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Brushy Sage
11-09-2004, 11:33
We've probably all read that there is no free second cup of coffee north of Pennsylvania. On the other hand, there are probably kindnesses that are extended in the north that aren't characteristic in the south. AT hikers have opportunities to interact with people from Maine to Georgia, and are in a position to experience some of the differences in cultural patterns in Appalachian people that go back to the American Revolution or beyond. Without getting too judgmental, can we talk about some of our contacts that illustrate those differences?

MOWGLI
11-09-2004, 11:37
. Without getting too judgmental, can we talk about some of our contacts that illustrate those differences?

In the south (excepting PA) there are far more pick-up trucks. That makes hitching alot easier. I'd prefer to put my stinky self in the bed of a pick-up than on the cloth seat of a Lexus. Fact is, I found hitching much easier in the south than in the north. FYI, hitching anyplace in New York can get you arrested.

Blue Jay
11-09-2004, 11:46
FYI, hitching anyplace in New York can get you arrested.

Actually there are laws against hitching in all 13 states. In NY, you might be a terrorist. What's that in your pack, BOY.

hikerdude
11-09-2004, 12:05
Ya bunch of smelly bums and transients with your muddy boots get out of town. First how much money you carry?

MOWGLI
11-09-2004, 12:24
Actually there are laws against hitching in all 13 states. In NY, you might be a terrorist. What's that in your pack, BOY.

I have never been hasseled anywhere but New York. Then again Blue Jay, you have spent more time on the AT than I have.

The RTE 17 crossing near the entrance to Harriman State Park is one place to NEVER hitch. The Tuxedo/Ramapo police will break your chops BIG TIME. I know, they did it to me when I was badly dehydrated and sorely in need of fluids.

Rain Man
11-09-2004, 13:35
In the south (excepting PA) ...

WHUT??? Whar you frum, BOY???

Pennsylvania is in tha SOUTH??? I don't think so!

Having cleared THAT up ... I'll say that I met very nice folks in Maine when I was up there in September. Maine ain't part of the South too, is it?

:sun
Rain Man



.

Blue Jay
11-09-2004, 14:05
I have never been hasseled anywhere but New York.

I wasn't disagreeing with you. The only place I've ever been hasseled is in NY. When I did The Northville-Placid Trail, it was 3 miles into Blue Mountain Lake, NY (as wonderful a Trail Town as any on the AT). It was pouring rain and cold. A state trooper shadowed me the entire way making damn sure I didn't even try to get a ride.

smokymtnsteve
11-09-2004, 14:08
I wasn't disagreeing with you. The only place I've ever been hasseled is in NY. When I did The Northville-Placid Trail, it was 3 miles into Blue Mountain Lake (as wonderful a Trail Town as any on the AT). It was pouring rain and cold. A state trooper shadowed me the entire way making damn sure I didn't even try to get a ride.


I feel much safer,

TDale
11-09-2004, 14:13
Dayum Yaynkees.

Rocalousas
11-09-2004, 14:17
In the south (excepting PA)
You gotta remember, MOWGLI16 is from New Yawk

MOWGLI
11-09-2004, 14:39
I'll say that I met very nice folks in Maine when I was up there in September. Maine ain't part of the South too, is it?



There are nice folks all along the trail. One of the nicest folks I met along the trail was a logger who picked me up in his 18-wheeler, and drove me into Andover, ME. So much for the idea that loggers and enviromental activist types can't get along.

My point about PA is that it is the exception to the pick-up truck rule. Pick-up trucks are most abundant in the south, and their frequency decreases the further north you go. PA, based on my experience there in 2000, has just about as many pick-up trucks as GA or TN.

Yeah, and I am a damn yankee. Sorry.

Tabasco
11-09-2004, 15:10
I'd prefer to put my stinky self in the bed of a pick-up than on the cloth seat of a Lexus.

I have never seen a Lexus with cloth seats. Do they even offer that as an option?

oyvay
11-09-2004, 15:11
Southerners are definitely more polite than Yankees. I've heard more people use "sir" and "ma'am" more in the South. Most Yankees are an oxymoron of "intelligent idiots." More book learning, but incredibly stupid in the friendly areas. I'm not being prejudiced, I used to be one of the ignorant Yankees now I'm an enlightened Yankee. I like my ice tea sweet and my grits buttered with real butter.

MOWGLI
11-09-2004, 15:22
Southerners are definitely more polite than Yankees.

That is often true, but not always. In the 18 months I have lived in Tennessee, I have had at least a half dozen Southerners describe southern hospitality as an inch deep, and a mile wide. Again, that is sometimes true, but not always.

I think the biggest difference between New Yorkers and Southerners is that in New York, having a direct communication style is considered an attribute. In the south, directness is frowned upon.

In other words, with Yankees, more often than not, what you see is what you get.

c.coyle
11-09-2004, 15:35
My point about PA is that it is the exception to the pick-up truck rule. Pick-up trucks are most abundant in the south, and their frequency decreases the further north you go. PA, based on my experience there in 2000, has just about as many pick-up trucks as GA or TN.

And why is that? Because of the definition of "Pennsylvania":

Pittsburgh on one end, Philadelphia on the other end, and [Insert any southern state here] up the middle. :clap

MisterSweetie
11-09-2004, 16:28
WHUT??? Whar you frum, BOY???

Pennsylvania is in tha SOUTH??? I don't think so!

Ha, that's what I was thinking... doesn't matter to me anyway, I just got a chuckle from PA being in the South.

Youngblood
11-09-2004, 16:41
Actually there are laws against hitching in all 13 states. ...

For some reason I was under the impression that hitching was generally okay outside of city limits, but not necessarily inside city limits because of local ordinances.

Youngblood

steve hiker
11-09-2004, 17:57
Ha, that's what I was thinking... doesn't matter to me anyway, I just got a chuckle from PA being in the South.
I used to react with disbelief when someone would say Virginia is in the South. Looking at a map from my perspective, it sure seems waaaay up north. Once, I even heard some idiot say Kentucky was a southern state!

Magic City
11-09-2004, 19:04
Pick-up trucks are most abundant in the south, and their frequency decreases the further north you go. PA, based on my experience there in 2000, has just about as many pick-up trucks as GA or TN.
It increases again when you get into Maine, particularly northern Maine. It seems that nearly every other vehicle in Millinocket is a pickup truck.

TDale
11-09-2004, 20:10
Being born in Georgia, and having lived in Kentucky, I can agree that Kentucky is not a Southern State.

No offense intended to Dayum Yaynkees, BTW. Some of my best friends are Northern Aggressors. :D

SGT Rock
11-09-2004, 20:20
Being born in Georgia, and having lived in Kentucky, I can agree that Kentucky is not a Southern State.

No offense intended to Dayum Yaynkees, BTW. Some of my best friends are Northern Aggressors. :D

Actually Kentucky was in the Union during the war. A lot of folks from Kentucky didn't like being reminded of that when I lived there.

MOWGLI
11-09-2004, 20:36
Some of my best friends are Northern Aggressors. :D

This damn Yankee was at Shiloh National Military Park this past weekend. A fascinating place! I got to take a tour of the park with Model T and a large group from Tennessee Trails Association. I highly recommend a visit to the park if you are a history buff, or even if you are not.

rickb
11-09-2004, 20:49
"We've probably all read that there is no free second cup of coffee north of Pennsylvania."

Huh?

weary
11-09-2004, 21:22
I wasn't disagreeing with you. The only place I've ever been hasseled is in NY. When I did The Northville-Placid Trail, it was 3 miles into Blue Mountain Lake, NY (as wonderful a Trail Town as any on the AT). It was pouring rain and cold. A state trooper shadowed me the entire way making damn sure I didn't even try to get a ride.

I wasn't hassled in New York. It was just the only state where, however hard I tried, I couldn't get a ride. When I went through in 93 Harriman was closed becaue of fire danger. I called my wife's aunt and arranged for her to pick me up and drive me around Harriman. When it was clear I couldn't make our rendezvous place, I left my grandson with a trail companion, and tried to hitchhike. A hundred cars went by. None stopped.

Weary

TDale
11-09-2004, 21:22
This damn Yankee was at Shiloh National Military Park this past weekend.
Obviously, Border Control is at an all time low in efficiency.

;)

prozac
11-09-2004, 23:09
If you want an easy hitch anywhere south of New York just wear a Dale Earnhart hat. That big #3 is a guaranteed ride.

minnesotasmith
11-15-2004, 20:43
"Actually Kentucky was in the Union during the war. "

From http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/lexington/civilwar.htm

"During the conflict, over 75,000 Kentuckians fought with the Federal army, while approximately 25,000 of their fellow Kentuckians enlisted in the Confederacy. Over 20,000 of the Union soldiers from Kentucky were African-American."

Doing a little math, (75,000 - 20,000) = 55,000. That's just a bit more than twice 25,000. That is, about a third of the white Kentuckians who fought in the Civil War showed in the most sincere way possible that their state loyalty was to the Confederacy. Now, when you factor in whatever effect the Federal draft had (there was never any Confederate draft in Kentucky), the massive Federal bounties given for volunteers later in the war, and the difficulty that civilian men in Federal-occupied territory (which Kentucky was for most of the war) would have had in reaching Confederate territory where they could join the Confederate Army, and I think that a fair case can be made for Kentuckian citizenry loyalties in that war being split pretty much evenly.

TakeABreak
11-15-2004, 23:57
I found it was generally easy to get a ride almost anywhere except around the White's or in Vermont. for some reason I took me forever to get ride in these area's. I also prefer to geta ride from someone with a pick up truck, I would just tell where I wanted to be dropped off and hop in the back. Severall offer to let me ride up front, and I accepted a couple of times, but generally speaking I rode in back.

I know when I have picked up people while living the trail, my pick up would smell for a little while after they got out. And if they were dirty - dirty, I would not pick them up or tell they get in the back, which I have a camper shell on my truck and couple actually acted insulted by that.

