Why do people even bother hiking the AT? [Archive]

OntheRoad

01-04-2007, 13:42

After browsing these forums, I am starting to wonder why people even enjoy hiking the AT. What really encouraged me to write this thread was reading a poll titled "The best thru-hiker ever" where people were actually trying to cast votes on who is the "best" at thru-hiking.

I'll tell you who the best thru-hikers are: The ones that don't come into online forums trying to impress everyone to boost their own egos and become "famous".

That thread in particular and many other threads on here show the reasons why a lot of real backpackers don't hike the AT. People go into the backcountry to get away from things like "status" and all the other bull**** that we find in the "real world".

No one should care if "minnesotasmith" carried a heavy backpack with un-needed items so he could look ridiculous and make a name for himself and if you do you don't need to be hiking.

I was thinking about hiking the AT but after browsing these forums I am really turned off by all this garbage(IE: the whole status system) that seems to float around the AT "community". I think I will just stick to going to places where I can find solitude and escape the people who make living in modern society suck.

Old Grouse

01-04-2007, 13:45

Why do you assume the posters on this and similar fora are representative of the average AT thru-hiker? And why do you assume that they'll be the same in person as on-line? Suggest you cut them and yourself some slack.
OG

woodsy

01-04-2007, 13:50

WHY? Because it's there.

Mags

01-04-2007, 13:52

Why..for the pints of Ben and Jerry's of course!

Footslogger

01-04-2007, 13:53

Well ...my answer to that is "If you have to ask you most likely wouldn't understand the answer"

That said though, I remember one friend in particular who, when he found out that I was hiking from Georgia to Maine in 2003, asked ..."Can't you drive there ??"

'Slogger

Lone Wolf

01-04-2007, 13:57

I am starting to wonder why people even enjoy hiking the AT. Real backpackers don't hike the AT. I think I will just stick to going to places where I can find solitude and escape the people who make living in modern society suck.

You do just that and kill your computer while you are at it. I want to be a REAL backpacker like you!:)

soulrebel

01-04-2007, 14:08

I'm ridiculous without my gear! And even more so, when I do have my gear and I'm walking nekkid in the woods! What are you trying to say?

What are you king of the forrest? lmao

My Status: I've fallen to hiker-trash level and I can't get up!

jesse

01-04-2007, 14:17

Why do you assume the posters on this and similar fora are representative of the average AT thru-hiker?

amen to that. I am a low time weekend warrior. I have spent a few nights on the AT, and everyone I have met on the trail, and stayed with in shelters have been helpful, and a joy to be with.

Newb

01-04-2007, 14:17

throo-hike smoo-hike. I made the Kessel Run in three parsecs.

Tipi Walter

01-04-2007, 14:25

I have a feeling that he won't reply to whatever new posts are added, but here it goes: Yes, there are alot of egos invested in backpacking, hiking and living out. I know for myself that I am proud of my haphazard attempts at living out, at backpacking into pristine wildlands and along rushing rivers, at attempting to live off the grid and in a primitive shelter. It is part of my personal identity and it categorizes me rightly or wrongly as a certain type of person.

On the other hand, it is very strange to be sitting at a computer writing about living outdoors, it really just doesn't make any sense. How can a person be out backpacking and indoors on a computer? They can't. So the truly hardcore backpackers and primitives will never post and never get online. That's okay, maybe when they survive it all and turn 60 they'll take out their old trail journals and their knowledge and share it online with other camping devotees.

Most posters and Whiteblazers you read here are between trips and come online to share their experiences with a similar online community. You'll notice a flurry of postings by one individual and then there is dead silence for two weeks or two months or 6 months. It's all okay.

But for those mountain men types who never come down off the snow covered hills and have never used a computer, you are all blessed and wise. We others must continually try to get out in what wilderness is left and try to stay out longer each time.

The Old Fhart

01-04-2007, 14:33

OntheRoad-"I was thinking about hiking the AT but after browsing these forums I am really turned off by all this garbage(IE: the whole status system) that seems to float around the AT "community". I think I will just stick to going to places where I can find solitude and escape the people who make living in modern society suck."Seriously, if you can't tell the difference between the real world and on line forum banter; and that's all it takes to dissuade you from hiking the A.T., you're better off staying in your own little comfort zone.

Vi+

01-04-2007, 14:40

OntheRoad,

We hardly got to know ya, you haven't been here two full days.

“Why do people even bother hiking the AT?”

There are several very good reasons, only one of which you addressed, but then again this is only a rhetorical question anyway.

