[at-l] Racism on or around the AT

[janl2@mindspring.com (Jan Leitschuh)]

> Jan responded that she hiked with an inter-racial couple a few years >ago who had a pretty good experience.

Actually, I met them THIS year and hiked with them casually, as one does,
about a week, NOBO into Trailfest at Hot Springs.
Their names were Slow and Steady, and I saw that they lived up to their
names, took a long time, and finished.
Their journals are online somewhere. I remember seeing them, but I've long
since lost the link. Perhaps someone here knows them. They would be good to
query.

JB wrote:
> 
> Jim
> 
> >First - since I don't remember your posting here before (or is that my
> >faulty memory again?) - welcome to the zoo/campfire/whatever-it-is. Pull up
> >a log and get a smashmellow from Red.
> 
> BTDT about 1 week ago.
> 
> >Over the years there have been Indians, Chinese, Koreans, South Africans,
> >American Indians and Afro-Americans - among others - who have attempted
> >thruhiking the AT.  I know there was an older black man who apparently
> >finished last year, but I didn't get to meet him (he was at the Gathering).
> >Sometime in the last year (?) there was an article in Backpacker about a
> >younger black male who's thruhiked both the AT and the PCT.  But there have
> >been too few.
> 
> These are the people I was hoping to reach with my original question. While
> I fit the race profile of the hiker majority, my hiking partner is chinese
> american.
> To make things more interesting, our thru-hike will be the longest time she
> has spent in the US in many years due to her job as a Field Epidemiologist.
> (Think warzone and refugee camps!)
> 
> Jan responded that she hiked with an inter-racial couple a few years ago who
> had a pretty good experience. Many years ago while in college, I had the
> misfortune to meet racists from many different races who were all too
> willing
> to tell me how wrong inter-racial relationships were/are. Since these
> encounters
> weren't in the 'great outdoors', it got me to thinking about the possibility
> of
> racism on or near the AT.
> 
> >Racism?  Straight talk - you might run into it in the South - you might run
> >into it in the North.  You might not.  Depends entirely on the individuals
> >you run into along the way. Frankly what I've found (and I'm not black) is
> >that most (99.9%) of thruhikers couldn't give a flying hoot what your skin
> >color is.  All they care about is that you're a hiker and smell as bad as
> >they do.  For myself, I've run into a few (very few) black backpackers and
> >my reaction is invariably: "Cool.  I wonder if they can get their friends
> >out too".
> 
> >Yeah - there's that 0.1%, isn't there.  Noticed that, didn't you?  Well,
> you
> >should have anyway.
> 
> This is what I would expect from the majority of the thru-hiking community
> but
> thru-hikers often interact with people outside the community.  Neither my
> hiking partner nor I are the in-your-face kind of people, rather very much
> HYOH.
> While I may want to avoid the 0.1%, I realize that they exist -- just trying
> to get a handle on how often I will deal with them.
> 
> >There IS an occasional a$$xxxx of that stripe out there.
> 
> Ain't it the truth.  Just wish it weren't so. I am glad to hear that we will
> have support within the thru-hiking community.
> 
> >One thing I skipped over back there - the real hardcore racists are more
> >likely to be from the North than the South. I'm not gonna explain that one.
> >But I think you'd likely find it true.
> 
> That doesn't really surprise me. I have heard that historically Terre
> Haute,IN
> and a county near Dayton OH have had the highest Klan membership within the
> last 40 years.
> 
> >I'm not really answering your question, am I?  Or am I?  I'm not sure there
> >is a definitive answer to a question that gets asked as seldom as this one.
> >One of the people who might have a better answer is Baltimore Jack - he's
> >known and hiked with a lot of thruhikers - and has probabl seen a few
> things
> >that I haven't.  How about it, Jack?
> 
> Actually, you have pretty much confirmed my suspicions that most people will
> prove to be supportive except for the few a$$xxxxs out there.  Without first
> hand knowledge, you have answered as well as I expected.
> 
> >Finally - I'd like to ask you to stick around for a while.  I've got
> another
> >question for the list that I'll ask tomorrow (no more time tonight).  And
> >I'd specifically like to get your opinion about it.
> 
> I have been lurking mostly for the last two months just because I am
> overwhelmed
> by everything I need to finish before I start my thru-hike in roughly 4
> weeks.
> I would be happy to answer your questions if I have answers but I cannot
> begin
> to answer questions about the general lack of minority hikers.
> 
> Jay
> 
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    	Jan Leitschuh Sporthorses Ltd.

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