When I started the trail I actually never expected anyone in a car or SUV to pick me up, I assumed if I did not get a ride in the back of a pick up truck I was walking to town. I knew I smelled something awful and I am sure that people live near the trails, have done it enough that they know hikers smell.

In all honestly If where driving a newer vehicle with cloth seats I would not pick up a bunch smelly, dirty people. Who wants their seats and vehicle stinking.

Jaybird
11-16-2004, 06:28
i saw that too..RAINMAN....PENNSYLVANIA in the SOUTH?????????


last i heard....Virginia & below is considered SOUTH....

Now with that out of the way....a funny story to relate:


My first time hiking with "Jigsaw" (my hikin' bud from Mass.) we stopped for a shower & a bunk @ N.O.C. & was having lunch @ the restuarant there on the Nantahala River....the waitress asked Jigsaw]:..."Hon, wattchu hav' ta drank?"[/I]Sweettea?"

Jigsaw looks @ me with a look of horror on his face....i said: "Sweet Tea".
... He'll have a Coke!" (by the way all soft drinks or soda pop is called a Coke in the south...no matter what the name brand or flavor!)


She brought him a Pepsi. hehehehehehehehe! :D

The Hog
11-16-2004, 07:26
Whenever I would gush about how friendly southerners were, my hiking partner James would offer a counterpoint. He was somewhere in N. Carolina or Tennessee hiking along a dirt road in the cold rain, feeling totally miserable, when a pickup truck pulled up. The window opened just a crack, and a man inside said, "Got yer raingear on, eh? HAW, HAW, HAW!!!!! I hear it's going to rain for three more days, HAW, HAW, HAW!!!!! Then he rolled the window up and sped away, leaving James standing there in the freezing rain.

Nevertheless, I still gush about how friendly southerners are. And northerners, too.

chomp
11-16-2004, 10:47
Actually there are laws against hitching in all 13 states. This is totally wrong. The only states that I know for certain have laws against hitchhiking are NY and NJ. I also know for certain that NH allows hitchhiking:

http://www.digihitch.com/usa348.html
(http://www.digihitch.com/usa348.html)
If you search the LAWS section of this site, you will see that there are laws limiting HOW you can hitch a ride. Basically, you need to stand on the shoulder of the road, best if you are off the pavement. NY and NJ have the toughest. Maine allows hitchhiking on the shoulder during the day, but not at night.

Rain Man
11-16-2004, 10:59
Then he rolled the window up and sped away, ....

Damn tourists!!!

:D

minnesotasmith
11-16-2004, 11:44
"Quote:
Originally Posted by MOWGLI16
This damn Yankee was at Shiloh National Military Park this past weekend.


Obviously, Border Control is at an all time low in efficiency."

Bjorkin
11-16-2004, 14:33
In the south (excepting PA) there are far more pick-up trucks. That makes hitching alot easier. I'd prefer to put my stinky self in the bed of a pick-up than on the cloth seat of a Lexus. Fact is, I found hitching much easier in the south than in the north. FYI, hitching anyplace in New York can get you arrested.


I know we're just having fun, but I cannot believe how many people missed this. Reading comprehension is obviously not in direct correlation to hiking experience. :)

He never said PA was in the south. He said in the south there are more pickup trucks than in the north with the EXCEPTION of PA. Meaning, there are as many trucks in PA as in a southern state.

Technically, the Mason-Dixon line runs along the southern border of PA meaning MD, WV,VA and everything south is the south. In reality, I only consider a state a southern state if it's common to hear one as the punchline of a southern joke.

MOWGLI
11-16-2004, 17:57
Reading comprehension is obviously not in direct correlation to hiking experience. :)



Yeah, kinda like the relationship between the intelligence of the individual voter, and the worthiness of a winning candidate in a general election. :D

Ooooh - the Yankee fires a shot across the proverbial bow!

Trapper01
11-16-2004, 20:29
Living in SOUTH Alabama most of my life I can honestly tell you, do not mistake politeness for kindness.

Scaper
11-16-2004, 20:47
During my 1990 thru-hike I didn't notice any difference between the people I met in the south and the north. The people I met seem to go out of there way to make me feel welcome. I did have a number of problems with town dogs. Mostly on my road walks into towns. I was bitten by a small dog in Erwin and found out later that this dog had bitten a number of hikers this year. I did notice that a number of thru-hikers this year had the attitude that they owned the towns when they arrived and did not respect the store owners. This just makes it harder for the next group of hikers that come into town. I was at an all you can eat rest. in Rangeley Me. on a busy Sunday morning and the owner came over and politely ask us if we could make some room for the customers who had been waiting. We had been there for well over an hour and had plenty to eat so I kindly respected the owners request and left. The other hikers gave the owner an earfull before leaving. Incidents like this just give the hikers a bad name. I would have to say that 95 % of the people I met in town were great, south and north. Scaper

Rain Man
11-16-2004, 21:18
I know we're just having fun, but I cannot believe how many people missed this. Reading comprehension is obviously not in direct correlation to hiking experience. :)

He never said PA was in the south. He said in the south there are more pickup trucks than in the north with the EXCEPTION of PA. ...

Like the famous newspaper ad "Piano for sale by owner with one cracked leg."

It says exactly what it says.

Might wanna study syntax for fun, Bjorkin. In meantime, HYOH.

I figgered a 'cracked leg' example wuz good fer a hiking site! LOL
:sun
Rain Man

.

Hikerhead
11-16-2004, 21:52
i saw that too..RAINMAN....PENNSYLVANIA in the SOUTH?????????


last i heard....Virginia & below is considered SOUTH....

Now with that out of the way....a funny story to relate:


My first time hiking with "Jigsaw" (my hikin' bud from Mass.) we stopped for a shower & a bunk @ N.O.C. & was having lunch @ the restuarant there on the Nantahala River....the waitress asked Jigsaw]:..."Hon, wattchu hav' ta drank?"[/I]Sweettea?"

Jigsaw looks @ me with a look of horror on his face....i said: "Sweet Tea".
... He'll have a Coke!" (by the way all soft drinks or soda pop is called a Coke in the south...no matter what the name brand or flavor!)


She brought him a Pepsi. hehehehehehehehe! :D

That's funny :) And don't ask for a ham biscuit in NH. They won't know what you're talking about.

minnesotasmith
11-16-2004, 22:42
"I was bitten by a small dog in Erwin and found out later that this dog had bitten a number of hikers this year."

I'm surprised that dog has survived. If I was minding my own business, and that happened to me, I would have stomped it to death or thrown it out into oncoming traffic, and then told the owners to cover my medical costs, or I'd sue them.

Pencil Pusher
11-17-2004, 05:40
Kick the dog, okay. If it dies, too bad, so sad. But to knowingly kill the yipper?

minnesotasmith
11-17-2004, 09:35
A dog (or any other domestic animal) that attacks me when I have given it no reason to do so has crossed the line out of being protected by civilized rules. It has defined itself as surplus to civilization, something that has no place where humans live, and not protected in any way (by custom, law, or sentiment) from whatever harm it can be arranged for it to receive. The owner basically has an animal too many at that point, one there is no place for anywhere, and it is only justice for it to die. It's kind of like a little Jeffrey Dahmer, Osama Bin Laden, or Valerie Solanus, only a little less smart and a little less culpable; that means that just killing it as efficiently as the victim can arrange is the most appropriate response IMO. That is, its pain is neither to be sought nor sorrowed over, just removal of the threat by means as expeditious and permanent as can be arranged on the spot.

weary
11-17-2004, 22:41
A dog (or any other domestic animal) that attacks me when I have given it no reason to do so has crossed the line out of being protected by civilized rules. It has defined itself as surplus to civilization, something that has no place where humans live, and not protected in any way (by custom, law, or sentiment) from whatever harm it can be arranged for it to receive. The owner basically has an animal too many at that point, one there is no place for anywhere, and it is only justice for it to die. It's kind of like a little Jeffrey Dahmer, Osama Bin Laden, or Valerie Solanus, only a little less smart and a little less culpable; that means that just killing it efficiently as the victim can arrange is the most appropriate response IMO. That is, its pain is neither to be sought nor sorrowed over, just removal of the threat by means as expeditious and permanent as can be arranged on the spot.

A friend of mine who was hurt in an industrial accident many years ago and now has a withered foot that the doctors say should be amputated, but he can't bring himself to have the surgery done.

Anyway, he runs a few beef cattle on his small part time farm. Income from the annual sale of a few steers and workmen's compensation keeps him alive. A few years ago he saw dogs nipping at and chasing the calves that were to be his next years income. Maine law says dogs have to be kept under the control of the owner or tied up.

After two days of watching the harassment of his crop, he got out his hunting rifle and shot the dogs. Well it turned out that the dogs were owned by a guy who had just arrived in town to supervise the construction of a replica of the norse boat being built to reenact the norseman voyage that resulted in a norse colony on newfoundland.

The shooting made all the papers. My friend was condemned in news stories and editorials in papers across the state. I finally wrote a letter to the editor saying a good word for the guy. He's a single father, who raised two sons by himself, one of whom is now chair of the town's shellfish conservation committee, and noting when a hunter killed one of his cows, he refused to post his land, "why should I punish everyone for what one jerk has done," he had explained.

Despite my best efforts, the case went to court. My friend was fined $1,500. I bought the book of the reenactment of the norseman's trip from the remainder table of a local bookstore the other day. It was interesting, but not great. My letter was mentioned a bit obliquely, something about how the shooting of his beloved dogs allegedly was treated in the local press as a joke.

weary

minnesotasmith
11-17-2004, 22:51
I take it you are saying you at least partially agree with my position?

I would add that if that boat construction supervisor REALLY loved his dogs, he'd have gone to the effort of tying them up.

