Re[4]: [at-l] Appalachian Trail: The Quick Way

[charles@uswnet.com (Charles Copeland)]

Different hikes - different goals.

Last fall I hiked from Woody Gap to Neels Gap in about 4 hours.  I was
"scouting" out the trail for a Troop outing the next weekend and was in
somewhat of a hurry.  I enjoyed the walk in the fresh air and met and spoke
with few hikers and a couple of other Scout Troops, checked out the water
supplies, the shelter at Wood's Hole, and the view from the boulder at the
top of Blood Mtn.  I even took a few pictures for Kahley.  It was a lot of
fun.

The next weekend it took me two days to do the same hike.  It was even more
fun.  This time I noticed the leaves were different colors in different
gaps.  This time we stopped to look at the beauty of summer changing to fall
and at one break a red-tailed hawk "buzzed" us. (The kids still talk about
that!)  This time I noticed the flowers and the shapes of the trees and the
different varieties. This time we watched the most awesome sunset from Blood
Mtn.  

This weekend I will be "scouting" around Wesser and southbound towards Rufus
Morgan Shelter for a July raft trip/hike.  I'm not sure how fast I'll go but
I'll speak to anyone I see!  :-)


Charles

> 
> So it's all a matter of priorities. I agree with Weary
> that we should share our "styles" of hiking and the
> reasons for those styles. We all have different
> "goals" when we go out there ... even if the "goal" is
> to hike without goals--just to enjoy the woods and not
> hurry. So I don't know why people feel like they have
> to argue that their style is better or worse than
> another's. And if a certain type of hiker--speed
> hiker, thru-hiker, day-hiker--is rude or
> irresponsible, that doesn't mean that that type of
> hiker as a class is bad. It just means that that hiker
> was rude or irresponsible.
> 
> Time to get back to work now!
> 
> Waterfall
> ME-GA 2000
>