View Full Version : is it me or the thruhikers sometimes acts like they own the AT?
JustaTouron
08-14-2013, 09:19
I stole the title of this thread from here:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?97523-is-it-me-or-the-AMC-sometimes-acts-like-it-owns-the-White-Mountains&p=1516878#post1516878
A thread in which the OP and others complain about an hiking club that among other things maintains more miles and more shelters on the AT than any other group. An organization in whose volunteers some times hike, but sometimes do the very trail maintenance that makes the AT possible. How dare that organization cater some of their services not to the thruhiker community but to its members made up mostly of weekend hikers.
We have a thread complaining that the owner of a laundromat is unfriendly to hikers, all businesses should be welcoming to hikers, even those whose past experience with hikers includes needing to call the police on a hiker who ran around her laundromat naked while he washed his clothes.
We have a thread complaining that a store not allowing a hiker to charge her cell phone is violating her moral obligation.
In the thread regarding Inchworm, we have multiple complaints that the volunteer SAR responders didn't search indefinitely until she was found, didn't use enough dog teams, didn't dedicate enough resources. However, if had been anyone but a thru-hiker the response would have been likely something like this...
Fun with toilet paper for the next few weeks...
Or calling on the victim or the victim's family to fully pay for the search and rescue effort. Definitely a double standard going on here.
We have a thread complaining that the white blazes don't provide north/south directions. And expecting the volunteers who do trail maintenance to fix this. These volunteers are often the very same elitist that pay to stay at the huts.
We have a complaint that a motel owner only shuttles guest of his motel.
We have a complaint that a lodging without car access, doesn't have car access.
We have complaints that scout troops sometimes use the shelters, crowding out the thruhikers.
Now we have a tread complaining about hikers complaints. Go figure.
Pedaling Fool
08-14-2013, 09:40
A lot of the stuff you're complaining about has nothing to do with thru-hikers, nothing at all.
And your quote of T.S.Kobzol is totally out of context with your title; his comment was a simple joke and it was funny because it's true. But it has nothing to do with anyone owning the trail.
Pedaling Fool
08-14-2013, 09:43
BTW, here's the the thread you quoted his post from, his is the first response of the thread. http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?97360-Idiot-hurt-after-sliding-200-feet-on-Mt-Washington&p=1512681#post1512681
WingedMonkey
08-14-2013, 09:52
Is it me or do people that have never been successful at a thru-hike hate thru-hikers?
As a former thru hiker turned flip flopper I would like to complain about the weather. why is it cold and why isn't mother nature catering to my needs? (feel the sarcasm!). Without my reading into any of this I can honestly say, psychologically, after spending months as a thru hiker I 'felt' in all honesty that the AT was my home. It is my home away from home now. It will be my home again soon. I DO NOT expect special privileges. No more so than the next human, animal, or plant. With any type of sub culture out there in this universe of diversity there will always be those who 'want' to be special and 'want' to be treated so. It doesn't mean you have to; just treat each other as you would want to be treated. Hike on my friends, stay frosty!
JustaTouron
08-14-2013, 10:01
Is it me or do people that have never been successful at a thru-hike hate thru-hikers?
I don't hate all thru hikers. Just the entitled thru hikers. That thread about the AMC in particular pushed my buttons. I have done trail maintenance with the AMC. That is the way thru-hikers say thank you to the people who maintain the trails and shelters? Well, eff that.
Slo-go'en
08-14-2013, 10:03
I liked the guy who complained about the rocks on the trail and wanted someone to move them all.
rocketsocks
08-14-2013, 10:08
I liked the guy who complained about the rocks on the trail and wanted someone to move them all.
I actually thought that one kinda made sense...:-? in a never gonna happen sorta way :D
In PA we put rocks on trail. I sneak out at night to sharpen them.
In PA we put rocks on trail. I sneak out at night to sharpen them.
I've heard that!
rocketsocks
08-14-2013, 10:27
23413.............:eek:
hasn't this guy heard of the 10 Commandments of the AT? only problem is somewhere along the trail, for some hikers, the 10 Commandments get replaced with just one Commandment.... "All Hikers are equal, but some Hikers are more equal than others"
HikerMom58
08-14-2013, 10:46
I stole the title of this thread from here:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?97523-is-it-me-or-the-AMC-sometimes-acts-like-it-owns-the-White-Mountains&p=1516878#post1516878
A thread in which the OP and others complain about an hiking club that among other things maintains more miles and more shelters on the AT than any other group. An organization in whose volunteers some times hike, but sometimes do the very trail maintenance that makes the AT possible. How dare that organization cater some of their services not to the thruhiker community but to its members made up mostly of weekend hikers.
We have a thread complaining that the owner of a laundromat is unfriendly to hikers, all businesses should be welcoming to hikers, even those whose past experience with hikers includes needing to call the police on a hiker who ran around her laundromat naked while he washed his clothes.
This one is legit .. WB is NOT the only place hikers are talking about this.. THIS..
"I don't think it's okay for anyone to be rude and disrespectful to busniness and their owners/employees. I just notice the places that are welcoming tend to not be the targets of bad hiker behavior".
AND THIS....
"this lady was mad at hikers in 2008. she was mad at hikers this year. imagine that: living for a minimum of 5 years under the burden of outright hatred for a small (though highly visible) portion of your clientele. so as much as it sucks that we can't get our clothes washed in connecticut it sucks even more that this lady has chosen to let her life suck. let's ponder that while we walk in the woods today."