Pencil Pusher
11-17-2004, 23:21
It's a double-edged sword: He's agreeing with you in concept, but showing the reality of idiots killing dogs (hint, hint). Well, dogs of an owner that gets press coverage...

grrickar
11-17-2004, 23:41
Back on the topic of hitching, we had trouble on our section hike hitching down from Clingman Dome. It was getting dark, and as anyone knows who has done that section the trail gets *really* close to the road. We saw a bunch of cars parked on the side of the road where a side trail joins up with the AT, then goes on to Mt. Collins Shelter. We presumed that the cars meant that local college kids were there at the shelter. Once we saw the sign for the shelter, and that it was .5 mile off the trail we decided not to stay there for the night. We walked to the road, stuck out our thumb and tried to hitch into Gatlingburg. No dice. We reentered the woods and hiked another mile, then walked to the road again. After about 15 minutes we finally got a ride with a guy from Alabama, which is where I was born and raised. He gave us a ride to the main road, where we had no problem getting a hitch into Gatlingburg for the night from a young family from Missouri.

I stood there amazed that so many pickups went by us. I guess Gatlingburg is mostly tourists, and tourists not too willing to stop and give someone a ride in the back of their truck.

minnesotasmith
11-18-2004, 01:03
I would be a fully intelligent person at that moment (quite apart from intelligently going about the task of killing that dog, another issue altogether). Now, someone who is being bitten by a dog, and cannot figure out that maybe killing that dog is an option, well, that doesn't sound all that intelligent to me...

Seraphim
01-08-2005, 19:44
Southerners are definitely more polite than Yankees. I've heard more people use "sir" and "ma'am" more in the South. Most Yankees are an oxymoron of "intelligent idiots." More book learning, but incredibly stupid in the friendly areas. I'm not being prejudiced, I used to be one of the ignorant Yankees now I'm an enlightened Yankee. I like my ice tea sweet and my grits buttered with real butter.
Whooooooooeeeeeeeee, Oyvay, that's proper! I had 'ice tea' for the first time this summer in PA when I ordered it at some restaurant, and proceeded to spit it out because there's no sugar! What kinda sweet tea is that?! Seriously, though, I agree with the above. Not every American is smart, polite, or clean, but I think townspeople on the AT are a rare breed themselves, north or south. If they are aware the trail is there, which I would hope, then they interact with hikers half the year, either intentionally or not. Wouldn't that give you a bit of a difference? I'm not getting into Yankees vs Peaches, because that's something I've learned not to delve into. It was never hard for me to get a ride, so I cannot gauge friendliness by rides.

Yep, definitely more pickups, more ma'am and sir, free lemonade and moonshine in GA than ME... But as Trapper said, don't mistake politeness for kindness. Though much of my family and friends live in the south, and I have received lots of love in the south, I have seen the PURE KINDNESS of Yankees. Trail magic in the North for me included staying at a mayor's house and going to a martini bar in NY with him, staying with a family for almost a WEEK in NH and being treated like I was one of their own, going to a party in CT with a bunch of high school kids I met at the ice cream store and getting to make myself a REAL dinner, playing piano at a ladys' house for hours, getting a ride to the hospital in the middle of a terrible thunderstorm in the middle of nowhere, VT, thirty miles from where I had to go... And the grand finale: in the 100 mile, crossing the west branch of the Pleasant River ( right before the Gulf Hagas trail) my hiking partner and I were bombarded out of nowhere by PEOPLE! Lots of them! At five at night, all these teenagers are wading through the river, looking like goofs, and we plow through to the other side before they could even ask us a question. So we sit on the bench, and some adults come up and start talking to us. Turns out they're a high school group, out on an outdoor-extravaganza. Yadda yadda yadda, we're invited to dinner, it was Dingle, Coyote and I, we told stories and answered questions and hung out with a hundred high school kids and GRUBBED OUT all night long on BBQ and wonderfulness, in the wilderness, less than a week before our summit. It is one of my favourite memories, next to getting kicked out of the YMCA in Waynesboro. The Mason Dixon isn't a real line. But as soon as you cross it, you can tell. Be in the right place at the right time OR say the right things, you'll reap the rewards. Other days, you'll get a ride with a sex-crazed maniac in NY and you might have to pull your knife. Bottom line: Hospitality sometimes depends on mentality, and it's all in your head.

Seraphim
01-08-2005, 19:49
I would be a fully intelligent person at that moment (quite apart from intelligently going about the task of killing that dog, another issue altogether). Now, someone who is being bitten by a dog, and cannot figure out that maybe killing that dog is an option, well, that doesn't sound all that intelligent to me...
Do you talk about anything besides dogs? You know, bear and moose are more dangerous than dogs, and those aren't ever leashed on the trail. Give it up. They're dogs, they're allowed, and you can't do anything about their behaviour.

swamp dawg
01-08-2005, 22:38
I was really expecting the folks in the north to be infected with a bad case of attitude. Well, I could not have been more wrong because without exception the people along the trail in the north could not have been kinder. Over the years, I have received all manner of trail magic and much needed rides to town. Very early one morning in Mass., a man came out of his house with a pan of homemade scones and insisted that we eat all we wanted-we did. The only negative is the lack of southern wine, sweet tea but you can't have everything.
Life is good on the trail... Swamp Dawg

neo
01-09-2005, 01:36
there are both good and bad people,north and south of the mason dixon line
:sun neo

Mountain Dew
01-09-2005, 04:10
I'd trade the New Cuba oops I mean Florida to the north for a Pa. or ohhh say MAINE ....any day of the week ! Pa. has more rednecks than many Southern states do and Mainers are just down right polite !

minnesotasmith
01-09-2005, 04:46
Do you first tell them (when you are) you are carrying illegal drugs with you? That seems to be IMO a mandated courtesy; they should have the option to decide if your company for the evening would be worth having their vehicle/house/children confiscated by the gov't, to say nothing of losing their jobs, being put in jail, etc.

weary
01-09-2005, 10:09
Do you first tell them (when you are) you are carrying illegal drugs with you? That seems to be IMO a mandated courtesy; they should have the option to decide if your company for the evening would be worth having their vehicle/house/children confiscated by the gov't, to say nothing of losing their jobs, being put in jail, etc.
MS, you are being paranoid again.

minnesotasmith
01-09-2005, 10:33
"MS, you are being paranoid again."

She is an admitted drug user, with no intention of quitting.

Too, even if the cops don't get involved, there is another risk (unacceptable IMO) to allowing a druggie into your vehicle, home, place of business, life, etc. That is that a huge percentage of them are thieves, placing satisfying their addiction above personal honor, vows, and laws. They tend to have messed-up personal lives, especially financially, so are disproportionately likely to be broke, right when they want a fix, and if they can get to your money and stuff, start kissing your stuff goodbye.

Even tobacco fume addicts can be this way; I have seen multiple smokers when broke filch money and pocket items from roommates, family members, friends, and coworkers to finance more fixes for their habit. For that reason, smokers without steady income are bad bets as associates as well. Although, since tobacco generally is considerably less expensive than most illegal drugs, and is less likely to interfere with a user's ability to work, such addicts are not as extreme of bad bets to be around. (Plus, many of them are completely inconsiderate of nonsmokers when they decide to get a fix.)

Alcohol is a special case. Most drinkers (I am one, if barely) do NOT have it interfere with their lives, managing to live honorably and productively. However, a certain percentage (I would put it around 20% at least) are full-blown addicts, and are even worse bets to be around than tobacco addicts. My method for quickly differentiating them is to a) note if they use alcohol every day that it is an option; b) they become combative at the idea of skipping drinking today, or curtailing their drinking early on a day they have already begun drinking; c) drinking is more important to them than many or most other things; d) they can't pass up free alcohol; d) basically, they have a history of alcohol usage screwing up their lives (multiple DWIs, fighting while drinking, losing jobs or relationships due to booze, etc.).

Even former drinkers can be irritating. I am virtually a nondrinker (1 glass of wine about 4x a year at dinner at my parents' or sister's only), so you would think that an ex-drinker active member of Alcoholics Anonymous would be a good match. I dated such a woman about 3 times about 10 years ago; she had not had a drink in almost 3 years. In fact, she could not go to a restaurant where other people (at other tables) had a glass of wine, watch a movie where someone took a drink, etc., without it being the focus of the evening for her. She then could talk of nothing else for an hour or more.

For all the above reasons, I have no tolerance for or desire to be around people with any chemical addiction.

oldfivetango
01-09-2005, 10:50
I would be a fully intelligent person at that moment (quite apart from intelligently going about the task of killing that dog, another issue altogether). Now, someone who is being bitten by a dog, and cannot figure out that maybe killing that dog is an option, well, that doesn't sound all that intelligent to me...
My only question is this- how you gonna do it? In this day of political
correctness i thought we dont "pack" on the trail anymore.

I get a feeling i will be doing lots of walking into town with the stick
and spray handy for the locals and their dogs.

And one more thing- down here where i come from we shoot whatever
and whoever is eating the cows if they don't have permission to do so.
Oldfivetango:D

Skyline
01-09-2005, 11:43
I found friendly folks in all 14 states, and much goodwill toward long distance hikers. It was often, but not always, returned by hikers. Negative encounters in any state were very rare.

I had the most difficulty getting hitches in CT and MA. Once, after a bad fall when I was trying to get back over to Rt. 7 in CT (West Cornwall Rd.), it took almost two hours to get a ride. Tons of sedans, SUVs, and some pickups hit the gas when they saw me at the A.T. crossing. Finally, a pickup with CT plates occupied by a man, woman, and small child stopped. As soon as the man said hi, I understood: The Alabama accent was unmistakable. His family had recently relocated to CT.

Lone Wolf
01-09-2005, 11:57
The more rural and simply folks live, the friendlier they are. Ain't got nothing to do with with being from the north or south.

MOWGLI
01-09-2005, 12:16
For all the above reasons, I have no tolerance for or desire to be around people with any chemical addiction.

