Author Archives: f001yfz

Water Safety (Brittany Champagne)

Leave a reply

General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Material Lore
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from: USA
  • Informant: Katie Harris
  • Date Collected: 11-2-17

Informant Data:

  • Katie Harris is a member of the class of 2019 at Dartmouth.  She is from central Illinois, specifically Lincoln.  Katie described her home as super rural and full of many families. Illonois to her is a “typical mid-west state,” the families are very close knit and tend to stay put rather than have a lot of new families moving in. She is from an area surrounded by a lot of farming and a love for the outdoors. Both her parents introduced her to hiking early on. When she was 3 years old and didn’t have a choice her parents would strap her to their back and go on hikes. A family vacation in the Harris household always seemed to involve hiking and led to Katie’s love for the activity.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: Clean drinking water is one of the most important parts to survival.  Learning about different techniques to clean your drinking water makes you prepared for any situation, for example if your Jetboil breaks.
  • Cultural Context:  Potable water is necessary for the survival of all people.  Water cleaning techniques are relevant to all hikers.

Item:

  • A filter pump and iodine are additional equipment capable of cleansing drinking
  • These techniques require less setting up and thus are less time consuming than boiling water

Informant’s Comments:

  • “When at the base of a mountain the water can be more polluted, so we filter our water with a filter pump and bring iodine.  Iodine is a secondary treatment that kills all the bacteria that may have been neglected by the filter pump.  Techniques for cleaning water are very important for drinking, especially when boiling techniques can take a longer time.”     

Collector’s Comments:

  • The picture depicts the filter pump used before iodine is added.

Collector’s Name: 

Brittany Champagne

Tags/Keywords:

  • material lore, water, filter pump, iodine

Bears (Brittany Champagne)

Leave a reply

General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from: USA
  • Informant: Katie Harris
  • Date Collected: 11-2-17

Informant Data:

  • Katie Harris is a member of the class of 2019 at Dartmouth.  She is from central Illinois, specifically Lincoln.  Katie described her home as super rural and full of many families. Illonois to her is a “typical mid-west state,” the families are very close knit and tend to stay put rather than have a lot of new families moving in. She is from an area surrounded by a lot of farming and a love for the outdoors. Both her parents introduced her to hiking early on. When she was 3 years old and didn’t have a choice her parents would strap her to their back and go on hikes. A family vacation in the Harris household always seemed to involve hiking and led to Katie’s love for the activity.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: Bears are large problem amongst hikers.  This superstition is acted on proactively as well as consciously when moving from camp site to camp site.  Anything that gives off a strong scent is understood to be either left at home or stored away from the campsite to avoid inviting bears.  Animals have keen senses and strong smells can easily peak their curiosity.
  • Cultural Context: Safety is a main concern out in the wilderness.  Controlling all variables  possible can help to ensure better safety to you and those you are traveling with.  Hikers understand the need to avoid anything that has been proven or hypothesized to provoke dangerous circumstances.  Survival is one of the most important things to be aware of when in a new environment where you are not the only inhabitant and by removing heavily scented materials you are better equipped for survival.  It is better to be over prepared than retroactively regretful for not taking part in these superstitions.

Item:

  • Bears are said to be attracted to strong scents like perfumes and garbage
  • You must avoid wearing perfumes and tie garbage, or anything with a heavy scent, on a branch down wind from your campsite

Informant’s Comments:

  • “Everyone I’ve ever hiked with understands the importance of putting garbage bags away from camp.  Keeping strong scents away from our campsite decreases the chance that a bear will come looking for food where we are set up.  It is important to remember the dangers that surround you and actively try to avoid them.”

Collector’s Name: 

Brittany Champagne

Tags/Keywords:

  • superstition, scents, bears

Crampons (Brittany Champagne)

Leave a reply

General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Material Lore- Equipment
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from: USA
  • Informant: Katie Harris
  • Date Collected: 11-2-17

Informant Data:

  • Katie Harris is a member of the class of 2019 at Dartmouth.  She is from central Illinois, specifically Lincoln.  Katie described her home as super rural and full of many families. Illonois to her is a “typical mid-west state,” the families are very close knit and tend to stay put rather than have a lot of new families moving in. She is from an area surrounded by a lot of farming and a love for the outdoors. Both her parents introduced her to hiking early on. When she was 3 years old and didn’t have a choice her parents would strap her to their back and go on hikes. A family vacation in the Harris household always seemed to involve hiking and led to Katie’s love for the activity.

