[at-l] Sense of Wilderness and Town Stops

[spiriteagle99@hotmail.com (Jim and/or Ginny Owen)]

RnR wrote:
>       *** Since coming to the list I've been astounded what a rapport and
>gentile cooperation a warm, friendly campfire membership can impart on any 
>AT
>soul. I have to preface my reply to Jim with a reminder that he is the same
>poster who said "anyone who knows what they are talking about *knows* that
>Wingfoot had nothing to do with Putnam Mine."

RnR -
You've made a career on the list out of misunderstanding and/or 
misinterpreting what I say (i.e. - lying?).  If you can't understand what 
MacKaye is saying when it's publicly written for "anyone" to read - why do 
you think I'd take you seriously about this?


>He chose not to respond to the
>Putnam Mine letter by J. Leutze calling it a "waste of bandwidth"...

I did respond to your presentation of Wingfoot's letter - how did you fail 
to understand how little I respect that kind of fluff?


>        It is very clear to me from MacKaye's writings that he envisioned a
>place where nature was preserved in order to protect a sense of wilderness. 
>I
>thank you for the opportunity to present this topic (as I did the Putnam
>proof) and will do so when I obtain the proper materials.

So - you're still ignorant about who and what MacKaye was, huh?  But you're 
still willing to twist his words to fit your agenda.  Your capacity for self 
deception never fails to amaze me.


>     Like many others in here, Jim strikes me as peculiar in the fact that 
>he
>backs what I am saying in his opening paragraphs, admitting that he also 
>had
>the same views and doesn't use a cell phone himself, yet then goes on to
>attack the very premise he uses in his own logic regarding his backcountry
>gear. Like I said a few days back, "you have to ask yourself if your
>behavior, view, or input is one that assists the AT's wilderness goal or
>defeats it? I feel Jim's position here resembles the latter...

It's one thing to dislike cell phones in the backcountry.  It's an entirely 
different proposition to tell others that they shouldn't use them. 
Especially when you base your "logic" on a twisted "interpretation" of 
something you don't understand to begin with - like MacKaye's writings.


>      Anybody who uses town stops to justify cell phones uses an invalid
>analogy. I myself stopped very infrequently both to save money and stay on
>the Trail longer. When I hear of people spending a $100 dollars for hotel
>night on the Trail I cringe to think how many miles that could have bought
>for a poorer hiker with a good Trail-attitude and a Zip Stove...   :)

What does this have to do with anything?  If that poorer hiker doesn't have 
the money to complete the Trail, it's "his/her" responsibility - Thruhiking 
isn't a welfare program.


>     BTW: Jim I read on the front page of the NY Times today a report on 
>the
>sudden collapse of a Rhode Island-sized chunk of Antarctic ice shelf. The
>world's glaciers have receded by 1/3 in the last 100 years with most of it
>occurring in the last 20. The world's atmospheric carbon dioxide level has
>increased by 25% during the same period.
>     I also read in the Times today how Bush is eliminating endangered 
>species
>protections for the sake of developers in the US. I wonder if a majority of
>US democratic citizens support this?

So once again - What does this have to do with anything that's being 
discussed here?  As Shane said - you're rambling.  I'll add - aimlessly.


For Weary who wrote:
>I don't pretend to be a student of MacKaye, though I've read the article 
>thatlead to the creation of the Appalachian Trail from time to time.

Yeah - it's on my desk --- right there.  And his books are on the bookshelf 
- over there.

>However, in support of RnR's contention, I know that he broke with Myron 
>Avery because he thought Avery was not creating a wild enough trail.

That was "part" of the story - but not all of it.

>And during the years that he bowed out of AT matters, he worked to create 
>the Wilderness Society.

True - but as one of his best friends said - MacKaye was a man who knew how 
to use a bulldozer as well.  RnR's vision of MacKaye is one dimensional - 
and insulting to the man.

Jim


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