[pct-l] The Reality of the Trail

[carolbruno at cox.net (carol Whitehouse Bruno)]

Paul:

Excellent point!  As much as I enjoy my time on the trail, I realize that it is a privilege and not some "return" to a lifestyle our ancestors enjoyed.  I do understand and appreciate the system's contribution to the great adventurous hobby of backpacking.  AND, after two weeks without a bed, bath, and fresh organic produce, no one goes back into society more grateful than I do.  I think most of us---even the most Quixotic backpacker---realizes this.  Right now a lot of backpackers are suffering from "urban jungle fever" and are romanticising the trail a bit more than usual.  Bear with us all; the hiking season will start in a few months and then the reality of the trail will hit home.

A Pragmatic Romantic
can'tquit
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: stewjohns@comcast.net 
  To: bluebrain@bluebrain.ca ; Chance Money 
  Cc: pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net ; rattlesnake5648@yahoo.com ; carolbruno@cox.net ; hiker97@aol.com ; laura629@hotmail.com 
  Sent: Friday, February 10, 2006 3:35 PM
  Subject: Re: [pct-l] The Reality of the Trail


  And this my friends is a dose of reality.  Nice post.

  Doc Holiday

    -------------- Original message -------------- 
    From: bluebrain@bluebrain.ca 

    > > I adventure travel, and now hike, because that is where freedom is at. 
    > > Here in the urban jungle, we spend most of our days re-acting to other 
    > > peoples agendas and desires. On the trail, all of that carefully designed 
    > > prompting and manipulation is gone allowing us to live every day as nature 
    > > intended and enabling us to take back the ownership of our lives. 
    > > 
    > > Chance 
    > 
    > Ownership of our lives and days as nature intended them . 
    > 
    > Maybe true . though one might argue that nature didn't provide ultralight 
    > silnylon, titaniam cooking pots, vitemen A, denatured alcohol, synthetic 
    > running shoes, vacuum sealed tuna packs, breathable waterproof 
    > rainjackets, duct tape, goose down sleeping bags, jet fuel - airports - 
    > cars and highways to get you to the trailhead . and so on and so on. All 
    > the technologies and amenities that make thru-hiking fun and viable. 
    > 
    > I think those of us that make "alternative" choices in our lives often 
    > loose perspective of the fact the very system that we . (despise? rebel 
    > against? opt out of? feel opressed by? whatever fits for you) . is also 
    > the very thing that both allows us the freedom to make those choices, and 
    > facilitates the lifestyle. 
    > 
    > Seems like a lot of hikers tend to look down on modern society and city 
    > dwellers for their poor choices and priorities . getting a career, a 
    > mortgage, a new car, and simply not recognizing the virtues of trail life 
    > . as though hikers are somehow superior for having made the wiser choice. 
    > It's all pretty western in perspective, by the way. Eight out of ten 
    > people in the world don't have a telephone, and more people are concerned 
    > with where to get their next meal than they are with job or mortgage 
    > concerns, but that's an aside. 
    > 
    > In reality, if everybody made the same choice to "opt out" - thru hiking 
    > would rapidly become a pretty difficult and unrealistic undertaking. 
    > There'd be no child slaves in asia to make our next pair of shoes, there'd 
    > be no factories cranking out food in little packets, there'd be no trail 
    > angels able to drive around to help out, and most of us would have a 
    > difficult and lengthly trek just trying to get to one of the trailheads. 
    > 
    > That said, personally I feel extremely greatful that the "system" and the 
    > people in it keep motoring along (for the time being) allowing me the 
    > freedom to choose to opt out and hike. Even if hiking life FEELS like 
    > life as nature intended, I think in reality long distance hiking as we 
    > know it is a luxury quite unique to our time and doesn't bare quite so 
    > much resemblance to the lives any of our ancesters lived "as nature 
    > intended." Certainly elements of it do, but bottom line IMHO, thru-hiking 
    > is probably the most enjoyable adventure that anybody in history has had 
    > the oportunity to undertake. 
    > 
    > I think it's a gift. A gift that only works so long as a very few of us 
    > choose it and one that is completely and totally facilitated by the 
    > system. 
    > 
    > Certainly not trying to sound preachy, just sharing my perspective. :-) 
    > 
    > Mostly just avoiding my afternoon cubicle tasks. 
    > 
    > Speaking of which . back to work. :-( 
    > 
    > Cheers. 
    > Paul 
    > 
    > "eight out of nine americans poop sinkers" 
    > 
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