[at-l] Rural areas of NY State

[jbullar1 at twcny.rr.com (Jim Bullard)]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Bror8588@aol.com 
Subject: [at-l] Rural areas of NY State

Cal writes that he lives in a rural area of NY State and that NYC people think that the state is all citified.  Well, I live in NYC and we have rural areas within the city.  We call them Parks.  In every borough (similar to a county in other parts of the country) there are at least two or more parks in which to hike and get away from the "mean streets."   

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  Cal didn't write that, I did. I was responding to Cal. My comment was based on all the times I've said to someone from NYC "I'm from Northern NY" only to have them reply "Oh, Yonkers". "No" said I, "Northern NY State". "Oh, Albany" comes the reply. When I said I was over 4 hours Northwest of Albany they didn't know the state went that far and asked if we had electricity up here. (Insert head shaking dismay over geographic ignorance here). I've seen NYC's parks and I've seen the rest. I'll take Northern NY thanks.

I wonder if those who actually commit suicide on a trail or after hiking a section, do so because they have come to the realization of failure and cannot bear facing those to whom they have announced a goal and yet, have been unable to continue as planned. Reading some of the journals of those who had to terminate their hike on the AT indicates a very strong sense of shame.  One person said that the could not go home and hid out with friends for a week before conceding that they had failed.  Another went home and was told that since the family had spent money on the gear that they had to get out and finish what they had started.  After attempting another start they again decided that they could not continue and when asked if they were going home replied, "I am going anywhere but home."   

Hiking in the woods for me, is a pleasure.  I can get that pleasure from the Parks in NYC or from the trails which lie within an hour's bus ride.  It lifts my spirit and gives me strength.  But that is me.  Others may want to accomplish their hike and when they think that they have failed they may feel great shame.  Still others feel that by going on a trail they will escape their illness.  Denial will not help one who has a disease no matter how much they want to escape.  Facing the situation and getting the proper medication will go a long way toward maintaining health.  It doesn't matter what disease one has.   

Now if it is just a personality disorder then group therapy works best (with some individual reflection) and the AT is just the place to go, as long as one is open to change. 

What do you think? 

  I find it hard to imagine that someone would commit suicide solely over failing to complete a thru. I can see it playing into suicide where someone had problems beforehand and considered a failed thru to be confirmation of a failed life but I've never heard of a case (not that I would hear of it).

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