View Full Version : Article on the "Ten famous Appalachian Trail Hikers"... Makes me sick to my stomach.
spittinpigeon
07-04-2013, 02:51
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/photos/10-famous-appalachian-trail-hikers/mark-sanford
I thought it was interesting. My stomach is ok. What's the objection?
illabelle
07-04-2013, 06:14
article is out of date, but still interesting
Tuckahoe
07-04-2013, 06:34
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/photos/10-famous-appalachian-trail-hikers/a-long-walk-in-the
A little sensitive arent we? Its a pretty decent list and someone with some basic knowledge of the trail history put it together. They inclueed --
Earl Shaffer
Mike Hanson -- blind AT Hiker
Grandma Gatewood
Bill Bryson
Scott Rogers -- an amputee
Kevin Gallagher
Jacques d'Ambois
Andrew Thompson
Justice William O Douglas
Mark Sanford -- yeah they injected a little humor here and listed him as the most famous person NOT to have hiked the AT.. Come on lets be realists, there are a lot of folks that were introduced to the AT through that news story that had ot yet hears of the trail. I thought it was funny.
kayak karl
07-04-2013, 08:01
Mark Sanford -- yeah they injected a little humor here and listed him as the most famous person NOT to have hiked the AT.. Come on lets be realists, there are a lot of folks that were introduced to the AT through that news story that had ot yet hears of the trail. I thought it was funny. he was synonymous with the trail that year :) i hiked a lot in 2009 and that was the question i was asked "Where's Sanford?"
this was not a research paper
Pedaling Fool
07-04-2013, 09:25
Hey what happened to JPD? She got quite a bit of news coverage.
Pedaling Fool
07-04-2013, 09:28
Hey what happened to JPD? She got quite a bit of news coverage.
BTW, she is mentioned under Andrew Thompson's section, and they call it the "women’s record", don't they know she has the record, period?
Another example of women being held down by the Man :D
Pedaling Fool
07-04-2013, 09:34
article is out of date, but still interestingHow old is the article?
rocketsocks
07-04-2013, 09:45
How old is the article?at least May, 2011 as per the comments below pictures. Not really that old.
Wise Old Owl
07-04-2013, 09:47
Tossed the cookies into the office can huh? Why?
Pedaling Fool
07-04-2013, 09:49
at least May, 2011 as per the comments below pictures. Not really that old.Ahhhh, too bad, they should have waited until July 31 of that year to release that article:)
Pedaling Fool
07-04-2013, 09:50
Tossed the cookies into the office can huh? Why?I never understand your posts:confused:
Jack Tarlin
07-04-2013, 14:40
What I find amusing about this is how many of these people did NOT actually hike the whole Trail. In fact, only a few of them did.
MyName1sMud
07-05-2013, 11:44
BTW, she is mentioned under Andrew Thompson's section, and they call it the "women’s record", don't they know she has the record, period?
Another example of women being held down by the Man :D
I thought they were supposed to be held down by the Kitchen.
I guess I've been doing it wrong.
:banana
I think it's a JOKE they would add Bill Bryson to that list, if some one is going to put together a list like this atleast they can do is be SERIOUS about it.
Old Hiker
07-05-2013, 11:59
The article was AT hikers - not AT THRU hikers. Still - I thought most of them were inspiring.
Tuckahoe
07-05-2013, 13:19
I think it's a JOKE they would add Bill Bryson to that list, if some one is going to put together a list like this atleast they can do is be SERIOUS about it.
How's it a joke to include Bryson on a list of the 10 most famous AT hikers? Whether you liked his book or not, and regardless how much of a candy ass he really is, he is forever going to be attached to AT history. His very successcul book will always come up in any AT book search or book discussion. It will be through his book that the majority of the public will probably get their initial (and probably only) exposure to the AT. The likes of Earl Shafer and Grandma Gatewood are only going to be familiar to those with more than a passing interest in AT hiking.
daddytwosticks
07-05-2013, 15:26
Where's Minnesota Smith's name? :)
I have nothing against the choices, but let's make it a little longer and add Bill Irwin.
BobTheBuilder
07-05-2013, 16:07
I think it would be more interesting, at least as a general news article, to list famous people that have hiked some of the trail. For that list only Bryson and the judge probably qualify, but maybe Ray Lewis will do part of the AT when he gets back from Kilimanjaro.
I have nothing against the choices, but let's make it a little longer and add Bill Irwin.
A good choice.
Another name to add would be Warren Doyle. He not only has walked the entire Trail more times anyone history, but will probably hold that distinction long after some of the less significant records have been forgotten.
His commitment is all the more remarkable when you stop to consider that he has completed the AT in each of the past 4 or 5 decades-- and he is not done yet.
But even if he had hiked only 8 or 10 times, the legacy he has left for future hikers as a founder of the ALDHA would suggest his kind of fame will endure more than some others.
mfleming
07-05-2013, 16:58
Most FAMOUS hikers, "legendary" thru hikers. If anyone deserves to be included I would pick Warren Doyle
Mark Sanford. Oh ha ha ha very funny. How creative. Very imaginative. He's one of the ten greatest!!!!
oh wait...
litefoot2000
07-05-2013, 17:16
I never understand your posts:confused:
Nor do I!!!
litefoot2000
07-05-2013, 17:19
And how about good ole Ward Leonard???
I think it would be more interesting, at least as a general news article, to list famous people that have hiked some of the trail. For that list only Bryson and the judge probably qualify, but maybe Ray Lewis will do part of the AT when he gets back from Kilimanjaro.It seems Lewis gave up his ascent of Kilimanjaro, something about an old football injury and fever.
