[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

[at-l] Fwd: '98 Hiking Scene

Forwarded...

-- BEGIN included message

From owner-at-l  Fri May 22 14:37:38 1998
Received: from mercserv.merconet.com.br (root@mercserv.merconet.com.br [200.246.16.19]) by saffron.hack.net (8.8.5/8.7.3) with ESMTP id OAA13665 for <at-l-digest@saffron.hack.net>; Fri, 22 May 1998 14:37:33 -0500 (CDT)
Received: from default ([200.245.26.45])
	by mercserv.merconet.com.br (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id QAA23320;
	Fri, 22 May 1998 16:47:53 -0300
Message-Id: <199805221947.QAA23320@mercserv.merconet.com.br>
From: "Andy Somers" <jpcm@merconet.com.br>
To: <atml@trailplace.com>, "HOLMES, MARK" <MHOLMES@NETVA.COM>
Cc: <at-l-digest@saffron.hack.net>
Subject: Re: ATML Observations on the '98 Hiking Scene
Date: Fri, 22 May 1998 16:18:45 -0300
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Priority: 3
X-Mailer: Microsoft Internet Mail 4.70.1155
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

A little while back, I wrote a sorta condascending letter towards Wingfoot
about excessive trail magic on the trail.  Full Moon's post here isn't the
only thing sparking this post, but it is what inspired me to write. 

I retract what I said, I feel the "trail magic" is getting out of hand on
the trail, and I apologize for badmouthing Wingfoot in an earlier post. 
Although in Brasil, I am keeping up with only online journals, particularly
since my girlfriend is hiking this year and posting an online journal.  It
does seem to be getting crazy, like that every road stop has something new
to offer.  

In 1995 the year that I hiked, there was plenty of trail magic, but in my
mind, at a good level.  But as I read this years journals, it seems that
every other day someone is saying "I arrived at the shelter to find so and
so grilling hamburgers and handing out cold beers" or "I arrived at the
road crossing to find so and so's parents there to slackpack us."  Not to
say these sort of things used to not go on, but indeed the perceived
frequency of these occurances seems to be exponentially increasing.  

The trail magic that I found the most special were the things that happened
at the time when you needed it the most.  When you were down in the dumps,
tired and thristy, there was someone having a picnic offering a cold Coke. 
Arrived at a shelter one morning to find that a hiker had left a cold beer
in the stream for me earlier. 

These were islolated.  The grandest most exotic thing that I can think of
was stopping at Arse's Brook for lunch in Massachusetts, and about the time
I was finishing up, this guy walks up to me and my buddy and asks if we
wanted ice cream.  We of course said sure, it was a hot day.  He proceeded
to walk a half mile back to his car, drive to get ice cream and return
about an hour or so while we waited there at the brook.  We insisted that
he not do it, all of that stuff.  This guy insisted that we stay there and
rest, he would go get it.  I was invited into my share of homes, generously
offered rides, and had lots of good tidings tossed in my direction, for
which I am appreciative.  Most of my trail magic seemed to be spontaneous,
random connections with people while hitching a ride or hiking past a
picnic table.  It added to my list of friends, added to the trip for me.

But now reading the journals, I am coming around to that point of view that
trail magic is becoming obsessively common.  I'll be hiking in the
thru-hiking slug somewhere in Virginia, Maryland, or Pennsylvania this
summer, and I'll be anxious to see exactly what happens.  

I especially found Full Moon's posts interesting since they are largely
coming from a similar viewpoint as mine, that of people actively involved
with the trail after thru-hiking in 1995.

So, I'll leave by a challenge to WF (since I really swallowed pride and ate
crow above!)  I seem to remember a section or blurb in the Thru-Hiker's
Handbook or Planning Guide (been a while since I've looked at either, and
neither of them are in front of me) about yogiing tips.  If we are
concerned about the seemingly unhealthy rise of trail magic, why not update
your book to reflect that opinion?  Seems to be self-contradictory to
opinions expressed here.  Any rate, just a thought, and definately meant to
be constructive and not condascending.

How about the rest of the list.  Who out there has been mixed in enough
with this year's thru-hikers to know?

Andy Somers - São Paulo, Brasil
Bald Eagle GA -> ME '95
GA-> Franklin, NC '96 -> Newfound Gap '97
a bunch of other section hikes in 1997 along AT
Bascom Lodge Asst. Mgr. '97

(resumé not included for boasting, more to describe my viewpoint to the
reader.)

