View Full Version : The Family from the North
Easyhiker
12-21-2002, 23:32
What is your opinion of this hike? Do you think this was the right thing for the children? Is the trail the right place for kids to be with out their say?
stranger
12-22-2002, 02:19
I sometimes wonder when parent's take their children out on the trail how much of a joint decision it actually is. I think it's the parent's idea for the most part...and kids look up to their parents so naturally want to come along. It's probably not the best environment for children, although what is these days? They can get shot in their own school.
wacocelt
12-22-2002, 06:35
I have the sincere privelege of having hiked on and off with The Family from just north of the Kennebec down to Gorham. They were happy, healthy and some of the most wonderful people I have ever met. They may not live the way we are told we're suppose to by what ever unwritten doctrine or agenda has been set before us, but I know that they are true to themselves and to the people they come in contact with.
I think it's a shame that more families aren't capable of letting go just a bit more and realizing what and where thier current path is taking them.
Lone Wolf
12-22-2002, 14:38
A couple of years ago on Trailplace, Wingfoot and others totally SLAMMED the family. He said they didn't belong on the trail, they were using people as they made their way down the trail, etc.,etc.
And he admitted to never meeting them.
SGT Rock
12-22-2002, 14:52
Now that you mention that, I remember it. There were a lot of people that never met them trashing them and it seemes if I remember it, everyone that had met them were very supportive.
I'd like to meet them. It seems not much different than home schooling, just a better location to do it in LOL. As long as they weren't trying to impose on other's hikes, the more power to them. It's what makes this country srong. At least they won't get stoned to death here.
wacocelt
12-22-2002, 15:41
Many, many people went out of thier way to help the family on thier journey south, but not once did I ever see them ask for help of any kind. They were always sincerely polite and caring about everyone around them. All around great people who, through the simple life style they choose to live, were not, nor will they probably ever be understood by todays society.
EarlyRiser
12-22-2002, 16:29
well i guess being one of the youngest representatives on this board i should say somthing about my opinions of taking children on the trail. i would have loved to have had the experiance to have been takin on the trail through my childhood. i dont see it as anything but a mind opening experiance for any child. i think it would encourage thoughtfull thinking about the environment and modern culture. kids today dont appreciate the outdoors anywhere near as much as they did not even ten years ago. when i was a young child i remember going out every evening to play in what little woods there were near my house in the suburbs. today youd be lucky to see a child out of doors after school. there are so many modern electronic distractions that keep kids inside and their minds closed. i recognize that some vidio games and television and things like that do provide some education and valuable learning experiances, but the truth is, most dont. the entertainment industry has grown increasingly vulgar, with increasing levels of sex and violence every day. i think its much better to take your kids out and show them the real world, a world kids are losing contact with. ofcourse there is a line, pushing children too hard isnt a good thing, but i highly doubt this family did that, although i know very little of their hike. i believe they had the right idea to take their kids on a hike though. there is much to learn about life and the way people are on a hike, whether its a day hike or a thru hike. im sure your kids will appreciate it in the future if you take them out hiking now and give them experiances they will never forget. perhaps they will catch the bug too.
PushingDaisies
12-22-2002, 19:09
From what I heard about this family, the kids pushed the parents, not the other way around. The kids would hike for hours on their own and wait up for their parents at different points on the trail.
There were several hostels owners that mentioned them on my hike this year. They said that they would watch out for them, to make sure the kids were ok. But the kids were doing better than the parents and having a great time.
There were several families thru-hiking the trail this year as well. The two that I met were very considerate of their kids input on how far they wanted to go, and stops they wanted to make. There seemed to be a lot of communication between the kids and parents. It was great to listen to them talk to each other.
Kids are more resilient than people give them credit for. Yes, they can't carry all the gear that they need, so their parents have to take on a little extra gear.
When families go on a long hike like this, suddenly a lot of people raise their voices in protest. But these kids were at a similar age to when Scouting groups start taking kids backpacking. Yeah, scouting groups don't go out for months at a time, but I have heard that most people try to think of a thru hike as a series of section hikes that are one after another anyway.
Most of what I heard was that they "bummed" their way along the trail. It's nice to get some positive perspective of them!
Lone Wolf
12-23-2002, 05:19
Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear.
Joel Rash
02-03-2003, 17:57
I was lucky enough to meet the Family and spend a couple days with them just as they were finishing their hike in 2001. Having read the lies about them on-line for the previous months I was amazed at how down-to-earth, sincere and loving the parents were and how smart, self-sufficient and wonderful the kids were. We could only hope to have more like them around.
Funny thing was there was thruhiker from my town that year whose wife was typing up his journal and sending copies of them around to friends. My mom got a copy and passed them on to me. This guy was wondering if someone should call child protective services, making claims that the children were half-starving and all frozen, and had his family and friends here praying for the kids safety. Not surprisingly, he'd never met or seen the Family, he just had it on good information what was going on.
Just one more reason to hike your own hike, Joel From Flint
genetic claybuilding
10-24-2010, 13:01
Any update on what happened to these folks? I'm reading the Barefoot Sisters book Southbound, when they hiked with them in 2000-01.
TrailSquirrel
10-24-2010, 13:24
What is your opinion of this hike? Do you think this was the right thing for the children? Is the trail the right place for kids to be with out their say?
Sounds like a great adventure. Turn the time machine back a few hundred years and how are the living conditions substantially different?
TrailSquirrel
10-24-2010, 13:27
Sounds like a great adventure. Turn the time machine back a few hundred years and how are the living conditions substantially different?
didn't see that this thread was originally from 2002
Any update on what happened to these folks? I'm reading the Barefoot Sisters book Southbound, when they hiked with them in 2000-01.
