Arkansas, Colorado, and Oklohoma, as well as Kansas. Go easy Matt, go easy.
I can't say what I'd do if I were that RV lady. There's a couple of UA-camrs I watch who've had bad experiences who simply would have driven off (though it sounds like she had a lot of stuff set up outside). Sorry that she left you in a lurch and I'm glad you found the Aussies. I can say I wouldn't have said anything disparaging about California though!
Believe me I get the whole not wanting others nearby thing. I’m the guy who goes out of my way to not camp around others and have moved camp due to people acting off on my vicinity. It already took extremity for me to approach anyone’s campsite like that and I did the best I could. Flashed my light, called out, and when I did knock I backed off a respectful distance. In the end is what it is. At least I didn’t end up with someone pulling a gun…
Matt's begging of kindness at 2am may be extraordinary if not inconceivable expectation for this woman. Matt expected water in a cache that was unavailable, but this does not make it the RV dweller's obligation to provide. This woman has a right to decide and thank you Matt for not harassing her and moving on, following her wishes. I'm sorry it bothered Matt so, but as he has said many times, he avoids the crowds and throngs of people so surely he was not surprised, right. Matt shuns these people and their accoutrements for a reason, and they travel this way for the reasons only they understand. I would be happy to share what I have with anyone at anytime of the day or night, but I would not expect it of others. At least those that did provide where there and able to help Matt in his hour of need. Thank you to the people who do help, but I would NOT be to hard on someone of whom you know so little about. 2AM is a difficult hour of the morning, so I would forgive her of her trespasses and let her live, and I love Cali. Only a fool who doesn't understand, but they have rights too.
__ 3:57 Per the internet: "White Claw Hard Seltzer is an alcoholic seltzer water beverage...first introduced in 2016." I'd guess that where there's White Claw there's likely to be a plastic water bottle (easily chucked out a window).
I used to have a headband with pigtails in my costume box. Your comment had me laughing picturing keeping that plus a dress in my pack for emergency RV / farmhouse approaches. And then picturing a farmer yelling about the bearded cross dresser running around in his corn field
When I lived in California I hated having to tell anyone I was from there. In a place like West Virginia they tend to think you worship the devil and eat babies for breakfast. Now I live in Nevada and they’re just incredulous that anyone actually lives in Nevada.
Comments are making me a bit sad today. There is a good amount of mansplaining going on about what women should and should not do. I've really enjoyed the videos, and catching up on the old hikes, but the larger the channel gets, I just worry I'm not going to be able to read the comments anymore :(
I explain because I've lived it. Took a vow in high school that no matter what, live or die, I'd protect women, and never look back or expect thanks. So help me God I've fulfilled my vow many a time and lived to tell it. It makes me sad to see women endangering each other by giving bad advice to each other and attempting to youngsplain to their elders. Look through the youngsplaining advice on tap here and you can tell it's stuff they've garnered on line. See a few of my other comments under today's video to get a sense of whether I've earned the right, as an old man, and as a middle-aged man, and as a kid wandering the desert, to speak to people with less experience. And boy oh boy is this a good reminder to me (here's me thinking of my feminist goody-two-shoes sons who'll find out one day) that Matt does everything by the rules and still women are gabbling at him. Thousands of men who aren't going to comment will watch this video and notice that it isn't worth following women's rules. You go after the good guys, so why would the rest of us even try?
@@DrDavidThor Even if you feel you're "pro-woman" you can not have lived our experience. Like someone else mentioned, if she had opened a window and chucked water to him or a slight opening of the door and then something bad happened it would be her fault...she decides to not take a chance and she's vilified. Matt took a chance on the cache and the animals beat him to it, is it his fault??? He doesn't seem to be mad at the animals...they were thirsty too. The RV woman was protecting herself, another option is maybe she didn't have enough water to spare...it's a big RV not a water well with an unlimited supply.
@@DrDavidThor What are you going on about? What vow? Sounds as if Matt was not able to get over a woman told him no at 2 am, and you don't like women having a choice to say no, and leave me alone. I would have given him water with out complaint and any expectation of reward. I don't need a vow to except that a woman or a man says no and leave me alone at 2 am, to accept their wishes at their own front door. Plus Matt has an inReach.
@@karenseeger9880 I agree full stop. DrDavidThor does not seem to appreciate a woman's choice. I did not take a vow, I am not sure exactly what a feminist is, I am just an average joe, but I do believe that regardless of what I choose to do, you have your right to do as you see fit. Plus Matt has an InReach.
I would nt be so harsh about the rv lady. You don't know her circumstances. Perhaps she's new on the road, alone and frightened. Maybe she's had a scary experience where somebody approached and attempted to harm her and actually did harm her. Maybe she has ptsd from things in her past that she's trying to work through. We don't know. So please don't take it personally, and don't hold a grudge against her.
Or maybe she was drunk (based on all the cans laying around) and an angry sort. Not a matter of holding a grudge so much as very much not wanting to be the sort of person who would act like that
I know a lot of 911 centers can take texts. I wonder what happens when you text from satellite. I’d really hope there is a way to communicate please don’t send a copter, I just need water. It’s so frustrating that someone would think that out there a bad guy is using water to find a victim.
