[at-l] Beaming with Pride!!!!!

[terry mcfadden <thruhiker99@yahoo.com>]

Well folks, it seems I have joined a not-so-elusive club today. As
follows:

It was inevitable 
   • From: ATML 
   • Date: Wed, 26 May 1999 14:03:18 -0400



  I have removed Terry from the ATML list. My main reason for doing
this was
  the very offensive entry that he put on his journal, which has also
been
  deleted from Trailplace. He was warned by me in a private
correspondence
  several days ago not to make me, or Rosie, or anyone else the focus
of our
  discussion on 2,000 Milers. He choose to do otherwise, and do so in a
  manner that I found offensive. After going through the same type of
  personal confrontation with several other people in December and
January,
  people who had appointed themselves as my public critics, I decided
that I
  would no longer do so, and even more importantly, I realized that I
had no
  responsibility to do so. Thus, for all of the above reasons, I have
removed
  him from the list. I wish him well in his future endeavors.--WF,
Admin

The offensive journal posting, as follows:

>Subject: Southwest Virginia
>Date: Wed, 26 May 1999 15:50:02 -0000
>
>Note: this message was automatically sent to you because your e-mail 
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>
>----------
>Journal of Terry McFadden
>
>Well, I've been home now for a week after returning from Trail Days in

>Damascus. Was in Damascus for nearly two weeks trying to nurse a
stress 
>fracture in my right foot; alas, to no avail. I determined that my
smartest 
>course of action was to discontinue hiking for the time being in order
to 
>allow my foot time to heal, and hanging out on the trail, no matter
how fun 
>it would've been, just wasn't a financially viable option. So here I
am, 
>back at home, scaring off the locals with my profuse growth of facial
hair. 
>Amazing how noone on the trail even looks twice, but here in the city,

>people look at you like you're a vagrant :) I love the shock value so
much 
>I think I'll keep it for awhile.
>
>Damascus was a great town full of great people. Cowboy has got to be
the 
>greatest friend to hikers in that town. I cannot offer that man thanks

>enough for all he had done for us.Ronnie and Debbie, the owners of 
>Quincey's, also went above and beyond the call in putting up with
hikers. I 
>am proud to say that I wasn't one of the countless drunken hikers they
had 
>unending patience with during Trail Days. Denise from Javalena's, who
was 
>also chairperson of this years Trail Days, not only kept the
festivities 
>together and prevented things in the parking lot from getting out of
hand 
>but had the foresight to open her coffee shop just in time for the
fest. 
>And thanks go out to the Shady Valley boys, for towing a smoker to the

>parking lot for us, and bringing us the roadkill deer to put on the
smoker. 
>And I must pay homage to the man who made sure we all got enough of
that 
>special "spring water" that is so good in those parts.
>
>It pained me to leave my friends behind, but in the interest of better

>health, I decided I must not press on. For all my friends that I hiked
with 
>(and I am not going to name names because there are so many, and they
know 
>who they are), I miss you guys, some more than others (you know who
you 
>are), and cannot wait until I get a chance to see you guys again. 
>Civilization sucks- the noise, the pollution, the shitty-tasting city 
>water, people with bad attitudes, etcetera. You all are in my heart
and 
>mind, and I think of you all daily. I'm waiting for my film to be
developed 
>so I can start sending you all doubles. The trail thus far has been an

>incredible experience, and is one I will repeat again. I know I won't
see 
>all of you whenever I get back on the trail, but I surely hope to see
some 
>of you; in the words of my friend Lone Wolf (and to paraphrase Carl
the 
>groundskeeper), "Friends for life, I t'ink!"
>
>The only shame I have in getting off the trail early is the shame that

>others are trying to heap upon me because I didn't hike "pure". And
these 
>same asses allude to the fact that I am less of a person because I
only 
>hiked to Damascus before quitting. The best part is, though- while
they 
>have been passing judgement on me from behind a monitor, I was passing

>blazes on the trail. So they can kiss my ass. I hiked as far as my
body let 
>me. If they are hiking as far as their bodies will let them, I feel
bad for 
>their living room floors, because there must be a serious path from
the 
>computer to the fridge. I hiked as I saw fit, and it worked for me.
But at 
>least I got out there and hiked. And at least I will get back on the
trail, 
>unlike some of these judgemental jerks. I feel better about myself and
the 
>people I meet in the world when I am on the trail. I will be back.
Don't 
>know exactly when, but I will be back.
>----------


Dunno how I shuld feel about this situation. Personally, I'm glad he
finally booted me, because it was getting boring ripping on him and
Rosie over the same dead issues. But now I have to go underground to
openly harrass him on his mailing list. That requires more effort than
I am currently ready to expend on him. If, as he claims, he is going to
hike in Y2K, then by all means I will be the biggest pain in his fat
ass on the trail next year, just because I can be :) Regardless, I will
be back out there next year, just because the trail is where it's at!

 Big Daddy AT '99 ('00) 3.21.00 Springer

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