Supervolcanoes are a bitch http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toba_catastrophe_theoryOriginally Posted by JAK
Interesting information on early human thru-hikes...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_human_migrations
I think that Baltimore Jack is right on target here. When you get out of the service...just go hike! Live your life to the fullest and I think you will be suprised how nice some folks really are.
Hey now, lets not deviate from the established thread drift.
+1 to everything JT said!
Go enjoy your hike. You should have a good time.
Well yeah, if you are still listening, enjoy your hiking.
Regarding all the thread drift, hope you found it amusing.
NOOOO!!! I didn't lose anything at the mall!
I am a postal carrier. I feel so bad for the two people who have that territory on their mail routes.
Don't we have a nice REI though?
If you had more time you could have gone to the Bass Pro in duluth. Now that area I avoid cause of the traffic LOL!
Jack Tarlin nailed it. I don't expect the original poster is still reading this thread (not sure why I just slogged through it), but if you're out there -- you'll be fine. Have a great hike.
I see after a few hours' absence that a post of mine was edited for presuming to bring politics into this discussion.
That was not my intent, and I hope the moderators will permit me to re-write was I was trying to say:
There are all sorts of mis-perceptions about the people one encounters on the A.T., and these mis-perceptions are not limited to any one specific area of the Trail or the country.
We have all heard some version of these comments and generalizations:
*Rural Southerners are clannish, insular, poorly educated, and bigoted.
*People South of the Mason-Dixon line never heard of the Civil Rights move-
ment.
*People from West Virginia are really close to their families.
*New Yorkers are stand-offish and rude.
*Connecticut people are even worse.
*Massachusetts people labor under the belief that nobody other than them
has ever read a book. But they all talk like Bob Peoples which makes up for
a lot.
*New Englanders only respect you if you attended an Ivy League college.
*Every Vermonter drives a beat up Subaru wagon, smokes a lot of weed,
and dresses like his father-in-law is Ben or Jerry.
*New Hampshire residents are sort of like Vermonters but they tend to be
clean-shaven and prefer beer.
*Rural Mainers are pretty much like rural Southerners (see above) except
you can sort of understand what they're saying to you.
In short, we've all heard generalizations and stereotypes about different folks that live along different stretches of the Trail. Like just about all cultural or ethnic generalizations and stereotypes, there is probably some truth in some of these descriptions, or we can at least understand how they came to become so entrenched.
But the truth is, most of the folks you'll meet along the Trail are small-town folk, and at the end of the day, rural New Englanders have a lot more in common with rural Southerners than either group would probably like to acknowledge.
But this I know: All along the Trail one will encounter the finest people in the world, and I urge everyone, both veteran hikers and new-comers, to keep an open-mind, to back-burner one's original perceptions and ideas of certain folks based on where they live, and give everyone a chance to prove themselves as good people. Try and forget what you may have heard or read about certain folks, and don't judge these communities or these people til AFTER you've met some of them.
I assure you that almost without exception, they won't let you down.
But this I know: All along the Trail one will encounter the finest people in the world, and I urge everyone, both veteran hikers and new-comers, to keep an open-mind, to back-burner one's original perceptions and ideas of certain folks based on where they live, and give everyone a chance to prove themselves as good people. Try and forget what you may have heard or read about certain folks, and don't judge these communities or these people til AFTER you've met some of them.
I assure you that almost without exception, they won't let you down.[/QUOTE]
Nicely put Jack, well written.
"I told my Ma's and Pa's I was coming to them mountains and they acted as if they was gutshot. Ma, I sez's, them mountains is the marrow of the world and by God, I was right". Del Gue
Agree . The bottom line is : Keep an open mind to all things , and especially all people as there are many different cultures that intersect our society today.
Our first interaction with those who are different from us should be the same as with our friends irregardless of racial or ethnic differences.
I've always heard , treat others as you would want to be treated .
Getting lost is a way to find yourself.
It took five pages to get to that? Like I said, Sabre, keep your head down, and listen in on the fireside chat. Mostly you already know what you'll hear, but maybe you'll get a new view here and there. Latest wisdom: Expect small-town America, up and down the trail. Have fun!
+1 Jack Tarlin
... and I agree also with what you said. The best intentions and academic theories are no substitute for experience and exposure. It stands to reason that the most tollerant and accepting folks are found where people interact and confront these issues most regularly. I would suspect that place where there was once more racism than most places, now has less racism than most places, because they have had more opportunites and experience in working through these issues.
People that live in ivory towers shouldn't throw sticks and stones, or judge those that do.
I met an African American on the trail during my section near Chestnut Knob, he was having a blast. I know there doesn't seem to be that many different races hiking - wish there was more. Though this year I have seen also Asian and Latino, which was great. The trail is for everyone. Its an American trail.
Thank you Sabar for your service. As a Southern Gentleman, I would like to welcome you to Georgia. Best of luck on your AT adventure.
Moses
If you really want a response to that, let me know by PM and I will knock the chip off your shoulder in private.
The OP can certainly see just in this thread that there is a wide range of attitudes in the people that he will encounter on the trail and in towns along it.
My advice would be that it would be rare that you would have any problems but that it could possibly happen. Don't worry but just be prudent. Take the same precautions all hikers should, such as trust your instincts about strangers if you feel uncomfortable, don't set up camp near a road or in plain sight if alone, be careful when strangers approach carrying shotguns out of hunting season, be careful at road crossings, etc. You should take these precautions regardless of your race, gender, etc.
I don't expect you will have any problems with hikers. Write back when your on the trail and I bet a good many hikers could arrange their hike to meet you at some point on the trail and camp/talk/party together.
You will probably have the usual problems with non-hikers, that won't change just because your a hiker.
Panzer
Sorry, you're not the kind of person I go out of my way to talk to.
LOL
alsdfalkdflas;fjak
Interesting series of posts. The fact that we are using up so much keypunch energy discussion racism or religious badgering on the trail in this day and age is sad. That it might be directed at a veteran that has put his life on the line in protection of their (and my) freedom is maddening.
However, I'm in agreement with my fellow hiker from Hawaii. There is a percentage of ******** everywhere. And the AT is somewhere. So we are all going to come across them. They are certainly not limited to North Georgia and the target is not limited to African Americans. But I believe (and maybe this is the hopeless optimist in me) that the overall experience will be one of the most positive experiences in your life.
Good luck and thank you for your service
Susquehanna Slim
Go Long!
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