Well then, that solves it! Clearly the Appalachian Trail is not for you! The combination of pot smokers and ferocious Weiner Dogs makes the AT a very inhospitable place for folks like you. Too bad. You'll be missed. (NOT) :D

Tha Wookie
01-09-2005, 12:18
I agree, generally (certainly there are exceptions in rural areas, like fanatical religious followers and crystal meth addicts).

Getting close to nature is getting close to who you really are, so it's not suprising that people feel more content and are less prone to judge and do other things that reflect their own suffering.

c.coyle
01-09-2005, 13:03
I'd trade the New Cuba oops I mean Florida to the north for a Pa. or ohhh say MAINE ....any day of the week ! ...

Yeah? Why's that?

orangebug
01-09-2005, 13:19
Well then, that solves it! Clearly the Appalachian Trail is not for you! The combination of pot smokers and ferocious Weiner Dogs makes the AT a very inhospitable place for folks like you. Too bad. You'll be missed. (NOT) :D I'm curious if anyone else has read "The Pearls" - a Sunday comic - today. The Rat has taken to drawing a comic strip, "Dickie the Cockroach" about "this cockroach with no tolerance for stupidity. If you say something dumb, he ties you up and slaps duct tape over your mouth."

If only truth only followed fiction.

hikerjohnd
01-09-2005, 13:42
I'm curious if anyone else has read "The Pearls" - a Sunday comic - today. The Rat has taken to drawing a comic strip, "Dickie the Cockroach" about "this cockroach with no tolerance for stupidity. If you say something dumb, he ties you up and slaps duct tape over your mouth."

If only truth only followed fiction.
http://www.comics.com/comics/pearls/

here is a link to that comic -

minnesotasmith
01-09-2005, 14:09
You asked: "My only question is this- how you gonna do it?" (kill a dog that unprovokedly attacks me while hiking)

I previously posted this on another thread:

"I will likely respond to a loose dog that approaches me in accordance with how it is acting. A friendly dog will get its ears rubbed with one hand and told "Nice doggy!" while I grab its collar with the other hand and call out "I've got your loose dog! Please bring your leash over now! If you've lost your leash, I've got some rope you can use". (If you then tell me your dog is loose intentionally, I will retort with something that indicates that I think you are in the same social class as copraphagic pedophiles, and release the dog.) If the dog is neutrally inquisitive, neither friendly or looking on the verge of attack, I'll put my back to a tree or boulder (if available), put both hands on my walking stick so that I am holding it like I would a baseball bat, keep the tip pointed right at the dog's face, and say, "Mac, come get your loose dog NOW.". (If the dog then switches over to growling, or comes closer, I'll swing my stick, aiming for his head, as hard as I can from the first swing; I might instead throw a fist-sized rock at it as hard as I can, if one is easily available.) If a dog comes over and bites me, I will start pounding it with my walking stick with all my strength, stomping and kicking it with my size 13 boots etc., until it is either dead or gets away. A small dog may be more easily dealt with by grabbing it one-handed by a back leg and hurling it wherever will be least desirable from the dog's point of view; while cactus or yucca will not likely be available on the AT, from what I've read there will often be nearby convenient dropoffs or steep slopes on the AT to chunk it over; even 5' or 10' of fall would be worth aiming for IMO. I don't think trying to strangle a [medim-small or larger] (over 30 pound) dog is likely wise due to proximity to its teeth unless possibly you have serious gloves on (Arctic-warmth thickness or rock-climbing gloves you could shell oysters in), but I have nothing against the idea if a dog is trying to bite me or just did."

=================================
Oh, and MOWGLI, if you haven't figured it out by now, I really don't give a s**t what you think. Nothing you say will keep me from hiking the AT. People I see toking instead of enjoying the pure experience of the AT while just hiking, I'll simply pass by. Anyone who lights up a joint when I'm in a shelter will be first politely, then pointedly informed that is NOT acceptable behavior in a shared public facility, even more so than smoking tobacco indoors in the presence of nonusers would be. (If it's Hells Angels or other obviously violence-prone types, I'll wisely leave the shelter, but will assuredlylet LEOs know about them at the first opportunity, hoping that they'll get jailed for drug use and leave the AT free for those of us more considerate of others and living clean.)

Mountain Dew
01-10-2005, 02:51
C Coyle, "Yeah? Why's that?"--- Duncannon (the Doyle), trail angel Mary, Port Clinton, Earl Shaffer is from there, Palmerton, most of the people actually speak english, and all the other good trail towns Pa. has. ...that's the short of my reasons.

dje97001
01-13-2005, 21:55
My wife used to live in the midwest, and when she came out to CT to visit me (early on) she was convinced that the people in Stop and Shop (the grocery chain) knew that she wasn't from here (CT) because they were so rude to her. Generally, in the midwest people in stores start chatting with you asking you how things are going.. etc. I laughed and explained that they don't have a clue she is from somewhere else. What people from outside of New England don't realize is that we really RESPECT your privacy--true, sometimes to the detriment of a polite exterior.

Living here most of my life, I can honestly say that I would rather go through the automatic self-checkout registers at the grocery store so I don't have to risk running into the one "chatty-cathy" (or charles) employee who will insist on asking me what I am making for dinner. Just because I have no interest in meaningless chit-chat doesn't mean that I am less generous or friendly. I just respect other peoples' privacy and want the same from them! :D

Oh... we've always been this way... CT is the "Land of Steady Habits!"

trailangelmary
01-14-2005, 06:38
We've probably all read that there is no free second cup of coffee north of Pennsylvania. On the other hand, there are probably kindnesses that are extended in the north that aren't characteristic in the south. AT hikers have opportunities to interact with people from Maine to Georgia, and are in a position to experience some of the differences in cultural patterns in Appalachian people that go back to the American Revolution or beyond. Without getting too judgmental, can we talk about some of our contacts that illustrate those differences?
:confused: This is the original question. Does anyone have any imput to that rather than a debate on what states are north and south and who has more pick up trucks.
I have noticed that hikers I have met from the south are more polite in their language using sirs and ma'ams. However they can be just as rude and disrespective when adding alcohol. Most hikers I have met from the southern states are surprised that they have found very friendly people "up north". They definetely expected somthing different. They continued north not so worried anymore. They were genuinely impressed with the friendliness and helpful attitude we showed them in PA. Of course, I have never been south of Marlyand so I have no reference. I don't know what reaction I would get if I was in the south. I have heard that there are ways to behave that I should study before I visit the south???

trailangelmary
01-14-2005, 06:43
To all 2005 Hikers,
I will always try to have sweet tea in my home this coming hiking season when you come through Duncannon. So if we find each other in your travel ask for sweet tea in my home. Another way that I will try to help you feel a little bit of home even in PA.

trailangelmary
01-14-2005, 06:52
If you want an easy hitch anywhere south of New York just wear a Dale Earnhart hat. That big #3 is a guaranteed ride.
Yhis is a very true statement, Prozac!! LMAO

minnesotasmith
01-14-2005, 06:54
I have over a year and a half experience doing help desk work where calls from all 50 states were taken, and I noticed the following:

1) West coasters (CA/OR/WA) tended to be the most confused by small things.

2) Northeasterners, especially those from New Jersey or NYC, were the most belligerent and paranoid that they were being ill-treated.

3) Those from the South were slightly most likely to be less educated than those from elsewhere.

4) Westerners (not from the West Coast) were just about as pleasant to deal with as Southerners, and averaged slightly better ability to express themselves/apparent intelligence or educational level.

5) Old people who mentally weren't all there anymore are most common East of the Rockies.

On average, I found most pleasant calls from Southerners and non-coast state Westerners (if neither were old people with early Alzheimer's).

Bloodroot
01-14-2005, 09:29
MS- "Those from the South were slightly most likely to be less educated than those from elsewhere"

Now that sentence sounds like someone who is educated.

weary
01-14-2005, 16:12
So Weary, there are two things we have in common; 1)-we both know and agree WF certainly isn't a racist, and 2)-we both knew Emma Cummins.
.
Well, the last name of the Emma I knew was spelled with a g. I'm guessing you met at Dolly Copp.

On an October day 52 years ago while stationed in an Army testing station in the Arizona desert 30 miles north of Yuma I was wandering through some hills 10 miles from the station. A guy in an old Jeep stopped and offered me a ride. We chatted a bit about the contrasts between Octobers in Maine and Arizona. Like the wandering threads on this list, one conversation lead to another. Eventually I learned he had grown up in a house 300 yards from my folks house in Maine -- and that he had once dated my mother.

Unless you're 110 years old, you can't be that guy.

Weary

Mags
01-14-2005, 16:54
Found people in the towns up and down the trail to be friendly. Can't say I had a bad moment with the locals.

Old story..., read it in a collection of Yiddish tales. Suspect other cultures have it as well.

Man approaches a gate. Askt the guards what kind of people are in this town.
GUARDS: What kind of people live in your town?
TRAVELER: They are people full of hate. They lie. They are not to be trusted.
GUARDS: Then you should not enter this towm; for in this town you will find people full of hate, who lie, and are not to be trusted

Another traveler comes to the town. Asks the same question.
GUARDS: What kind of people live in your town?
TRAVELER: People who are honest, hardworking, happy. People who will always try to help.
GUARDS. You will be welcome in this town. The people in our town are friendly, caring, hardworking and happy. They will always be willing to help.


On the AT you will find friendly, helpful people all over. Your attitide, however, is what will help. I suspect the people who are negative on this list (and in general) would have a hard time on a thru-hike. YMMV.

Footslogger
01-14-2005, 17:04
Found people in the towns up and down the trail to be friendly. Can't say I had a bad moment with the locals.
=========================================
My experience was the same ...throughout my hike. Treat folks the way you'd like to be treated. Keep your ears open wider and more often than your mouth.

