Opinion |

Tribalism in the great outdoors: It’s the NoBos vs. SoBos

There’s no denying it: We’re in full-on holiday crunch mode now. That means overindulging in everything but sleep. This year, we have something new to fret about, as supply chain issues and staffing shortages are sure to cause problems.

‘Tis the season to be anxious.

So, my wife had the right idea when she set off on a hiking trip along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). For those of you who are unfamiliar with the PCT, it spans 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington. According to the Pacific Crest Trail Association, thousands of hikers and equestrians travel the route each year. Some only travel a few miles, while others complete every mile in a single season. They’re called thru-hikers.

My wife and her companions hiked for a few days. Along the way, she befriended thru-hikers who were heading to the PCT’s southernmost point in Campo, near the Mexico border. The couple decamped in San Diego and we met up for dinner one night.

That’s where I learned about “NoBos” and “SoBos.” People who choose to go north on the trail (northbounders) are called NoBos. People who travel south (southbounders) are called SoBos. Our new friends were SoBos — a minority, according to the Pacific Crest Trail Association website, which says that 90 percent of thru-hikers head the other way.

There are some very sound reasons to choose one direction or the other, depending on the time of year. At the southern end of the PCT, the summer months are hot; water sources can be scarce and farther off the trail. Up north, the concern is snowfall, especially in the high mountains.

Pragmatism aside, NoBos and SoBos are firmly allied within their respective tribes. NoBos think SoBos are inferior: inexperienced, anti-social and strange. SoBos think NoBos are cliquish and smell bad.

Hearing this, I was reminded of a Dr. Seuss book that I read to my children. In “The Butter Battle Book,” the opposing sides (Yooks and Zooks) ridicule each other for doing “terrible, horrible things” like eating bread with the butter side down (Zooks) or butter side up (Yooks).

I wondered (privately) about the bread-buttering habits of the NoBos and SoBos — and why, like the Yooks and Zooks, they pick sides — even when there are no real issues at stake.

I’ve since learned that the Appalachian Trail (AT) has its own NoBo and SoBo tribes. Earl Shaffer, a World War II veteran, was the AT’s first official thru-hiker. He completed the trail in 1948, as a way to “walk off the war.” Shaffer was a NoBo.

Like the PCT, northbound travel is now preferred on the Appalachian Trail to beat the heat (and black flies, too). It offers a more gradual start, making it easier for hikers to break in their leg muscles. But the popularity of NoBo has led to overcrowding. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy discourages northbound hiking on certain days, warning of “trampled vegetation, sanitation issues, and little solitude.”

It makes holiday shopping sound appealing.

Our new friend told us that when he hiked the AT a few years ago, he traveled both northbound and southbound. “It made me feel isolated,” he said — like a man without a country.

That seems to defy conventional wisdom and research studies alike, which find a strong connection between getting out in nature and reduced stress, anxiety and depression. What then is causing NoBos and SoBos to behave the way they do?

As social animals, we all have a need to belong. And while we might not experience this need consciously, it endures from a time when we lived in tribes as a matter of life or death. By creating their own tribes, NoBos and SoBos find a sense of community and safety. It may be particularly important if you’re among the 70 percent of thru-hikers who are also first-timers. At its most basic, tribalism is a way to survive the trip.

Of course, tribal urges are displayed off the trail, too. When the National Conflict Resolution Center started working on college campuses a decade ago, we found that students formed alliances with others sharing their perspectives and experiences. Here at UC San Diego, for example, it led to the formation of more than 500 clubs — a much bigger manifestation of the NoBo/SoBo phenomenon.

We must keep reminding ourselves of a simple truth: Much more unites us than divides us. No matter which way you butter your bread.

Dinkin is president of the National Conflict Resolution Center, a San Diego-based group working to create solutions to challenging issues, including intolerance and incivility. To learn about NCRC’s programming, visit ncrconline.com.