“I am starting to wonder why people even enjoy hiking the AT.”

Enjoyment can be obtained from hiking, quite apart from reading a hiking site.

“What really encouraged me to write this thread was reading a poll titled ‘The best thru-hiker ever’ where people were actually trying to cast votes on who is the ‘best’ at thru-hiking.”

I didn’t read that thread. There seemed an absurd premise, and the thread almost guaranteed to annoy without enlightening. You need to become more discerning in your reading.

“I'll tell you who the best thru-hikers are: The ones that don't come into online forums trying to impress everyone to boost their own egos and become ‘famous’.”

Hikers aren’t necessarily thru-hikers. Thru-hikers, as well as everyone else in the world, can have enlarged egos. The largest ego on earth doesn't preclude someone from also being an excellent hiker, whatever that is.

“That thread in particular and many other threads on here show the reasons why a lot of real backpackers don't hike the AT.”

I see you’re from Minnesota. I would be surprised if you met “a lot of real backpackers” in Minnesota who did hike the AT.

“People go into the backcountry to get away from things like ‘status’ and all the other bull**** that we find in the ‘real world’.”

O.K. There is nothing on this website which keeps you from going “... into the backcountry to get away from things like ‘status’ and all the other bull**** that we find in the ‘real world’.” The egos you find hiking the AT probably aren’t a lot different than the egos you will find hiking elsewhere.

“No one should care if ‘minnesotasmith’ carried a heavy backpack with un-needed items so he could look ridiculous and make a name for himself and if you do you don't need to be hiking.”

There is a natural phenomenon - I’ve forgotten the name - of rejecting different others. If you paint a red dot on the beak of a chicken, other chickens will peck at it. Errant pecks cause other “red dots” to appear near the beak, stimulating even further pecking. In a while, the “painted” chicken is pecked to death. You may notice that tendency, often to lesser consequence, among humans.

“I was thinking about hiking the AT but after browsing these forums I am really turned off by all this garbage(IE: the whole status system) that seems to float around the AT ‘community’. I think I will just stick to going to places where I can find solitude and escape the people who make living in modern society suck.”

There is no guaranteed escape except in solitude. You’re probably not self sufficient, so you’ll have to come out sometime. You will meet humans again, and become disappointed anew.

Don’t confuse what is said in forums with actually hiking. Why not go for some hikes and take a break from reading online posts. Come back with questions and interesting experiences, if you wish, and don’t open threads with titles which warn they’re probably going to piss you off?

Fannypack

01-04-2007, 14:52

I was thinking about hiking the AT but after browsing these forums I am really turned off by all this garbage(IE: the whole status system) that seems to float around the AT "community". I think I will just stick to going to places where I can find solitude and escape the people who make living in modern society suck.

I sometimes feel the same way (as u describe above) but then i realize that I have met some many great persons on the trail, AT & PCT. These friendships, many times, have been formed with persons who I would have probably never become friends with in the "off trail world". I feel fortunate to call many of the hikers that i have met on the trail to be friends or at least they are acquaintances that i can conversate from time to time. If u have a problem the posts/people on WB then move on or learn to take the good with the bad.

As far the status system in hiking in general but primarily on the AT, u are right it exists. This is a subject for another thread. I have searched WB for previous posts on "status system on AT" and have had little success. Can anyone point me to previous discussions on this.

When I am asked why i hike, I say: "the people, the people, the people, on and off the trail".

Mother's Finest

01-04-2007, 14:58

Old Fharts post sums it up pretty well.

By the way, Minnesota Smith is a thru hiking god. He is the "best"

what is beautiful is that someone actually took this seriously (the whole thread, or the idea of the thread, because in my mind it is all just a hoot)

peace
mf

4eyedbuzzard

01-04-2007, 15:05

Get up on the wrong side of the thermarest this morning, Ontheroad?

Almost all hikers and thru-hikers understand that there is no absolutely right or wrong way to hike - including yours! Even on the subject of LNT, we all impact impact the wilderness environment by our mere presence. To me the best thing ever said on the subject was by Benton MacKaye "... I would give an award to the ones who took the longest."

Yeah, there are a few who consider it a race or time trial, there are a few who wrote books, some of whom are nice, some of whom are not; and there are a few who would seem to like to micromanage other hikers and think they're God's gift to hiking. But most of us are just normal people with opinions that to you, smell like our socks. Here's the catch, yours don't smell any better.