'Slogger
AT 2003

grandview
01-14-2005, 22:02
MS- "Those from the South were slightly most likely to be less educated than those from elsewhere"

Now that sentence sounds like someone who is educated.

that's hilarious....:D

grandview
01-14-2005, 22:34
I used to be one of the ignorant Yankees now I'm an enlightened Yankee. I like my ice tea sweet and my grits buttered with real butter.
amen oyvay...that's the only way tea is made down here.:D

steve hiker
01-15-2005, 00:08
Originally Posted by oyvay
I used to be one of the ignorant Yankees now I'm an enlightened Yankee. I like my ice tea sweet and my grits buttered with real butter.

But you're still a Damned Yankee, right?

minnesotasmith
01-15-2005, 03:52
I've had only good experiences with people on the Trail (excepting only a couple of times inconsiderate jerks let their dogs loose where I was hiking), whether hiking or in shelters. Taking your logic conversely, it looks like you would say I'm a nice guy. Thanks for the compliment.

For this next bit, do keep in mind that I consider myself from no particular region of the nation; not Southerner nor Northerner; just American.

On the question of "smartened-up" Yankees, I find this quote by the late Lewis Grizzard to be hilarious:

Q: What do you say to a smart Yankee?

A: "Welcome South, brother!" :D

MadAussieInLondon
01-15-2005, 05:38
the greatest generosity I came across was in franklin, where we met a couple who offered us dinner. when they found out there was another 8 or so hikers, they said no worries, picked all of us up from the motel in franklin, took us home fed us and brought us back.

there was so much food, and I had my first taste of real homemade sweet potatoe pie, it was great.

i have to say, i'm not all that sold on american sweet tea (as sold in the 'south'). I much prefer my real tea, or english tea. hot unsweetened tea with milk or that.. but I'll take what I can get and sweet tea was nice on those hot days.

minnesotasmith
01-15-2005, 05:49
We still haven't gotten an answer from Seraphim about whether or not when hitching a ride she lets anyone stopping to pick her up know before boarding that she is carrying controlled substances with her. Since if, after picking her up, they were to be pulled over for speeding by a cop, a subsequent search uncovering her drugs, they could then have their brand-new $30,000.00 SUV confiscated, it would seem reasonable advance disclosure. (Don't laugh -- this happens frequently now.) It would also make it likely that hikers anywhere near that town would in the future have a devil of a time ever hitching a ride, so it's an issue that affects all AT hikers, whether or not they use drugs or knowingly associate with drug-using hikers.

Say, Pothead, how about you too? Do you tell kind nonhikers offering you a ride that you have pot with you BEFORE you get in their vehicles?

weary
01-15-2005, 09:19
We still haven't gotten an answer from Seraphim about whether or not when hitching a ride she lets anyone stopping to pick her up know before boarding that she is carrying controlled substances with her. Since if, after picking her up, they were to be pulled over for speeding by a cop, a subsequent search uncovering her drugs, they could then have their brand-new $30,000.00 SUV confiscated
Minnesota, Thousands of AT hikers are given rides every year. How many SUVs do you know about that have been confiscated as a result of motorists picking up AT hikers?

oldfivetango
01-15-2005, 10:17
:confused: This is the original question. Does anyone have any imput to that rather than a debate on what states are north and south and who has more pick up trucks.
I have noticed that hikers I have met from the south are more polite in their language using sirs and ma'ams. However they can be just as rude and disrespective when adding alcohol. Most hikers I have met from the southern states are surprised that they have found very friendly people "up north". They definetely expected somthing different. They continued north not so worried anymore. They were genuinely impressed with the friendliness and helpful attitude we showed them in PA. Of course, I have never been south of Marlyand so I have no reference. I don't know what reaction I would get if I was in the south. I have heard that there are ways to behave that I should study before I visit the south??? -Ways to behave in the South! Now that's something I can tell Ya'll sumpthin' about.First off- there is ONLY one really big difference between Norherners; hereafter referred to as YANKEES and Southerners;hereafter referred to as Bubbas.That one and only big difference is the way we express ourselves.
- Generally speaking, it is perceived by the Bubbas that the Yankees say what they are thinking-OUT LOUD.Bubbas may, and quite franly do, think the same thoughts but there is no way they are going to say it for fear of being considered RUDE by other people.That's why us Bubbas generally consider Yankees(mostly those from the Northeastern Corridor, i.e. the heavily unionized rust belt)to be RUDE.
- Now there is away around all that RUDENESS that exists on both sides of the Mason Dixon Line.What ya'll have to learn is to prefix most imperative statements with the phrase "Bless his/her/ your heart."
- For instance a statement like "Bob, don't come back in my office after having garlic on your tuna salad for lunch!" may go something like this-"Bob,ole buddy,Bless Your Heart, I can tell you had that garlic and tuna salad special at the diner today.Ya'll go on down the hall and gargle before ya come back now-heah?
- See? Pretty much the same message but only a different tact.Either way Bob knows he has buffalo breath but maybe his feelings aren't hurt so bad as he has an option,gargling, so that he will not feel rejected by his peers and suffer from lowered self-esteem.
- Oh-about us Bubbas being dumb and uneducated.This was a stereotype
promoted heavily in the '60's by such shows as Andy Griffith,Gomer Pyle USMC (i guess nobody asked Jim Neighbors and he didn't tell) ,Green Acres,Petticoat Junction, The Beverly Hillbillies, and other all time great sit-coms.The end result is that the Bubbas have become the last minority group that it is politically correct to poke fun at-Bless our collective Hearts!Generally speaking, we don't really care because we know that it is true in large part and one Bubba trait is self-deprecating humor;we love a good laugh even if it is on us.
- Besides,although we quit shooting Yankees back in 1865 we know that
even though the SOUTH lost the war we still killed 3 Yankee soldiers for every Bubba soldier lost so we kinda figure in a way we are getting the last
laugh on ya'll-Bless your Hearts!
- After the war and the hellish reconstruction it involved, we have changed our perspective on our nothern brothers.We love to see ya'll
coming down here.After all, my ole granpappy always said,"Heck yeah I
love Yankees-they all worth more'n a bale o cotton and are alot easier to
pick!"
- The one misconception that we do resent,however, is that the South
is by nature a violent place.That's not to say that we have been a stranger to violence during the racially turbulent 1960's but certainly no more so than the L.A. riots or some of the instances that occurred in Massachusetts regarding school busing.
- Although most every pickup truck you encounter down here may have
a gunrack in the window or a handgun in the glove box it does not mean
that you would be unsafe or unwelcome-quite the contrary.And the idea
that there are hordes of drunk rednecks riding around looking to beat-up
somebody is a about as likely as a horde of man eating bears on the AT.
I was born here in Georgia and we don't have redneck gangs looking to harass minorities or anyone else, for that matter, that I am aware of.That
said,however,if you choose to frequent redneck bars and pool halls where
alcohol is served you are treading on thin ice.But then again that may be
true for just about anywhere in the country.Even so, I would not recommend hitchhiking with two or more unknown males under age 40.
Single drivers or married couples would be my choice.
- I used to think I was some sort of bigot for thinking that the people
were culturllay different in different parts of the country until a Methodist
minister friend told me that the hierarchy of his church had to "interview"
the pastors prior to relocating them to different districts in Georgia.The
reasoning was to see if they would "fit" with the people in that area of the state.There is a HUGE difference between North,Central,and Southern Georgia that is a whole 'nuther story.
- Totally unrelated is the story of a Methodist minister in the Tray Mountain area (sound familiar to anyone here?) that involved a Methodist
minister mistaken for a turkey whilst sitting in a tree during deer season
(when turkeys are not in season i might add) and shot through the neck
with a bow and arrow.It is important to note that a bow and arrow has a
very limited lethal range and ,no, I am not making this up.And the local
"hunter",tried by a jury of his peers (most likely his cousins) took a walk.
If you have not seen the movie "Deliverance" with Burt Reynolds and
John Voight I would suggest you leave it on the shelf-ignorance,as they say, is bliss.
- So ya'll dont be shy about coming down to visit-just don't be messin with our money,our coon dogs and pickups,our children,and,most importantly,our women.And do remember that the only Northerners considered to be Damn Yankees are the ones that didn't go back home,
Bless their Hearts!:welcome
Cheers to all,
Oldfivetango
P.S. Sorry i could not figger out how to properly edit my text but,Bless
My Heart, I'm just another digitally challenged Bubba.

rocket04
01-15-2005, 11:58
Since if, after picking her up, they were to be pulled over for speeding by a cop, a subsequent search uncovering her drugs, they could then have their brand-new $30,000.00 SUV confiscated, it would seem reasonable advance disclosure. (Don't laugh -- this happens frequently now.) Let me tell you about the one time I got a ride that was pulled over by a cop... It was this lady and her daughter, and she was going at 75 in a 55 zone. The guy came and talked to her and said he just wanted to give her a warning. But she gave him major attitude, said she didn't give a ****, etc. The guy then asked her for her license. Then he realized he'd already pulled her over before for the same reason, so he asked what it would take to make her stop speeding. She just kept smirking and didn't care. He told her he might have to take her in, she said "fine with me, it's free room and board." She even told him "why don't you just pull out your gun and shoot me, put me out of my misery." Bottom line, the cop ended up giving her another warning! After all that attitude, not even a ticket!

So, like Weary said, it's infrequent that you get pulled over at all when getting a ride (I didn't meet anybody else who said they ever got pulled over getting a ride), If on top of it when you get pulled over this is the kind of attitude the cop has, then there really isn't any risk at all! :D

Skyline
01-15-2005, 12:10
Oldfivetango, that was precious, bless your heart!

Not sure I agree with 100% of it, but your style of writing made my day. As a mixed breed (half Bubba, half Yankee) these topics were a constant in my early upbringing. We kept moving and/or visiting back-and-forth between middle Georgia and Western Pennsylvania so I got the FULL story about the Civil war/War of Northern Aggresssion, and when in Yankeeland the school district actually made me see a speech therapist to attempt to change my "accent." Accent? What accent? Throw in a summer spent in Mississippi in the turbulent year 1963, and I had a rounded education you couldn't buy anywhere else.

