[at-l] Odds 'n Ends....

[baltimorejack@hotmail.com (Jack Tarlin)]

1.  In a recent post, someone mentioned that a recent Atlanta newspaper
article on the Georgia trail shooting neglected to mention anything about
the shooter visiting, sending a card, expressing remorse, etc.  Maybe I
mis-read the intent of the poster, but to me there seemed to be a suggestion
that the shooter was callous, indifferent, and lacked a conscience.
    What I DON'T want to see is yet another return to the endless and
pointless debate over the propriety and morality of hunting; i.e., I don't
wanna see us bickering for days over the matter of hunting, and what jerks
hunters are, etc.  The anti-gun and anti-hunting crowd never loses an
opportunity to leap on things like this, and I think it'd be a mistake for
any of us here to rush to judgement without knowing all the pertinent facts.
    Maybe the newspaper article didn't say much about the shooter because
the reporter didn't ask the right questions.  Maybe the shooter didn't visit
because he was asked not to, or didn't want to deal with the press, or
create stress for the family, never mind the victim.  Maybe the shooter DID
visit or send a card, but the reporter simply didn't mention it, or forgot
to.  There are a lot of possibilities.  In any case, the focus of the
article in question was on the girl's recovery, and not the shooter.
    A few things should be remembered:  The shooter stayed on the scene
after the accident, when others might well have fled.  He provided CPR and
other emergency care that without question saved the girl's life.  Also,
I've seen other news stories which said quite plainly that he's incredibly
remorseful and feels horrible about the whole thing.  Lastly, the girl
herself has publicly forgiven him and has expressed hopes that his
punishment will not include incarceration.  In short, suggesting or hinting
that this guy is callous and conscience-less seems a bit harsh; I don't
believe for a minute that this is the case.

   Last comments on this---lest anyone think I'm somehow defending or
condoning this guy's actions, believe me, I'm not.  He obviously broke the
one most important law of hunting, which is that you never even think about
pulling the trigger unless you are 100% sure of what you are shooting at,
and where your bullet may go if you miss.  If this guy feels awful, well, he
should.  His carelessness almost cost a young girl her life, and there's no
excuse or justification for it.
   However, I also think that it's incumbent on hikers and other backcountry
travellers to behave wisely during hunting season:  Hikers need to know that
they're sharing the woods with hunters; they need to stick to the Trail;
they need to wear blaze orange at ALL times, even if they're just dashing
from their tent for 2 minutes to relieve themselves, which is evidently waht
happened here.  The fact is, hikers are NOT careful enough, and sometimes
not careful at all---this past year, for example, at the height of moose
season in Maine, I saw virtually NO thru-hikers wearing blaze orange.  And
these are folks who prsumably should know better about how to behave
intelligently in the woods----what does this say about everyone else?

    Enough of this.  This was a horrible accident.  It should never have
happened, and the one good thing that'll come about from all the publicity
is that hopefully, both hikers AND hunters will learn from the incident so
that it never recurs.  However, implying that the young man responsible for
the accident was indifferent, unconcerned, and untroubled over his role in
this near-tragedy is unkind, and I personally don't feel it adds anything
positive to the dialogue.

   2.  Complete change of subject:  Yeah, I expect to be at the Ruck, and
I'd be happy to participate in a Q&A session for the folks actively planning
their hiks.  We did something like this at the last 2 ALDHA hiker
Gatherings, and I think they went pretty well.

   3.  Am also looking forward to helping out some in the kitchen as this is
something I enjoy doing.  If anyone on the Trail has expired because of my
cooking, I have failed to hear about it.

   4.  Note to Roks:  I'm delighted to hear that according to its author,
the Thru-Hikers Handbook will appear in January, presumably January of 2003.
  It is, in my opinion, a valuable and worthy book, but this value and worth
only matters if it gets to the folks who need it BEFORE they actually hit
the Trail, which has regrettably not been the case in recent years.  Hell,
if the book comes out in January, I might even buy one.  But being a prudent
fellow, I think I'll order a Thru-Hikers Companion this week, just in case.
After all, one never knows.





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