View Full Version : To Slack or not to SLack
rjridgely
06-16-2007, 09:26
http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/content/article.php?article_id=858
An interesting editorial that I agree with 100%
HYOH......not mine.
Ditto. Worrying about how someone else hikes their hike DOES diminish MY hike. I, too, got caught up in unfairly judging hikers who breezed unencumbered past me on their slack. I think it was jealousy! There's no place for this kind of thinking on the trail. Anyway, I finished in a way that was honorable TO ME and my individual effort. Congrats to ALL who hiked the 2175 miles, an amazing feat regardless of how it was done.
Hike your own hike!
After reading this article, maybe we should not really consider any thru-hikers who carried less than a fourty lb. pack as a TRUE thru-hiker. After all, they took advantage of all this light weight gear, and the many hostles and services along the way. They didn't have as tough of time as the original thru-hikers (Dorthy Laker, The Boardmans, Owen Allen, Chuck Ebersole, Jim Shattuck, you know - the real thru-hikers!
How about a modification of the adage:
Hike your own hike - and shut up about other people's hikes!
From the artical
"Many of these rabid purists (the hall monitors of the backpacking world"
"Some purists have even gone so far as to suggest separating thru-hikes into classifications to further distinguish the pure from the unworthy. Instead of everyone getting the same 2,000-miler patch at the end of their hike, slackpackers and purists would receive different patches denoting the amount of effort they put into the hike".
Hmmmmmm...This is interesting.:-? I guess I consider myself a purist but I totataly agree with this artical. I bet the blind hiker(Irwin?) might think we are all sissys for looking were were going. But I consider my sight to be vital to my enjoyment of the trail. I bet alot of slackpackers enjoy their hike more because they can hike with less burden.
"Would you tell a mountaineer his summit of Everest isn’t worthy because he used a sherpa?"
I think Rienhold Messner would be the everest version of a AT rabid purist. I say keep slacking folks. I'm sure the trail will be as much fun with or without a pack. and this purist will give you a hall pass..... ;)
Interesting thread this is.
I am (I believe one of the few) hikers who in 2006 hiked the entire AT, always going north, always carrying my full pack, passing almost every white blaze. I think I did a short blue blaze in VA to avoid a river with bridge out. I almost always carried food for at least 4 days.
Some of the real purists go so far as to ford the Kennebec. I went via Canoe. Quicker, easier, and it's the offical means. The AT is hard enough with out adding additional challenges to the trip!
I think my biggest problem personally, was worrying about how much faster other hikers were going, most of whom passed by me in a blur. In the end it is not about speed, it is about not quitting. And besides, why rush through such wonderful scenery?! Still..for many of the At hikers it most absolutely WAS all about speed and mileage. I could name names but no good would come of that.
As for slackpacking.. I never slack packed and am proud to be able to say this. If you slack pack, your hike is still legit yes. But it does reduce the challenge. For example.. I know some hikers who never climbed Mt Greylock in MA. They were driven to the summit, slacked south. then were driven back to the summit and slacked north! If you slack to avoid a climb... then to me at least..something is deminished (sp?) in your trip. To me, using motorized transportation to avoid climbing a mountain as in this Greylock example absolutely IS cheating. It is not the same hike as one where one climbs all the mountains!!
As long as the hiker still climbs and descends all the peaks then slacking is ok, although I would still be more impressed if you carried your pack the whole way.
Shout out to Tipper!! Remember me? It's Snickers! Did ya measure every shelter all the way to Abol bridge?
DavidNH (Snickers) Class of '06
guavaguy
06-16-2007, 14:31
Everyone has a different reason for doing the AT. Some need a challenge, some need a sport and others (dare I say it) just want to hike in the great outdoors. HMMMM, I guess that's why I agree with the HYOH mentality. As long as you're doing what you want to do then it's all good.
Purists are worried slackers will diminish their accomplishments by unfairly appropriating the thru-hiker moniker. Obviously, for these purists, it’s not about the experience or act of hiking. It’s about the accomplishment and the recognition that they feel entitled to after the act.
What a crock.
Appalachian Tater
06-16-2007, 16:56
All well and good, but some people misrepresent themselves.
They'll intoduce themselves by saying, "Hi, I'm a thru-hiker" and then yellow-blaze the entire Shenandoah Park. How much of the trail can you skip before you haven't hiked the trail? If you skip Dragon's Tooth or Mahoosuc Notch or Pennsylvania have you actually "thru-hiked the A.T."? What about Katahdin or Springer?