Blissful

01-04-2007, 15:06

I first had a vision for thru hiking the AT at 14 years old. Since then I ventured into the backcountry, hiked sections of the AT and other trails, met people along the way, enjoyed the beauty of creation, got more of a vision, started making my plans for a thru hike.

THEN I came to White Blaze for help with planning my trip. White Blaze and its members have nothing to do with whether I hike the trail or not. I know I am going to hike it. I came here for info and comraderie among those with similar interests and dreams. And people are people. We aren't all the same. Some views I agree with, some I disagree. That's life and it doesn't stop whether on the trail or on the homefront.

But instead of dwelling only on the negative you may find on an occasional thread, find the positive ones which are too many to count.

Gray Blazer

01-04-2007, 15:08

This website is sorta like the old Frank Zappa albums of the '60's. You'd wade through a bunch of crap (Susie Creamcheese, oh, baby, what's got into ya) to find the beautiful gems (Peaches En Regalia). I'm not a thru-hiker and probably will never be one, just a moron who loves the AT (I'm in FL and those are the nearest mountains in GA, NC and TN) and I LOVE THIS WEBSITE!! There was a news article posted yesterday on WB that talked about the "elite" 9000 or so who have thru-hiked the AT so it's not just this website that lifts up their status. I imagine (actually, I know) that most of them are normal nice folks.
PS Dixie, Sarge and ATtroll please don't be offended by the Zappa comparison. It was meant as a compliment.

rafe

01-04-2007, 15:09

What really encouraged me to write this thread was reading a poll titled "The best thru-hiker ever" where people were actually trying to cast votes on who is the "best" at thru-hiking.

It was a dumb thread and in poor taste. Don't judge the rest of WhiteBlaze by that thread. 90% of what's written on these forums is not meant to be taken seriously.

4eyedbuzzard

01-04-2007, 15:11

By the way, Minnesota Smith is a thru hiking god. He is the "best"

Just curious, if there is a "best", when did it[hiking] cease to be an activity/experience and become a competition?

Blissful

01-04-2007, 15:13

I have no problem at all honoring those who have done a ton for the trail and the trail community. From the early dreamers of the AT to trail maintainers to trail angels, to the admins on WB, they deserve it.

Why not have the White Blaze version of the Academy Awards?

Gray Blazer

01-04-2007, 15:14

most of us are just normal people with opinions that to you, smell like our socks. Here's the catch, yours don't smell any better.Man, 4eyed, that was deep. I like it.

TJ aka Teej

01-04-2007, 15:33

I was thinking about hiking the AT but after browsing these forums I am really turned off by all this garbage(IE: the whole status system) that seems to float around the AT "community".
Welcome to WhiteBlaze. Nice first post. I see you've caught the spirit, as in your second post you're willing to give someone the "status" of "whiny b!tch"...

Jan LiteShoe

01-04-2007, 16:25

People go into the backcountry to get away from things like "status" and all the other bull**** that we find in the "real world".

Yes, they do. I was shocked by the dissenting personalities when I first checked into the various online hiking forums; it wasn't all peace, love and chocolate.

On the other hand, we have the choice to ignore all that, not buy in.

Don't even have to leave town for that.

Jan LiteShoe

01-04-2007, 16:26

Yes, they do. I was shocked by the dissenting personalities when I first checked into the various online hiking forums...

...and that was five years ago.
:)

Jan LiteShoe

01-04-2007, 16:32

" Originally Posted by 4eyedbuzzard http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=296602#post296602)
most of us are just normal people with opinions that to you, smell like our socks. Here's the catch, yours don't smell any better."

Man, 4eyed, that was deep. I like it.

Yeah, I wish I'd written that.
:)

Lone Wolf

01-04-2007, 16:39

c.coyle

01-04-2007, 16:40

Welcome to WhiteBlaze. Nice first post. I see you've caught the spirit, as in your second post you're willing to give someone the "status" of "whiny b!tch"...

Welcome OntheRoad. You'll fit right in. Check out the global warming, dogs-on-the-trail, and politics threads. :D

D'Artagnan

01-04-2007, 16:41

After browsing these forums...

I can't seem to get the theme song from 'Rawhide' out of my head for some reason.

Except it keeps coming out "Trollin', trollin', trollin', keep them posts a trollin'; trollin', trollin', trollin', whine onnnnn..."

Boat Drinks

01-04-2007, 16:45

On the other hand, it is very strange to be sitting at a computer writing about living outdoors, it really just doesn't make any sense. How can a person be out backpacking and indoors on a computer? They can't.

