Re the changes in child rearing--my youngest son has discovered that he's been coddling his kids too much and doing things himself because it's easier and faster than getting the kids to help. With his back injury, he needed lots of help last weekend and the kids tended to ignore him, figuring he'd go ahead and do the job himself. Well, that didn't happen this last weekend, and Dad was cranky from pain into the bargain! I hope he has learned something!

I will give advice when asked, but I definitely won't offer it unasked, mostly because information not asked for isn't wanted. I always smile and say "Hi" when meeting someone on the trail, and if they act friendly I may comment on the lovely day (if the weather is good) or the beautiful view. Admittedly, sometimes I have to clench my teeth really hard to avoid mentioning an enormous heavy pack or, at the opposite extreme, the complete lack of pack, wraps, water or other "essentials."

I do believe that a large part of the function of this forum is to help beginners. Sometimes I get carried away with purple prose, but many times all I do is refer people to the articles on the home page of this site, which seems to be overlooked by most.