I just read this book a few weeks ago--kind of long, but I thought it was interesting. Going to read the follow up book in a few weeks.
Kerosene
10-24-2010, 20:59
I'm 40 pages from the end of Walking Home, the sequel to Southbound by The Barefoot Sisters. I really enjoy their writing style and the way they pass the baton back and forth.
WILLIAM HAYES
10-24-2010, 21:08
i think its great my father introduced me to the outdoors when i was very young i still have good memories about the times we had -each to their own as long as they hike their own hike
walkin' wally
10-25-2010, 11:49
Any update on what happened to these folks? I'm reading the Barefoot Sisters book Southbound, when they hiked with them in 2000-01.
I think in the Barefoot Sister's book Walking Home they said the family was living in the Carribbean, at that time.
shortcut2002
07-28-2011, 18:16
My Family was the Family from the North... my trail name was Shortcut. I hiked with my whole family mom dad baby sister two step brothers and step sister. I was only eight then so all the details are a little fuzzy but at the time I hated it however looking back now at 18 years of age I am proud to have hiked the AT thru. I am really wanting to get information on our family and the hike now that my parents are split we dont talk about it. If anyone has documents or articles about our family hike that would be great. And in respone to some of the upove comments us kids didnt have a say, we all hated it. We where hungry all day and during the winter we froze, the first cold night by boots actually froze and the next morning I had to wear them until they thawed. Their where times that felt like hell but like i said im glad that I have had that experience. And at some point would love to do some section hiking.
Blissful
07-28-2011, 20:47
My Family was the Family from the North... my trail name was Shortcut. I hiked with my whole family mom dad baby sister two step brothers and step sister. I was only eight then so all the details are a little fuzzy but at the time I hated it however looking back now at 18 years of age I am proud to have hiked the AT thru. I am really wanting to get information on our family and the hike now that my parents are split we dont talk about it. If anyone has documents or articles about our family hike that would be great. And in respone to some of the upove comments us kids didnt have a say, we all hated it. We where hungry all day and during the winter we froze, the first cold night by boots actually froze and the next morning I had to wear them until they thawed. Their where times that felt like hell but like i said im glad that I have had that experience. And at some point would love to do some section hiking.
Wow this is really neat. Thanks for sharing
Holy cow! What a story, so you hated it huh? What else do you remember about the hike?
Man!!! I was wondering what happened to ya'll, thats nuts. I read about your family in the Barefoot Sisters' book
My Family was the Family from the North... my trail name was Shortcut.
Have you read what the Barefoot Sisters wrote about your and their hike together? They would love to hear from you, I'm sure. If you have access to Facebook, Jackrabbit can be found there - I traded a couple messages with her while I read the books. (If you need help finding her, you can PM me if you like.) It sounded like y'all were in awful peril in the big blizzard in the Grayson Highlands - I'm glad you made it through.
Just know that, to a lot of hikers, you and your family are legends. There's a lot of admirers of you and yours out there, a lot of doors open if you want them to be.
Best regards,
Driver 8
Jack Tarlin
07-29-2011, 22:40
I find it kind of interesting that many years ago, in discussing these people, here on Whiteblaze and elsewhere, certain folks posited on the wisdom of the hike, the preparedness of the participants, their concerns over the health and well-being of the children, etc. It was said on more than one occasion that based on eyewitness accounts and perceptions from people who actually hiked with these guys or spent time with them, there were some health/safety issues, and on many occasions, the children, who had no real say in their participation, were often indeed cold, wet, and miserable. Those of us who felt this way and spoke about it were essentially told we were wrong and to mind our own business; we were further told our perceptions were wrong and that our fears and concerns were groundless. Very interesting to discover that those of us who felt that the kids were hungry and exhausted during the day and cold and unhappy all night (See Post #19 above) have essentially been vindicated. That the participants in this trip may look back on it now in a positive light is fine. But were they happy at the time and was this a good place for such young children? The answer is pretty obviously no, and some of us saw this at the time.
MuddyWaters
08-03-2011, 01:37
Too many people in this world concern themselves with things they shouldnt. We have kids taken away from parents because they swat them on the behind when they act up in a store and it is caught on camera. I have a great respect for people that live their lives outside of our cookie-cutter norms. People that home-school their kids, raise them on boats while cruising the world, or even hiking the AT is to be applauded. There is danger in everything we do. Statistically, the most dangerous thing people do is get in a car and drive everyday. But no one jumps on everyone for taking kids for car rides, or spending too much time in the car. I have seen kids get seriously injured playing sports, fractured skulls, broken bones, even broken neck. No one wanted to take those kids away because even though highly hazardous, it is an accepted risk to most. Paradoxically, going hiking doesnt seem to be.
I've resigned from the debating society on this one and those like it. To me they're just characters in a book. I've never met them in person, so I don't believe I have a right to play critic or supporter of their decisions. When they ask for my opinion, then I'll form one :)
Carl in FL
08-03-2011, 15:19
Has anyone validated the poster who claims to be part of "The Family from the North"?
The way things are today, the poster could be funning with us.
My Family was the Family from the North... my trail name was Shortcut. I hiked with my whole family mom dad baby sister two step brothers and step sister. I was only eight then so all the details are a little fuzzy but at the time I hated it however looking back now at 18 years of age I am proud to have hiked the AT thru. I am really wanting to get information on our family and the hike now that my parents are split we dont talk about it. If anyone has documents or articles about our family hike that would be great. And in respone to some of the upove comments us kids didnt have a say, we all hated it. We where hungry all day and during the winter we froze, the first cold night by boots actually froze and the next morning I had to wear them until they thawed. Their where times that felt like hell but like i said im glad that I have had that experience. And at some point would love to do some section hiking.
There it is straight from the horses mouth.