What, there's no WIFI on the Trail???? Oh *****, I'm not so sure about this now.....
:D

c.coyle

01-04-2007, 16:56

I can't seem to get the theme song from 'Rawhide' out of my head for some reason.

Except it keeps coming out "Trollin', trollin', trollin', keep them posts a trollin'; trollin', trollin', trollin', whine onnnnn..."

Reminds me of a certain crustacean we all know.

saimyoji

01-04-2007, 17:00

throo-hike smoo-hike. I made the Kessel Run in three parsecs.

Fastest hunk of junk on the trail. :D

Cuffs

01-04-2007, 17:01

What, there's no WIFI on the Trail???? Oh *****, I'm not so sure about this now.....
:D

WHAT!??! What do you mean theres no WIFI on the trail? I just left my local library and found out they are now wireless. I got sooo excited! I dont know what Ill do with out my online attachement to all you here!

Hmm, but I guess thats why I hike and spend so much of my non-work time at my farm... the peace, solitude, freedom, clean air, no tv or radio. I did get a big doe this morning, so there was a small "crack" in the air! Hope to have some venison jerky in time for soruck!

Frolicking Dinosaurs

01-04-2007, 17:02

::: bites OnTheRoad on the toes so he will feel like part of the gang :::

Cuffs

01-04-2007, 17:08

And this all started by a whiny, lactose intollerant, string bean, and apparently grumpy a$$...

Cant even grow the ba!!s to reply to his own post...

Mags

01-04-2007, 17:09

Mowgli posted this a few days ago. Deserves to be repeated again and again!

Weary wrote this in Nov 2000. Why do people hike the AT? Think Weary's essay answers why!

THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL, is a nearly 2,200-mile footpath that stretches from Georgia to Maine, bisecting most of the wildest country remaining in Eastern United States. The trail follows the bony backbone of the Appalachian Mountains, the eroded remains of peaks that once stood higher than Everest.
The trail is many things. It's 40,000 white blazes on trees, rocks and fence posts; and an estimated five million footsteps. It's also spectacular mountain vistas, wild forests, and great beds of wildflowers -- trillium, delicate mountain bluets, wild iris, pink lady slippers, trail side mayflowers, startling bright blaze orange azaleas, and brilliantly white flowering dogwood.
The trail is walks through national parks and forests; walks past hill farms and woodlots, and occasionally down main streets of quiet mountain towns.
The trail is brisk cold days of early spring, March snows, chilly April rains, the heat of summer and the beauty of a New England autumn. It's walks above the clouds, through the clouds -- and occasionally into cloudbursts.
The trail is a giant black snake, imitating a rattler, rustling dry oak leaves as a hiker eases by; and its two bear cubs scurrying up twin saplings, while the old sow disappears into the brush -- only to be heard scuffling in the distance, circling to protect her babies.
The trail is the sound of a partridge seeking a mate, drumming on a hollow log, sounding like a malfunctioning chainsaw to one puzzled hiker.
It's the cry of a pileated woodpecker, its red crest flashing through an ancient and decaying forest, the faint gobbles of a wild turkey on a brisk spring morn, and the slow circling of a hawk, seeking its supper. And it's a tiny, gray bird flying through the feet of a startled hiker from a trail side nest, filled with the mouths of hungry nestlings.
The trail is the hulks of four 60-year-old cars rusting away in an ancient farm pasture, now part of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
And it's a cooking pot one chilly spring morning in Georgia, and the yodeling of a coyote heard from a remote mountain shelter.
The trail is also 4,000 volunteers clearing blowdowns, brush and thistles while battling black flies and mosquitoes — and sometimes angry hornets — part of the greatest volunteer recreational project in history.
And it's four million day hikers, out for a summer's walk. Some two thousand thru-hikers, of which a 100, maybe 200, will actually reach the trail's end on Katahdin.
The trail each year attracts a community of people: a few thousand with a dream of walking through these wilds for months on end from a wooded mountain in Georgia, north through spring, summer and early fall, to a barren and often icy summit in Maine; many more just out for a day, a weekend or a week of respite from civilization.
The trail is a community of hikers enjoying the beauties of nature, and sharing concerns, blisters, adventures, sore toes, sprained knees, and the wonders of a wild country. It's two 20-year-olds jogging to catch Solo Sal, a 62-year-old retired school teacher who had left her tent poles behind.
It's an 80-year-old-retired grocer in North Carolina offering a hiker from Maine "a ride to the top of the hill." Some hike alone, others with friends, lovers, relatives -- or strangers met a few moments, or a few days earlier on the trail. All share a common experience, a common adventure. All join in each others successes and tribulations, share meals when supplies run low, and lament the mishaps and illnesses. Trail registers are filled with words of encouragement for those left behind.
Like the hay mowers on Robert Frost's New England hill farms, the people who hike the trail, hike together, "whether together or apart."

