[at-l] hikers dictionary

[daveh at psknet.com (Dave Hicks)]

Blue-blazer, yellow-blazer, aqua-blazer, etc were used a pejorative labels
to denigrate anyone who took any approach that did not meet "their"
standard, by those "purest" (who proposed that only by passing every white
blaze were one a "true" thru-hiker).



No one, to my knowledge, applied these terms to folk who took 'blue blazed
trails" to views, camping areas, etc. and returned to the white blazed trail
where they had left it.  OTOH, there has been much heat generated, in some
circles, by questions such as taking one blue blazed path into a shelter and
another back to the trail, thereby "bypassing" "x" feet of the official "AT"
, etc



Jim once had a great piece of advice about HYOH, which you might find by a
search of the archives, or we might get him to repost it, or point to it.



Bottom line, IMHO, is figure out what YOUR level of "purity" is before you
start and be true to YOURSELF.  I have known folk who deviated from their
plans spontaneously and later wished they hadn't.  The key is what does
purity mean to YOU.  I don't care what you do, and IMHO, neither should
anyone else -- except you.  Hopefully, you are not hiking to impress
someone, so their labels of laurels, or of boos, should not matter to you.
That's what HYOH, is all about, IMHO.



Chainsaw





----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Bror8588@aol.com>
To: <shellydhale@earthlink.net>; <ladykitty@sbcglobal.net>;
<at-l@backcountry.net>
Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2004 8:37 AM
Subject: Re: [at-l] hikers dictionary


In a message dated 3/9/04 22:54:52 Eastern Standard Time,
shellydhale@earthlink.net writes:


> Blue-blazer
>      long-distance hiker who substitutes a section of blue-blazed trail
for
> a white-blazed section between two points on the Trail.
>

This is a strange definition.  I intend to do some exploration of 'blue
blazed trails" for I hear that they lead to views, interesting camping
areas, etc.,
and though I do not plan to substitute any blue blazed part for the white
blazed trail (the AT) I like the idea of exploring as I walk north.  I would
think that a "blue blazer" would be a good appellation for it would indicate
someone who is taking the time to "see" the countryside.

Skylander
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