I did try my best to avoid a helicopter during the New Mexico incident where I injured my calf. I’ve also had some painful experiences with dealing with 911 responses in wilderness areas to the point I wouldn’t expect a whole lot.
@@FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikes yeah it would really suck if the water they bring you comes with a forty thousand dollar bill. Most expensive bottle of water ever.
It’s sad that people are so distrusting. While yes there are wackos out there not everyone is! If you’re that scared then maybe you should rethink Boondocking. I’d would have given you water and I’m an older lady
they didnt used to be. im from texas and i remember it being a thing at you NEVER REFUSE TO GIVE WATER things have changed so much. its sad and unamerican.
why should someone have to not boondocking because a stranger approaches you and you dont know who they are and dont want to interact with them? it is good to be cautious,
@@rosesmith6208 nope. Antagonizing strangers doesn't increase safety, it decreases it. If it had been an actual bad guy, he'd have seen the rudeness as a pretext to escalate. Where the heck are people getting these ideas? You're all watching some UA-cam crap I'll bet.
Women can't win for trying. If they are nice and something awful happens, people say "she should have been more careful, why was she so naive." If she protects herself in a way that someone else finds aggressive, she is a b!tch or a crazy lady. I try and think, "if it was my daughter, my wife or my mother, what would my reaction be." Perspective is a tricky thing.
Nothing tricky here. See my many other notes here on what my expertise is. Or go with common sense if you're a lone woman and don't be rude to a potentially dangerous opponent. There is literally nothing tricky here. Chuck a bottle of water out the window. Trying to water down (ha ha) the obvious safe course here for the woman--give water, don't be rude--into something "tricky" is the sort of dangerous advice that gets people hurt. Rudeness just escalates.
Men can't win for trying. If they're nice like Matt and do all the right things, he gets attacked. The thousands of men who are likely to watch this and not comment? Doesn't mean they're not seeing what's going on. They see this: Nice guy does the right thing and he gets angry lectures. They'll be thinking rationally: why should I try if someone as pro-women as Matt gets attacked for it?
@@DrDavidThor It does not take being rude to escalate, but it does take an opportunity to expose yourself to danger. And what is "common sense" in your mind does not take account for what happens to other in their lives. You are assuming the woman has no reason to be "rude". You have no idea what her perspective is, or what she has experienced. She has the right to say "no" and "leave me alone", just as he has to ask for water, and only she has the responsibility to make her decision. He chose to confront this woman in her abode out of the darkness and she chose not to extend that confrontation, at 2 am. I would happily offer water and food to anyone who asks, regardless of the situation, but because I would acquiesce, does not mean that everybody should or would. I feel bad that an expected storage cache was empty but this is not be the responsibility of others.
@@DrDavidThor How would this woman know that Matt is nice and "pro-woman"? And How is it men can't win? Matt woke up a woman in an RV at 2 am. Is this what you mean by trying? I follow this adventure just like you are and appreciate Matt's travels and travails. And having watched this full episode I am surprised that Matt has chosen to single this woman out as the topic of a considerable percentage of this video as an unbelievable. Matt did thank the couple who did supply him with water and who he did not get a good look at, but spent much more time explaining his disappointment that someone would not give him water. "But seriously, she had a full on big RV, running a generator" as if this would be proof that she should provide for him. Does a generator running mean he has the right to water from this RV? Many people live in nice houses and have lots of money, should we expect that they would provide cash at 2 am? I would be happy to provide what ever I could to someone in need. I am cautious of what charities I contribute to, because of my experiences. If I see someone in need I would offer help when and how I can. It sounds to me that this you way of saying a woman does not have a right to choose for herself.
im still so mad about rv lady... also, former trucker. they will help you! you may have to say youre a hiker not homeless, but its in our nature to help people out on the road dude!!!!
@@mysickfix my dad (a heavy equipment mechanic) told me when I was younger if I ever needed help on the road you could rely on truckers. Grew up around a few truckers good people
@@tammieflemal7871 Totally right. They couldn't always pick me up cuz of insurance regs but they'd at least give me a sympathetic hand wave. I have yet to meet a trucker who wasn't a nice guy.
I hope you at least told the lady in the trailer to make sure and check out your channel heh I think part of the problem with people being paranoid about strangers is all the documentaries on all the streaming channels that everyone watches. They tell the stories of ordinary looking people like you deal with everyday, actually being monsters. Absolutely loved watching you go through Colorado. Not a view of it I've ever experienced.....and Utah is looking amazing too
No single women travelers should respond to any person if they feel unsafe even if you are declaring an emergency. There is no blame there, just unfortunate that you happened on a single woman instead of a couple or a group.
We mention the Kansas crossing on this trail because it was one of the more if not the most memorable challenges. Kind of like the Mississippi source to see storm outside of Cape Girardeau. Or the black range on the continental divide trail. We aren’t bashing Kansas as a concept or claiming it has no redeeming value.
