Originally Posted by Sly
honestly
MS...why not try....gasp.....spending a night in the woods?
Absolutely false! Everyone has an equal right to be there up to the capacity of the huts or shelters. The fact that the AMC system is so heavily used is proof of that. If you get to a shelter anywhere on the entire trail and it is packed, you will not get in, but that is your problem because of poor planning. If you get to any hostel along the trail and you aren’t willing to pay the asking price for a stay, again, that is your problem, not the fault of the establishment.MinnesotaSmith-“The essential problem with the hut system in the Whites is that thruhikers and other hikers don't have a right to be there.”
Pure bull. Whether you’re in VT where you have to pay to stay at some sites or at a motel in NC, you find out what the rates are and decide whether you want pay to stay. If you are begging, that’s a character flaw of yours, don’t try to blame someone else.MinnesotaSmith-“I hated having to basically repeatedly beg some college kid for the right to spend the night in the trailside shelter, which is exactly what the current setup constitutes.”
You have a short memory. Back around post 1300 I answered that by saying: “The AMC operates under a special use permit issued by the same "Fedgov" you find distasteful and it is the USFS that calls the shots in the WMNF, not the AMC. The Whites are heavily used by "normal" hikers and there is no way that they will cater to a few thru-hikers, some of whom are quite egocentric, at the expense of hundreds of thousands of other hikers who are generally willing to pay the free market price for the services they have available to them.”MinnesotaSmith-“The other is that every other organization overseeing part of the AT (with the sole exception of Baxter State Park) has their feces together to the extent that they are able to construct and maintain a system of free, hikers-are-welcome-with-no-BS shelters along their section. Whatever organizational or personnel issue the AMC has that prevents them from doing the latter, they should get rid of it and have fricking shelters like the rest of the AT clubs.”
The USFS is the landlord in the Whites and the AMC cannot construct shelters, make campsites, or even maintain trails except where they are expressly authorized by the U.S. Govt. If you don’t like the arrangement, do as I suggested to you before, complain to the USFS.
Actually it is you that is out of step with reality. It isn’t unusual to see different parts of a trail have far different regulations depending on who is the land owner. Try camping in Big Meadow without paying and see what happens.MinnesotaSmith-“I refuse to accept that the AMC is right and all 35 (or whatever number it is) other AT clubs are wrong in their policies; obviously, it's not all the other members of the band that are out of step with one member.”
As to your recent post that complain ad nauseum about everything the trail has to offer and every place that a normal hiker has had a great time, after all these months on the trail, you still think the trail should conform to you instead of you accepting the trail and enjoying it. I find it sad that you've learned nothing on your hike, what a horrible waste of time.
If you can't resupply and do laundry in the course of an afternoon that you have bigger problems then only being able to stay at a hostel for one night.
Laundry takes what, an hour and a half, MAYBE two. resupply, half an hour, MAYBE an hour. Please MS nobody is buying your b.s.
You seem a bit out of the loop, RITBlake...
I've spent over 200 nights this year in the woods, with a low double-digit # of them in my tent or cowboy-camped. By way of comparison, what are your numbers for this year?
Another thing to note here is...maybe if you hadn't acted like so pompusly to the guy, and maybe if you actually talked to him, and not talked down to him, you probably could have arranged a second night. Instead you act like a tool and you are asked to move on.
Ok, so if you spent 200 nights in the woods this year, with a low double digit number, lets say 20, that means you spent 180 nights in shelters. Sounds like a great experience.
Enron accounting at work...
So, the occasions I've spent more time than that just walking to and from the grocery store (i.e., Gorham and Pearisburg) didn't really happen? Then, there's the issue of (gasp) having to go to more than one store to obtain some items not all available in one location.
I was wondering
I was wondering when tis thread would become entertaining again!
There he is....our boy is back....
Minnesota Smith is not afraid to let his opinion be known.....
minnesota smith delete some pm's as we are trying to contact you...
peace
mf
Sure, I can actually accept that. Its true that sometimes things in towns arn't as convinenet as they could be. I wonder why that is? Maybe towns, in some crazed development plan, didn't really factor in hikers when they were being built hundreds of years ago.
And your point isn't really valid because you decided to write the big gripe against Palmerton. The grocery store was what, a whole minutes walk from the hostel??
Maybe if you'd spent more nights in the woods and less in towns you wouldn't be complaining so much about your perceived lack of town services and people to wait on you hand and foot.Minnesota Smith-"I've spent over 200 nights this year in the woods, with a low double-digit # of them in my tent or cowboy-camped."
Right on. Only problem is what might be entertaining now has a good chance of becoming insufferable later.I was wondering when tis thread would become entertaining again!
That's my dog, Echo. He's a fine young dog.
Two miles to the east from the same road/trail junction. Unless they closed shop it should be in all the guidebooks and on the map. No doubt the allure of a "free hostel" blocked it out of your mind.Who or what is that? Where is Slatington?
He probably couldn't read his guide book because the tears he was crying over not being able to do laundry and resupply were obstructing his vision
Btw
MS, I did not see "go back to PA. and man handle a jackhammer" on your list of "to do's" after your hike. Seems like your would lend a hand after suggesting that the trail maintainers "have no work ethic" and the "rocks should be jackhammered" and the trail have "6ins,of pea gravel and look like a woods road" I'm sure the maintainers would just Love to see you come back.
Looks like we now have five things that will get the troops upset: Guns, cellphones,dogs,Warren Doyle and finally anything posted by Minnesota Smith .I was wondering when tis thread would become entertaining again!
I love the smell of esbit in the morning!
and by the way
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the Palmerton hostel FREE???
Where do you get the nerve to bitch and moan about a hostel that gave you a warm dry place to sleep, gave you a hot shower, gave you access to some hiker boxes, gave you a place to clean and dry your gear and asked for NOTHING in return.
Even if they did charge you 10-15 bucks who cares! They are doing you a much bigger service then you are doing for them.
I'm a big believer in HYOH but I think its ridiculous to bitch and moan about a hiker hostel juyst because they didn't meet your every expectation. Its a HOSTEL not a HOTEL. It's not supposed to accomodate YOUR every need. Its a place where you get cleaned up, patch up some gear, and then MOVE ON.
M.S. needs to learn the difference between a hostel and a hilton.
Last edited by RITBlake; 10-17-2006 at 19:21.
I need to put my two cents in on this one
Two issues:
First The Palmerton issue. It seems that there is enough information published about the towns along the trail that you can find out everything you need to know about the town before you get there, and plan accordingly. While on my thru-hike I never had a problem, because I planned on staying in towns very little (for instance I did not even go into Palmerton) and when I needed to I made sure the accommodations were there, and I found there were alternatives to staying in every town on the trail.
Second I have to agree with Minnisota Smith, the situation in the Whites is not good for Thru-hikers. I do not see any problem with having the hut system and charging hikers whatever they want to stay there, but the problem is they have eliminated the free place to stay alternative that is present everywhere else on the trail. You can hike the entire AT without ever paying to stay anywhere, except the whites. I really think they should have a few free shelters, or at least free campsites.
Simply not true.You can hike the entire AT without ever paying to stay anywhere, except the whites.
And the poets on The Thread
Write nothing at all!
They just stand back
And let it all be...
You never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns
When they all did tricks for you.
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