Or they'll say, "I have hiked the ENTIRE trail 27 1/2 times with my circle of SuperFriends" but leave out the part about how it was a series of day-hikes and they never carried anything but a rainjacket, two candy bars, and a liter of water. (And left the rainjacket in the van if it was a sunny day!) Yes, they thru-hiked, but they didn't back-pack, which is what most people would assume, and they ought to be up-front about it.
It may not be possible to draw a bright red line, and there probably isn't anything to be gained by trying. But someone who walks all the way from Maine to Georgia, carrying a pack with clothing, food, and shelter, has accomplished something different from someone who skips entire sections, hops on the ski lift, or has someone else do all the hard work of carrying and preparing the food and shelter.
There's a huge gray area in the middle, but there IS a difference. Anyone who says there isn't, is lying to themselves. Somebody genuinely might not CARE about the difference, but it still exists.
Don't misrepresent yourself and I don't care what you do. But don't be dishonest and then expect others to treat you the same as they would if you were an honest person.
Rain Man
06-16-2007, 17:01
After reading this article, maybe we should not really consider any thru-hikers who carried less than a fourty lb. pack as a TRUE thru-hiker. After all, they took advantage of all this light weight gear, and the many hostles and services along the way. They didn't have as tough of time as the original thru-hikers (Dorthy Laker, The Boardmans, Owen Allen, Chuck Ebersole, Jim Shattuck, you know - the real thru-hikers!
I'm surprised at just how LIGHT WEIGHT many of the early thru-hikers were. Some folks seem to think packs have gotten lighter every year with advances in technology, but the truth is that many early hikers had packs weighing under 30 lbs. Perhaps pack weight goes in cycles and we just compare to the most recent cycle?
Maybe I'll go back through "Hiking the Appalachian Trail" some day and note the pack weights when and where mentioned.
Rain:sunMan
.
This is not the first time slack packing has been debated on this forum.
I'd say that most thru-hikers do at least some slack packing. I even slack packed Katahdin, as do most.
I carried 10 days food over the top. :eek:
I am (I believe one of the few) hikers who in 2006 hiked the entire AT, always going north, always carrying my full pack, passing almost every white blaze.
I think my biggest problem personally, was worrying about how much faster other hikers were going
As long as the hiker still climbs and descends all the peaks then slacking is ok
I would still be more impressed if you carried your pack the whole way.
they'll say, "I have hiked the ENTIRE trail 27 1/2 times with my circle of SuperFriends" but leave out the part about how it was a series of day-hikes
But someone who walks all the way from Maine to Georgia, carrying a pack with clothing, food, and shelter, has accomplished something different
there IS a difference. Anyone who says there isn't, is lying to themselves You guys are absolutely incredible. Why the hell do you care what other people do? Hiking the AT is hiking the AT, whether you section or day hike or whether you re-supply or carry 180 days worth of food out of Amicalola.
A guy can't say he hiked it because he didn't backpack every night? Newsflash: You don't have to carry a backpack to hike. You only need to walk. If you walk the AT you have walked the AT. What part of that is confusing?
Yeah, someone who carries a pack has done something different from someone who didn't, someone who only walks N-S and never S-N does something different from the guy who walks different parts of the trail in different directions. Some people carry big packs and they are different from people who carry light packs. So friggin' what? A guy who started in january did something different from the guy who started in April. It doesn't mean anyone is better than anyone else, it doesn't mean anything. You are not better than the next guy just because your pack is heavier, or you walked faster, or slower, or whatever.
What's next with you guys? A maximum number of zero days? More than 20 total or more than 2 in a row disqualifies you from being a thruhiker?
Too many town days an you have to return to Springer and start over?
Distribute bar code readers to all hikers, and put barcodes on each white blaze?
What other people say or do has ZERO influence on what you accomplished. ZERO. You hiked. Be happy with your accomplishment, and recognize that not everyone is you.
You are only in charge of YOUR hike, and YOU. Not anyone else or their hike.
The lack of tolerance here is just incredible.
"I'm surprised at just how LIGHT WEIGHT many of the early thru-hikers were."
