[at-l] A HYOH opinion

[jmayer@rochester.rr.com (Jim Mayer)]

Here's a link.  I'm working on a trip report, and I'll post it here when I'm
done.

    http://www.pennaweb.com/kta/black.htm

This description is from the Keystone Trails Association.  One note: the
description says:

    The beauty and grandeur of the BFT however does have a
    drawback, because it is one of the most popular trails in
    Pennsylvania this means the BFT offers little opportunity
    for solitude.

You have to remember that this is by the standards of Pennsylvania hiking
trails.  We saw one other group of backpackers over three days... at the
parking lot on the way out.  There was also a large herd of people
destroying the area around a campsite (you know... splitting logs, seven or
eight tents, etc.), but those were the only people we saw on the entire
trip.

-- Jim

----- Original Message -----
From: "Chase Davidson" <wb4pan@mindspring.com>
To: "Jim Mayer" <jmayer@rochester.rr.com>; <at-l@backcountry.net>
Sent: Saturday, July 21, 2001 10:22 AM
Subject: Re: [at-l] A HYOH opinion


> Jim,
>
> So tell us more about the Black forest Trail:-)
>
> chase
>
> Jim Mayer wrote:
> >
> > Last weekend another fellow and I did a round trip of the Black Forrest
> > Trail in Pennsylvania.  We drove down Thursday night and hiked Friday
> > through Sunday.  Our mileage was roughly 17, 13, and 13 which was pretty
> > good given that I, at least, am hardly in thru hiker condition!
> >
> > For the 17 mile day, we just got up early and had a relaxed hike.  We
woke
> > up (without an alarm) at around 5:30, started hiking at 6:30, and
finished
> > around 5:00.  We took breaks about every 45 minutes to an hour (and
whenever
> > there was a good view or the blueberries got too thick :-) ), and even
snuck
> > in a half hour nap at one point.
> >
> > When we reached camp at 5:00 I could easily have done the stealth
camping
> > thing of eating dinner then hiking on another couple of hours.
> >
> > Anyway, my point is that beyond the libertarian "HYOH" philosophy (i.e.
my
> > hike is my hike until it hurts anyone else), how far you travel in a day
has
> > a lot more to do with how long you hike than how fast you hike.
> >
> > -- Jim
> >
> > P.S. To head off any legalistic HYOH philosophy, I view hurting the
trail
> > itself as hurting all future hikers, and therefore covered by the
"anyone
> > else" "clause" :-)
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: <DaRedhead@aol.com>
> > To: <at-l@backcountry.net>
> > Sent: Friday, July 20, 2001 11:03 PM
> > Subject: [at-l] A HYOH opinion
> >
> > > From a '99 AT thruhiker and a current PCT hiker
> > SNIP
> > >
> > > "We stop to talk to many of the people we pass. Not all of them, but
many
> > of
> > > them. ALWAYS, we are asked how many miles we hike each day. Our
response:
> > > 20-25 miles. ALMOST ALWAYS, the people we're talking with tell us that
> > we're
> > > going too fast, that there's no way we can enjoy the scenery, the
> > wilderness,
> > > the experience if we're running down the trail.
> > >
> > > To those people, I say HIKE YOUR OWN HIKE.
> >
> > SNIP
> >
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