His worst was that in July and August it was sometimes hot, sometimes flat, and sometimes full of corn. I've heard worse smack. I thought his travel partner in Kansas was an astonishingly upbeat, positive thinker, always looking for little pockets of nature and creatures. You want smack, you'll have to wait till I walk across Kansas. [old dude stays alive long enough to cross Kansas talking smack]
Single women, alone in remote areas, learn to be wary of men knocking on their door at night the hard way. It's always been that way for women, so as a man have compassion and let it go... carry more water than you think you need. A gallon is not enough for some of the coming stretches.
It's tough to be dismissed or ignored but I can't say I wouldn't have done the same if I was alone and someone approached me in the dark. Glad a couple was found though!
Sorry, no. It's dangerous advice to women to imply that they should be rude to strangers in lonely places. Confident kindness is the safest course. Chuck a bottle of water out the window and wish him good luck.
There is a diminishing return at a point to carrying more water as more weight = more exertion = needing to drink more. My issue here and the previous day really came down to trying to hike through the heat of the day since it was “only” low 90s and that burning me at the end of the day. I still had a liter+ crossing salt creek for example. Also if she was just nervous she could have always thrown a bottle out and said she’d call the police if I didn’t leave. That area is also a sprawling BLM campground so it’s not like I came up to her somewhere 50 miles from the nearest road
I’d argue that’s the impression that causes a lot of this. Lots of really nice people out there but if you just sit at home and listen to all the panic stories on the news it makes it feel like it’s all us vs them
Come on people, the RV lady easily could have set some water outside and then closed and locked her door. Matt didn't ask her to come inside and have a drink with her. Let's not feed the panic.
I once handed out water... the guy hung around for several hours that night trying to keep a conversation going... luckily he was gone in the morning. Then 2 days later, he was at my camp when I returned from a hike.
My thought at the time is if it was a more remote area and I was in worse shape her refusing water might have resulted in me hovering nearby. As it was when I approached and said I was having a bit of an emergency I also said I wasn’t looking to stay anywhere nearby. She didn’t seem like she was actually listening to anything I said though
__ Fifty years ago I was wandering around there with my tent sleeping wherever the heck I wanted. My kind of people had been wandering the deserts for thousands of years and I wasn't about to pay attention to "ownership" rules. But Matt, by contrast, goes to extraordinary lengths to do the right thing, often exhausting himself in the process. And still I notice women and people giving each other likes for telling each other how great it was that that woman was rude to him. It's a good reminder to me that it's probably not worth it to follow the rules. If people want to be mad at you they'll figure out a way, even if you're one of the overly good rule followers like Matt. The "women and people" was, yes, a joke.
It's not a rule that you cannot knock on an RV door at 2 am, that is courtesy. To judge someone's response as rudeness is certainly your right, however the woman has a right to say know and go away. Your "rudeness" may be her pragmatism. Matt's begging of kindness at 2am may be extraordinary if not inconceivable expectation for this woman. Matt expected water in a cache that was unavailable, but this does not make it the RV dweller's obligation to provide. This woman has a right to decide and thank you Matt for not harassing her and moving on, following her wishes. I'm sorry it bothered you so, but as you have said many times, you avoid the crowds and throngs of people so surely you are not surprised, right. You shun these people and their accoutrements for a reason, and they travel this way for the reasons only they understand. I would be happy to share what I have with anyone at anytime of the day or night, but I would not expect it of others. At least those that did provide where there. Thank you to the people who do help, but I would be to hard on someone of whom you know so little about. Let her live and forgive her of her trespasses.
You claim to be an experienced hiker, but you continually put yourself in situations, ei, no water low food or health, foot issues. Im not impressed! Take a look at yourself..would tell Taters,or a future daughter, while traveling alone, to open the door at night to a disheveled man begging! I dont think so! You ve only made it this far due to the kindness of others, not your skills as a hiker. Take ownership of your hiking.
Who said anything about opening doors? Tell him where the tap is or chuck a bottle out a window. It's not rocket science. From a purely practical point of view, and I speak as someone who's spent a third of his life outdoors, it's not, it's just simply not, in a lady's self interest to antagonize strangers. It doesn't matter what You Tube is telling women, the simple fact is that it doesn't increase a lone woman's safety to be rude. Quite the opposite.
__ Matt's probably too polite to respond, but he's engaged in a great adventure, and adventures come with risk. He's an extremely friendly extrovert who gets along easily with strangers. He puts out good energy and communities along the way respond with good energy.
__ I don't want to fill up Matt's comments basement with endless responses to people who didn't read my first comments here today--and I left an awful lot. Not going to respond to the latest fusilade. The plan is to be quiet now till the Yukon, so I'll just say this last thing which is really a note to myself. My sons are feminists who always want to help women and be good and honest and think there'll be some reciprocity. I'm going to just leave a little note for them to read in fifteen years: go back and see my comments on Matt Hengst's ADT episode 168. Remember when you thought helping women was a good idea? See what I wrote? See how women responded? Nuff said. [Older women know exactly what I'm talking about.]
