[ft-l] Rainbow tribe?/Hiking in Ocala

[mjllotten@sprynet.com (Otten Family)]

On my last 5 day hike through Ocala forest this past June with my Boy Scout
Troop, we met up with some Rainbow Family Members at Farles Lake.  While I
admit, Leave No Trace was not a high point with this particular group, they
were friendly and pleasant.  Though I did notice a lot of trash in the
outlaying areas aroun Buck Lake.  I shared some Sage with them and had a
good conversation, before we left on our way.

Back in 1985 in Missouri's Mark Twain National forest,  I camped at the
annual Rainbow Gathering over July 4th.  I had a great time.  We were
welcomed as we backpacked in with the greets of "Welcome Home" and "We Love
You".  Trash and litter was nonexistant or under good control considering
the 5000 people that were gathered, and their "society" functioned rather
peacefully and pleasantly, almost utopian.  Some Rainbow Families are very
active in Environmental Issues and Concerns, as well as classic anti-war,
anti-violence concerns.  Yes, there were many of the "Old Hippies", and a
lack of clothing....and some seem to be nomadic beggars, if not gypsy-like.
But overall, I've never has any problems with any Rainbow that I've met.

mojo

----- Original Message -----
From: "J Bryan Kramer" <jbryankramer@msn.com>
To: <HDBMA@aol.com>; <ft-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Monday, January 13, 2003 4:21 PM
Subject: RE: [ft-l] Rainbow tribe?/Hiking in Ocala


> It was I, the Rainbow Tribe, Family or Pests are a bunch of over the hill
> Hippies and their sprats. A lot of them spend most or all of the winter in
> Ocala NF and they do not believe in leave no trace, washing themselves or
> cat-holes either. They are accused of being the source of a lot of petty
> crime with how much justification I don't know. The rangers loathe them
and
> try various schemes to make them move out but to little apparent success.
> They have some websites:
>
> http://www.welcomehome.org/rainbow.html
>
> Its hard to believe that they aren't more well known. It can be a shock to
> run into a pack of 50 year old men wearing loin clothes, scraggly beards
and
> smelling like thru hikers. I don't have anything against people like this
> but when you get hundreds of them in the forest for months it can be off
> putting.
>
> Bryan
>
> "Si vis pacem para bellum"
>
> > Someone mentioned the Rainbow tribe while responding to the cold-weather
> > hiking thread. What is that?
> >
> >
>
>
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