Personally, while I have no concrete evidence, I feel that over the years, people have morphed from being more complete in their pursuits to more single focus. I will admit, my evidence is scant, but as you read old time books, or accounts of trips, you realize that many people hiked, rafted, climbed and hunted their way to the west. I have a neighbor, that is in his 70's that I consider very complete. He will hike every chance he gets, fish little alpine lakes, backpack in the summer, hunt in the fall, and ice fish in the winter and even climb a mountain on occasion in the summer. Sure, he doesn't ski, ride bike, or run, but his pursuits span a wide range. He is very connected to the land in a variety of ways.
Personally, I feel this "divide" is a shame, and that the divide is not needed with a bit of understanding. Is it necessary to categorize oneself within one group and one group only ? Is it part peer pressure and advertising or is it something broader ? I like to think our customer base is pretty rounded in their activities. After all, I know we have customers that have spent months cycling across the US, or time trekking in the arctic, or time cycling around the world, or hunting remote spots, and some that even just enjoy family camping.
While this small little forum post, does not offer a solution, personally I would like to see the gap be bridged. How do you identify yourself ? Are you primarily a part of one group, or do you avoid a certain group, or just not enjoy certain activities. Certainly, there are no right or wrong answers here, just observations and open discussion. Let the discussion beginStatistics: Posted by kevin_t — Wed Mar 26, 2014 8:46 am
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