For the record I don’t actually know the lady in the RV was alone. She was just the only one I interacted with. It was a big RV
She was probably a nun on vacation.
Ehh best to just put it out of your mind and move on. Ohh and we appreciate the train photos!
Maybe you could wear a MAGA hat when approaching RVs?
@@MrIanJHoy when I met Matt on that mesa, I did ask him if the RV lady was a nun :D
Your beard scared the heck out of her - time to shave it off so you stop scaring ladies !!!
Well that was a fun road trip. Yosemite, Moab, and ultimately meeting the world's OK-est thru hiker :D Glad the timing was right, I had no idea that morning leaving Moab to head back to Indiana, I'd be driving right by you in the desert. Glad I checked my Insta to see your location that morning. Cold cokes and water are always a winner. Great to meet you and fun convo, also glad your next water cache wasn't dry.
Super awesome of you 👍
Really really made my day :)
Thanks Terry, would you like an ADT sticker?
Thank you trail angels for maintaining those water caches - thank you - thank you !!
The truck pullover at the start of the video is the first exit into Colorado from Utah (signed as Rabbit Valley). It's actually quite an interesting stop because there is a short developed trail on the north side of the freeway which takes you to a series of dinosaur footprints and bones with educational signs along the way. To the south is the McInnis Canyons area which has several side canyons from the trail that lead down to the Colorado, quite a lot of petroglyphs in those canyons (unmarked). Unfortunately there is no water in the area other than the river which is inconvenient for hikers.
I'm from California and I get the comments too! It was the worst in Wyoming on the CDT. "If I'd known you were from California I wouldn't have given you a ride." That sort of thing. Really bums me out.
Well bummer, I love falling asleep to the train sounds. I know they bother you but thank you, thank you for showing the trains!
Amazing views! Glad you found water. Which Neil Stephenson book are you listening to? He's my favourite writer.
Seveneves. I have a soft sport for near future space survival books. Didn't actually realize that was what this book was or I'd have listened to it years ago. Only other Stephenson book I've actually read was Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. which I ended up rather frustrated with. Excited to read more though now.
@@FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikes Seveneves is great! Some of his not-as-thick-as-a-brick books are great too, and get into cyberpunk (Snow Crash) and really amazing scifi. Others like the Baroque Trilogy are more based on history, but still awesome. Also Cryptonomicon is great. But then I haven't read a bad book by him :) What I like most is the in-depth descriptions which create very imaginable worlds.
@@marleenvos4126 I tend to struggle with books sometimes while hiking that get a bit too in the weeds while I’m trying to distract myself from the fact my feet hurt and I’m tired and I have 15 more miles to go today. I’ve gravitated more to fantasy these past few years because as a genre they tend to keep things moving a bit better. The Expanse was a refreshing outlier when it came to that. And a few others I can mention. But a lot of older scifi can take a long while to move the plot forward
@@FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikesyou’re right about the Expanse! Engrossing, so believable.
All day I've faced a barren waste
Without the taste of water, cool water
Old Dan and I with throats burned dry
And souls that cry for water
Cool, clear water... - Marty Roberts.
I hope you never get into such danger again. Thanks for sharing the adventure, I hope you are in a safe place.
congrats on finishing colorado, it's insanely long on the southern route
Wow, reminds me of a certain 'nun' from Indiana! God bless the couple from Australia that saved you in your desperate need for water!!!! Thank you Chris and your wife from Australia for saving our friend in need!!! ❤❤❤❤🤗🤗🤗🤗
when I met Matt on that mesa, I did ask him if the RV lady was a nun .. :D
I love Neil Stephenson too. Glad it help change your day around. Best of luck.
I had some frustrations with Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. but I really enjoyed the first two sections of Seveneves to the point I’m excited to read more by him. Granted I just really like near future space survival like Ark/Flood, Pushing Ice, Children of Time, etc
Neil Stephenson can put a sentence together, that's for sure. Good plots, good sentences.
@@DrDavidThor I was impressed how Seveneves kept moving along. At least until the 3rd section. I kept expecting it to drag and spend a bunch of time spinning wheels (like many other authors I could point to) only to have it jump to the next major event and BAM things happen. That is something I sadly find rare in a lot of scifi these days.
@@FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikes I was a little sad when the guy could have sex with literally every woman in the world but he was too sick.
@@DrDavidThor all I could think was: come on man, what would James McGill do
Glad you are ok!!!
People use their common sense regarding encounters with strangers. After dark some big, smelly dude comes up asking for water isn't a normal occurrence. Like asking to use the phone old dodge. Thats a reasonable expectation.
I can see your pov because you were genuinely in trouble and needed some help from the RV lady (or anyone, really). I would caution judging the woman though, regardless of whether she was alone or not. My wife's entire family was robbed when her Dad opened the door to a young man "needing help" finding the correct room in the hotel they were staying at. Needless to say, we're super skeptical in our family about late-at-night door knocks.
He asked for water. Not an open door. Very different.