Lone Wolf
07-05-2013, 19:45
I have nothing against the choices, but let's make it a little longer and add Bill Irwin.
Most FAMOUS hikers, "legendary" thru hikers. If anyone deserves to be included I would pick Warren Doyle
And how about good ole Ward Leonard???none of these guys are known outside the very small AT hiker world. they're not "famous" at all
max patch
07-05-2013, 20:18
none of these guys are known outside the very small AT hiker world. they're not "famous" at all
Thats true. Like it or not, the most "famous" AT hiker is Bill Bryson.
none of these guys are known outside the very small AT hiker world. they're not "famous" at all
True.
How about thru hiker John Mackey-- the founder and CEO of Whole Foods.
He has well formed opinions on all manner of things-- too bad he has better things to do that share them on Whiteblaze. Remember his comments on unions? He said they were like herpes -- in that one won't kill you, but it's very unpleasant and will make a lot of people not want to be your lover.
But that is just a start.
Lone Wolf
07-05-2013, 20:34
True.
How about thru hiker John Mackey-- the founder and CEO of Whole Foods.
never heard of him. not famous by any means
never heard of him. not famous by any means
I would have figured you subscribed to the WSJ, or at least picke up a Forbes magazine at the dentist.
With 60,000 employees, a best selling book and a company that has 10 billion dollars in annual sales, he is most definitely famous.
Lone Wolf
07-05-2013, 20:52
I would have figured you subscribed to the WSJ, or at least picke up a Forbes magazine at the dentist.
With 60,000 employees, a best selling book and a company that has 10 billion dollars in annual sales, he is most definitely famous.
i bet i could poll all 1000 damascus residents and ask then who john mackey is and probably 5 would know him. wall street journal? never read it it in my life. never looked at a forbes mag either. i haven't been to a dentist in 30 years
I think that the person who came up with this list isn't a member of the AT community. They probably googled Appalachian Trail and used what came up.
i bet i could poll all 1000 damascus residents and ask then who john mackey is and probably 5 would know him.
No worries. I bet if I polled 1000 people in my town and asked then who Jimmie Johnson is, probably even fewer would know him.
You missed a great article in th WSJ on the Robertson Family of Duck Dynasty fame. Now that is real fame-- they are selling (apart from everything else) books by the millions.
slbirdnerd
07-05-2013, 21:14
Big difference between a white paper (not this) and literature (this). Lighten up. Or take some Pepto.
Teacher & Snacktime
07-05-2013, 21:34
I think it's a JOKE they would add Bill Bryson to that list, if some one is going to put together a list like this atleast they can do is be SERIOUS about it.
Bryson was the first person I thought about when I read the title of the article. To the layman, he would be the only "famous" person to have hiked the AT. I don't understand the contempt with which he's held in the hiking community. No, he didn't thru-hike, but he portrayed very effectively the experience that the larger portion of hikers (sectioners, dayhikers) get from the trail, and he did it with humor and intelligence. I love A Walk in the Woods, along with several others of his works. I imagine this book contributed a great deal to the popularity of the trail as it introduced the idea of hiking it as something anyone could do.
At least, that's what it did for Snacktime and me.
never heard of him. not famous by any means
I would have figured you subscribed to the WSJ, or at least picke up a Forbes magazine at the dentist.
With 60,000 employees, a best selling book and a company that has 10 billion dollars in annual sales, he is most definitely famous.
His store is famous. 99% of it's customers have no idea who he is nor care.
stranger
07-06-2013, 00:30
When I think famous AT hikers...I think of these people, who have been consistently the most 'talked about' hikers during my 1995, 2001 and 2008 hikes. Luckily I've also got to meet half of them.
- Ward Leonard
- Bill Irwin, Orient Express
- Warren Doyle
- Dan Bruce, Wingfoot
- Leonard Atkins, Habitual Hiker
- Mark Di Miceli, Second Wind
- Scott Grierson, Maineak
- David Horton, Runner
- Jack Tarlin, Baltimore Jack
- Sieko
- Bill Irwin, Orient Express
I'm sorry I left out mention of Orient along with Bill Irwin. My own blinders only let me think of humans when recalling hikers, which isn't necessarily correct.
MyName1sMud
07-06-2013, 11:19
You missed a great article in th WSJ on the Robertson Family of Duck Dynasty fame. Now that is real fame-- they are selling (apart from everything else) books by the millions.
The Robertsons are good people.
Live just down the interstate from me.
Bryson was the first person I thought about when I read the title of the article. To the layman, he would be the only "famous" person to have hiked the AT. I don't understand the contempt with which he's held in the hiking community. No, he didn't thru-hike, but he portrayed very effectively the experience that the larger portion of hikers (sectioners, dayhikers) get from the trail, and he did it with humor and intelligence. I love A Walk in the Woods, along with several others of his works. I imagine this book contributed a great deal to the popularity of the trail as it introduced the idea of hiking it as something anyone could do.
At least, that's what it did for Snacktime and me.
I agree. I believe that Bryson is responsible for motivating more thru hikers than anyone else, which in my mind is significant, even if he didn't hike the entire trail.
all depends on how you define 'famous'. most of my acquaintances have never heard of ANYONE hiking the AT, the vast majority haven't even heard of the AT, if they have its through BB's book. To qualify as a 'famous person on the AT' you have to be well known outside of the hiker community.