Rainman
You got me wondering, so I did a quick glance through one of the volumes, and you appear to be right. These are the weights I found in the few minutes I spent:
Earl Shaffer------------30 lbs
Gene Epsy--------------45 lbs
Grandma Gatewood—14-20 lbs
Dorothy Laker ---------40 lbs Fellow hiker ----------60 lbs
Owen Allen ---------- 25lbs
James Fox -------------18 – 25lbs
Not all were lightweight, but more than I thought kept their packs below 30 lbs. I'll have to give you that one, but they still had a tougher trail with fewer services! So they were the real thru-hikers (just being stubborn here) (joking too by the way as was my original post)
No matter how you hike the trail, you do more than the vast majority of people even consider doing - be proud. Some people may not think your trip is as deserving of admiration as their trip. What is important is that you do your trip and that you do it in a manner acceptable to you and that you are proud of. After all, you hiked the trail for you, not anyone else.
Another variation:
Hike your own hike - don't worry about anyone elses.
Lone Wolf
06-16-2007, 18:28
This is not the first time slack packing has been debated on this forum.
I'd say that most thru-hikers do at least some slack packing. I even slack packed Katahdin, as do most.
i never slackpacked. i always carried a full pack up katahdin
Fannypack
06-16-2007, 18:33
i never slackpacked. i always carried a full pack up katahdin
woop de do... what a man....
Why the hell do you care what other people do?Why the hell do you care what others think of you?
Seriously, that's the part of HYOH that is often over looked. The part about not giving a rat's ass about other's judgemental and petty views on stuff. (I am not referring to DavidNH's or anyone elses's post in this thread-- I am speaking in general.)
Those who obsess about what a very, very small number of so-called purists might think about them would be wise to think about why they give a flying **** about thier opinions.
Perhaps Dr. Phil has the answer.
Not all were lightweight, but more than I thought kept their packs below 30 lbs.
But does that include food?
Trillium
06-16-2007, 19:22
The term THRU-HIKER implies someone who hikes (walks) thru the entire trail from Point A to Point B.
The term is not THRU-BACKPACKER. That would mean someone who backpacked all the way thru from point A to point B.
Those people criticizing others for not carrying x amount of weight need to check a dictionary.
Lone Wolf
06-16-2007, 20:00
woop de do... what a man....
helluva lot more than you are. slackin' is for weenies. you fit the bill
Wolf - 23000
06-16-2007, 20:21
helluva lot more than you are. slackin' is for weenies. you fit the bill
Well put LW. Real backpacker carry their pack everywere they go. I hardly every take my pack off during my thru-hikes.
Wolf
You guys are absolutely incredible. Why the hell do you care what other people do? Hiking the AT is hiking the AT, whether you section or day hike or whether you re-supply or carry 180 days worth of food out of Amicalola.
A guy can't say he hiked it because he didn't backpack every night? Newsflash: You don't have to carry a backpack to hike. You only need to walk. If you walk the AT you have walked the AT. What part of that is confusing?
Yeah, someone who carries a pack has done something different from someone who didn't, someone who only walks N-S and never S-N does something different from the guy who walks different parts of the trail in different directions. Some people carry big packs and they are different from people who carry light packs. So friggin' what? A guy who started in january did something different from the guy who started in April. It doesn't mean anyone is better than anyone else, it doesn't mean anything. You are not better than the next guy just because your pack is heavier, or you walked faster, or slower, or whatever.
What's next with you guys? A maximum number of zero days? More than 20 total or more than 2 in a row disqualifies you from being a thruhiker?
Too many town days an you have to return to Springer and start over?
Distribute bar code readers to all hikers, and put barcodes on each white blaze?
What other people say or do has ZERO influence on what you accomplished. ZERO. You hiked. Be happy with your accomplishment, and recognize that not everyone is you.
You are only in charge of YOUR hike, and YOU. Not anyone else or their hike.
The lack of tolerance here is just incredible.
Well.. I did get warned tihs might happened.
Take a breath my friend. I did not say that he who slack packs has not done a legitimate hike only that his hike is different and the challege is not the same. I care what other people do because there are those that claim to have hiked the whole trail when in fact they haven't. In fact, many hikers I know have skipped whole sections. I am only saying that the accomplishment is different, and in my view more of an accomplishment, when one hikes the whole trail and climbs every mountain.
True..you dont have to hike the whole trail. You dont have to hike any part of the trail. But if you want to say that you thru hiked the entire trail.. then you should thru hike the entire trail..in one hiking season.