Mother Nature

01-04-2007, 17:20

Thanks for posting that article by Weary. That really brought back memories and for one brief minute I was back there. I actually zoned out. I could smell the summer rain and feel the sleet hitting my face. The faces of those you meet on the trail who become instant friends flashed before me.

:)

Mother Nature

weary

01-04-2007, 17:23

Why hike the AT? It's fun. It's good exercise. It's a way to see interesting country. It's a great place to meet interesting people. It's a way to take a six month break from routine living. It's a way to challenge an aging body to see if can really still do hard physical things.

Others have different reasons. But these are mine.

Why post on these forums? To refresh my memory of good times on the trail, to exercise my brain to meet the challenges posed occasionally by quite wise people, for amusement, and most importantly to promote efforts to protect the trail corridor in Maine, where millions of acres of wild forestland are suddenly and unexpectedly on the market.

weary www.matlt.org

Paul Bunyan

01-04-2007, 17:33

Welcome OntheRoad. You'll fit right in. Check out the global warming, dogs-on-the-trail, and politics threads. :D

Or the sword carrying thread.

I would say read THE THREAD from the begining, but we dont want to kill the guy. ;) :D

MOWGLI

01-04-2007, 17:37

Occasionally, I'll appear a bit truculent here on Whiteblaze. That's especially true in the subscription forums. But the fact is, I can argue with someone one day, and shake hands with them the following week at Trail Days or The Gathering. This is a real community in every sense. Warts and all. I love it!!

Thankfully, there is far less rancor on the trail than there is on the internet.

Mother's Finest

01-04-2007, 17:50

esmithz

01-04-2007, 19:14

I would have taken my baro-lounger but I just could find a way to strap it to my pack.

Gray Blazer

01-04-2007, 19:18

::: bites OnTheRoad on the toes so he will feel like part of the gang :::C'mon, tell the tooth. You have a tooth fetish goin' on.

Jan LiteShoe

01-04-2007, 19:34

I would have taken my baro-lounger but I just could find a way to strap it to my pack.

The strapping is the easy part...
:)

rswanson

01-04-2007, 19:38

Why is anyone even bothering to feed this guy's erection? If Wikipedia needs another link to illustrate trolling, then look no further than http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=20214.

Jan LiteShoe

01-04-2007, 19:49

The strapping is the easy part...
:)

Whose erection?
We were talking about lifting barca-loungers.
:)

Footslogger

01-04-2007, 19:51

Man ...and I thought I was guilty of thread swerve !!

'Slogger

RAT

01-04-2007, 20:34

Gotta love trolls ;) OK, so why bother hiking the AT? :

um, because I want to ?

Isnt it funny how trolls start threads and never come back to continue the "debate" ?? lol Troublemaking cowards.

RAT

buckowens

01-04-2007, 20:48

Wow, I was stunned when OnTheRoads post. Maybe, that was the reason to post it in the first place, similar to any 24/7/365 news channel...

However, I will only comment on that which I consider myself to be an "expert" on. As a military aviator for the last 23 years, and a State Trooper for 10, I know a thing or two about egos and Type "A" personalities. Status and butt sniffing (work with me here) are a way of life for most anything that requires a bit of effort. Spending a little time in a combat zone in both jobs has shown me that this is healthy, and sometimes makes the weaker folks a bit stronger. Plus, we all need heroes.

I have found the crowd on this site to be supportive and very kind. If you consider the drop out rate for thru-hikers on the AT, I would say that if you have done it, you deserve praise, if you're going to do it, you need and deserve support. If you really want peace and quiet, and hate the modern society, I have been and know of a few places in the world where it's much more, shall we say rustic.

4eyedbuzzard

01-04-2007, 23:22

three eyed buzzard---
please read the next line I wrote in that previous post. that should answer your question regarding what I think about who can be the "best" at hiking.

this thread is a wheels within wheels situation

peace
mf

Understood fine mama.;) I have read some more of the background involved in the ongoing "wheels". I wasn't necessarily directing my comment to you specifically, just looking for at-large opinions as to why thru-hiking has become an externalized competition of sorts to so many, rather than an internal examination of ones self. Sorry you took it as personally directed "negative" rhetoric - that was not my intent.:o

Jan LiteShoe

01-04-2007, 23:26

Man ...and I thought I was guilty of thread swerve !!

