Dogwood
08-31-2016, 21:11
Someone has an axe to grind?
I attempted to post some derogatory events occurring at a hostel regarding sexual improprieties. These improprieties were noted by at least five others who were willing to share their stories. I thought the info shared in the most non judgmental way would be appreciated to be known by some hikers. I was told by WB Mods the man was not here to defend himself and that was why all my posts concerning these events was censored and deleted despite the man having been alive. Here you are making harsh derogatory remarks concerning a deceased man not here to defend himself. That is not suggest we can't disagree or tell of other sides of an individual but your thread comes off as too harsh given the circumstances.
Met Jack in 2006 on an AT thru-hike. Ran into him many times on the AT on future hikes, at ATC events, and served with him on trail maintenance crews. I looked up to what he did both on and off trail supporting the AT and hikers but he certainly was mortal. He was no god! He had his flaws. He was fallible. Just as you and I and the rest of us. I recognized he was always attempting to learn from and compensate for those mistakes but sometimes falling short. I know he took painfully some of his recognized highly questionable choices from his past especially from his pre thru-hiking days. The anguish and pain and perhaps lack of forgiving himself he tried to compensate for by doing better, assisting others, and, yes, at times numbing the pain with alcohol. Seems people numb themselves with many things many behaviors including some society accepts and even promotes. Easy to point fingers at another when the finger pointer isn't willing to lay their life bare for others to see and when the one having fingers pointed at is not here to defend themselves.
To say Jack was always about Jack and only Jack over those 10 yrs is unequivocally incorrect. Jack Tarlin loved the AT, hikers, and supporting the trail by word and deed. He supported the trail! Certainly NOT a person always so self absorbed as you suggest! This is part of his legacy NOT to be forgotten! Peruse the Baltimore Jack threads and it's obvious I'm not the only one with this opinion. He didn't like massively self absorbed inconsiderate hikers. Perhaps, that he got from contemplating and attempting to learn from past choices. He had little restraint confronting and felt frustrated with such self absorption. He could ruffle feathers no doubt.
I had several discussions with Jack Tarlin about Bill Bryson's book A Walk In the Woods. BTW, I KNOW many here(NOT FEW) have read Bryson's book quite evident if you had taken the initiative to peruse one of the most lengthy and reoccurring topics in WB history. I personally have read it cover to cover twice and read segments of it on several occasions. I liked the book. I laughed my way through it(in a good way). Getting to the pt, yes Jack could act egotistically but according to him directly even though Jack seemed to have little issue that Bryson only did a segment of the AT he specifically told me he had contention for Bryson in that in his book he made it seem like he hiked the entire trail and could have made that clearer. And, even though Jack could have an ego I NEVER OBSERVED NOT ONCE him forcing his views about gear on myself as an ULer or anyone else. Actually, Jack had the way of making suggestions that were unforced allowing one to choose what they wanted to take from him or ignore. I did observe him become frustrated after making suggestions that were ignored that directly led to frustration and injury and aborted thru hikes and section hikes from several other hikers.
In those ten yrs I observed Jack having the patience to hear out others including myself at hostels, on trail, etc. and I was no bastion of pinpoint accurate information. He patiently waited and without harsh confrontation correct my errors by not seeming to do so. In other words, he didn't come over the top harshly placing himself on a pedestal as a know it all as some do. I mostly listened AND I LEARNED. When I disagreed I did it as they say agreeably. However, when someone would debate what most would cede was sound advice from Jack he could get mildly exasperated and stop offering advice.
This is the Jack Tarlin "Baltimore Jack" I knew and observed.
MODS place this where you want, THX for the censorship.
I attempted to post some derogatory events occurring at a hostel regarding sexual improprieties. These improprieties were noted by at least five others who were willing to share their stories. I thought the info shared in the most non judgmental way would be appreciated to be known by some hikers. I was told by WB Mods the man was not here to defend himself and that was why all my posts concerning these events was censored and deleted despite the man having been alive. Here you are making harsh derogatory remarks concerning a deceased man not here to defend himself. That is not suggest we can't disagree or tell of other sides of an individual but your thread comes off as too harsh given the circumstances.
Met Jack in 2006 on an AT thru-hike. Ran into him many times on the AT on future hikes, at ATC events, and served with him on trail maintenance crews. I looked up to what he did both on and off trail supporting the AT and hikers but he certainly was mortal. He was no god! He had his flaws. He was fallible. Just as you and I and the rest of us. I recognized he was always attempting to learn from and compensate for those mistakes but sometimes falling short. I know he took painfully some of his recognized highly questionable choices from his past especially from his pre thru-hiking days. The anguish and pain and perhaps lack of forgiving himself he tried to compensate for by doing better, assisting others, and, yes, at times numbing the pain with alcohol. Seems people numb themselves with many things many behaviors including some society accepts and even promotes. Easy to point fingers at another when the finger pointer isn't willing to lay their life bare for others to see and when the one having fingers pointed at is not here to defend themselves.
To say Jack was always about Jack and only Jack over those 10 yrs is unequivocally incorrect. Jack Tarlin loved the AT, hikers, and supporting the trail by word and deed. He supported the trail! Certainly NOT a person always so self absorbed as you suggest! This is part of his legacy NOT to be forgotten! Peruse the Baltimore Jack threads and it's obvious I'm not the only one with this opinion. He didn't like massively self absorbed inconsiderate hikers. Perhaps, that he got from contemplating and attempting to learn from past choices. He had little restraint confronting and felt frustrated with such self absorption. He could ruffle feathers no doubt.
I had several discussions with Jack Tarlin about Bill Bryson's book A Walk In the Woods. BTW, I KNOW many here(NOT FEW) have read Bryson's book quite evident if you had taken the initiative to peruse one of the most lengthy and reoccurring topics in WB history. I personally have read it cover to cover twice and read segments of it on several occasions. I liked the book. I laughed my way through it(in a good way). Getting to the pt, yes Jack could act egotistically but according to him directly even though Jack seemed to have little issue that Bryson only did a segment of the AT he specifically told me he had contention for Bryson in that in his book he made it seem like he hiked the entire trail and could have made that clearer. And, even though Jack could have an ego I NEVER OBSERVED NOT ONCE him forcing his views about gear on myself as an ULer or anyone else. Actually, Jack had the way of making suggestions that were unforced allowing one to choose what they wanted to take from him or ignore. I did observe him become frustrated after making suggestions that were ignored that directly led to frustration and injury and aborted thru hikes and section hikes from several other hikers.
In those ten yrs I observed Jack having the patience to hear out others including myself at hostels, on trail, etc. and I was no bastion of pinpoint accurate information. He patiently waited and without harsh confrontation correct my errors by not seeming to do so. In other words, he didn't come over the top harshly placing himself on a pedestal as a know it all as some do. I mostly listened AND I LEARNED. When I disagreed I did it as they say agreeably. However, when someone would debate what most would cede was sound advice from Jack he could get mildly exasperated and stop offering advice.
This is the Jack Tarlin "Baltimore Jack" I knew and observed.
MODS place this where you want, THX for the censorship.