Thoughts and prays

[MDSection12]

I always feel guilty, since as a skier I hope for big snow. I do recognize that these storms cost lives, though.

I still can't help my enthusiasm though. Last night was the best snow I've ever experienced here at my home resort, in ten years... I got to ride off trail on a slope I've been eyeing for the ten years I've been riding there. Ski patrol gave us a tongue lashing, but we could tell they were both impressed and a little jealous.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Okay. I'm an atheist - or at minimum an agnostic with a deist lean on a really, REALLY sunny day But whenever I hear someone ask for prayer I simply extend hope and best wishes. Unfortunately, there are both religious and non-religious people who take the evangelism of their beliefs to the point of being annoying and at times insulting to others.

There's room around the big campfire for everyone who doesn't kick the coals.

[Pedaling Fool]

Actually there are some pretty interesting studies on the efficacy of prayer. I do believe there is something to it, but not in the traditional sense and it's far more complex than simply praying; seems emotions and other things must be factored in....but I don't want to get off topic too far, so I'll just say...

I ain't praying for no stinky hikers that should of planned for the worse...screw them, it's just too emotionally taxing for me to deal with

[HikerMom58]

I always feel guilty, since as a skier I hope for big snow. I do recognize that these storms cost lives, though.

I still can't help my enthusiasm though. Last night was the best snow I've ever experienced here at my home resort, in ten years... I got to ride off trail on a slope I've been eyeing for the ten years I've been riding there. Ski patrol gave us a tongue lashing, but we could tell they were both impressed and a little jealous.

Well, I'm impressed and more than a lil jealous, MD! I'm soo happy for you though. Ski on!

Okay. I'm an atheist - or at minimum an agnostic with a deist lean on a really, REALLY sunny day But whenever I hear someone ask for prayer I simply extend hope and best wishes. Unfortunately, there are both religious and non-religious people who take the evangelism of their beliefs to the point of being annoying and at times insulting to others.

There's room around the big campfire for everyone who doesn't kick the coals.

I like this so much!!

Actually there are some pretty interesting studies on the efficacy of prayer. I do believe there is something to it, but not in the traditional sense and it's far more complex than simply praying; seems emotions and other things must be factored in....but I don't want to get off topic too far, so I'll just say...

I ain't praying for no stinky hikers that should of planned for the worse...screw them, it's just too emotionally taxing for me to deal with

PF.. you are so funny! The emoticons make it all better for me!

I'm a believer in God. I was raised thata way. I questioned it, turned it upside down and rejected it etc... I came full circle & personally I, now, have a rock solid faith. I'm not ashamed to say it. I'm far far from perfect so don't judge me.

We are all in the same boat, IMHO.

It's nice to sit around this campfire with all of you. Yeah, but don't kick the coals.. that's not cool!

[AngelEyez]

yep 1 foot heavy wet snow last days, forecast for another 8 tomorrow, possibly another storm on Tuesday. been a crazy crazy year can be in the 50s one day and 20 below the next.

[moytoy]

yep 1 foot heavy wet snow last days, forecast for another 8 tomorrow, possibly another storm on Tuesday. been a crazy crazy year can be in the 50s one day and 20 below the next.

Yep...been like that here too. 85 one day anf 50 the next, it's hard to take. I am wishing the hikers Gods Speed.

[Slo-go'en]

I also belive praying only benifits the one doing the praying, but I do hope anyone who was caught out in this storm was properly perpared and not caught with thier pants down as it were and that we don't have to start tallking about all the rescues of those who shouldn't have been out there.

We got dumped on pretty good over night here in the Whites and it hasn't quite stopped yet. I'd guess 14-16" depending on where you want to measure. It's a little hard to tell if it is just blowing around, coming off the trees or out of the sky. I think I'll strap on my snowshoes tomorrow and go get a work out breaking trail up the hill behind my place.