'Slogger

The thread needed a swerve.
:)

fiddlehead

01-04-2007, 23:27

There are lots of trails out there. The AT isn't the best in my mind either. Just hike wherever you want. It's not a problem to us or should not be to anybody.

ps. i must say i enjoyed a day hiking on it today though. I didn't see anybody else out there on a 56 degree day with blue sky in Jan.

virtualfrog

01-04-2007, 23:55

Taking at least teh subject line of OnTheRoad's post seriously...

The AT sounds, from reading on these forums, like there's not much backcountry to be had for much of it (until the Northern portions). One of my goals was to thru-hike the AT (someday!), but I'm losing interest in much of the trail, I guess. Yeah, it'd still be a nice walk in teh woods, but it doesn'thave that 'epic' patina about it anymore. The posts about getting food every 3 days or so, and about the 'pack' of people heading north make it sound rather suburban.

Am I misreading this? Would I be better served to hike from Vermont -> Maine, and then head into Canada?

rafe

01-05-2007, 00:01

Am I misreading this? Would I be better served to hike from Vermont -> Maine, and then head into Canada?

If you want a true sense of wilderness, I suspect you're better off on the CDT and PCT. OTOH, Maine is pretty damn nice, particularly heading south from Katahdin. Sly or Mags prolly have a lot more to say about this.

The AT by its nature is quite different from the other two; it was intended to be highly acessible by folks in the eastern "sprawl" cities. It's also got a lot more history to it.

RAT

01-05-2007, 00:06

It's all about timing in order to get that "wilderness" feeling on the AT. If you go out during thru hiker season then yes its crowded. But off season there are many times you can have the trail all to yourself. Not to mention at ANY time you can wander off the trail aways in many of the wilderness areas or the likes thereof that the trail goes thru and feel like you are the only one in the world. There is ALOT of backcountry to be had along the trail if one only knows where to look. I'd be happy to show ya`s there is plenty right around here ;)

RAT

virtualfrog

01-05-2007, 00:09

I doubt I'll be able to get on the AT much this spring/summer, but I'd love to know some of your favorites, if you'd be willing to PM them to me. :)

rafe

01-05-2007, 00:12

If you go out during thru hiker season then yes its crowded. But off season there are many times you can have the trail all to yourself.

That's what's nice about section hiking. :D

Good point about the blue blazes, too. These days I tend to stay off the AT in the Whites. Yeah, it's got views up the wazoo, but it's not the place to be for solitude.

copythat

01-05-2007, 00:14

::: bites OnTheRoad on the toes so he will feel like part of the gang :::

the highest (or lowest, in terms of altitude) honor there is! :sun

copythat

01-05-2007, 00:17

Man ...and I thought I was guilty of thread swerve !!

'Slogger

you are the KING of swerve, but you do it like a lamborghini: with class and no squealing.

copythat

01-05-2007, 00:25

... after browsing these forums, I am starting to wonder why people even enjoy hiking the AT ...

we don't. it's the catholic guilt/flaggelation thing. stepping on nettles is easier than hitting ourselves with chains.

... I was thinking about hiking the AT but after browsing these forums I am really turned off by all this garbage ...

can i have your gear?

... I think I will just stick to going to places where I can find solitude and escape the people who make living in modern society suck.

i bet you could find solitude pretty much anywhere you open your mouth. (AGH! dixi! that's a personal attack, isn't it!)

:D

Q: how many trollers does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: 'what if we just got rid of all the lightbulbs, and shelters, and blazes?'

RAT

01-05-2007, 00:33

I doubt I'll be able to get on the AT much this spring/summer, but I'd love to know some of your favorites, if you'd be willing to PM them to me.

PM sent :)

RAT

Footslogger

01-05-2007, 00:47

The thread needed a swerve.
:)

============================

That could be said about many of them.

Swerve Away ...I love it !!

'Slogger

skeeterfeeder

01-05-2007, 01:00

Why do I get the feeling that this 'new' member might be an old member that is using an alias. Minnesota.....?????

