Re[2]: [at-l] Re: ALDHA AND AHS AND EARLS HIKE

[Bob C." <ellen@clinic.net (Bob C.)]

"... so if I claim to have hiked the trail in 1937, then someone has to disprove
that I did it for me *not* to be recognized as a thru-hiker? That sounds sort of
backwards," observes Jim Lynch.

The  trail was not built for "thru hiking." Most of the 5,000 maintainers of the
trail  could  care  less  about  thru hiking. The ATC was created decades ago to
provide  an  oasis of wildness in an increasingly civilized eastern seaboard for
people  who  lived  nearby.  The need for wildness has only increased during the
ensuing decades.

How  to meet this demand? First off you need to raise money and recruit workers.
Trails  are  expensive.  One way to raise money is to cater to "2,000 milers" in
hopes of encouraging them to join, donate and work.

Now  let's think how one might logically do that. My vote is to award anyone who
claims to be a 2000-miler, a certificate, a patch and donation letter.

Weary