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: Crampons are necessary attire for all hikers attempting to hike in areas where ice and poor traction may be found.  The gear is typically wore prior to reaching difficult terrain but may be stored in a backpack until they are needed.
  • Cultural Context: Weather has always been an unpredictable factor for many hikers.  Preparedness is a key to backpacking as is wearing the proper attire for safety and health purposes.  Winter months require different attire than summer months do.  The ice and snow in the winter makes it necessary for proper shoes to be worn.  An avid hiker understands the consequences that can stem from deficits in equipment or attire.  Thus, hikers understand the reasoning behind using certain gear, such as crampons, and why they are so important for backpacking.

Item:

  • Crampons are used  to gain traction, especially on ice.
  • Used for safety purposes but can also be dangerous if not used correctly
  • You must wear “gators” with them
    • Gators are thick sleeves that go up to your knee to prevent crampons from tearing your pants

Informant’s Comments:

  • “In the winter you need an ice ax and crampon’s, but you have to wear gators with them to keep crampons from tearing actual pants.  Crampons can add a dangerous element to hiking if you are not careful.  When going down a hill specifically, you have to be careful to watch your footing; slipping with crampons can cause you to break your leg when the bottom catches the ground”

Collector’s Name: 

Brittany Champagne

Tags/Keywords:

  • equipment, crampons, gators

 

Leave a reply

General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Customary Lore- traditions
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from: USA
  • Informant: Stephanie Everett
  • Date Collected: 11-3-17

Informant Data:

  • Stephanie Everett is a female, class of 2019 Dartmouth student from Silver Springs, Maryland. Stephanie is currently an intern at Northern Stage in White River Junction, Vermont and is an avid singer. She has a passion for hiking and has even worked the AT as an emergency medical responder to those participating in the Dartmouth 50 (50 miles of hiking on the Appalachian Trail).

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: Running into a trail fairy is said to happen in times of need.  A fairy provides a sense of relief to hikers that tend to be exhausted or in need.  Fairies tend to be hiking retirees or people that live close to the trail.
  • Cultural Context: People that hike for hours and days on end have a tendency to be low on supplies or require repair/replacement of their equipment that has a lot of wear to it.  The extensiveness of backpacking makes people vulnerable for any assistance that may be offered.

Item:

  • The term “trail angel/fairy” is used to identify an individual that provides gear or support to hikers passing bye.
  • Using the term “fairy” or “angel” helps depict just how significant of an impact they have; they are thought of as inhuman because of the help they provide during desperate times.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

  • https://journeys.dartmouth.edu/folklorearchive/wp-admin/media-upload.php?post_id=8302&type=image&TB_iframe=1

Transcript of Associated File:

  • “There was this guy in NH who had propane tanks and a kitchen set up to make omelets for hikers.  He goes through about 90 dozens eggs at the height of the summer when many people are passing by.  He is a perfect example of the kinds of trail fairies you might run into”

Collector’s Name: 

Brittany Champagne

Tags/Keywords:

  • trail fairy, omelets

“Land of the Giants” (Brittany Champagne)

Leave a reply

General Information about Item:

  • Genre: Creation Myth
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from: Norway
  • Informant: Stephanie Everett
  • Date Collected: 11-3-17

Informant Data:

  • Stephanie Everett is a female class of 2019 Dartmouth student from Silver Springs, Maryland. Stephanie is currently an intern at Northern Stage in White River Junction, Vermont and is an avid singer. She has a passion for hiking and has even worked the AT as an emergency medical responder to those participating in the Dartmouth 50 (50 miles of hiking on the Appalachian Trail).

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: While this legend is often spread orally by hikers of the Jotunheimen National Park in Norway, Stephanie informed me of various mythological researchers and hikers that have posted about similar or slightly different legends. Stephanie’s uncovering of this legend spiked her curiosity and she admitted to looking at various Internet posts regarding the legend. According to Stephanie, the variations of the legend all tended to have the same general message.
  • Cultural Context: The creation myth of the “Land of the Giants” was mentioned after the informant was asked about any stories they’d come across that were associated with any of their hiking expeditions. The mythological context has been passed down for centuries, beginning with the creation of the world but is only familiar to those that have hiker the Jotunheimen National Park or are familiar with Norwegian culture.

Item:

  • Legend based on how the Jotunheimen National Park, Norway – the ‘Land of the Giants’- was created and thus got its name.
  • The creation of the mountain range is rumored to be based on Norse mythology.
  • It is said that the footprints of giants created the mountains seen to this day in Norway

Informant’s Comments:

  • “How the mountains were formed is based on mythology. The giants and giantesses in Norse mythology, otherwise referred to as Jötnar, are rumored to be the creators of the mountains.  The giants roamed the Earth and it was said that their craters created the mountains that we climb at the National Park.  I remember one of the numerous giants associated with this creation was named Ymir.”

Collector’s Name: 

Brittany Champagne

Tags/Keywords:

  • giants, mythology, legend