Re: [at-l] Technology on the Trail

["KC" <wareagle@ioa.com>]

I know I'm late on this subject,,I was busy getting flamed on another
list,,,Now for Technology on the Trail,,,as many of you know,,I used a
Pocketmail devise to write my online journal (Leapfrog was very
thankful,,she didn't have to decipher my writing or listen to a tape (my
second choice)). When I would get to a shelter,,I would ask if anyone would
be offended if I used my Pocketmail to write my journal. NOT one single time
did someone say Yes,,,they all said go ahead. Some asked why did I ask..,I
explained the great debate of technology on the trail,,,they didn't have a
clue one was going on. Other times,,someone else would pull out their
Pocketmail devise and we would type together and exchange pocketmail
addresses. So,,you see,,,it is not all that bad. I tried the pen and paper
on my other hikes,,I just can't compose with them,,I am much better at
typing. And most of the time I would wait till I got to town to write my
journal. Of course I had very limited contact with people on the AT,,,well
actually more contact than most,,,we hiked slow,,I only hiked 800 miles.
BTW,,,my batteries never wore down,,in fact,,I just replaced them today! I
also carried a small radio to listen weather reports,,I would sleek off to
listen,,then when I returned to the shelter,,,people would ask,,,what is the
weather report. I also carried one of those watches that has everything on
it cept the kitchen sink. I also carried an umbrella (people were jealous of
that also). I also carried pepper spray. I also carried a maps,,,people
would ask to look at them. I also carried extra TP,,,I know one guy that was
real happy that I gave him some of that extra.
    An interesting note,,,I first planned on hiking the AT  in 1972,,,way
back then,,I read some trail guides,,I was suppose to carry a hatchet (so I
could cut down baby trees for bedding and dead wood for fires). My clothes
would have been wool. My boots would have weighed 4 pounds each. My sleeping
bag would have been an Army mummy bag. My pact would have been external (no
internals during those days). I would have had to carried a can opener as
most of my meals would have been in cans,,,no Mountain House then. Water
purification would have been iodine (mmm that is what I used when I purified
water the 3 times). I would have used an Army poncho for raingear and
emergency shelter,,,the lightest tent I think I could find was 8 pounds. I
would have carried a gun (I carried two guns,,but one was a water pistol and
the other was a cap pistol).
     I do believe the times,,they have changed!
KC
*My job in life is to comfort the disturbed
 and disturb the comfortable.*

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