[at-l] ?The Importance of the Certificate?

[saunterer@jimbullard.org (saunterer@jimbullard.org)]

I was thinking today about this whole debate (yeah I know, I was supposed 
to be working.  I did some of that too) and it occurred to me that prior to 
attending the Gathering last October I had met maybe 6 AT thru-hikers.  How 
did I know they were thru-hikers?  They old me so or someone else told me 
they were.  At the Gathering of course, I met many thru-hikers.  How do I 
know?  They told me so or I recognized their names from AT books I'd 
read.  But... and I find this interesting in light of all the fuss over the 
ATC rules for getting the certificate, I have yet to see a 2000 miler 
certificate and the only 2000 miler patch I can recall seeing was in a 
photo in the Appalachian Adventure book.  I tend to take people at their 
word unless I have reason to believe that they are not truthful and once I 
have evidence of their untruthfulness it would take more than a certificate 
to change my mind.

sAunTerer