Frolicking Dinosaurs

01-05-2007, 01:04

C'mon, tell the tooth. You have a tooth fetish goin' on.::: ;) Bites Gray Blazer on the toes :D :::

KMaha

01-05-2007, 02:01

I haven't been here long and have been absent from hiking for a bit. I would like to comment on this.
I am looking forward to hiking some of the Georgia section to see and meet some of this community. I doubt seriously I will like everyone I meet but I bet I will make some friends. If nothing else it will be an interesting experience and that's what makes life fun.
Later I can always chose a different trail for solitude.
As for being online, what a great opportunity to share and learn from lot's of different viewpoints. I can't imagine how that would hurt anything. And again, I know I will not enjoy or even read a lot of threads posted.
Seems kinda pointless to dismiss an entire community without experiencing it at least once.

hopefulhiker

01-05-2007, 02:34

I found that hiking the AT was a very humbling experience.. I still consider myself an amateur hiker...

Gray Blazer

01-05-2007, 08:40

::: ;) Bites Gray Blazer on the toes :D :::Foot Fetish!!;)

adh24

01-05-2007, 10:38

throo-hike smoo-hike. I made the Kessel Run in three parsecs.

LOL!!! "She's fast enough for you old man".

adh24

01-05-2007, 10:39

DawnTreader

01-05-2007, 12:25

OntheRoad,
If you arn't a troll, and you'll be back to read this, listen up.
I felt the same way you did when I first started reading here at WB. Gray Blazer put it well when he described the vast amount of crap on this site. Lots of egos, lots of arguing, pecking, putting down, blasting, and negative vibes. If on your first or second visit, your pummeled with this information, I can see why your turned off to the AT. This shouldn't be the case. Most of this rancor has been brewing for years between individuals who know each other, and are very cordial and civil off the trail. Some use this site not as its intended, rather as a entertaining way to comunicate with people that they know. But the key is to stick with it. Use the SEARCH feature. A couple of hours searching old threads and you'll be blessed with tons of useful info, great stories, excellent personalities, and you'll understand why we are a community. If you stick to the first page of new posts every time you visit, well, then, you've got a bunch of minnesotasmith BS and you'll get pissed off. I sometimes think that we might lose a lot of members who might frequent this site, but never return after the first visit because of the crap they find. You must take the good with the bad. Believe me, there is a lot of good on this site, it just takes a little finding. My suggestion is to go to the PHOTO GALLERY, spend some time browsing, and then you'll see why people hike the AT.

OntheRoad

01-05-2007, 13:18

Lol, maybe my post came off a bit arrogant but that's not what I intended. In no way do I think I am better than anyone who hikes the AT and that's what a lot of you seem to think I meant. This wasn't a personal attack on your lives but some of you sure defend it that way.(Well maybe for some of you the AT is your life, I don't know)

At least a few of you have a general idea of what I am talking about. I do agree that maybe a lot of people on here do more typing than hiking and I hope that the things I see in threads on here is not what I would find on the AT.

Jaybird

01-05-2007, 13:30

After browsing these forums, I am starting to wonder why people even enjoy hiking the AT. What really encouraged me to write this thread was reading a poll titled "The best thru-hiker ever" where.....blah, blah,blah............. the people who make living in modern society suck.

Gee....what a DOWNER post!

Just FYI....each thru-hiker i encounter when i'm hiking the A.T....
i ask if they are on White Blaze.net or have a journal on trailjournals.com?

the majority of hikers have neither!

OntheRoad

01-05-2007, 13:40

Like I said, I THINK a lot of people on here do more typing than hiking but I wouldn't want to make such a broad generalization now do I?

Lone Wolf

01-05-2007, 13:42

Like I said, I THINK a lot of people on here do more typing than hiking but I wouldn't want to make such a broad generalization now do I?

You are correct. Same in the political forums. Lots of typers but none that served in the military or public office.

Cuffs

01-05-2007, 13:43

Hmmm, but doesnt it say at the top of this very page...

WHITEBLAZE
A COMMUNITY OF APPALACHIAN TRAIL ENTHUSIASTS

While many of us hike (or dream to hike) the AT, this is a place for all to gather even if we just support the AT community.

Gray Blazer

01-05-2007, 13:44

adh24

01-05-2007, 13:58

Sly

01-05-2007, 14:01

You are correct. Same in the political forums. Lots of typers but none that served in the military or public office.

If I'm not mistaken a few have been in the military, and Weary may have been both in the service and an elected official. I know he ran for office. Doesn't matter though, if you vote you have a right to talk politics. Politicians work for voters, not the other way around.

