[at-l] Long Rant - Delete at will . . .

[DaRedhead@aol.com]

<< In a message dated 8/12/00 12:14:56 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
jplynch@crosslink.net writes:
 
 << But you do that through hard work, putting in copious amounts of time and 
energy, and constructive activity, not through tearing someone else down.
 I've heard a lot on this list about someone else's supposed weaknesses and 
failings.  My thought: so what?  There is nothing that someone on another 
list is doing that keeps anyone else from doing something good for the AT!  
The risk that AT-L runs is that it becomes an anti-personality forum for 
negative ends and not a positive constructive forum supporting the AT.  >>
 
If you've been around for awhile, you've also heard a lot about many other 
things.  In the past few days, some of the topics have been tents, hiking 
sticks/poles, stoves,  keepers, hardtack (okay, that was kinda funny - but it 
worked into some useful ideas for trail food), skirts for men hiking, The 
Gathering, bee stings, storm damage clearings, trip reports, and various 
other posts.  Quite a few non-trail related ones, too, and I'm probably 
guilty there.  My point is, WF is not our sole topic of conversation.  We 
don't obsess about him, and he is a very small portion of the talk that 
occurs here on this list.  I do believe that as a public figure, often quoted 
as an authority on the AT, we have the right to discuss his recent doings, 
and how it affects the trail community as a whole.  I don't think any of us 
are into insulting him for no reason - we just express our opinion about his 
actions.  The great thing about this list is, we're going to still be ON the 
list the day after we express our opinions, whether they are popular opinions 
or not.  And - a good point was made about WF being a highly visible 
representative of the trail community - who doesn't necessarily represent the 
"trail community" anymore.  
 
POG is right, too, in that we have our own highly visible members here.  
Rhymin' Worm - well, what can you say?  Who hasn't read his book yet?  Who 
doesn't know the position he holds with the ATC - and the hours he puts in 
for OUR trail?  Lynn Setzer - one of the first books about the AT I ever 
bought, and still the one I reach for to thumb thru.  Terry Norton - trail 
runner extraordinaire.  Felix - one of the best writers ever - and a purist 
to boot <g> - an article in ATN every month.  Navigator - a published writer 
with numerous Trail related articles in various hiking publications, not to 
mention spreading the word about trail related good stuff to other 
organizations, and always striving to get the word out.  A true Trail 
advocate.  Weathercarrot (currently hiking the PCT) a long time member of the 
Konnarock crew - spends way more time maintaining, relocating and building 
our Trail than he gets to hike - but it's what he does, and he does it 
because of his love for the Trail.  Jim and Ginny Owens (also currently 
hiking the PCT, soon to complete the triple crown of hiking) - two members 
who give of themselves selflessly, to whom hiking IS life, and who often 
steer this group in ways we never expected, but always enrich us.  What about 
our little attempt to help "The Place" in Damascus, at the Ruck and beyond?  
They needed $10,000 - our tiny, insignificant group not only raised over half 
of that, thru off list contributions and the Ruck, but we also provided them 
a free clean up crew before renovations began, because hikers were showing 
up, and the elderly people who ran it couldn't do the physical work.  What 
about the large number of people on this list who spend more time maintaining 
than hiking?  I assure you there are many.  And what about Ryan, our 
incredible list admin, who makes this list possible, asking nothing in 
return? He offers web space to any outdoor/hiking related site - he offers 
hosting for any journal - all free, without editing.  And he offers us this 
campfire - and we are free to pass the smashmellows - or to poke the next 
guy's eyes out.  We won't be censored, and we won't be told to do something 
or get kicked off the list.  If your journal disappears, it's a technical 
glitch, and not someone deliberately removing it.
 
I absolutely reject that our desire to discuss WF and his affect on the trail 
community is an "anti-personality" issue with negative ends.  You will find 
more people on THIS list that once believed in and admired WF than on any 
other.  You will also find more people genuinely concerned about the Trail, 
and more people who do something about it, not just sit around talking about 
it.  It may appear that we are all here in this cyber hiking list and no one 
is REALLY hiking.  But the truth is - most of us are hiking.  And have been, 
for a very long time.  And the ones who aren't, want to be.  And a big 
portion of us are trail maintainers.  And the thruhikers - of which there are 
a LOT more than you think - they lurk a lot - they talk a lot - they help a 
lot.  And you'll never hear them tell you its THE way to do it - just the way 
they did it.
 
Okay - I will step off my soapbox now.  But that post made some statements 
that just plain upset me.  Yea, we get silly here, and we've been accused 
occasionally of not being a "serious" list.  But - if you ask a gear 
question, you'll get an answer, from experienced people, from different 
sources, and with many different opinions.  If you ask how a thru hike might 
effect your marriage, you'll get many answers on that too.  The fact is - 
serious questions get serious answers here - and also a lot of humor.  And we 
can't all be serious all the time - so a lot of humorous stuff goes on too - 
some not trail related.  We are so much like a family that we can't JUST talk 
about hiking - because we are people behind the hiking.  But to say that we 
might be "personal" against WF - or to suggest that instead we should get out 
there and help the AT - like we aren't already doing that - 
 
 well, as POG said - it's late.  So goodnight. 

The Redhead

"You don’t get harmony when everybody sings the same note."
Doug Floyd 


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