Re: [at-l] look at me stunts and Goose Creek,etc

At 09:03 AM 12/29/00 -0500, you wrote:
>In a message dated 12/29/00 8:20:00 AM Eastern Standard Time,
>OIdMaster@aol.com writes:
>
><< Forgive me for being judgmental, but if ever someone did the AT as a "hey
>  look at me stunt" it was this gentleman. >>
>
>(No forgiveness necessary, I'd say.)
>
>That brings up something related that I was thinking about the other day.
>This is my post-thru-hike adjustment time still going on.
>Sometimes...often...I don't feel like it's been all THAT much of an
>adjustment for me, but occasionally something just...I don't know...hits me,
>and I stand wherever I am like a zombie thinking about the trail, how it
>affected me, little details--the minutiae--that suddenly pop into my head and
>I smile remembering. ANYWAY, as far as "hey, look at me" stuff...I'm really
>almost surprised at myself. I would have thought, pre-thru-hike, that I'd
>finish and want to say, "Hey world!! Guess what I did!!"  I mean, I do feel
>really good about it. There were a lot of personal victories for me out
>there, fears I had to face, challenges I overcame, and I really found out
>that I'm made of some tough stuff (or whatever you want to call it). Thing
>is, though, I find that--aside from others who've also thru-hiked and those
>planning to go--I don't talk about it much. I find that there's little to NO
>satisfaction in that for me. ...clip..

Amen. I haven't thru-hiked (yet, maybe never) but I have climbed all 46 
Adirondack High Peaks. One of the first things I learned was how few people 
knew about the Adirondack 46ers. When the topic comes up at all and I 
explain what it is, most people respond politely "That's nice" or more 
frankly "Why?". The only appreciative audience are the wanna-bes and 
aficionados. Such achievements are mainly personal.

As for the 'Look-at-me' types: There is a guy who created a stir by hiking 
the ADK46 barefoot. He didn't seek attention. It wasn't a stunt. He spends 
most of his time barefoot. He did it barefoot because he hikes that way 
normally and he wanted to. He did get attention but didn't fan the flames 
of publicity. He rode it out with a fair degree of modesty. I'm not sure 
what to think of the "tuba hike". I haven't read his journal. His first 3 
reasons (on his web site) suggest it wasn't a publicity stunt but the last 
two cast doubt on the sincerity of 1, 2 and 3. I'm leaning toward thinking 
it was a publicity stunt.

Saunterer

* From the AT-L |  Need help? http://www.backcountry.net/faq.html  *

==============================================================================
To:            "David Hicks" <daveh@usit.net>, "AT-L" <at-l@edina.hack.net>, <Ramkitten@aol.com>