Actually, as an American, hiker, non-hiker, politician, serviceman or not, you have the right to say just about anything you please. It's in the 1st Amendment.

Blissful

01-05-2007, 14:39

Like I said, I THINK a lot of people on here do more typing than hiking but I wouldn't want to make such a broad generalization now do I?

Could very well be. Just b/c you are on here doesn't necessarily mean you hike either. Maybe you want to hike but can't d/t disability, age, taking care of family, work, etc.

I sure can't hike right now. I've got nasty bronchitis with a fever. I walked like crazy earlier this week and paid for it by getting worse. So now I'm at home. Typing is a heck of a lot easier at this stage. And I can learn all I can until I'm healthy enough to get back out there.

Mother's Finest

01-05-2007, 15:23

No worries 4 eyed buzzard.

I take very little in life seriously.

my bad on the typo of your handle....

peace
mf

Mags

01-05-2007, 15:57

The AT is a "wilderness" with a most definite lower-case "w".

But, I prefer to think of "WILDness" (as Mr. Thoreau would say).

The AT has wildness in spades. What is wildness? Can be different things for different people.

Can be at a lake in Maine and watching the setting sun reflect the last rays on sunshine on the lake.

Can be walking through the snow on the trail in the Smokies.

And so on...

The AT is not as remote as the PCT (never mind the CDT), but it is beautiful in many places. The AT also is also the heart and soul of the thru-hiking community. It is where the traditions and history comes from.

If you want a remote, wilderness experience you should perhaps do another trail (or hike the AT during less popular times). IF you want to experience the beauty of nature and be in the woods for months at a time, the AT will work for you. The Rockies and Sierra were awesome. But so is hearing a loon at night at some lake in Maine.

(And Maine is awesome by any standards!)

weary

01-05-2007, 16:04

...in the political forums. Lots of typers but none that served in the military or public office.
Not quite true. I served in the military and even rose to the rank of private e-2. I later was elected to 4 three-year terms as a "selectman" in a town of 1,800 people. No one could beat me -- well not until I was challenged by a homeless person. Being a Liberal, I didn't know whether to cry -- or cheer.

Lone Wolf

01-05-2007, 16:07

You are correct. Same in the political forums. Lots of typers but MOST have never served in the military or public office. Few have.

changed the wording

fiddlehead

01-05-2007, 16:08

I must say i have a new respect for section hikers and wonder why they do what they do.
I was out on the AT for about 7 miles with Rainman, scurrying over these PA rocks and bushwhacking up to the trail from my brother's house.

AND I'M SORE TODAY!

I haven't had that experience except for the 1st few days of a thru-hike and don't like it!
The section hikers who go thru that every time have a new respect from me.

4eyedbuzzard

01-05-2007, 16:20

... I later was elected to 4 three-year terms as a "selectman" in a town of 1,800 people. No one could beat me -- well not until I was challenged by a homeless person. Being a Liberal, I didn't know whether to cry -- or cheer.

Ain't New England grand? I've served as a Selectman, on budget committees, school boards - all without ever really wanting the job(s) in the first place! It's hard NOT to get elected when you're the only name on the ballot. Every year the Town Clerks in small NE towns scurry around "drafting" candidates who will run unopposed.

Phil1959

01-05-2007, 16:37

Hey Buzzard! Did'nt you realize the one with the shinnyist silk underpants wins the competition?:banana

napster

01-05-2007, 17:33

on da road, ya can"t spend the rest of your life changing your mind or worring what other folks do based on what they simply "think". What really matters is what the good LORD knows! dawn treader and grayblaze said said some good stuff.take heed.WB is a play ground for some and a stress managment program for others.there are members that can only feel good about themselves by bashing others and ther are members that have a wealth of wisdom to learn from. we are all kinds of folks from all walks of life. I check WB at least once a day and after a while you will figure out what hot and whats not.It won"t take long to figure out who is who and who is full of snot.Nobody really cares what he/she carries or how much.Not long ago in 2000 when I first set foot on da AT. i carried 3 flashlites, two stoves, four lighters,three books,a twelve pack of full cans. 4lbs of heavy armament and three knives and for sure my combat boots weight a good 5 pounds dem selves. I know my pack was a good 60-70 pounds.nobody said anything outta way to me. it was all good excepy my achy breacky back after a couple hundred yards.but i've learn since and from WB and some good folks my pack wt is down to 25-35lbs and i have met sum really nice good hearted people.welcome aboard.

Tipi Walter

01-05-2007, 19:08