Re: [at-l] Gathering: Best of, Worst of NOMINATIONS

[pmags@juno.com (Paul A Magnanti)]

>     BEST UNABASHED COMPETITIVENESS:
>     David Horton. Shocking. Unrepentent, unabashed, unmitigated       
>       
>     competitiveness through and through. After the first shock, I 
>have to      
>     admit, it was quite refreshing. I wanted to go run or something. 
>But I did  
>        have to admit that for as much as I love running, and love 
>hiking, this  
>       guy is in another league altogether. Wowser.

I think the subtitle of his book says it all "The Conquest of the
Appalachian Trail".

To understand Horton, do not think of his as a hiker out to explore the
woods and his own self, but as one who attempts as many physical
challenges as possible, and to do it in as little time as possible.  The
AT is another vehicle for him to accomplish this.
 Not better of worse than a thru-hike, but different...  He likes to win,
and to be first and fastest is how he wins. Saw that this year myself,
some of the thru-hikers enjoyed pushing themselves to the limit
physically to be among the first to reach Katahdin.
Not my style, but I am not them. We all have to enjoy the trail in our
own way....



-Paul "Magaroni"

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