[at-l] Fail or Quit

[Phil Heffington <phil.heffington@oc.edu>]

I appreciate Sloetoe's response to my comments on the thread about Bryson.
"Quit" is probably a better word than "fail".

I agree (if I followed your comments correctly) about the "challenge" of
long distance hiking (I can't lay claim to having done any more than 270
miles at one time).  The challenge is more mental than physical, and seems
to come from overcoming the desire to quit the monotony of what you are
doing day after day.  In 1990 I jogged over 2,000 miles in preparation for
completing a marathon.  When people asked me if I enjoyed running I replied,
"No, I enjoy having run."  Going ahead and completing the marathon made me
greatly appreciate those who have the mental and physical stamina to
complete a task of endurance.  There is something very empowering to have
done so.

There are many reasons why an endurance attempt may not be completed.  Some
of them are obviously beyond a person's control.  For others, the trail was
just "not what they expected" and finishing for the sake of finishing was
not worth it, for whatever reason.  Bryson seems to represent a vast number
of people who stop hiking the trail when they come to that personal
conclusion.  I somehow identified with Bryson's stated  feelings behind his
decision to quit his thru-hike.  Beyond that, I didn't take his literary
license to produce a humorous and profitable book too seriously.
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