View Full Version : thanks baltimore jack!
after looking at the 2009 thru-hiker's companion, i was feeling a bit overwhelmed about where i would stop to re-supply, and how many miles i would have to do between those supply points.
reading your articles here and on trailplace helped very much and i so appreciate the time you put in writing them and the invaluable information you and others who came before me have provided to make my trip so much easier.
i had originally planned to hike the AT back in the mid 70's when i was still a young buck and thought about the adventure of the unknown that in was in store for me and got so excited.
i wasn't able to do the trip back then and now at my age, though the thought of adventure is still exciting, it is also a bit intimidating and daunting.
you and others who provide all this information have rested some of my obvious fears and i thank you!
TV
cowboy nichols
07-05-2009, 12:27
your still a kid , enjoy the hike.
saimyoji
07-05-2009, 12:30
Who is Baltimore Jack?
World-Wide
07-05-2009, 12:37
Who is Baltimore Jack?
Could be this guy on the attached site?? :) W-W http://www.trailcast.org/programs/40
Survivor Dave
07-05-2009, 13:02
Who is Baltimore Jack?
More like what.:D
Who is Baltimore Jack?
Let's make this a Jeopardy question.
Alex, "Legends in their own mind" for $600. He thru-hiked the AT every year from '97 to 2003.
max patch
07-05-2009, 14:04
A lot of the self proclaimed experts won't admit it, but Jack is the most reliable resource for info about thru hiking today's trail.
Survivor Dave
07-05-2009, 14:11
Let's make this a Jeopardy question.
Alex, "Legends in their own mind" for $600. He thru-hiked the AT every year from '97 to 2003.
So I guess Final Jeopardy would be when they stop producing bourbon.:p
Lone Wolf
07-05-2009, 14:12
Jack is the most reliable resource for info about thru hiking today's trail.
nope. this years and last years hikers are. jack hasn't thru-hiked in a long time
Cookerhiker
07-05-2009, 14:26
after looking at the 2009 thru-hiker's companion, i was feeling a bit overwhelmed about where i would stop to re-supply, and how many miles i would have to do between those supply points.
reading your articles here and on trailplace helped very much and i so appreciate the time you put in writing them and the invaluable information you and others who came before me have provided to make my trip so much easier.
i had originally planned to hike the AT back in the mid 70's when i was still a young buck and thought about the adventure of the unknown that in was in store for me and got so excited.
i wasn't able to do the trip back then and now at my age, though the thought of adventure is still exciting, it is also a bit intimidating and daunting.
you and others who provide all this information have rested some of my obvious fears and i thank you!
TV
TV, I'm sure you'll do fine and for heaven's sake, don't worry about the age non-factor. I didn't have time in my "young buck" years of the 1970s either but you know what? I'm in much better shape now despite being in my 7th decade. Prior to 2004, I had never hiked more than 50 miles at a clip and like you, was intimidated at truly long-distance hiking with resupply, transportation, fitness concerns etc. I retired in 2003 and in 2 years, finished my remaining 1,400 miles. You can do it!
drastic_quench
07-05-2009, 14:31
nope. this years and last years hikers are. jack hasn't thru-hiked in a long time
Man, you're relentless. Upon finding wildflowers in the forest, is your first instinct to **** on them?
Lone Wolf
07-05-2009, 14:40
Man, you're relentless. Upon finding wildflowers in the forest, is your first instinct to **** on them?
just statin' the facts
Darwin again
07-05-2009, 15:07
just statin' the facts
Anger and jealousy eat one up from the inside, precipitating all manner of illness, both physical and mental.
Jack's writings have helped me immensely in the course of my AT hiking.
It's easy to tell the difference between ad hominem bluster and real Trail knowledge...
Thanks, Jack!
A lot of the self proclaimed experts won't admit it, but Jack is the most reliable resource for info about thru hiking today's trail.
What type of info is that?
Lone Wolf
07-05-2009, 15:18
Anger and jealousy eat one up from the inside, precipitating all manner of illness, both physical and mental.
Jack's writings have helped me immensely in the course of my AT hiking.
It's easy to tell the difference between ad hominem bluster and real Trail knowledge...
Thanks, Jack!
that's funny hunny :D
that's funny hunny :DI know, but I think he was serious.
Lone Wolf
07-05-2009, 15:27
I know, but I think he was serious.
is he jealous and angry of me, jack or both?
Anger and jealousy eat one up from the inside, precipitating all manner of illness, both physical and mental.
Channeling Dr. Phil? :D
kayak karl
07-05-2009, 15:43
they stop producing bourbon.:p
.....:eek:.....
thanks cowboy and cooker. appreciate the leg up.
Red Beard
07-05-2009, 19:07
just statin' the facts
I would think that Wolf has a point. While Jack's articles have their merits, the info is from a while back.
Lots of things have changed since I started dreaming about a thru-hike; Mountain Mamma's closing, various trail re-routes (lots of the AT used to be on highways and roads), and even attidudes in towns towards thru-hikers.
I have the utmost respect for Jack, but you guys should really cut Wolf some slack.
Nicksaari
07-06-2009, 00:29
Baltimore Jack and Lone Wolf are equal in coolness, although i dont know either of them personally. whats up guys!? how have you been Lone Wolf?
