"weekenders" as route designers... Re: Re[2]: [at-l] Elevationchanges

[ellen at clinic.net (Bob C.)]

>"...Then "weekenders" should stay the hell home and use their dust-gathering
>stairmasters instead of imposing their insensitive, sadistic wishes for a
>short-term challenge-regardless-of-how upon the route of a *longgggg* distance
>hiking trail and them as actually use it for such."

In the case of Maine's 1980s relocation of 170 miles or so out of 273 miles of
the Appalachian Trail in Maine, it was simply that the design and work was done
by mostly short-distance hikers and non hikers. They produced the best trail
they knew how, given the desire of the land owners for the trail to be removed
from their productive forest lands, and what they knew from ATC trail-building
guide books -- and the act of Congress, which I think specified ridge lines.

However, I continue to be amazed by the amount of trail work and trail decisions
being done by people who are not really into hiking. More and more hikers are
joining MATC ranks, but I can't think of very many in the top ranks of the club,
who are long time, long distance hikers.

Most of us are people who enjoy the woods, and enjoy the idea of a long distance
trail, but who are not into doing a lot of it ourselves. That being said, I
still think Maine is among the  best maintained, and is easily the most
interesting section of the entire 2,170 miles.

One reason for my walk in 1993 was simply to compare Maine with other states. I
had anticipated that the far larger maintaining groups in the south would put
Maine and it's 100 active members maintaining 273 miles to shame. I found just
the opposite.

Weary