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

At 08:07 AM 8/9/01 -0500, kahley wrote:
> >I don't think there's any way to insure accurate and current information 
> of this type in shelters besides... I thought a thru-hike was supposed to 
> be an "adventure".
>
>errrr.....friend sAunTerer.....sez who?   Who says what a thru-hike is 
>supposed to be?  And what about the rest of the hikers?   I'm not sure you 
>can assume that all the people who might want to see such ads would 
>benefit from not seeing them.

Okay so "I" go for an adventure.  Day trippers/week enders don't want 
adventure, they want convenience and thru-hikers (some at least) don't want 
adventure either (so why not "drive the AT"?) but let me rephrase my response.

I travel for my work. Not a lot, but enough to put me in a hotel/motel 
every so often.  The first thing to greet me when I go to my rented room is 
a booklet on the dresser or table entitled "Directory of area Restaurants, 
Shopping and Attractions".  It's for the "benefit" of the tourists.  The 
idea of a book of ads in shelters reminds me of those books.

Shelters are not hotel rooms.  I happen to believe that although shelters 
are not "natural" they can sometimes be  important for the safety of those 
who travel the trail and therefore appropriate to have on the trail.  Truth 
is that although I maintain a shelter, I rarely stay in one.  I usually use 
my tent or hammock.  Advertising for businesses near the trail is merely a 
convenience of those in tourist mode.  I don't feel that's sufficient 
reason to have them there.  The same rationale would justify flush toilets, 
hot & cold running water, pay telephones and God knows what else.  In 
short, I'll repeat my first conclusion on the subject:  I don't believe 
that a few business cards in shelters will result in the demise of the 
trail but... it doesn't fit with LNT and it doesn't bother me to have them 
banned.  In fact, the more read these ideas and more I think about it, the 
more I like the policy of banning them.

sAunTerer