[at-l] Hiker disease (longish)

[DTimm65344@aol.com (DTimm65344@aol.com)]

Before we start 600 emails picking the following to death for inaccuracies 
(real or imagined), let me preface this by saying Red saw this in a guidebook 
I have, thought it was cute (as do I) and asked me to post it.  If people 
feel the need to thread this to death, let's do it off-list so as to save 
Ryan from going insane.

That being said, enjoy (or not).

Black&blue

>From "Exploring the Appalachian Trail - Hikes in the Southern Appalachians" , 
Doris Gove Copyright 1998


"Thru-Hiking Lab Report

Hiking in the spring is glorious, but there is a substantial risk that you 
will catch whatever seasonal virus it is that drives people to think they 
should hike from Georgia to Maine.  This insidious disease has a long 
incubation - so long that you may think you have escaped.  However, here are 
some symptoms that may precede the onset:

-  The victims (you or a loved one) start collecting maps and guidebooks.

-  They ask everyone they meet about tents, Gore-Tex, and water filters.

-  They start introducing themselves by a funny new name.

-  They insist on knowing the weight, to the nearest gram, of everything they 
buy.

-  They don't like their 100 % cotton underwear and socks anymore.

-  They develop an obsessive interest in weather, day length, elevation gains 
and losses, and how far they can hike in a day.

The most severe form of this syndrome was first described in 1948, but it was 
rare until the 1960s.  Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas succumbed in 
1958.  By 1982, there were 1000 cases on record; that number doubled in only 
seven years.  In the 1990s, it became a major epidemic, with thousands coming 
down with it each year.

The virus respects neither age, sex, physical handicap, nor nationality.  An 
86-year-old got it in 1975, and a 6-year-old got it just 5 years later.  Some 
people get it several times and many victims write books about their 
struggle.  Several dogs and at least one cat have fallen prey to it.  More 
men than women suffer from this disease, but, as with many other conditions, 
the women are catching up. The causation agent has not been identified: there 
is some evidence of a tiny parasite that burrows through brain tissue, 
causing major behavioral changes but minor permanent damage.

No remedy has been found; victims harbor the ailment for the rest of their 
lives and seem to be highly infectious.  However, many victims can lead lives 
that are surprisingly close to normal if they can acknowledge their 
affliction and get the hiking done, either all at once or in sections.  Many 
self-help books are available, and support groups exist in some communities."