I would only add to your comment that Bubbas are the last group that it is socially acceptable to still harass or at least make fun of--that there are some others. Gay folks are definitely in the crosshairs right now, as are left-leaning politicians, citizens without vowels in their names, and people who don't want our nation turned into a theocracy.

Bloodroot
01-15-2005, 12:48
I liked that old5! Great interpretation.

See coming from the hollars of West "by God", we don't consider ourselves northern or southern, just hillbilly. Now if we had a next to kin it would most obviously be the southern way.

hikerltwt
01-15-2005, 13:58
Man, I hope you do a thru and it helps out with the anger man.

minnesotasmith
01-15-2005, 14:50
Confiscated:
===================================

1) http://www.libertarianworld.com/Property-Seizure-Rights.html

"Under Maryland law, local police and prosecutors have effectively unlimited power to confiscate any vehicle they suspect was involved, or that the owner intended to be involved, in transporting drugs. Maryland police have confiscated thousands of autos and trucks in recent years, often based on mere accusations."

"Government officials routinely refuse to return seized property even after an accused person has been tried and found innocent. The costs of suing the government to recover property are extremely high, routinely exceeding $10,000, and citizens must post a bond of up to $5,000 before filing suit. (The bond is required to cover the government's legal costs in having to defend against a property owner's efforts to reclaim his property.) The legal battles required to recover wrongfully seized property often take two, three, or more years. If the property seized is only worth a few hundred dollars, the person cannot possibly break even by suing the government. Most forfeiture statutes deny a private citizen any compensation for his attorney's fees when he successfully reclaims forfeited property." =================================

http://www.zmag.org/ZMag/articles/jan96meeker.htm

"In California, being caught driving with a suspended license forfeits the car. In New Jersey, forfeiture can be triggered by any alleged crime, even shoplifting and minor theft."

=================================
http://www.s-t.com/daily/08-99/08-08-99/a01lo010.htm
"FIT TO BE SEIZED Forfeiture of property falls under Chapter 94C: Section 47 of the Massachusetts General Laws. According to the statute, the following property shall be subject to forfeiture to the commonwealth:

All controlled substances that have been manufactured, delivered, distributed, dispensed or acquired in violation of this chapter.
All materials, products, and equipment used, or intended for use, in manufacturing, compounding, processing, delivering, dispensing, distributing, importing or exporting a controlled substance.
All conveyances, including aircraft, vehicles or vessels used, or intended for use, to transport, conceal, or facilitate the manufacture, distribution or possession of a controlled substance."
===========================
New York conficates cars just for first offense DWI:

http://www.iulaw.indy.indiana.edu/Instructors/Orentlicher/forfeitu.htm

=============================
I can come up with more if you need them to be convinced of this: if you have property or a life worth squat, stay the %#&* away from illegal drugs and people who use them.

minnesotasmith
01-15-2005, 14:52
I have anger towards B.S., dishonor, evil, and the like. It will stay with me as long as I live.

grandview
01-15-2005, 15:02
howdy oldfive...now that's the longest thread i've ever bothered reading here on whiteblaze...enjoyed it.

Mags
01-15-2005, 15:28
I've had only good experiences with people on the Trail (excepting only a couple of times inconsiderate jerks let their dogs loose where I was hiking), whether hiking or in shelters. Taking your logic conversely, it looks like you would say I'm a nice guy. Thanks for the compliment.


Actually, I did not name you or any one by name. No compliments given. No insults given. Only mentioned that people who are negative who would have a difficult time on a thru-hike. You have no compliments to thank me for as I did not mention you by name. Taking my post logically, of course.


Are you a difficult person? Only you can answer that question. Otherwise the post does not apply to you.

Will say it again folks: You get out of the trail what you put into it. If you harbor a negative attitude your chances of enoying the hike are rather slim. The post only applies to anyone who feels it applies to them.

bearbait2k4
01-15-2005, 16:28
Well, I've never been picked up in a Lexus in the south, but it happened twice up north.

As far as North versus South, I don't think the number of kind people decrease across the Mason-Dixon line, but mannerisms are just different.

In the south, most people will be kind enough just to get you from point A to point B. They don't need to hear stories because they've usually been there themselves...or they'd rather just not talk.

In the north, you can get a ride, and some good conversation with people who try to relate their outdoor stories to what you're doing, or are genuinely interested in hearing some of your stories about hiking. There seems to be more of a curious nature in the north than in the south.

Of course, both areas of the country are equally concerned about a lone female hitchhiker out in the dangerous woods out there, and on the road.

Skyline
01-15-2005, 16:56
Not a Lexus, but close. I and OGhostWhoWalks got picked up one Saturday afternoon in June '98 at Bearwallow Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway (VA) and given a ride by an elderly couple to Peaks of Otter Campground--in a honkin' white Lincoln Town Car. That put us in a good position to take in the Sunday AYCE breakfast buffet at the Lodge the next morning--yum!

weary
01-15-2005, 17:46
Confiscated:
....I can come up with more if you need them to be convinced of this: if you have property or a life worth squat, stay the %#&* away from illegal drugs and people who use them.
Minnesota references highlight a serious civil liberties issue that began in the Reagan and first Bush administrations, but which I had thought had largely been curtailed by the courts and political realities. The US Supreme Court, for instance, has ruled that "a seizure of property is unconstitutional if the amount seized is "grossly disproportional" to the gravity of the offense," which would seem to rule out the forfeiture of a family's $30,000 SUV for the offense of picking up a hitchhiker.

It's unclear how serious the issue remains. The most telling references Minnesota cites are mostly from the early 90s and earlier, though the Republican mayor of New York (and rumored candidate for president in 2008) seems to have persisted in the confiscation effort through 1999. Most recent cases in Minnesota's citations involve the confiscation of the cars of drunk drivers.

Perhaps reason will eventually prevail. Cars driven by drunks should one way or another be taken off the roads. But it's a stretch to claim the same penalty is likely for good hearted people who pick up thru hikers without the preliminary precaution of a body search.

Weary

bearbait2k4
01-15-2005, 20:37
Possession laws don't even come into play with the above sources for forfeiture.

Forfeiture laws apply when distribution intent is involved, not when a person has a roach on them. Even federal forfeiture laws are only used when a person receives a prison sentence for more than a year, due to a federal drug charge. It has happened in the past, but I cannot seem to find a single source of current law that punishes by inprisonment for more than a year just for carrying a few joints. I had a sibling arrested for possession of marijuana last year (not his first offense). He didn't even spend a month in jail, much less a year. And confiscation of his car? Nope. Other possessions? With exception to the pot, nope....and this is Texas we're talking about.

The discussion of the federal government abusing their power is good cause for debate though. If a person is tried and not convicted of a crime which resulted in seizure of their property, I would call that a civil rights issue. I wouldn't consider it to be anything else.

But, seriously, when we speak of law, let's try to stay current, because those are the only laws that apply.

Seraphim
01-17-2005, 15:23
Minnesota Smith: "I have anger towards B.S., dishonor, evil, and the like. It will stay with me as long as I live."

You know, MS, I realized that long before you stated it, but different people have different standards of what evil and the like actually are. I have been listening to (what I consider) BS from you since I started participating on these forums. And I've come to my conclusion: you don't agree with me and I don't agree with you. I'm afraid my hunch that we will never meet mid-point is quickly becoming apparent. In all seriousness, unless it's going to lend itself to juicy threads, don't bother picking bones with me, because I will ignore your crude comments and ridiculous questions. Lucky for us, this thread is a good one...

Picking any hitch hiker up, folks are usually aware that they are taking the risk of the unknown: the possibility that I am an ex-convict drunk theft artist pothead. Whether I am or not they won't learn unless they ask, and surprise: no one ever does. They ask more civilized questions, like, "How was your hike?" and "Where are you from?"

Does this all matter? Not to anyone I've ever met. The trail is a chance: hiking it, hitching from it, driving near it. Crazy things happen, crazy people abound. Is it dangerous? Of course. But are hikers? Perhaps to someone that is concerned with their car getting impounded because of the hiker they picked up off the trail...

While you irk and constantly poke, picking out anything you can possibly complain about in almost any post, holding many hikers in contempt for their animal/habit/style/age/opinion... I have never tried to sway your view or lifestyle, and I never will, for one simple reason: every person is independent and entitled to their opinion. Pour over that for a few ticks... it seems to me it's something you need to realize. As for me, I'm gonna go smoke and pour over the fact that should have been clear since all of MS' BS started: AT forums are no substitution for the AT at all.:(

rocket04
01-17-2005, 16:08
I have never tried to sway your view or lifestyle, and I never will, for one simple reason: every person is independent and entitled to their opinion. Keep in mind that opinions lead to actions: for example, a hiker who's of the opinion that dogs belong on the trail can, whether he intends to or not, make another person's hike less enjoyable by acting on that opinion and taking his dog hiking. This is not about any particular position (I have no problem with dogs on the trail), just trying to point out that open-mindedness can be good and the "everything is relative approach" is probably better than the "my way is always right" approach, but I do think there are times where it's a good idea to try to sway certain opinions/views to prevent them from turning into harmful actions. More of a philosophical comment, definitely not in support of MS, I don't care for most of what he's said in this thread.

hambone
05-07-2005, 12:13
I used to work with a guy that was born in Arkansas and lived in Missouri most of his life. I am a native New Yorker.

We were having a rather heated disagreement one day and he says to me:"The difference between a southerner and a yankee is that the southerner will think that you are an idiot but be polite and not say anything, and the yankee will tell you that you are an idiot."

I replied, "You are an idiot."

How come New York is not considered part of New England? Isn't York in England?

DavidNH
05-07-2005, 15:33
Sorry folks I am a bit confused. I always thought Kentucky WAS part of the south!honest! And some even suggest that Virginia is not a southern state? even waaaay down there?

