[at-l] ELITIST = SNOBBERY

[kahley7@ptd.net (kahley7)]

At 12:17 AM 1/2/01 +0000, Jim and/or Ginny Owen wrote:

>kahley wrote:
>>As a person who has never walked for more than 4 days at a stretch, 
>>I >will grant the thrus their snobbishness if they grant me mine.  I 
>>lord >my legs over the couch potatoes who never go out in the cold <g>.
>
>
>Kahley -
>Hike your own hike - and be proud of it.   :-)
>Walk softly,
>Jim

Thank you Jim for saying it better than I <grin> and in so few words!

But I have been quiet a loooong time so humor me whilst I expound ....BG>

I hike, therefore I am...special. at least I think so.
I prefer the company of my fellow hikers.
I admire those who hike better and longer and faster than I so that 
qualifies me as a snob.

Asking Miriam again...(http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary)  about snob..

1 British : COBBLER ( I haven't a clue about this definition)
.
2 : one who blatantly imitates, fawningly admires, or vulgarly seeks
association with those regarded as social superiors
.
I try to imitate, although the dog's leads forgo lekis <g>.
For sure, I admire, although, I hope, neither vulgarly or fawningly (except 
maybe for Feelix).
For sure I seek association with those regarded as social superiors.
  I really like having extraordinary,  remarkable friends.

3 a : one who tends to rebuff, avoid, or ignore those regarded as
inferior
.
Anyone who has ever talked about the tourons at the summit or the sense of 
exclusion
sometimes felt by the section hiker in the shelter full of thrus knows what 
this means.
For me personally, it's those who spend a Sunday watching the nature channel.
.
b : one who has an offensive air of superiority in matters of  knowledge or 
taste
.
The yucky part...the part nobody wants to be guilty of or be exposed to but 
most
might admit it exists.
.
I think there_should_be a hierarchy.  Any occupation or activity has one.
Music has it's Grammys.  Actors their Oscars. Sports has their MVP.
Since few are willing to pay per view for what we do,
we don't get a statue but a piece of cloth (and we even have to buy that!)
But if you've earned it, you are special and if you've earned several of them,
you are even more so.  If you like hanging around with others
who earned it, others who easily relate to how you earned it....so what's 
wrong with that?
.
Now before you think I'm some nutcase hiker groupie, let me say that just 
because
you hike doesn't give you a pass to be a creep.  Creeps are creeps whether 
they hike or not.
I remember warning a young, class of 97 hiker that just because someone 
puts on a backpack,
doesn;t mean they aren't a SOB.  The packs of hiking drunks and thugs that 
have been hitting
the trail lately and messing up hostel/restaurant/hiker relations are
a prime example.  They may be fast, strong and determined but they are 
still a__holes.
.
I have to say, from a personal point of view, I put the section hiker on at 
least equal footing with a thru.
The year-long longing, the logistical challenges, the hiking into shape 
just in time to go home again...
for year after year.  And maybe more than these, the willingness to do all 
the work and not receive
all the blessings of playing in the woods for six months....never being 
able to totally shed the harness
of responsibility......that makes them not only special cause they hike, 
but special on another level as well.
Of course there are advantages.....since he who finishes first,  loses <g>
.
Sooooo.....what do I get out of all this....lowly weekend warrior.....on 
the bottom of the ladder?
Besides having remarkable friends, and inspiration to continue, I get many 
of the same things the
thrus talk of.  People who understand, even better than I do, what makes me 
tick.  And a kinship,
sometimes instantaneous bonding with total strangers.

Yesterday, sh*t happened and we didn't get an early enough start to seek a 
virgin hill to climb so
we settled for a stroll through a frozen swap instead <g>.  The trail, such 
as it is, is a mess of little
loops.  We arrived to find a car parked in our preferred spot.  Feeling 
intruded upon, even though
our timing made us the intruders, we continued to the lot at the other 
trailhead.  The weekend had
brought out at least two couch potatoes since there were old tracks other 
than those laid by us earlier in
the week.  Winter hiking is a pure joy on a day like this  Saphires would turn
emerald in envy of the color of the sky.  Blessed calm air made the mid 
20's temp a joy but insured
the swap was frozen for the most.  The woods lay bare their soul in the 
winter. All life is writ large in the
snow.  A rabbit run that would be hard to spot, is as clear as 
day.  Squirrels leave directions
to their favorite trees.  More that a glimpse of a white butt, you know how 
many deer were
there a minute ago.

When we reached the 'high point' (lol) of the trail.  a knoll overlooking 
the water, I spread out
my space blanket, plopped out my sitpad as Hub set up his stool (really bad 
knees) and
we commenced our annual New Year's celebration.  Hub went with his usual 
cold shrimp
and I, my favorite trail treat...smoked salmon with all the fixins.  I sat 
there, leaning against
a tree..surveying my domain.  The water, rather ice, frozen and thawed and 
pushed by the
wind and current  and frozen again  and again was more moonscape than earthly.
No green in this picture..all is blue and white.  Just us two....dining 
fine, at a view we earned.
  I felt elite for sure!!!!!

As time passed and the western sky showed the sun would not last the day, 
we packed up a
and headed back.  As we neared the spot where we prefer to park, Hub swung 
wide to check
out the car and see which way the tracks went.  We hoped to allow the dogs 
a little off lead
time on the way home, but the tracks headed in our direction so it was no go.
"Two" he yelled.  " One large, one  small."  As we swung onto the path they 
had taken,
I picked up their trail and got lost in speculation.  The large really 
wasn't so large.  So it could
be a father and son or maybe a mother and daughter.  But the small tracks 
overlayed the
large which was odd that the kid didn't bound ahead but followed 
behind.  And they both took
  really small steps..even smaller than my stubby legs take.  Eyes down, 
studying their
tracks, I almost missed the flash of color off to my left.  Their they 
sat.  On stools just like
Hub carrys, two tiny old folks.  I'm talking eighties easy,  Huddled  on 
either side of  their
stove, he watched the pot as she watched him. They both glanced up at me, 
obviously they
had watched us come for some time and we all broke out in really huge grins.
.
Not a word was spoken but we bonded.  Suddenly, we were the intruders, and 
I ceased the
clicks and clues I normally give the dogs until we were out of earshot.  Ya 
have to give the
elite their due <VVVBG>.

Hike your own hike - and be proud of it.   :-)


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