general musings... and a rant or two...

[MadAussieInLondon]

Ive been looking at some trailjournals for this year for hikers and Ive noticed several things.. Hardly anyone seems to hike just for the love of hiking. Seems most people want some kind of religious/self pilgrimage thing to figure out what kind of job they need get or because they are scared to go from university to the workplace or they are trying to raise a measly small amount for an obscure charity.

there is nothing wrong with raising money for charity of course, but all those doing the AT for charity remind me of the read-a-thons we did in shcool when we were 8, where the neighbours would give you 10cents for each book you read and you raised about 2 dollars, and mum and dad would give you a fiver.

it strikes me more as some kind of poor legitimising excuse for them to hike than a real attempt at raising money and awareness for a cause. how many trail towns do these people stop in and give talks or do any other kind of awareness propaganda??

people continually ask questions about what drives you to hike all the way, or what they need to do to get from end to end, this because they are going to hike the AT not because they love to hike, but because they have ulterior motives like "ive lost my way in life.." and all sorts of "trying to find myself" .. "looking for direction in life" blah blah blah

if you love to hike, you will enjoy it no matter how far you do or dont get. you will just enjoy the fact you are out there.

if you have the 'ulterior' motives, well, if you solve them, does it matter if you dont get from A to B?? what happens if you go all the way from A to B and dont find what your looking for? dont answer your questions? Did it really take 2200+ miles of ultra-procrastination for you to decide that yes, I have to do some kind of job to pay off my school debt?

i should make some bumper stickers "Hike the AT, the ultimate form of procrastination."

too many people worry about going from A to B.. enjoy the hike. enjoy the people. enjoy the scenery. enjoy the hardships.

if someone is the kind of person who starts hyperventilating because they are not gonna make it to B, maybe they shouldnt be out there...

aargh all right, I admit it! It pisses me off that people no longer try and hike simeple for the love of hiking and this is a campaign against the ulterior motives. if you have ulterior motives, ride a bike across a america. circumanviagate the americas in a canoe. swim the entire length of the missassippi. run route 66.

if your gonna hike for ulterior motives, hell, buy a lifetime ATC membership so it can be money well spent on the trail, followed by 5 years hard labor and intesvive trail maintenance... And everyone should have a LNT license while they are signing up too. dang it.

aaah I need to have a cup of tea and relax... breath in... hold it.. breaaaath out... relax.. relax.. relax...

where are my pills. anyone seen my tablets?

[tribes]

Right on Stu,

There are alot of folks doing what you mentioned. Good thing there are still plenty of folks hiking for the love of hiking, like myself. I feel fortunate to be able to do this now. I got my opening to do so and jumped on it quickly. I do not feel I need to legitimize this with a charity or some arbitrary plan upon completion to myself or for that matter, others. I am hiking my hike for me and me only. God I am a selfish b*stard. Hope you find your little yellow pills

Hope to see all of you out there no matter how you legitimize it.*

TRI BES

[hikerjohnd]

What about HYOH?

[halibut15]

I know HYOH and all, and this will bring it up even more, but wasn't/isn't a more of less "slogan" for the AT "A footpath for those who seek fellowship with the wilderness?" That alone makes it seem that the whole experience should be about the hike itself, and anything else (finding yourself, your role in life, whatever else) should probably come as something aside from that.

[orangebug]

Welcome to America, where we can manage to find a "cause" in everything.

I feel that it is okay is someone feels that they must have an excuse to hike. It is their life after all. I can think of a few thousand more efficient means to raise awareness and money than hiking.

But if it works for them, no problem.

BTW, I understand that the NHS prefers that you go exercise than reach for those tablets so quickly.

[wacocelt]

While I do love hiking, I don't hike the AT because hiking is fun. I hike the AT to get away from the rigamarole of society and uptight whining asshats like you that cast dispersions upon the motives of the rest of thier peer group because THEY believe THIER opinions don't draw flies just like everyone elses. Following that statement I would like to add that I too am quite an asshat at times while playing with others.

In summary, if you don't like what motivates people to hike then by all means stop reading Trail Journals and TYA hiking.

[MadAussieInLondon]

well i didnt say i was against anyone doing it for any particular reason, and I hiked in 04 with many who were doing it for whatever charity and such like as well as finding themselves to finding god.

what I was pointing to was that over the last few years theres been an upswing in people doinging for reasons other than hiking for fun...

and you'll also notice I said that people should enjoy it no matter what, and it doesnt matter how far you get, or if you dont get to katahdin, etc, as long as you enjoy doing it.. and to appreciate the people you hike with and the scenery...

some people only see what they want to see

and yeah, i can ben an 'asshat' with people and I have a tongue like a razor.. ask those who hiked with me about my sense of humour.... anyway..

[wacocelt]

and yeah, i can ben an 'asshat' with people and I have a tongue like a razor.. ask those who hiked with me about my sense of humour.... anyway..

