[at-l] OT? WAY TOO LONG

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

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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
In a message dated 11/23/2002 7:47:21 PM Eastern Standard Time,
Cosmo.A.Catalano@williams.edu writes:

> I can tell you that it won't happen in Mass as long as I can get out there.
> I seem
> to be in one of my darker moods, I fear.
>

Maybe that is the difference. People like you.  People who love the Trail,
not just as a nice place, but as a place in their hearts.  Millions, if I've
read the various articles correctly, of people go to Yellowstone.  The AT, if
I'm correctly reading all the history *and* the current situation, is a
unique place.  It isn't JUST visited by lots of people.  It is maintained by
volunteers, for the most part.  Volunteers who sometimes haven't hiked more
than 50 miles of it.  People who get caught up in the dream - and the reality
- of the AT.  It is maintained by those who have thru hiked, section hiked,
day hiked and even never hiked.  A lot of the people who offer Trail services
have never hiked a day in their lives - but there is something about hikers,
and the AT, that keeps them there.  It sure isn't the "getting rich" theme.

People like you, and believe it or not (for those of you who think that those
on this list don't help nor care about the AT), people like us, will in the
end determine what our Trail is.  Yes, politics are inescapable.  Yes,
politics will determine a large part of the funding and rules.  But if enough
of us keep taking care of the Trail on our own time, and thereby save money
in the long run, and enough of us keep sounding off and letting the ones in
power know how we feel  - well, it's worked so far.   Maybe it won't work ten
years from now.  And maybe it is selfish of me to say something like "Yea,
that snowmobile thing is an issue, and there are points made on both sides,
and I'm damn glad that the AT doesn't lend itself to attract snowmobilers" .
. . but okay, I'm an honest person.  I do feel that way.  No, I don't wish to
encounter a snowmobile on the AT.  Then again, I didn't wish to encounter
hunters on the Trail, either, the ones who passed by Abington Gap shelter in
the early morning light and scared the hell out of my hiking partner, or jets
on the Trail, which in my section of the woods, where I grew up, were
frequent.  That isn't to say that hunters don't have just as much a right to
be there as we did, and the jets don't have the right to fly over AT space,
especially when the jets are engaged in learning what they need to learn to
help keep us all safe - and free.  The next time you hear that jet noise,
remember that it truly is the sound of freedom. . . but anyway . . .

It's just to say that as hikers, yea, we don't want to hear jets overhead, or
traffic on the road, or see weird people in camo stuff (except you, woodelf,
especially in the winter <g>) . . . but given the reality of the AT, where
can you really hike in over 2000 miles that you don't hear some sound of the
rest of the world?  Is it selfish of hikers not to want to hear the
snowmobiles?  Well - yea.  We go out there for our own purpose, and so do
they.  I'm not touching on the whole dispute here - because in my mind, what
snowmobilers want and what I want are two different things.  Just because
they want something different than I do doesn't make what they want bad.
Notice that I'm NOT saying that if you have a different opinion, you are
stupid.

Then you get into science, and studies, and all that.  There are a few people
on this list that I know HAVE gotten into that, due to their jobs.  They love
the AT as much as I do, or you do, despite, or maybe because of, their jobs.

The bottom line is - National Parks is a title that would seem to indicate we
have little choice - they are "National", after all.  But we all have a
choice.  We can choose to maintain or help build, if we're close enough or
can manage it - we can choose to vote for the politicians that most closely
appear to support our beliefs about the environment - we can choose to send
money to those orginizations that support the causes we do, when we don't
have the time to invest, so we invest money - we can choose a lot of things.

So far, those that are involved w/ the AT have chosen, more or less, the
things that have kept that Trail available to those who plan on hiking it,
and those who have hiked it.

It's still all looking good, for the AT.  For Yellowstone - maybe someone
wants to start a movement to ban snowmobiles from the park (oh wait - maybe
that's been done? or at least join one - there are a few already out there,
aren't there?).  The truth is - is this Trail related?  Maybe.  Are there
lots of views out there on the politics, the means and ways, the financial
aspect of it all?  Yea.  Is this the place to debate the political process,
or the relative merits of being a democrat v/s a republican?  No.  Yes,
snowmobiles in National Parks is kinda related to the AT.  Are your political
beliefs and a step by step analysis of how the political process works and
the ignorance of those who don't agree related?  I guess - if you stretch it
far enough.

Let's go back to my original post awhile back.  The one where I talked about
on topic, off topic and what our admin might have meant by his post.  Some
people were quick to point out that it is a trail related subject because of
blah blah blah, therefore here is my opinion.  I never said the subject
itself WASNT trail related or on topic for this list.  It isn't the topic
itself that is objectionable.  I think I made that very clear - it's not the
subject, it's how you are posting about it - It is the personal attacks and
the really scummy way that it is being debated by some.  If you can't state
your belief without attacking someone elses beliefs - don't post.  You aren't
helping the AT, you aren't helping this list, and you aren't stopping
snowmobiles in Yellowstone.  So why bother?  (and lest some enterprising
individual use this very last comment as a stepping stone . . . I'm not
saying that "bothering" is bad - I'm just saying that in taking this list
somewhere into the realm of "I'm right, you are *)*)*) stupid" is a bad
thing.  So don't read anything into it that isn't there.)

Red









Is it just me, or is this an AT list?