[at-l] PA Ruck?

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

Rb -
Check out - http://friends.backcountry.net/ruck/

I believe that was last updated sometime after the 2003 Ruck (last January). 
  There may or may not be updates to it this year.  We'll see.  Someone once 
told me that there's a reference to it on the ATC website too, but I've 
never checked.

As for what it is - it's a gathering of hikers (but NOT the Gathering) whose 
interest is in thruhiking.  In the past, anyone was welcome.  That won't 
change -

At various times we've had a potluck on Fri and Sat nights,  slide shows, 
chili cookoffs, thruhiker bull sessions, stove contests, equipment displays, 
trail photo albums, stove cleaning/repair sessions, a Sat morning hike, and 
a lot of talk - mostly about thruhiking - sometimes about anything and 
everything else in the world.  It's a place for the Class of '04 to get to 
talk in person to those who have thruhiked - and determine for themselves 
whether we have two heads, 6" fangs or other strange attachments.

For some years, the Ruck was deliberately kept at the Ironmasters Mansion 
because it was convenient for Earl Shaffer to attend.  Since his death there 
have been rumblings about movig it someplace else, but no suitable palace 
has been found yet.   Ah - I think I'll leave that typo there - it's 
appropriate cause the thing grew from a few people (about 20) to 130 or more 
two years ago.  And that was much too big.  Last year there were 90 people 
there.  Big enough to require a palace.

The schedule?  Who knows - we'll figure that out later.

Food?  Well, as far as I know, nobody's ever gone hungry and we've always 
left behind a load of food for the hostel keeper.

Sleeping?  There are a limited number of beds (60?) inside the hostel and a 
State Park campground about half a mile away (within easy walking distance). 
  There are motels, but they're probably about 20 miles either south or 
north.

Weather?  Usually cold  -one year we had some fairly good snow.  But another 
year we were outside in t-shirts.  Come prepared.  Just like thruhiking.

No one's looking for commitments right now, but after Christmas things will 
get serious and the competition for "inside" space will heat up.  
Personally, I don't do hostels so you won't be competing with me.

Walk soflty,
Jim



>From: Rbdnly@aol.com
>To: spiriteagle99@hotmail.com, at-l@backcountry.net
>CC: russ.drake@navy.mil
>Subject: Re: [at-l] PA Ruck?
>Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 18:57:27 EST
>
>In a message dated 11/25/2003 3:13:38 PM Atlantic Standard Time,
>spiriteagle99@hotmail.com writes:
>The Ruck was supposed to be a function for the "newbies"  - the prospective
>thruhikers who wanted to talk to a few of those who had thruhike
>
>Exactly what is the PA Ruck?  I've heard of Trail Days and the Gathering 
>but
>never the PA Ruck.   Specifically, is it a hike or just a meeting of the 
>minds
>as such.   Thanks and Happy Trails - Rb

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