[SunnyWalker]

Angelyz: I read of your sincere thoughts and cares for those out in this weather. A truly heartfelt way of expressing concern for them. I'll be joining you in prayer for these folk. Amen. The Good Book does say: "The prayer of a righteous one is powerful and effective."

[Kerosene]

Anyone out on the trail in mid-February should already be prepared for tough conditions. I suppose if it dropped to 40-below for more than a day that could be considered an extreme, but a few feet of wet snow atop a high ridgeline with sub-freezing temperatures and high winds would be well within what I would expect. Once again, if you don't have the gear and experience, then you shouldn't be out there alone. Of course, most of those out there will remember this the rest of their lives, but I'm sure a few will endure a rough patch that hopefully will teach them before it truly injures them. Say a prayer, wish 'em the best, help 'em out if you want to. I wish I was out there right now!

[MDSection12]

Okay. I'm an atheist - or at minimum an agnostic with a deist lean on a really, REALLY sunny day But whenever I hear someone ask for prayer I simply extend hope and best wishes. Unfortunately, there are both religious and non-religious people who take the evangelism of their beliefs to the point of being annoying and at times insulting to others.

There's room around the big campfire for everyone who doesn't kick the coals.

As a fellow atheist, I respect this and agree with it. I always say I 'send mojo.' It never hurts to know somebody is thinking of your situation, perhaps even when you don't know they are.

Well, I'm impressed and more than a lil jealous, MD! I'm soo happy for you though. Ski on!

Thanks! Snowboarding is great, but my trip down there has me totally obsessed with backpacking again... Thanks for your help making it happen. (Know you love the smileys. )

[MDSection12]

Okay. I'm an atheist - or at minimum an agnostic with a deist lean on a really, REALLY sunny day But whenever I hear someone ask for prayer I simply extend hope and best wishes. Unfortunately, there are both religious and non-religious people who take the evangelism of their beliefs to the point of being annoying and at times insulting to others.

There's room around the big campfire for everyone who doesn't kick the coals.

As a fellow atheist, I respect this and agree with it. I always say I 'send mojo.' It never hurts to know somebody is thinking of your situation, perhaps even when you don't know they are.

Well, I'm impressed and more than a lil jealous, MD! I'm soo happy for you though. Ski on!

Thanks! Snowboarding is great, but my trip down there has me totally obsessed with backpacking again... Thanks for your help making it happen. (Know you love the smileys. )

[MDSection12]

Well now I've gone and done it...

[HikerMom58]

Well now I've gone and done it...

Aww... look at that, double posts.. shame, shame! Thanks for all the smileys! Backpacking- more backpacking!!

[Siarl]

Okay. I grew up in a very strict Mormon environment where even saying dang it was frowned upon as taking something in vain. I don't consider myself Mormon any longer but my family still are Mormons and that's great for them. When they make remarks in regards to my safety and praying and so forth, I don't take offense, I say thank you because that's where they are coming from and I'm grateful for their concern. I'm not going to be rude and insulting by saying, "No, I don't believe in that so don't pray for me". It doesn't matter what your religion is or isn't, there's never an excuse for bad manners, which is what is taking place in this forum. Have the decorum to say thank you or don't say anything at all.

[DocMahns]

Also as an atheist I extend thoughts and concern for the hikers.

[daddytwosticks]

Okay. I grew up in a very strict Mormon environment where even saying dang it was frowned upon as taking something in vain. I don't consider myself Mormon any longer but my family still are Mormons and that's great for them. When they make remarks in regards to my safety and praying and so forth, I don't take offense, I say thank you because that's where they are coming from and I'm grateful for their concern. I'm not going to be rude and insulting by saying, "No, I don't believe in that so don't pray for me". It doesn't matter what your religion is or isn't, there's never an excuse for bad manners, which is what is taking place in this forum. Have the decorum to say thank you or don't say anything at all.

Best response yet. Thank you.