Well maybe you have to open the door to give water.
Thanks. ✌🏻👊🏼
Matt, the RV lady could have been alone and simply scared. She didn't know you and she was being careful, she's not there to take care of you. She could have thrown you a water bottle, but if you were dangerous, you might have stuck around if she did. I am suggesting a different point of view, though I'm sure it will be unpopular here. We can be thankful for people like Terry.
The white claw didn't help
Your view is very popular on UA-cam, where pseudo-experts advice women to bluster at men. But as someone who was a street person for seven years, I know that no matter how popular this sort of opinion is on social media, being rude to potential antagonists is NOT the best course of action. Water might make a thirsty man hang around, but what will keep a bad guy around is rudeness. Please don't give out this wrong advice to women.
@@DrDavidThor I'm not giving advice. I was simply providing a different point of view than Matt's. I'm not pretending to be an expert. Are you Doc?
@@Najitaka Yes indeed. I'm an expert. Many years wandering the desert, and seven years as a street person. As someone with an intense sense of justice (I chose to be on the street rather than keep getting dirty gold money as a professor), I would often have to settle down some angry dude who'd been insulted by a woman who'd watched some "confidence" video. I'm good at getting street guys to re-direct, to think about other things. I wouldn't directly challenge them. so much as do what it took to get them to re-focus. Because I'm big, my specialty was to walk right up to big angry men, get fully into their sight line so they can re-direct their anger at me. And then I've got more tricks up my sleeve than Carter has pills. But yes, most assuredly, I'm an expert on big dangerous men. Your idea of throwing a bottle out was a good one. The view that the lonely and vulnerable should do rude things is not, as you imply, unpopular, but sadly common. Rudeness escalates.
So your expertise is in being the stalker? Good to know.
Matt this is one of your videos that I can't watch without a big glass of water
Regardless of where you are, there are going to be people that will always help others and those will not lift a finger to help anyone
Tell everyone you're from Kansas... Not a lot to hate in Kansas.... Trust me, I know... As a Texan who has lived in Arkansas, Colorado, and Oklohoma, as well as Kansas.
Go easy Matt, go easy.
Huh? Plenty to love and hate in kansas.
I can't say what I'd do if I were that RV lady. There's a couple of UA-camrs I watch who've had bad experiences who simply would have driven off (though it sounds like she had a lot of stuff set up outside). Sorry that she left you in a lurch and I'm glad you found the Aussies.
I can say I wouldn't have said anything disparaging about California though!
Believe me I get the whole not wanting others nearby thing. I’m the guy who goes out of my way to not camp around others and have moved camp due to people acting off on my vicinity. It already took extremity for me to approach anyone’s campsite like that and I did the best I could. Flashed my light, called out, and when I did knock I backed off a respectful distance. In the end is what it is. At least I didn’t end up with someone pulling a gun…
Matt's begging of kindness at 2am may be extraordinary if not inconceivable expectation for this woman.
Matt expected water in a cache that was unavailable, but this does not make it the RV dweller's obligation to provide.
This woman has a right to decide and thank you Matt for not harassing her and moving on, following her wishes. I'm sorry it bothered Matt so, but as he has said many times, he avoids the crowds and throngs of people so surely he was not surprised, right. Matt shuns these people and their accoutrements for a reason, and they travel this way for the reasons only they understand.
I would be happy to share what I have with anyone at anytime of the day or night, but I would not expect it of others. At least those that did provide where there and able to help Matt in his hour of need. Thank you to the people who do help, but I would NOT be to hard on someone of whom you know so little about. 2AM is a difficult hour of the morning, so I would forgive her of her trespasses and let her live, and I love Cali. Only a fool who doesn't understand, but they have rights too.
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3:57 Per the internet: "White Claw Hard Seltzer is an alcoholic seltzer water beverage...first introduced in 2016." I'd guess that where there's White Claw there's likely to be a plastic water bottle (easily chucked out a window).
I actually fixated on the white claw because I was briefly tempted to try and slurp the remains out of the cans...
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Black Fudge Canyons Wilderness? [moves green arrow] Oh. Black Ridge. I thought we'd solved re-supply problems for a minute.
You need an emergency holographic Taters.
I used to have a headband with pigtails in my costume box. Your comment had me laughing picturing keeping that plus a dress in my pack for emergency RV / farmhouse approaches. And then picturing a farmer yelling about the bearded cross dresser running around in his corn field
@@FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikes Five years later here's Matt crossing the continent again, this time as a lady.
@@FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikesROFL 😂
I remember that Star Trek episode!
"Please state the nature of your cute animal emergency!"
When I lived in California I hated having to tell anyone I was from there. In a place like West Virginia they tend to think you worship the devil and eat babies for breakfast. Now I live in Nevada and they’re just incredulous that anyone actually lives in Nevada.
A little surprised no dirt bikes or no 4 wheelers. I loved places like that. Oh they are there. Surprised more didn't stop to say hello.
What about turning the compression shorts inside-out?
That would be expression.
