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[at-l] Re: ATML Re: Slackpack Tours (In Support Of

In a message dated 98-05-04 12:33:25 EDT, you write:

> Don't tell me how people are helped to achieve a goal or how great a person
>  someone is who wants to help them. Tell me why the result of money and or 
> time I have donated to support the AT and my tax dollars should result in 
> personal N/profit to any specific individual or company.     

I would have to assume that the time or money you have donated to the Trail
means you love it.  That you love what the Trail stands for.  What it means to
everyone, whether they are thru hikers, section hikers, day hikers, or
slackpackers.  I would think that that would extend to the people who HELP
hikers.  Ask any thru hiker how much a Hostel for hikers costs them for a
night.  Ask how much a shuttle costs, for the section hiker.  Or even a
weekend hiker that doesn't want to do a loop.  The Hostels, specifically FOR
hikers, ESPECIALLY thru hikers, do not offer their space or services for free.
And if I'm not mistaken, they often leave flyers in near by shelters
ADVERTISING their location and what they offer.  Do they make money? YES.  Do
they offer a service, specifically FOR thru hikers? YES.  So why slam on
someone who makes money (although a TINY FRACTION) helping other kinds of
hikers?  What does this mean? that if you help a THRU HIKER it is okay to make
money, but if you help OTHER hikers, it isn't okay?  Get a grip.  What
happened to "hike your own hike?"  And what happened to the comradship that
used to occupy the Trail, before other people started worrying about "other"
hikers and how they were doing it?  If you don't like the offer, use the pen
to put your "opinions" in the register.  But stop talking about "for profit"
use being a violation.  Otherwise you would have to close down all the
hostels, and maybe all the businesses in all the "trail towns" that offer
services for thru hikers.

The Redhead
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