It appears we share alot in common. I was more playing RnR... err, I mean Devils Advocate than anything. Be well!

P.S. In the US when a person from the North moves to the South they are called 'Damn Yankees', what do folks in Oz call movers from the UK? (not a joke, honestly curious)

[weary]

I've noticed that the messages found in the journals are not the messages one hears on the trail. Some feel the need to dramatize their experience when writing about it.

If people ask me I urge them not to hike for a fund raising cause. This is partly because the trail itself has so many needs that it seems to me that it should not be used to raise funds for other needs. But also because it seems to me that seriously hiking for a cause must be terribly disruptive of a thru hike. The trail poses problems enough, walking 2,000 miles is challenge enough, without complicating life further by adding the obligation to make miles in order to satisfy fund raising needs back home.

Having said all this most people on the trail seem to be in transition -- between high school and college, college and first jobs, a death in the family, unemployment, retirement ....

This shouldn't be surprising. Most of us need an impetus to break from our daily regimes.

Weary

[Kerosene]

Not everyone posts their journal on-line. Those hiking for a purpose may feel more inclined to post their thoughts for the world to see, while those hiking for pure enjoyment might be less inclined to publish their observations.

[eric_plano]

Hi all,

Been lurking for a while but thought I would chime in for the first time. I have a journal on TJ and I have stated it worries me that I may not make it all the way to Katahdin. It isn't the reason I'm hiking (I simply just want to get out there) but it is something I want. I imagine most of the people that set out want to reach Katahdin regardless of whether they are communing with nature or trying to raise funds for a charity, no? Otherwise they wouldn't be trying to "thru-hike" right? Feel free to smack me down as I am a n00b here lol

[rickb]

"and you'll also notice I said that people should enjoy it no matter what, and it doesnt matter how far you get, or if you dont get to katahdin, etc, as long as you enjoy doing it.. and to appreciate the people you hike with and the scenery...

Sometimes hiking sucks. That's part of the fun.

[TankHiker]

First, I the baseline for all hikes is the love of hiking. If someone wanted to raise money and didn't love hiking, they'd probably choose a different outlet. You are not going to find great answers on the trail if you don't love hiking. Everyone on the trail loves hiking. But there are often second and third level motives as well.

Second, reading Trail Journals is not a good sample of the the AT thru-hiking population. These tend to be the people who are more cause-oriented. If you are posting your hike on trail journals, then you obviously have some reason to share it with the world. So, while it may be true that more people are hiking for a purpose, on the trail you'll still meet most people who are hiking just to hike.

Third, I don't understand why people have a grudge against people who hike for charity (other than that it gives a few hikers a "holier-than-thou" attitude). Personally, I see it as a way to do something good while you are hiking. Do you get mad at Taco Bell for having the change jar for underprivildged kids? No, it's not hurting anyone. The same with hiking for a charity.

Personally, I would love it if more people were hiking for a charity. I don't think it's right that human beings around the world are starving. And if I can do anything at all to help, then I will. I am not going to let children grow up with no food because it annoys some people that I am hiking for charity.

But that's just my opinion.

-TANK

[Jaybird]

Yo Bloody Cactus/Mad Aussie:

can't you hike the trail AND have a spiritual experience?????
seems possible to me....in fact, it happens to me everytime!

Nothing wrong with hiking for a cause....but, it would seem like a chore/obligation to me after a few miles....IMHO. :D

[The Weasel]

I'm always amazed that everyone wants to (a) share their reason for hiking, and (b) dump on a lot of the other reasons different people have.

Most of those who share their reasons want someone else's approval for them. If you need that from strangers - or even "forum friends", while that's not quite pathological, it's a bit insecure. And those who dump on other people's reasons aren't much better; if you think someone else's reasons aren't for you, well, gosh. That means they aren't for you . Nothing more.

It's not a "hike your own hike" thing (which is about the most inane slogan ever to emerge from anywhere, and up near the top of the most aggravating things generated from other trail forums, since it is usually used by to either justify bizarre conduct or, more commonly, to tell someone how to hike "their" own hike). It's more of a "why should it be important to you how I feel about something that is important to you" and a "why is it important to me to tell you that something that is important to you either is, or isn't" type of thing. (Read those again, slowly.)

So if your motivation for a thru-hike is spiritual, economic, or based on a lemming-like need to follow smelly, dirty, happy hikers through the woods, well, great! But if you really, really, really live with your heart on your sleeve, and feel compelled to tell us that your wife just bounced your ass out onto the street, where you realized Buddha and the path to Englightenment is about 2,100 miles long and strewn with noodles, and that makes you feel good because you didn't want sex or a shaven face (or legs, or both) for 5 months anyhow, OK, I understand that you're about as strange as I am, probably. Post it somewhere, I suppose, but dang, I wish you wouldn't. Don't look for praise, and if you're a reader of it, just pass it by as another interesting aspect of another crazy hiker that you're too polite to mention, like my potbelly or those warts under your armpits.