Comments are making me a bit sad today. There is a good amount of mansplaining going on about what women should and should not do. I've really enjoyed the videos, and catching up on the old hikes, but the larger the channel gets, I just worry I'm not going to be able to read the comments anymore :(
I explain because I've lived it. Took a vow in high school that no matter what, live or die, I'd protect women, and never look back or expect thanks. So help me God I've fulfilled my vow many a time and lived to tell it. It makes me sad to see women endangering each other by giving bad advice to each other and attempting to youngsplain to their elders. Look through the youngsplaining advice on tap here and you can tell it's stuff they've garnered on line. See a few of my other comments under today's video to get a sense of whether I've earned the right, as an old man, and as a middle-aged man, and as a kid wandering the desert, to speak to people with less experience. And boy oh boy is this a good reminder to me (here's me thinking of my feminist goody-two-shoes sons who'll find out one day) that Matt does everything by the rules and still women are gabbling at him. Thousands of men who aren't going to comment will watch this video and notice that it isn't worth following women's rules. You go after the good guys, so why would the rest of us even try?
@@DrDavidThor Even if you feel you're "pro-woman" you can not have lived our experience. Like someone else mentioned, if she had opened a window and chucked water to him or a slight opening of the door and then something bad happened it would be her fault...she decides to not take a chance and she's vilified. Matt took a chance on the cache and the animals beat him to it, is it his fault??? He doesn't seem to be mad at the animals...they were thirsty too. The RV woman was protecting herself, another option is maybe she didn't have enough water to spare...it's a big RV not a water well with an unlimited supply.
It's not about fault. It's about doing the safer thing. Why is this concept so difficult? If you want to encourage women to be unsafe, go for it.
@@DrDavidThor What are you going on about? What vow? Sounds as if Matt was not able to get over a woman told him no at 2 am, and you don't like women having a choice to say no, and leave me alone.
I would have given him water with out complaint and any expectation of reward. I don't need a vow to except that a woman or a man says no and leave me alone at 2 am, to accept their wishes at their own front door.
Plus Matt has an inReach.
@@karenseeger9880 I agree full stop. DrDavidThor does not seem to appreciate a woman's choice. I did not take a vow, I am not sure exactly what a feminist is, I am just an average joe, but I do believe that regardless of what I choose to do, you have your right to do as you see fit.
Plus Matt has an InReach.
Re: Nebraska
It's all fun and games until it's Temperature Tuesday and you score a free Runza. Then it's freaking magical.
Glad this day went better.
I would nt be so harsh about the rv lady. You don't know her circumstances. Perhaps she's new on the road, alone and frightened. Maybe she's had a scary experience where somebody approached and attempted to harm her and actually did harm her. Maybe she has ptsd from things in her past that she's trying to work through. We don't know. So please don't take it personally, and don't hold a grudge against her.
Or maybe she was drunk (based on all the cans laying around) and an angry sort. Not a matter of holding a grudge so much as very much not wanting to be the sort of person who would act like that
She was harsh. He wasn't.
One can create unlimited scenarios to justify not being human.
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The first trucker would give you water or take you to it. I trust truckers. Long experience.
😎👍
Is this 500 miles of desert?
No, there are numerous mountain ranges across Utah, there will be snow...
I know a lot of 911 centers can take texts. I wonder what happens when you text from satellite. I’d really hope there is a way to communicate please don’t send a copter, I just need water.
It’s so frustrating that someone would think that out there a bad guy is using water to find a victim.
I did try my best to avoid a helicopter during the New Mexico incident where I injured my calf. I’ve also had some painful experiences with dealing with 911 responses in wilderness areas to the point I wouldn’t expect a whole lot.
@@FirstChurchofTheMasochistHikes yeah it would really suck if the water they bring you comes with a forty thousand dollar bill. Most expensive bottle of water ever.
As a fellow Californian thru hiker I can confirm that people love shitting on California.
Maybe I need to start just saying I’m from South Jefferson…
It’s sad that people are so distrusting. While yes there are wackos out there not everyone is! If you’re that scared then maybe you should rethink Boondocking. I’d would have given you water and I’m an older lady
they didnt used to be. im from texas and i remember it being a thing at you NEVER REFUSE TO GIVE WATER things have changed so much. its sad and unamerican.
The internet fuels the perception of danger. We see every bad thing that happens unlike years ago
why should someone have to not boondocking because a stranger approaches you and you dont know who they are and dont want to interact with them? it is good to be cautious,
@@rosesmith6208 nope. Antagonizing strangers doesn't increase safety, it decreases it. If it had been an actual bad guy, he'd have seen the rudeness as a pretext to escalate. Where the heck are people getting these ideas? You're all watching some UA-cam crap I'll bet.
I like turles
Fruita is just pronounced "fru-ta", not "fru-eeta".
Comment comment comment........ comment comment.
I like cheese
Hey Mr. Masochist! Love the channel! Keep hiking
Women can't win for trying. If they are nice and something awful happens, people say "she should have been more careful, why was she so naive." If she protects herself in a way that someone else finds aggressive, she is a b!tch or a crazy lady. I try and think, "if it was my daughter, my wife or my mother, what would my reaction be." Perspective is a tricky thing.