What if one hikers hike involves going shelter to shelter and swigging bear and puffin ciggs every night or every chance he gets? AM I supposed to say HYOH and tolerate it? This HYOH can go too far some times. I found way too much of that on the trail and it at times detracted from MY hike.
But believe what you want..I'm done wasting my breath on you Frosty.
David
Well.. I did get warned tihs might happened.
Take a breath my friend. I did not say that he who slack packs has not done a legitimate hike only that his hike is different and the challege is not the same. I care what other people do because there are those that claim to have hiked the whole trail when in fact they haven't. In fact, many hikers I know have skipped whole sections. I am only saying that the accomplishment is different, and in my view more of an accomplishment, when one hikes the whole trail and climbs every mountain.
True..you dont have to hike the whole trail. You dont have to hike any part of the trail. But if you want to say that you thru hiked the entire trail.. then you should thru hike the entire trail..in one hiking season.
What if one hikers hike involves going shelter to shelter and swigging bear and puffin ciggs every night or every chance he gets? AM I supposed to say HYOH and tolerate it? This HYOH can go too far some times. I found way too much of that on the trail and it at times detracted from MY hike.
But believe what you want..I'm done wasting my breath on you Frosty.
David
How do you "swigg a bear"???? Sorry, couldn't resist.
LW "i never slackpacked. i always carried a full pack up katahdin"----MY HERO!!!!:)
Lone Wolf
06-17-2007, 08:13
LW "i never slackpacked. i always carried a full pack up katahdin"----MY HERO!!!!:)
happy fathers day ya bastid! i'll tip a cold one in your honor while watching tiger woods win the us open today.
LW "i never slackpacked. i always carried a full pack up katahdin"----MY HERO!!!!:)
MRC237... I thought you said LW was your God? Now he is just a "lowly" hero. :)
/Happy Father's Day to all dads! :banana
TinAbbey
06-17-2007, 14:12
Distribute bar code readers to all hikers, and put barcodes on each white blaze?
I like this idea. we better get a move on.
i think that about the first month and 1/2 on the trail i didnt like the idea of slacking and i kinda pissed me off ... but after my brother ' nucken who im hikeing with' realy hurt his knee bad and not haveing any cash to spend sitting on are ass's in a hostel or for food sitting in a shelter for days... sooo we slacked ... it was the **** he could walk well enaf and injoy it and we could stop for awile at all the cool spots . loved it .
i would still have to say thought that when i see a group of ppl who spend all there time and cash trying to slack every day that kinda bugs me . but all the power to you if your haveing the time of your life ....peace!!
Appalachian Tater
06-17-2007, 20:45
You guys are absolutely incredible. Why the hell do you care what other people do?......The lack of tolerance here is just incredible.
Frosty, since you didn't read what I wrote, but quoted it and complained about it anyway, I'll repeat part of it, as a summary:
" Don't misrepresent yourself and I don't care what you do. But don't be dishonest and then expect others to treat you the same as they would if you were an honest person."
warren doyle
06-17-2007, 21:38
What is important to me: I day hike when the opportunity presents itself and I backpack when the opportunity presents itself. My goal is to walk the white-blazed footpath between the summits of Katahdin and Springer. Whether I carry nothing, a plastic bag, a day pack or a 15-25 lb. backpack is secondary to my main desire/commitment to walk the entire trail.
smokymtnsteve
06-17-2007, 22:20
Like Ole Horace Kephart always said,
"the more you carry in yore head, the less you have to carry on yore back"
Well put LW. Real backpacker carry their pack everywere they go. I hardly every take my pack off during my thru-hikes.
Wolf
Hell..I shower, eat and sleep with mine. ;)
Chef2000
06-18-2007, 12:16
Using the theory that a slckpacker is cheating cause they carry less weight, does that mean a goliter who carries 15 pounds is not a "Thru -hiker", just beacuse i carry 40?
It is all a load of crap. I try not even to use the term thru hiker anymore, I hate it.
Go to Hawk mountain shelter on a march evening and you will find 25 people who introduce themselves as thruhiker and they only have seven miles of the trail done.
Earl Schaffer said, It does not matter how you hike as long as you dont lie about it afterwards.
Proudly slackpacked about 150 miles on my 2000 GA to ME hike
Nechochwen
06-18-2007, 12:59
It seems to me that some seem to miss two very important points.
There is no official definition of a Thru Hiker.
- There is nothing that says you have to backpack
- There is nothing that says you have to camp overnight
- There is nothing that says that you have to carry all of your food and belongings
- There is no time limit in which you have to complete.