So would someone be kind enough to tell me where does the SOUTH start and stop? and just why is the south the south? I mean...for me Maryland is a southern state and you gotta be above Mass to be up Nahwth! Like the New England joke that says the south starts at Long Island Sound and the west starts at the Hudson! We do tend to be a tad provincial up here!!

If this has to do with the Mason Dixen line..well..wouldnt that be Maryland and over to the Ohio river (ie Ohio north and KY south)?

David (NHhiker)

plodder
05-09-2005, 19:57
think south, deep south, new south.

Dances with Mice
05-09-2005, 20:29
So would someone be kind enough to tell me where does the SOUTH start and stop? I-40. Nearabouts.

MOWGLI
05-09-2005, 20:47
Sorry folks I am a bit confused. I always thought Kentucky WAS part of the south!honest!

Well, my good friends at the Pine Mountain Trail Conference (KY) think they're from the south.

Tractor
05-09-2005, 21:43
There are parts of Kentucky that DO feel they are South. There are also parts of Tennessee who Do feel they never were. There is one county in Alabama that sided with the North. Virginia initially voted to stay with the Union but later, officially, voted out (Mr. Lee, while stationed in Texas, knew he would follow Virginia, regardless the outcome...).

Nowadays, it's a frame of mind. One thang though, the South has more in common with the rest of the world than the North........we lost a war a long time ago. Another bit: Old remaining buildings of the Old South were witness to the war. Old remaining buildings of the Old North were not. Bless 'em all!

...I would have hated to have been Irish in New England around 1861. My cousins were in Tennessee and the Carolinas.

& me wife is from Philly. God bless cheesesteaks and soft pretzels too!

Husko
11-08-2005, 21:22
"For all the above reasons, I have no tolerance for or desire to be around people with any chemical addiction."

I would hate to meet you in a traffic jam. :jump

generoll
11-08-2005, 21:40
Just as a possible point of interest in this thread. Kentucky, Missouri and Maryland were also slave-holding states at the time of the North/South unpleasantness, they just didn't get around to seceding. My recollection of reading is that Kentucky was unable to secede from the union due to some enterprising northern general arresting the state legislature. Which of course all proves nothing. I suppose that 'southerness' if you will, is more a matter of culture then of geography.

justusryans
11-08-2005, 22:06
What tweeks me are all the yankees who move down here because they love the atmosphere. Then immediately try to change it into a clone of yankeeville. If I hear "that's not how we do it up there" one more time, I'll go crazy. ... too late :D

Scrunchy
11-08-2005, 22:16
What tweeks me are all the yankees who move down here because they love the atmosphere. Then immediately try to change it into a clone of yankeeville. If I hear "that's not how we do it up there" one more time, I'll go crazy. ... too late :D

You think the coast is bad...try being in the mountains! I can't imagine it could be worse :confused:

justusryans
11-08-2005, 22:30
You think the coast is bad...try being in the mountains! I can't imagine it could be worse :confused:

I'm in sales. I install flooring for folks. hardwood, lamanate, ceramic, carpet and vinyl. I do a lot of new construction jobs. They come down to visit, love the area, love the people so decide to build vacation homes. I get to deal with them every day!! :(
Are the mountains bad too?

kyhipo
11-08-2005, 22:47
actually kentucky was a diveded state back in the civil war,brother against brother depending on where you lived the eastern part of the state is far different than the western in many ways.:) ky

kyhipo
11-08-2005, 23:04
well my best hitch was out of ashland,OR off the pct man and wife pulls up in a cadilac old hippie invites me to camp along their river spot,just was an unexpected turn of events,sorry got off the topic alittle,trippy little town the ashland was:-? ky

swede
11-08-2005, 23:57
I-40. Nearabouts.
Amen and amen. As a lifelong North Carolinian, I have watched the Mason Dixon Line move steadily South. I have many transplant friends, and have much in common with them, but I lament the growth that has followed this migration. That is why it is so important to protect the wild places; to give all a chance to enjoy what was.:-?

CynJ
11-09-2005, 00:16
I think manners overall are sadly lacking in our society. When I was growing up I lived in the northeast corner of CT near MA & RI - very poor area, high unemployment, et cetra. Well my freshman year in high school we moved to Clinton, CT on the CT shoreline. It was a major summer tourist town with a *lot* of money. Bizarrely enough most of the folks that lived in town full time were not wealthy - but all our livings depended on the tourists in the summer so everyone had wonderful manners. We learned to be nice when you really wanted to tell someone to take a flying leap. But sadly those good manners are not the norm in CT. I do however find them to be very handy in my job as a fundraiser.

I do love traveling south along the eastern seaboard though.....

Speaking for CT - the AT crosses in the Kent area - its a little, shall we say, affluent? lol....I love that area but Kent is a little too Martha's Vineyard for me. New Milford (a little further south on rt 7) is an awesome town.

smokymtnsteve
11-09-2005, 00:46
the Mayflower truck stop is in town?

tiamalle
11-09-2005, 03:17
the Mayflower truck stop is in town?there
is a Mayflower truck stop on I-95 in Conn.just north of NY

smokymtnsteve
11-09-2005, 16:52
there
is a Mayflower truck stop on I-95 in Conn.just north of NY

yeah, I used to go there a lot when I was working NYC and vicinity

Mother's Finest
03-02-2006, 17:51
this is off topic, but Minnesota smith seems really mean. I hope I never meet him on the trail. I do not think he would like me.
peace
MF

neo
03-02-2006, 23:24
In the south (excepting PA) there are far more pick-up trucks. That makes hitching alot easier. I'd prefer to put my stinky self in the bed of a pick-up than on the cloth seat of a Lexus. Fact is, I found hitching much easier in the south than in the north. FYI, hitching anyplace in New York can get you arrested.

i saw a lot of rebel flags on pick up trucks in pa,i dont get it lol:cool: neo

SGTdirtman
03-05-2006, 14:24
theres 2 rebel flags on my CB antennas, "Git-R-Done" spray painted on my tailgate and I live in New Jersey... Figure that one out.

neo
03-05-2006, 15:08
theres 2 rebel flags on my CB antennas, "Git-R-Done" spray painted on my tailgate and I live in New Jersey... Figure that one out.

sounds pretty good to me,my my is from newyork and she loves us hillbilly redneck types lol,git-r-done lol:cool: neo

irritable_badger
03-05-2006, 15:42
Whenever I would gush about how friendly southerners were, my hiking partner James would offer a counterpoint. He was somewhere in N. Carolina or Tennessee hiking along a dirt road in the cold rain, feeling totally miserable, when a pickup truck pulled up. The window opened just a crack, and a man inside said, "Got yer raingear on, eh? HAW, HAW, HAW!!!!! I hear it's going to rain for three more days, HAW, HAW, HAW!!!!! Then he rolled the window up and sped away, leaving James standing there in the freezing rain.

Nevertheless, I still gush about how friendly southerners are. And northerners, too.
I don't think the guy was really being unkind; it's just a funny sort of Southern humor to laugh at the problems of others when the person being laughed at is not really in need. A hiker in the rain is obviously not in real need. However I would bet 100-to-1 that if James had been sitting on the side of the road, injured, or hungry the pickup guy would have taken care of him.

Then laughed at him for being in the rain :)

Ramblin'_Man
03-29-2006, 15:37
this is off topic, but Minnesota smith seems really mean. I hope I never meet him on the trail. I do not think he would like me.
peace
MF

I agree. He really is a jerk. I pretty much can get all I need know about him from his signature and his nasty disposition. I hope to never meet him either. His quip about drugs in retalliation to Seraphim was a childish taunt. Although I agree people should keep aggressive dogs on a leash, stomping it to death is a cowards ramble. He would've simply bitched like an old lady about the bog biting him until people got sick of hearing it. I don't know the guy personally, so I really shouldn't pass judgement.....but he really does seem negative, miserable, and down right mean.

soad
03-29-2006, 15:42
And why is that? Because of the definition of "Pennsylvania":

Pittsburgh on one end, Philadelphia on the other end, and [Insert any southern state here] up the middle. :clap

I have heard that PA is the most "rural" state in the Union (take that for what it's worth). And they act like it, get out of the cities and you are in South Carolina.

soad
03-29-2006, 15:49
In reality, I only consider a state a southern state if it's common to hear one as the punchline of a southern joke.

The panhandle of West Virginia gets within about 100 miles or so of Lake Erie, goes to show how close the "true south" gets to the yankees.

Thor
03-29-2006, 23:10
The panhandle of West Virginia gets within about 100 miles or so of Lake Erie, goes to show how close the "true south" gets to the yankees.

What's even more ironic is that West Virginia only exists because it seceded from the South at the beginning of the Civil War, but has since become the iconic 'inbred southerner' punchline.

Needles
03-30-2006, 00:18
I would only add to your comment that Bubbas are the last group that it is socially acceptable to still harass or at least make fun of--that there are some others. Gay folks are definitely in the crosshairs right now, as are left-leaning politicians, citizens without vowels in their names, and people who don't want our nation turned into a theocracy.

Well being a "Bubba" myself, born and raised just outside of Nashville, TN, I have to say that I am constantly amazed at what people from other parts of the country seem to think about us.
For example, I have traveled all over the US and not once has anyone ever suspected that I am from the South, it might be the piercings, the tattoos, the mohawk, the lack of an accent, I don't know, but no matter where I go in the South everyone knows that I am a Southerner.
While I understand the historical perspective I just don't get how people think everyone from the South is racist. Go to any large Southern city and you will be amazed by how diverse they are, Here in Nashville we have large African American, Hispanic, Asian, Eastern European, Middle Eastern, and Indian populations, heck, more ethnic Kurds live in Nashville than anywhere else in the world with the exception of Kurdistan, and we all get along pretty darn well. Last time I remember a cross burning being in the news happened a few years ago when I lived in Seattle, and yes, the cross was burned in the Seattle area.
We also tend to be reasonably well educated (some of our nations most talented and well respected writers, actors, politicians, and academics are from the South), we don't live on culinary oddities like opossom and pig's feet (although I will admit to have eaten more than my share of Krystal burgers in my life time which could easily be considered a culinary oddity), not all of us drive trucks or own guns, and we are aware that other forms of music besides country and bluegrass exist. Heck, jazz, the blues, and rock and roll all got their start in the South. Oh yeah, and we can be rude as hell when we need to, we just don't feel the need to be rude quite as often :D

Skyline
03-30-2006, 00:40
I agree the South (all parts of the country actually, but especially the South) is becoming less recognizable every year. The demographics, and percentage of native-borns, are a-changin'! My point was that "Bubbas" are not the only group marginalized by those who do the marginalizing.

