[at-l] Gathrin' Part 2 - What I got from it...

["Kurt Russell" <kurt@inct.net>]

What a hoot! By the time I got there Friday afternoon, I'd been
awake for 27 hours already, and I immediately began having so
much fun that I didn't get to sleep until it was somewhere past
40 that I'd kept my eyes open! So, if you and I only met Fri
evening, I apologize that I was probably less of a
conversationalist than usual, and I don't normally look quite
that strung out<g>...

Lots of fun putting faces to list/Trail names, and my only two
regrets from the weekend were that I didn't get to talk to more
listers in more depth (SLG - dangit, I didn't get to see your
pack, but I heard glowing reports on it), and that I missed ke
kaahawes' slide show (that gives me a reason to attend Trail Days
tho'.. :-).

To those of you who haven't been to a Gathering, let me tell you
what a great resource we have in these mailing lists. I didn't
learn much technique from the Gathering that I hadn't learned on
the lists already! I learned about some experiences, about some
philosophies or intellectual ways to approach a thru-hike, but
most of the information the listers here had already given to me,
so... Thank You!

The best part of the Gathering was the people. I noticed that
discussion topics which can be inflammatory on the 'Net are
not-quite-so in person, and differences in opinion usually are
dealt with quickly, easily, and that the only "flames" were the
campfire and candles. I think we are more willing to let people
be people in person, as opposed to onscreen. I never did see any
guns or cellphones, either<g>...

Did I, as a soon-to-be-thru-hiker, benefit from the Gathering?
Yes. Similar to woodelf, I don't think it was as much
inspirational as it was affirming. The talks with successful
thru-hikers-past helped to cement my desire even more, and proved
as educational as any workshop. The slide shows were educational
too, if you listened to not only the speaker, but to the audience
and their enthusiasm, as they remembered and dreamed.

I'll be in Hanover next year -

Kurt


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