- There is no definition as to how many days in a given time period should be devoted to gaining mileage.
- Three is no limitation as to which direction you walked any one segment.
- There is no limitation to the number of days you can take off from your hike (1 day, or 10 years . . .)
Therefore, there is very little regulation that needs to be done regarding an official title, ensignia or reward.
Secondly, I would also challenge the so labeled 'purists' to admit that at some point in their hike, they had some kind of assistance, including, but not exclusively as follows.
- Shipped food and supplies ahead for resupply.
- Bought food at a store, or even a meal off of the trail (restaurant, trail angel, etc.)
- Spent a night off the trail
This could constitute Slackpacking, as someone else trucked or packed the things you need ahead for your use while on the trail.
By the way, I do admire those who hump a backpack, eat, drink, sleep and perform other vital bodily functions on the trail.
However, it does not diminish the accomplishments of a 2,000 miler, regardless of their method. In today's age with all of the transportation, entertainment and recreation opportunities available, 2,000 miles is a very long walk.
My thru hike, if it is ever completed, could take the next 30 years or more. Some day hikes, some overnights, some multiples on the trail. My pace is slow, my mileage accumallation even slower, but I am enjoying my hike, my way and taking in as much of the beauty and wonder that I can in a very limited amount of time. If I don't finish it, I don't care. If I ever finish, I will be no less proud of the accomplishment of hiking in some form or another the Appalachian Trail in it's entirety . . . . all the way through.
"My thru hike, if it is ever completed, could take the next 30 years or more. Some day hikes, some overnights, some multiples on the trail."
While it personally doesn't matter that much to me, I do think that tradition says that a 2000 miler completes the trail in any amount of time while a Thru-hiker completes the 2000 miles in one calander year. My own preference and definition would be that the thru-hiker complete the trail within 12 consecutive months to include those who do winter hikes.
There is no "Official" definition of Thru-hiker because no official agency distiguishes or puts a time frame on an official 2000 miler.
A Section hike and a Thru-hike ARE, however, different beasts. Each is more difficult in some ways that the other is easier. My take on the issue is that a section hike is more difficult physically due to the additional logistics and the fact that the hiker usually doesn't get in optimum hiking shape before the section is over.
On the other hand, a Thru-hike is a much larger committment of time and life all in one chunk, not a series of vacations. It is also a much bigger psychological challange.
Neither is better or more admirable, but they are different, and as such, I have no problem with the distiction in terms 2000 Miler vs. Thu-hiker. It is a convienient differntiation.
The problem comes in when folks want to refine it down even farther than this broad distiction. In my experience, everyone seems to believe that the way I (they) did the trail is the "Proper" and the most admirable way to do it, and that if another person chose a different style, that they shouldn't equate themselves with me! I'm quite sure that no matter how you hiked your hike, someone at some point did it better, harder, faster, slower, purer, with fewer days off, more time smelling the flowers, helped more fellow hikers, ate fewer restaurant meals, provided more trail maintenance enroute, etc.
SOMEONE will always be able to veiw your hike as less of an accomplishment than their own. That is what makes this activity such a personal experience, even on the social AT. If everyone would accept this fact and recognize that beyond the broad definition, eveyone defines their hike for themselves, then we wouldn't have these issessent (sp?) arguments.
1n the Sun
06-18-2007, 14:21
I love helping folks slack pack. It usually becomes a short day hike for me too, as I usually shuffle off the opposite way for a 1/4 mile or so for the health of it, sometimes longer!!!!
I know lots of nice road access points and I'm pretty good at judging when to get tot eh trail heading and wait, or walk up the trail towards my slack packers and chill out with in the woods!!!
I't great for recovering from minor sprains and strains it can be a real pleasure to know that the following night includes another shower. Seems the ladies really appreciate this as the moon cycles around and draws us along with it.
Time To Fly 97
06-18-2007, 14:28
IMNHO: I can't imagine how slackpacking would be as fulfilling an experience as "purist" thru-hiking with a full pack. Thru-hikers are pretty amazing athletes and I just don't consider slack packers to be part of the elite. However...I hike my own hike and slackpackers are welcomed 1st cousins at my table!!!
Happy hiking!
TTF
Um...who cares about any of this? Titles are irrelevant.
[QUOTE=Dranoel;372804]MRC237... I thought you said LW was your God? Now he is just a "lowly" hero.
