Re: [at-l] Well...

[kahley7 <kahley7@ptd.net>]

I hate to disappoint you dear friend, but I for one would welcome a 
reasoned discursion
of Dan.  He's been subject verboten here for a long time.  Tommykins , or 
was it Feelix
likened him to the elephant in the living room....it gets hard to ignore 
after a while.

When his fits of pique were limited to attacking Damascus for not honoring 
him as the
originator of Trail Days or siccing (SP?) the FBI on people for that 
imaginary hacking of TP,
it was pretty laughable.  But in recent months, he has been constantly 
attacking the ATC
and ALDHA to an audience of who knows how many.  If you never drop in on 
the forums,
you don't hear about it.  But thousands do and it has to have an effect on 
their attitudes
about this Trail organizations.  And if this current thread is more than 
just bluff , bluster and
another ploy for sympathy, it will cost us money!  Our dues will go to 
lawyers....not to trail
related stuff.  Next year this time you may all be really grateful that I 
have finally stopped bugging
you about contributing to the ALDHA defense fund.....perish the thought! <g>

Beyond the current legal threats, the thing that really frosts me, is his 
intentional division of the
Trail community.  It's not like we don't have enough things that divide 
us...thru/section hikers,
dogs/no dogs, poles/sticks.....now there is a growing breech over him.  He 
is a polarizing
influence.  It's either TP or the ATC, the Avery Awards or the Thruhiker 
patch.  yada yada yada.
This is what really worries me.  As Coosa pointed out, there are so damn 
few of us ...I hate to
see whatever clout we can wield split to serve the aims of one man.  And as 
time goes on,
a man that seems to be getting more and more unstable.
Think about the Trail as Dan envisages it.  Avery monitors, quietly keeping 
watch as to who
hikes where and when just in case someone decides to apply.  And since 
those monitors
will be human, maybe they might decide to challenge an application of a 
hiker because he
committed the sin of being spotted carrying a telemail.  This whole peer 
review thing gives me
the willys.  Not because I would ever apply, but because there will be 
people out there who
will be taking notice of my hike, just in case I do.  Talk about an 
intrusion into my wilderness
experience.....
Maybe this isn't about money....I guess that's just my way of thinking 
because that is a motive
I can understand.  Who wouldn't want to make a living talking Trail.  I 
used to think he was
really smart to pull it off.  I mean no matter how spartan his lifestyle, 
he is funding it from the
Trail and that's ok.  And if he can get people to donate to him or 
volunteer to do some of
the work that's cool in my book.  But why does he have to attack the ATC 
and ALDHA at every
turn?  Why isn't he content to be himself rather than to hide behind the 
Center for AT Studies?
Do you know that there are people who actually think there is such an 
entity, separate from
Dan?  I've seen people ask if they need an appointment to visit the 
Center.  They just want to
come in and look around, even if Dan isn't there at the time..  They don't 
know that they'd
be coming into his house, that the center is really his living 
room.  Shhhesh....

Well enuff of my ranting....this is not a good day for me (obviously 
<sigh>)  When I
postponed my hike in 98, I "penciled in" 2/29/00 as my start date and 
obviously I'm
not on my way to Springer.  I think I'll take a dog or two, and go 
hikey.........


>It appears my trailname is intact. <sigh>

A piece of Dove would taste as sweet with anyname <g>.  But we luv your name...
wouldn't change it for the world ;^}


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