----------
> From: HOLMES, MARK <MHOLMES@NETVA.COM>
> To: atml@trailplace.com
> Cc: at-l-digest@saffron.hack.net
> Subject: ATML Observations on the '98 Hiking Scene
> Date: Sexta-feira, 22 Maio, 1998 1:08 PM
> 
> ATML--A place to discuss AT issues with friends in friendship!
> 
> 
> I'm sure no one wants to hear about this, but since I'm the ornery type
from
> time to time, I'll just throw it out there anyway.  It's kinda nice when
no
> one can tell you to shut up :) (Well, they can, but then it's already out
> there, isn't it? :))
> 
> Noticed an article a week or so ago in the Roanoke,VA newspaper re: Trail
> Magic.  The author had hiked a few days on the trail and had run across a
> cooler left by a '95 hiker who was out doing some Trail Magic.  The
author
> apparently thought this was a wonderful gesture and even searched the guy
> out at home to talk to him about it.  So the Trail Magic story grows and
> grows and grows.....
> 
> In talking to lots of hikers here at the Inn, we are amazed at all the
Trail
> Magic stories we hear, but frankly find some of them obscene.  Sounds
like
> folks are coming out to prepare Steak dinners, huge breakfasts, etc at
road
> crossings (and all for free).  And naturally, hikers are going to eat it,
if
> it is there. The problem as I see it is that they get so much of this
sort
> of thing, that they begin to expect it just about everywhere and it
almost
> becomes their motivation to hike.  It's almost as if this becomes the
focus
> of their hike rather than the hike itself.  I don't have a problem with
> someone passing out an orange or something to someone as they come hiking
> along, but these prepared meals?  WF probably won't believe it, but I
must
> admit I am seeing now what he is concerned about - what I had thought was
> probably minimal is now getting out of hand or that is the impression I
am
> getting. At one time, Tom Levardi in Dalton, Mass was about the only
person
> I knew of who really treated the hikers and that was because they passed
his
> front door - he wasn't driving to the trail to search them out (of course
> the argument can be made that he doesn't have to drive to the trail - the
> trail comes to him.)
> 
> Other observations - WF is correct on the "group" theory - we are seeing
> more and more groups as well - it does make one wonder how one finds the
> time to discover if one can cope by themselves without the "group". 
Don't
> get me wrong - the social aspect of the trail plays a huge part in making
> the trail a special experience for everyone, ourselves included, but to
live
> with the group every second while on the trail would seem to me to leave
> oneself little time to reflect on one's journey and to discover whether
one
> has the fortitude to handle challenges alone.  
> 
> Smoking is bigger and worse than ever. Many hikers remark that they are
> quite surprised by this.   A lot of dope seen as well (not seen here, but
> mentioned frequently by hikers).  Cell phones are proliferating and
> listening to conversations of hikers I would not say that all are being
used
> in an appropriate manner (they certainly are being used for purposes
other
> than emergencies, that's for sure)
> 
> On the positive side - of the last 3 years, this group of hikers this
year
> has been extremely courteous and appreciative. We have been quite
impressed.
> Our lucky year or becoming more of the norm?  Of the some 70-80 hikers
that
> have stayed at the Inn, we can think only of a few demanding individuals.
 I
> think some of this can be attributed to the Internet and ATML and AT-L,
> which is a positive sign for sure.
> 
> But I grow a bit concerned that the trail experience is becoming a 2,100
> mile extension of "Trail Days". You can say that everyone has the choice
to
> ignore these excessive demonstrations of Trial Magic, but why should the
> temptation be there in the first place? If I was hiking the trail again,
I
> personally would prefer to see my Trail Magic show up on rare occasions
(and
> an apple or orange would suit me just fine) rather than being depressed
that
> my T-Bone wasn't ready when I got to the next crossing. (I am really
> directing this point at the "extreme" cases of Trail Magic - the full
blown
> meals, etc)
> 
> So that's the view from our mountaintop - house full of hikers last night
-
> good bunch - but have to wonder again about all the distractions they're
> having - looks like they're losing their concentration on their goal. 
And
> with groups, you see a lot of peer pressure - something for the '99er's
to
> reflect on before they begin their hike. 
> 
> So enough rambling.  Load up those flamethrowers gang! :))
> 
> Mark and Janet
> @ the Fox Hill Inn
> Troutdale,VA
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> **********************************************************
> Contact ATML list administrator at admin@trailplace.com
> To withdraw from list, see http://trailplace.com/lists.htm
> To meet some of the other ATML list members, see
> http://trailplace.com/cgi-bin/htmlscript?bbs_atml.hts

-- END included message