Only when he crossed the Kennebek walking on top of the water! ;)
smokymtnsteve
06-19-2007, 02:40
By the way, I do admire those who hump a backpack, eat, drink, sleep and perform other vital bodily functions on the trail.
.\\
somethings shouldn't be done on the trail...no body is that pure:D
Pokey2006
06-19-2007, 03:48
Time to Fly, I'll actually beg to differ: slackpacking can be just as challenging as carrying a full pack. Well, maybe not the Greylock slacks that DavidNH described...but many of my slackpacks were even more challenging than a regular day of hiking. I would often use it as an opportunity to get many miles done, doing 10 to 15 more miles in a day than I normally would. My only two over-20 mile days were slackpacks. I saw one group doing a crazy 30-mile hike as a slackpack...believe me, they were every bit the elite athletes, possibly moreso than the guy carrying a full pack who only went 10 miles that day.
Plus, you can't just stop and make camp when you get tired when you're on a slackpack -- you're forced to keep going to your intended destination. Almost makes it more of a challenge, I think.
Time To Fly 97
06-19-2007, 08:42
Hi Pokey,
Try going 30 miles with a full pack. : )
Happy hiking!
TTF
StarLyte
06-19-2007, 08:52
Some of my fondest memories are slacking friends.
The biggest slackers are the ones that thruhike/hike frequently....you know who you are....
Time To Fly 97
06-19-2007, 09:06
Let me add to the last post....
I consider you a kindred spirit because you hike...slacking or packing. I don't want to get into a foot sizing competition with you over this kinda trivial issue :rolleyes:
I do feel that the hiking experience is very different when you hike with a pack. In addition to the physical gratification (which I love), hiking with a full pack has some advantages: there is no itinerary, no arrival times, nothing from stopping me to stop and enjoy that beautiful place I didn't expect to see, more time to talk with great people I met, or take a swim, or take it easy if I'm about to pull a muscle...and nothing beats that complete relaxation around a campfire feeling after carrying a pack all day. To me this is a very different experience and my choice every time.
I'm not diminishing your choice to slack pack though. To me it is cool...but just not the same thing.
Happy hiking!
TTF
Cripe people..it's just walking.
Enjoy it.
Why make it more complicated?
Cripe people..it's just walking.
Enjoy it.
Why make it more complicated?
Enjoy? Screw that thought process.
Apparently it's fun to bitch & moan.
/I keed. I keed. :banana
Cripe people..it's just walking.
Enjoy it.
Why make it more complicated?
ditto.
12346790-
I do feel that the hiking experience is very different when you hike with a pack. In addition to the physical gratification (which I love), hiking with a full pack has some advantages: there is no itinerary, no arrival times, nothing from stopping me to stop and enjoy that beautiful place I didn't expect to see, more time to talk with great people I met, or take a swim, or take it easy if I'm about to pull a muscle...and nothing beats that complete relaxation around a campfire feeling after carrying a pack all day. To me this is a very different experience and my choice every time.
I think this is a pretty good summary of the disadvantages of slackpacking. I am certainly not going to swear off slackpacking as immoral or cowardly or whatever denigrators call it, but it does require sticking to a schedule and it can make a hike more of a race and less of an enjoyable experience.
In quantifiable terms, how much did it help me to slackpack? I travel pretty light anyway, so the packweight difference for me was probably less than 10 pounds. On two consecutive days in southern VA last year, I went 24 miles the slackpack day in the same amount of time it took me to go 20 miles the following day with my full pack over similar terrain.
To me, the biggest advantage (other than making more miles with less effort) is when you get to spend the evenings with friends. As I was hiking last year, I got to spend multiple nights with people I either hadn't seen in years, or with whom I don't get to spend nearly as much time as I'd like. That was priceless.
I mean, if you don't want to leave Miss Janet's house, you can still progress along the Trail by slacking. That was a no-brainer for me.:D
Marta/Five-Leaf
RadioFreq
06-19-2007, 15:23
I carried 10 days food over the top. :eek:
Whatever for? Were you planning on being trapped up there? :eek:
My only slack was the 18-19 miles out of Hanover. It allowed me to hike unencumbered on a very hot summers day and, most importantly, to come back to a favorite friend's home in Norwich for another night of good homecooked food, alcohol, conversation, clean sheets, shower, and laundry. No regrets, no apologies. I earned it, g-dammit! :banana