As far as the Trail goes, I met great folks in all 14 states. Hitching is easier in the South than in parts of NY-CT-MA, but it gets easier again in VT-NH-ME. This may be because the AT is routed through vacation regions in those middle states, populated in hiking season by people who would never pick up hitchhikers, anywhere, for any reason.

soad
03-30-2006, 17:36
The best part about the south is the "sweet tea" in restaurants, up north you get GREAT ice coffee in grocery stores. PA is the dead area between where you can get neither. :mad: :mad: :mad: (I grew up in PA and I don't want to go back)

the goat
03-30-2006, 18:34
The best part about the south is the "sweet tea" in restaurants, up north you get GREAT ice coffee in grocery stores. PA is the dead area between where you can get neither. :mad: :mad: :mad: (I grew up in PA and I don't want to go back)

ah yes, but PA makes up for it all, and then some, with a little something called "scrapple".:)

Mother's Finest
03-30-2006, 19:20
having been veggie for some time now, scrapple is only a memory. but a very good one. sometimes you can find it deep fried. crispy on the outside and oh so soft? gooey? disgusting? on the inside.

Skyline
03-30-2006, 22:27
ah yes, but PA makes up for it all, and then some, with a little something called "scrapple".:)

BARF.

Give me some REAL cheese grits, anytime. None of that instant stuff.

REBELYELL
11-17-2006, 07:13
I was born and raised in Va. but now live in upstate Noo Yawark.I think yall confuse NY state with NYCity.Two separate worlds.Like saying Springer is like Atlanta

Smile
10-28-2007, 23:50
How do you really feel MS? :)

Nightwalker
10-28-2007, 23:52
I have heard that PA is the most "rural" state in the Union (take that for what it's worth). And they act like it, get out of the cities and you are in South Carolina.

Must be a really nice place.

rafe
10-28-2007, 23:57
PA: "Two big cities with Alabama in the middle." I heard that somewhere. It's not so far from the truth in other places too, eg. New York (believe it or not.)

ed bell
10-29-2007, 00:20
I have heard that PA is the most "rural" state in the Union (take that for what it's worth). And they act like it, get out of the cities and you are in South Carolina.Be more specific, or you know not of what you post. Nice manners.:rolleyes:

Nightwalker
10-29-2007, 00:24
Be more specific, or you know not of what you post. Nice manners.:rolleyes:

Hey Ed! He probably meant it as a compliment. I mean, hey, look at us! We're fine representatives of SC. Well, at least you are...

ed bell
10-29-2007, 00:26
PA: "Two big cities with Alabama in the middle." I heard that somewhere. It's not so far from the truth in other places too, eg. New York (believe it or not.)Alabama expert? Or have you read about it on the internets?:rolleyes:

rafe
10-29-2007, 00:35
Alabama expert? Or have you read about it on the internets?:rolleyes:

Never been to Alabama, but I know rednecks when I see 'em. ;)

ed bell
10-29-2007, 00:38
Archie Bunker? He doesn't live in Bama.:D

minnesotasmith
10-29-2007, 04:46
How do you really feel MS? :)

How do I feel about what?

Mr. Clean
10-29-2007, 06:14
What tweeks me are all the yankees who move down here because they love the atmosphere. Then immediately try to change it into a clone of yankeeville. If I hear "that's not how we do it up there" one more time, I'll go crazy. ... too late :D

Must be this way all over, cause folk from the south (Mass and Conn.) come here and instantly try to change things to make it like where they come from. We are actually voting on a noise ordinance next week.

canerunner
10-29-2007, 07:03
-.And do remember that the only Northerners considered to be Damn Yankees are the ones that didn't go back home,
Bless their Hearts!:welcome
Cheers to all,
Oldfivetango


I have to admit that I was almost sixteen years old before I discovered that the word "Yankee" didn't always start with "Damned". :D

American by birthright, Born and raised in the South by the Grace of
God!

ki0eh
10-29-2007, 07:46
I have heard that PA is the most "rural" state in the Union (take that for what it's worth).

Due to time served in the federal bureaucracy, I recall that before the 2000 Census PA had the most population living in places classified by the Census Bureau as "rural," than any other state. However, for the 2000 Census the definition was changed, so by the new definition PA was third behind NC and TX.

Perhaps the most amusing effect of the aforesaid redefinition was that Punxsutawney, home of Phil the groundhog, became "urban" according to the US Census Bureau.

chiefdaddy
10-29-2007, 08:12
Wow! ok......

1) I hitch hike and have little problems.

2) never touch a sourthern man's DOG EVER!

3) Dog killers go to Jail in GA!

4)Pot is soooo evil lol sheesh people try putting down crack for a change or meth(another big SHEEESH)

5) A dog bit my dog on trail and made him bleed...should I have killed it like a heartless retarded redneck?

6) People suck! you know who you are!

rainmaker
10-29-2007, 20:58
I have only hiked as far north as Lehigh Gap so I can not compare my impressions of the more Northern tribes. Actually that is not completely accurate since I have car camped and canoed in upper New York State and Maine. Lovely places both but I was a little distressed to see all those statues to Civil War heroes who were shooting at Great-grandaddy Billy . What if they had hit him?

Anyway my impression of Pennsylvania is there's a wayyyyy lot more rednecks in Pensylvania than in good ole SC. Now mind you I don't have a problem with rednecks. They are usually just a bunch of hard working people trying to support their families at the margins of this glorious global economy. Living near the center of the self proclaimed New South; Charlotte, NC, I was struck by the economic decline of once proud and dynamic communities. I was also struck by the grit and determination of those still living in those communities to stick with it and to build a future for their children.

I was also impressed with the genuine friendliness of people we met. From the cyclist we met at Pine Grove to the owners of the Doyle. Everywhere we went, the moment folk heard my lower SC drawl, they wanted to know more about us; where are we from, what's it like on the trail, or is it really true what they say about the AT in Pa., yep!

Our trip ended with us being sheparded by the staff of the LANTA bus service as we tried to get from Slatington to Allentown. Using her radio, the driver of the Slatington bus notified the drivers of the A and F busses to be on the lookout for two southern talking backpackers and make sure we got on the right bus. We did and are forever grateful.

In conclusion, we're all pretty much the same.

rafe
10-29-2007, 21:02
Our trip ended with us being sheparded by the staff of the LANTA bus service as we tried to get from Slatington to Allentown.

Funny, I took that very same bus (the "W" bus, as I recall) from Allentown to Slatington at the start of this year's section hike. My shuttle provider at Slatington stood me up, but no big deal. It was a nice day and an easy walk from there to the trail.

weary
10-29-2007, 21:17
I have only hiked as far north as Lehigh Gap so I can not compare my impressions of the more Northern tribes. Actually that is not completely accurate since I have car camped and canoed in upper New York State and Maine. Lovely places both but I was a little distressed to see all those statues to Civil War heroes who were shooting at Great-grandaddy Billy . What if they had hit him?

Anyway my impression of Pennsylvania is there's a wayyyyy lot more rednecks in Pensylvania than in good ole SC. Now mind you I don't have a problem with rednecks. They are usually just a bunch of hard working people trying to support their families at the margins of this glorious global economy. Living near the center of the self proclaimed New South; Charlotte, NC, I was struck by the economic decline of once proud and dynamic communities. I was also struck by the grit and determination of those still living in those communities to stick with it and to build a future for their children.

I was also impressed with the genuine friendliness of people we met. From the cyclist we met at Pine Grove to the owners of the Doyle. Everywhere we went, the moment folk heard my lower SC drawl, they wanted to know more about us; where are we from, what's it like on the trail, or is it really true what they say about the AT in Pa., yep!

Our trip ended with us being sheparded by the staff of the LANTA bus service as we tried to get from Slatington to Allentown. Using her radio, the driver of the Slatington bus notified the drivers of the A and F busses to be on the lookout for two southern talking backpackers and make sure we got on the right bus. We did and are forever grateful.

In conclusion, we're all pretty much the same.
Well, I agree, certainly. But you southeners surely do need a lot of help, sometimes.

gaga
10-29-2007, 21:35
my grandfather used to say: " don`t mater where you are from,if you are a man be a man, because if u are a PIG... you and up as BBQ , somebody is gonna fry your a$$ sooner or later,, ... Georgia people rule!!!!

Wonder
10-29-2007, 21:45
I have to admit that I was almost sixteen years old before I discovered that the word "Yankee" didn't always start with "Damned". :D

American by birthright, Born and raised in the South by the Grace of
God!

Damn Yankee here, and proud of it!!!:D

SteveJ
10-29-2007, 22:33
I have to admit that I was almost sixteen years old before I discovered that the word "Yankee" didn't always start with "Damned". :D

American by birthright, Born and raised in the South by the Grace of
God!

Hey, neighbor! Sounds like we should prolly get together for a beer!

(I'm in L'ville....transplanted to this yankee city from AL!)

Steve

Sly
10-29-2007, 22:35
FYI, hitching anyplace in New York can get you arrested.

I wouldn't be so sure about that....

http://www.digihitch.com/usa351.html

Nightwalker
10-30-2007, 21:16
Arguing as to whether Northerners or Southerners are better/worse/smarter/dumber/etc. is a general sign of stupidity. So by all means keep it up, so as to warn away those of us who would like a fair warning as to your general intellectual capacity, y'all hear? :)