[at-l] all things considered

[spiriteagle99 at hotmail.com (Jim and/or Ginny Owen)]

amy  wrote:
>Some people will be unhappy that you have a radio.  And that your clothes 
>are too
>bright, your sticks make too much noise, your lunch isn't organic enough, 
>your
>stove is too loud, you snore, you interrupt their sense of solitude by 
>existing,
>your tent takes up too much room, etc.   I have some choice words for those 
>people.  :)

All of which is true.  Except that I don't think your words are quite as 
rude as mine have been at times for some of those people.  <G>

But you didn't quite cover the whole range -- or both sides of the street.  
There are also people who have to listen to the ballgame - without the ear 
buds.  And those who just have to talk to their broker on their cellphone 
(or to their brother-in-law from the top of the mountain) - at HIGH VOLUME 
of course.  Or smoke their (whatever) in the shelter.  Or a few other little 
items like that.  And I have choice words for those people, too.

We've even run into some who carry boom boxes on the trail - so "everyone" 
can enjoy their music.  It took me a while to learn just how rude some 
people can be on the trail.  And what to do about it.

The bottom line is - take what you want, but be respectful of others.  No 
one has an inherent "right" to fill the woods with "their" music - or to 
entertain the shelter mice with the ballgame - or to brag about their stock 
portfolio at high volume to a shelter full of strangers.  At least not if 
they want those strangers to be friendly.

Yeah - we've seen some of the jerks, too.  And that's one of many reasons 
why we generally avoid staying at hostels and shelters.  And "established 
campsites".

Walk softly - and quietly,
Jim

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