Nothing tricky here. See my many other notes here on what my expertise is. Or go with common sense if you're a lone woman and don't be rude to a potentially dangerous opponent. There is literally nothing tricky here. Chuck a bottle of water out the window. Trying to water down (ha ha) the obvious safe course here for the woman--give water, don't be rude--into something "tricky" is the sort of dangerous advice that gets people hurt. Rudeness just escalates.
Men can't win for trying. If they're nice like Matt and do all the right things, he gets attacked. The thousands of men who are likely to watch this and not comment? Doesn't mean they're not seeing what's going on.
They see this:
Nice guy does the right thing and he gets angry lectures. They'll be thinking rationally: why should I try if someone as pro-women as Matt gets attacked for it?
@@DrDavidThor It does not take being rude to escalate, but it does take an opportunity to expose yourself to danger. And what is "common sense" in your mind does not take account for what happens to other in their lives. You are assuming the woman has no reason to be "rude". You have no idea what her perspective is, or what she has experienced.
She has the right to say "no" and "leave me alone", just as he has to ask for water, and only she has the responsibility to make her decision.
He chose to confront this woman in her abode out of the darkness and she chose not to extend that confrontation, at 2 am.
I would happily offer water and food to anyone who asks, regardless of the situation, but because I would acquiesce, does not mean that everybody should or would. I feel bad that an expected storage cache was empty but this is not be the responsibility of others.
@@DrDavidThor How would this woman know that Matt is nice and "pro-woman"? And How is it men can't win? Matt woke up a woman in an RV at 2 am. Is this what you mean by trying? I follow this adventure just like you are and appreciate Matt's travels and travails. And having watched this full episode I am surprised that Matt has chosen to single this woman out as the topic of a considerable percentage of this video as an unbelievable.
Matt did thank the couple who did supply him with water and who he did not get a good look at, but spent much more time explaining his disappointment that someone would not give him water. "But seriously, she had a full on big RV, running a generator" as if this would be proof that she should provide for him. Does a generator running mean he has the right to water from this RV? Many people live in nice houses and have lots of money, should we expect that they would provide cash at 2 am?
I would be happy to provide what ever I could to someone in need. I am cautious of what charities I contribute to, because of my experiences. If I see someone in need I would offer help when and how I can.
It sounds to me that this you way of saying a woman does not have a right to choose for herself.
im still so mad about rv lady...
also, former trucker. they will help you! you may have to say youre a hiker not homeless, but its in our nature to help people out on the road dude!!!!
@@mysickfix my dad (a heavy equipment mechanic) told me when I was younger if I ever needed help on the road you could rely on truckers. Grew up around a few truckers good people
Truckers are awesome. I get waves and honks from them all the time. Sadly their usually moving a bit too fast to stop and chat
@@tammieflemal7871 Totally right. They couldn't always pick me up cuz of insurance regs but they'd at least give me a sympathetic hand wave. I have yet to meet a trucker who wasn't a nice guy.
I hope you at least told the lady in the trailer to make sure and check out your channel heh
I think part of the problem with people being paranoid about strangers is all the documentaries on all the streaming channels that everyone watches. They tell the stories of ordinary looking people like you deal with everyday, actually being monsters.
Absolutely loved watching you go through Colorado. Not a view of it I've ever experienced.....and Utah is looking amazing too
No single women travelers should respond to any person if they feel unsafe even if you are declaring an emergency. There is no blame there, just unfortunate that you happened on a single woman instead of a couple or a group.
Talking smack about a state sorta like how you an your travel partner talk about Kansas any chance you get?
We mention the Kansas crossing on this trail because it was one of the more if not the most memorable challenges. Kind of like the Mississippi source to see storm outside of Cape Girardeau. Or the black range on the continental divide trail. We aren’t bashing Kansas as a concept or claiming it has no redeeming value.
His worst was that in July and August it was sometimes hot, sometimes flat, and sometimes full of corn. I've heard worse smack. I thought his travel partner in Kansas was an astonishingly upbeat, positive thinker, always looking for little pockets of nature and creatures. You want smack, you'll have to wait till I walk across Kansas. [old dude stays alive long enough to cross Kansas talking smack]
Single women, alone in remote areas, learn to be wary of men knocking on their door at night the hard way. It's always been that way for women, so as a man have compassion and let it go... carry more water than you think you need. A gallon is not enough for some of the coming stretches.
It's tough to be dismissed or ignored but I can't say I wouldn't have done the same if I was alone and someone approached me in the dark. Glad a couple was found though!
Sorry, no. It's dangerous advice to women to imply that they should be rude to strangers in lonely places. Confident kindness is the safest course. Chuck a bottle of water out the window and wish him good luck.