What type of info is that?
best party stops easily reachable by white or yellow blaze
Darwin again
07-06-2009, 08:16
Baltimore Jack and Lone Wolf are equal in coolness, although i dont know either of them personally. whats up guys!? how have you been Lone Wolf?
This.
Jack and Wolfie are equally cool, just in different ways.
(Though the wolf hasn't published yet: Publish or perish, dude!)
Kind of like donuts and apple strudels are awesome, but just different.
Or the City and the mountains. Or the intertubes and cable tee vee.
Or smoking and not smoking, or drinking and not drinking.
{And yes, just about nothing I write here is serious or meant to be taken seriously. :rolleyes: (Everybody bends reality into the shape they need it to be, according to their needs/wants/abilities.)}
Chaco Taco
07-06-2009, 22:01
Baltimore Jack and Lone Wolf are equal in coolness, although i dont know either of them personally. whats up guys!? how have you been Lone Wolf?
Yea and if you met them both it wouldnt take long to figure out who is the cooler one. There is no way they are equal in coolness.
http://www.worldwayfarer.com/worldwayfarer/images/graywolf.jpg
Chaco Taco
07-06-2009, 22:12
I will say this about Jack, he is knowledgable of some things, but dont ever tell him that. Its one thing to be knowledgable, but to insert that knowledge into every single discussion about every single topic, sometimes its just nice to sit back and watch.
Chaco Taco
07-06-2009, 22:17
A lot of the self proclaimed experts won't admit it, but Jack is the most reliable resource for info about thru hiking today's trail.
I strongly disagree
Darwin again
07-07-2009, 09:11
I strongly disagree
... he wrote, thinking people actually cared what he thought.
Jack is an educated gentleman, confident in his opinions and his knowledge.
If you ask him for help, he will help you.
if you insult him, he will respond in kind.
Treat others as you'd like to be treated, kid.
It's age-old wisdom and may get you out of a mess sometime.
I strongly disagree
i agree with this disagreement. plus wolf doesn't put his stinky fingers on my pork chops.
... he wrote, thinking people actually cared what he thought.
Jack is an educated gentleman, confident in his opinions and his knowledge.
If you ask him for help, he will help you.
if you insult him, he will respond in kind.
Treat others as you'd like to be treated, kid.
It's age-old wisdom and may get you out of a mess sometime.
...he wrote, not realizing he was a pot.
Alligator
07-07-2009, 11:03
To avoid some issues that we've had in the past, this thread is closed. You can always PM Jack with your thanks, provided he has cleaned out his PM box:p.
Jack Tarlin
07-07-2009, 13:14
Geez, the things you find here when you've been away hiking for awhile.
I see that someone started a thread about me a few days back....would've been glad to respond to it but I only just saw it.....and it's been shut down already!
Just want to say thanx to the guy who started the thread as well as the folks who added some kind words.
My sole intent on joining this website (almost seven years ago!) was to answer questions and help out the new guys, and I like to think that 10,000 posts later (:eek: !!) I've managed to do that, at least on occasion.
Rather than respnd to the folks with the less than kind words, I just want to say that this is what I hope to continure doing here. There will always be new people, and they'll always have questions. Some of them will indeed be questions that have been addressed here time and time again, but that doesn't mean they don't need an answer. So I'm glad to help out if I can.
Hey....being me, I have to respond to a few of the negative words: Somebody said my information here (presumably the Re-Supply Article) was out of date and from a few years back. Yup. This is true; it hasn't been updated since the winter of 2007, and the main reason was because it didn't seem to need much of an update. The obvious stuff (like Miss Janet's being closed or whatever) was widely known, and the new stuff (like new hostels opening or shelters) was very adequately covered in the three major thru-hiker Trail guides, which all seem to improve each year. As nearly every hiker makes use of one of these guides, it didn't seem necessary to add things that folks already knew. I think the Re-Supply Article as it stands is still quite accurate; used in conjunction with one of the 3 guides, I think it'll tell folks what they need to know. I've met dozens of folks this year who've been kind enough to comment on it, and it seems to be holding up pretty well.
Obviously, there are things and places that aren't in it (if my critics bothered to read the introductory comments to the Article, they'd see that I've always acknowledged this). But on the whole, I think the Article holds up pretty well. Time permitting, I'll update it this winter before the 2010 hiking season. Meanwhile, if any of my critics think it's out of touch or out of date, well they're certainly willing to re-place it with a work of their own.
And finally, to a persistent critic, who always seems to accentuate the negative with his posts here on Whiteblaze, well, he's right. I haven't thru-hiked since 2003. But I've been out consistently since then, with close to 1,000 miles every year since, and by October, that will include this year.
If he's spent more time actually hiking on the A.T. in recent years, and is therefore in a better position to inform folks about the Trail and Trail facilities as a result of his greater recent mileage and expertise, well he's welcome to tell us.
And when he DOESN'T do this, well that will tell us something, too.
But some folks actually might need to know more about Trail conditions than what they'll find between Mt. Rogers Outfitters and Dot's Cafe. :D
In any case, I'm back hiking tomorrow. Thanx again for the kind comments, and hope to see some of you at the ATC Bi-ennial or the Rutland Festival.