We have a thread complaining that a store not allowing a hiker to charge her cell phone is violating her moral obligation.
That thread was started by KoKo.. I like this example b/c it shows "complaining" doesn't always have to be a negative. I was very impressed by KoKo... he was bringing his thoughts/feelings to WB for review. If members commenting on these types of threads remain "tactful". People will actually listen to you and can grow as a person from your input. Imagine that. I felt like that happened on this thread... Kudos to you, KoKo!!
In the thread regarding Inchworm, we have multiple complaints that the volunteer SAR responders didn't search indefinitely until she was found, didn't use enough dog teams, didn't dedicate enough resources. However, if had been anyone but a thru-hiker the response would have been likely something like this...
Or calling on the victim or the victim's family to fully pay for the search and rescue effort. Definitely a double standard going on here.
We have a thread complaining that the white blazes don't provide north/south directions. And expecting the volunteers who do trail maintenance to fix this. These volunteers are often the very same elitist that pay to stay at the huts.
Was this really a "complaint" or just an observation/ just a "wish"? When I saw that thread, I smiled, my daughter and I have said that to each other sooo many times on the trail. We also have remarked how nice it would be to have "milage markers along the way"..that could be encouraging or discouraging... ;)
We have a complaint that a motel owner only shuttles guest of his motel.
This one is huge to me. One has to pull back and get the "whole story". There is nothing wrong with a motel owner only shuttling his guests. ( I happen to personally know the hikers involved in this one. They are not entitled hikers, OK?) They tried to book a room at both of his Motels. It wasn't happening for them.
If the shuttle was full or these hikers were expecting a "free shuttle", then, it would look bad on the hikers. Neither of these things were true. It was especially bad b/c this motel owner has an awesome reputation for being hiker friendly...ooopsss!!!
We have a complaint that a lodging without car access, doesn't have car access.
We have complaints that scout troops sometimes use the shelters, crowding out the thruhikers.
Ohhhh... this is one of my daughters pet peeves too... she can't stand it. She and I don't agree on this complaint at all. I say," Awww... let the boy scouts acquire a love for hiking". "Suck it up, girl". She wouldn't have it.
I've heard that!
PA, where boots go to die! LOL! And ankles get twisted; seriously, be careful out there. :banana
I stole the title of this thread from here:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?97523-is-it-me-or-the-AMC-sometimes-acts-like-it-owns-the-White-Mountains&p=1516878#post1516878
A thread in which the OP and others complain about an hiking club that among other things maintains more miles and more shelters on the AT than any other group. An organization in whose volunteers some times hike, but sometimes do the very trail maintenance that makes the AT possible. How dare that organization cater some of their services not to the thruhiker community but to its members made up mostly of weekend hikers.
We have a thread complaining that the owner of a laundromat is unfriendly to hikers, all businesses should be welcoming to hikers, even those whose past experience with hikers includes needing to call the police on a hiker who ran around her laundromat naked while he washed his clothes.
We have a thread complaining that a store not allowing a hiker to charge her cell phone is violating her moral obligation.
In the thread regarding Inchworm, we have multiple complaints that the volunteer SAR responders didn't search indefinitely until she was found, didn't use enough dog teams, didn't dedicate enough resources. However, if had been anyone but a thru-hiker the response would have been likely something like this...
Or calling on the victim or the victim's family to fully pay for the search and rescue effort. Definitely a double standard going on here.
We have a thread complaining that the white blazes don't provide north/south directions. And expecting the volunteers who do trail maintenance to fix this. These volunteers are often the very same elitist that pay to stay at the huts.
We have a complaint that a motel owner only shuttles guest of his motel.
We have a complaint that a lodging without car access, doesn't have car access.
We have complaints that scout troops sometimes use the shelters, crowding out the thruhikers.
And we have a website named WhiteBlaze which hiking community can come and reflect their complaints and concerns about hiking instead of acting irrationally when they were hiking.
JustaTouron ,WhiteBlaze is a place to talk about all these controversial things about hiking. We can reach to a more stable state of mind by talking about the controversies. We can read all these threads you mentioned and find out how different is our personal opinion with that of the other hikers and start to change our point of view somewhat closer to a better hiker.
Do you expect us to go to another website ( how about GoDaddy.com) and start to talk about the hiking things? Isn't WB the best place to soften our rough edges? to know what other people think about the same matter?
Should everybody be as entitlement free as you? have you been this great from day one you started hiking? Haven't you grown by time and experience or you were born this much wise?
Isn't it better( not necessary but just better) to have different color or shape or sign for SOBO blaze than Nobo blaze? Is recommending subtle changes to make a trail more enjoyable wrong? is being wrong and finding out that we have been wrong , wrong?
WB has shown me that no two hikers have exactly the same point of view about the same matter and more importantly it has shown me that in many cases both are right or at least none is totally wrong if we put our feet in their shoes. I like the biodiversity of WB and I think it is good to have it .
PS: Thank you HikerMomKD. I have a growing respect for you but this comment of yours was a sign of maturing wisdom.
Alligator
08-14-2013, 12:28
Please don't drag thread disputes from to thread.
Also, some of you really need to settle down or got off the computer for a bit.