Comments about my potbelly are not encouraged.

The Weasel

[dje97001]

Personally, I hate philosophy. It cracks me up when people try and make themselves seem deep and pensive (I'm assuming that most people aren't exactly plato). Some people generally think and feel that way, but call me a cynic, I always feel like most are making it up to seem more interesting.

I even get annoyed by people who say that the trail must be the most important thing in your life when you hike. That is nuts. You just have to be significantly motivated and committed to the endeavor. For instance, the trail will never be more important than my family, my health, my marriage... etc. (not even for a 6 month period).

That said, be deep, shallow or "normal"... I don't care. It doesn't really matter. If it gets you out there... good for you. Reflecting on life, raising money for a charity, finding inner peace, connecting with God, nature or whatever (if anything) you believe in, learning about your ability to persevere in challenging situations, relaxing, enjoying hiking or camping, or whatever you need... more power to you. Just don't expect me to listen with a straight face!

[A-Train]

I sort of see what your saying. But don't most of us try to legitamize taking off 6 months of work or school and from family? DOn't we want to bring meaning to the experience maybe so its more socially acceptable to those around us who will most likely frown on the endeavor or greet us with confused looks and doubts?

The truth is that a large majority of hikers, especially the 20-somethings all go out to "find themselves" and the "meaning of life" to be cheasy and banal, but you get the point. I'm sure I said something like this, I was 19. I sure wasn't just gonna say to my folks and professors that I was going to have a blast and meet lots of great new friends for 5 months. Sure I knew this would probably be the result. Everyone's got their personal reasons for hiking. I sure don't care what anyone else's is, but I do respect them all. We all have our reasons to continue to search for something or that the Trail provides something that we miss in everyday life. I don't need to come up with crazy reasons anymore though. I simply tell friends and family that it makes me happy. I'm a better person for having spent time on the trail and continue to be so the more I get out.
As far as the charity situation goes, I have to agree with Tank. Never can fathom why people have such issues with raising money. The Trolls keep popping up on trailforums berating One Leg. It's simple. Don't give them money, if you don't agree with what their doing. If someone is annoying you ON trail or soliciting for money at a shelter or on trail, well then that's a different issue, but simply having a link on their journal is not really imfringing on your personal life.
And I don't see the point of judging anyone's journal. Afterall, when it comes down to it, you're reading THEIR journal. Don't like it, don't read it.

[SalParadise]

Ive been looking at some trailjournals for this year for hikers and Ive noticed several things.. Hardly anyone seems to hike just for the love of hiking. Seems most people want some kind of religious/self pilgrimage thing to figure out what kind of job they need get or because they are scared to go from university to the workplace or they are trying to raise a measly small amount for an obscure charity.

I am in the process of hopefully collecting some money for charity when I hike again this year. Even if I can only raise a "measly" $10, I would be elated at even that, since it will still go to help. You say thru-hiking should be about the act of hiking, then charity should be about the act of giving.

And did Shackelton sail to the Antartic because he liked the weather? I thru-hike because I want to make it to Katahdin, because the journey as a whole means much more to me than the individual days. It doesn't have to be about "finding yourself", it can be about challenging yourself to complete something innately difficult. I find that honourable, not dispicable.

[Tractor]

"2022, New regulations for thru hikers of the Appalachian Trail. Beginning trail year 2023, ALL sponsored hikers MUST wear Sponsor logo at all times and logo MUST be visable front/back/left & right. ALL those hiking for a cause/charity MUST wear their charity/cause logo at all times and logo must be visable from all sides. ALL other hikers must follow the new clothing color code for reason-to-hike."

Red - Pissed at the world
White - Finding religion
Black - Loosing religion
Green - Finding oneself
Blue - Recent family lose/divorce
Beige - Just retired
Purple - Just finished (either definition) school
Orange - Lost job
Black/White vertical stripes - Purists who attempt to force their hike on others (whistle required)
Black/White horizontal stripes - Running from the law or recently released
Black w/white collar - Preacher (any definition)

"Hiker must wear Primary color, only, if more than one box is checked on Hiker Visa Application!"

"Hiker Visa must be carried at all times. Color code and logo requirements must be adhered to at all times. Failure to abide by these new regulations will result in banishment from the AT forever! Those who follow these additional rules may continue to enjoy the trail and have a wonderful hiking experience."

...and in smaller print below: Hiker applicants who cannot identify a particular sponsor, cause, charity, specific & itemized reason to hike the Appalachian Trail may check the "other" box and are NOT restricted by any of the above rules. Same rules apply as before however. Happy Trails to All!

i must have a fever or something........

[The Old Fhart]

Tractor, I just skimmed your clothing color code system and I don't seem to fit into any of the groups. Does that mean I have to hike naked?