There is a diminishing return at a point to carrying more water as more weight = more exertion = needing to drink more. My issue here and the previous day really came down to trying to hike through the heat of the day since it was “only” low 90s and that burning me at the end of the day. I still had a liter+ crossing salt creek for example. Also if she was just nervous she could have always thrown a bottle out and said she’d call the police if I didn’t leave. That area is also a sprawling BLM campground so it’s not like I came up to her somewhere 50 miles from the nearest road
You mention in your video of others arranging their own water caches. Kudos to them for preparation and taking ownership of their own adventure.
@@sarahbeckwith1675wondering if you watched the video? When he got to the gallon water cache, it had a hole in it. It was entirely drained.
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In the spirit of "have you thought of getting a cart?" I ask, as you're going down that long paved hill: have you thought of getting a longboard?
There's not much "united" left in these states.
I’d argue that’s the impression that causes a lot of this. Lots of really nice people out there but if you just sit at home and listen to all the panic stories on the news it makes it feel like it’s all us vs them
Come on people, the RV lady easily could have set some water outside and then closed and locked her door. Matt didn't ask her to come inside and have a drink with her. Let's not feed the panic.
I once handed out water... the guy hung around for several hours that night trying to keep a conversation going... luckily he was gone in the morning. Then 2 days later, he was at my camp when I returned from a hike.
@@labcat647 Wow, that's scary. As someone else commented, women learn to be very wary.
Sorry. But creepers are a thing, and we can't be too careful. It may be only a rare occurrence, but when it happens to you, it's not fun.
My thought at the time is if it was a more remote area and I was in worse shape her refusing water might have resulted in me hovering nearby. As it was when I approached and said I was having a bit of an emergency I also said I wasn’t looking to stay anywhere nearby. She didn’t seem like she was actually listening to anything I said though
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Mars
The lack of empathy and the growing division among Americans is saddening. Keep up the good work maso but please stay hydrated 👍
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Fifty years ago I was wandering around there with my tent sleeping wherever the heck I wanted. My kind of people had been wandering the deserts for thousands of years and I wasn't about to pay attention to "ownership" rules. But Matt, by contrast, goes to extraordinary lengths to do the right thing, often exhausting himself in the process. And still I notice women and people giving each other likes for telling each other how great it was that that woman was rude to him. It's a good reminder to me that it's probably not worth it to follow the rules. If people want to be mad at you they'll figure out a way, even if you're one of the overly good rule followers like Matt.
The "women and people" was, yes, a joke.
It's not a rule that you cannot knock on an RV door at 2 am, that is courtesy. To judge someone's response as rudeness is certainly your right, however the woman has a right to say know and go away. Your "rudeness" may be her pragmatism. Matt's begging of kindness at 2am may be extraordinary if not inconceivable expectation for this woman.
Matt expected water in a cache that was unavailable, but this does not make it the RV dweller's obligation to provide.
This woman has a right to decide and thank you Matt for not harassing her and moving on, following her wishes. I'm sorry it bothered you so, but as you have said many times, you avoid the crowds and throngs of people so surely you are not surprised, right. You shun these people and their accoutrements for a reason, and they travel this way for the reasons only they understand.
I would be happy to share what I have with anyone at anytime of the day or night, but I would not expect it of others. At least those that did provide where there. Thank you to the people who do help, but I would be to hard on someone of whom you know so little about.
Let her live and forgive her of her trespasses.
You claim to be an experienced hiker, but you continually put yourself in situations, ei, no water low food or health, foot issues. Im not impressed! Take a look at yourself..would tell Taters,or a future daughter, while traveling alone, to open the door at night to a disheveled man begging! I dont think so! You ve only made it this far due to the kindness of others, not your skills as a hiker. Take ownership of your hiking.
Yeah !!! You're supposed to hunt for your food along the way !!! :P
Who said anything about opening doors? Tell him where the tap is or chuck a bottle out a window. It's not rocket science. From a purely practical point of view, and I speak as someone who's spent a third of his life outdoors, it's not, it's just simply not, in a lady's self interest to antagonize strangers. It doesn't matter what You Tube is telling women, the simple fact is that it doesn't increase a lone woman's safety to be rude. Quite the opposite.
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Matt's probably too polite to respond, but he's engaged in a great adventure, and adventures come with risk. He's an extremely friendly extrovert who gets along easily with strangers. He puts out good energy and communities along the way respond with good energy.
@@thomasmontoya7279 the ADTS has had several enquiries from people who wanted to know if that was possible!
last I checked, he only claims to be an "ok-ish" thru hiker
Day 168. Much better day. Goodness of the Trail Angel canceled out the mean RV lady.
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I don't want to fill up Matt's comments basement with endless responses to people who didn't read my first comments here today--and I left an awful lot. Not going to respond to the latest fusilade. The plan is to be quiet now till the Yukon, so I'll just say this last thing which is really a note to myself. My sons are feminists who always want to help women and be good and honest and think there'll be some reciprocity. I'm going to just leave a little note for them to read in fifteen years: go back and see my comments on Matt Hengst's ADT episode 168. Remember when you thought helping women was a good idea? See what I wrote? See how women responded? Nuff said.
[Older women know exactly what I'm talking about.]