Re[2]: [at-l] ATC ad policy

[kahley7@ptd.net (kahley)]

At 08:21 PM 8/7/01 -0400, Bob Cummings wrote:

>"... If you don't want to be
>bothered by all that civilization junk, just keep walking. "
>
>Unfortunately, it is not that simple. Some seek the trail to gain a sense 
>of wildness. The knowledge
>that directions to civilization, pizzas, a ride, whatever ... is available 
>by simply opening a book, or asking your shelter mates
>mate to borrow their cell phone, destroys that sense of wildness. I don't 
>expect many to understand this.
>But it is a fact. Let's expand the concept of "leave no trace" to not 
>leaving psychic intrusions
>either.

Weary, what is your position on shelters and privies?  Throughout
history, civilizing efforts began with the building of a road or trail
and then way stations to offer shelter.  A man made structure is
the essence of civilization. Every piece of fiction wherein a traveler
is lost, the climax happens when he finds a cabin or a hut or a trail,
cause we all know that means we have reached civilization.  Just last
week, we got lost while driving in the mountains and the point where
we saw the first structure was the point where I no longer considered
myself "lost".

  If the AT is to be wild, then it should not be maintained and we should
remove the shelters.  Anything less than that is to accept a level of 
civilization
with which_you_are comfortable but others nay consider excessive or
insufficient.

As to the ads, I'm one person who is not enamored of reading registers,
It might be different if it was a longer duration hike where I had made
friends who I was looking to connect with but I just don't normally read
more than an entry or two or six, just enough to see if there is some
thing current I should be aware off.  The idea of wading thru the chicken
scratchings to find out about service providers is not my idea of a good
use of my very limited trail time.

 > .. is available by simply opening a book

As to using dan's book, businesses open..businesses close and such current
info isn't available in a book that could be years old.  New providers may
have never heard of him and would have no clue as to how to be included.
I personally submitted two businesses to him which were not included
for some reason.  And I have a first hand account of one provider who
attempted to get listed but was rebuffed by dan because "I didn't have
the right attitude".  Further questioning him revealed that either dan was
having a pissy mood day or else the provider, innocently didn't profess the 
proper
respect for dan (or maybe he was too busy to listen to dan go on for an hour
and anyone who has ever paid for a call with dan knows what I'm talking about)
For whatever reason, a new business, which was actually on trail and
provided shuttles,  free parking, camping and toilet, plus snacks,
fuel, some gear (although mostly army stuff) plus pack and tent repairs was
never listed.  I had spent hours with this guy trying to get him to
expand his hiker services.  But his contact with Dan and my failed attempt
to get him listed, plus hiker shop lifting, caused him to remove the signs and
banners that said HIKERS WELCOME.

Phil's idea of a inconspicuous notebook of ads strikes me as a fine way to
serve the hikers who want the info without excessively exposing others to
a clutter of tacky tacked ads.  And it removes any timing related issues or
screw ups or filtering from who ever compiles the books,  allowing providers
to directly see to tier inclusion.

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