[Hill Ape]

i'm a diest, but i don't conceptualize a god figure as a benevolent man wearing robes in the sky looking down on us, occasionally stirring things around. more i take the view of the rules and structure of all things, everything follows a blueprint and order laid out by the architect. its the "fingerprint of god" and whatever force that is, i feel closer on a mountain top. the morality that all religions teach is remarkable similar, we all know right from wrong in our heart/soul/being. we just create a religion that best suits the individual cultures it serves. many of the stories are even related. joseph campbell wrote about the persistence of religion. there has never been atheist cultures, there have only been regimes that have tried to stifle religious expression. its something in us, a need for fellowship, communion, ceremony. its all beautiful. the cosmos is my god, the mountains are my cathedrals, and the valleys are my church.

i don't mind praying, but i don't believe it has an effect outside of the person/persons sharing in that prayer. but it does help to heal them in a time of need. i give thanks for the good i have, more in general than to a god.

its all good, there is room for all of us

[MikeN]

Eight months ago my 20-year old son was robbed and murdered in a senseless act of violence. He was unarmed and there was absolutely no reason to kill him. I'm sure he would have given the scum who took his life whatever they wanted. (They were a "gang" of three and one of them shot him in the back of the head with a hand-gun.) His killers were quickly apprehended and are now in jail and all awaiting trial for first degree murder. As soon as the court proceedings are finished—they seem to drag on forever—and the killers are all sentenced to very lengthy prison terms (I'm hoping), I'm planning to thru-hike the AT—still hoping it will be this year.

Prior to my son's death I didn't give much thought to religion. I was raised as a Christian, but like a lot of so-called scientifically-minded "modern" people in our secular cuture, I gave up my religious beliefs when in college (I went to a large state university). Let me just say however, IMHO, nothing will test your faith, or lack thereof, like the senseless, violent death of one of your children. My wife, who is a devout Catholic, has had a much easier time coping with the trajedy of our son's death than I have. I still have doubts about Christianity and the belief in the "immortality of the soul," but I strongly support and admire those who do have those beliefs (or any other religious faith). And I would not desparage anybody who, "un-scientifically," believes they can help others, such as our eager-beaver thru-hiking comrades, through prayer.

I, myself, do believe in the "healing power of nature," which is what led me to the idea of an AT thru-hike after my son's death. (I have noted that a number of thru-hikers have also expressed this motivation for their thru-hikes following tragedies in their life.) Thoreau, Emerson, and other New England Transcendentalists also had this belief in nature's therapeutic effects, and I guess it's my humble belief in Transcendentalism today, which also holds that there is a creative power in the universe (God?) that's beyond the methods of science to discover, that gives me solace and the ability to move on with my life.

[HikerMom58]

Wow MikeN, ur story is senseless and tragic. I'm so sorry to hear of your loss.

Humanly speaking, I believe we are capable of doing both good and evil things.

I pray that you will find healing for this loss in your life, if it works out that you hike the trail this year. I hope it works out for you. So many are hiking the trail not just for their own pure enjoyment but for many other reasons.

God bless you & I hope that you find the healing that you need. I can't imagine going through something like this. But, it could happen to any one of us.

[MikeN]

HikerMom, thanks for your sympathetic and kind words.

4shot, thanks for your personal message, which I replied to with another PM.

Didn't mean to hijack the thread and turn it into a "sympathy-fest" (though I certainly appreciated the sympathetic feedback I received). In short, I guess my main point was just that personal tragedy will often cause us to re-evaluate our deepest views about religion, prayer, and "the supernatural." Maybe I'll start another thread someday more on this topic, and how being submersed in nature while thru-hiking the AT can have profound therapuetic value. [In this regard, see Paul Stutzman's book, Hiking Through: One Man's Journey to Peace and Freedom on the Appalachian Trail (©2010).]

More on topic: I see more heavy snow is on the way this week for the central and northern parts of the AT. Hoping—and praying—that our hardy comrades out there will be warm and safe!