[pct-l] Nemo's Side of the Story - an apology

[yogi]

I apologize for jumping the gun on the Drakesbad
situation.  I was wrong to assume that the story I
read on PCT-L was true before I researched the facts. 
Kudos to Weathercarrot and Radar for giving Nemo the
benefit of the doubt.

My reasoning was this:  I've heard from many reputable
sources about bad hiker behavior this hiking season. 
The PCT is dear to my heart, and I tend to protect
those people/things that I love.  I assumed this
Drakesbad situation was just a continuation of the
behavior I've been hearing about on the PCT since
April.  Right or wrong, I felt the need to protect the
integrity of the trail.

Every time I respond passionately to something on the
PCT-L, Jerry Goller and Donna are quick to email me
privately that I've been scammed by another troll. 
Looks like that happened again yesterday.  Maybe
before I get all feisty again, I should run my posts
through Jerry and Donna!

For the record, my book says this about Drakesbad:

"meals are reasonably priced"
"Apteryx and I ate breakfast and lunch half priced"
"they gave us a discount on our buffet"
"we got free prime rib"

So I suppose you could focus on one comment and read
that the food is free, but that's not what I meant to
imply.  The comment about free prime rib has been
removed from the next edition of the book.

Weathercarrot:  Please tell Nemo to not send me a
money order.  It was my decision to send the $30 to
Billie and Ed, and I never expected anyone to
reimburse me.  If I receive a money order, I will not
cash it.

Again, my apologies to everyone I may have offended. 
Hats off to the hikers on the trail for making ammends
only hours after the situation occurred.

yogi
www.pcthandbook.com






--- The Weathercarrot <weathercarrot at hotmail.com>
wrote:

> >From Nemo, received a few minutes ago:
> 
> ----Original Message Follows----
> Subject: Nemo's Side of the Story
> Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 13:54:11 EDT
> 
> I am writing this message from the Ashland area
> after crying for the past 
> two
> hours. Two of my dear friends, Radar and
> Weathercarrrot have sent me word
> that my name has been slandered on the PCT-L site as
> of late over a terrible
> misunderstanding. I will read you my journal entry
> from the day I arrived at
> Drakesbaad Ranch, August 2nd, 2006.......
> 
> Day 99 26.8 miles today
> 
> Long day. Breathright and I walked the 15 miles to
> Drakesbaad Ranch after
> hearing so much about how amazing they were to
> hikers. Bama said that they 
> had
> been feeding hikers for free or cheap all week and
> you can get a shower and 
> a
> swim for free and that we shouldn't miss it. I
> wanted to hike on and wasn't 
> sure
> that I wanted to go off the trail, but then I saw
> how close it was and
> Breatheright persuaded me to go with him. It was
> amazing! We got there at 
> 1:20 or
> so. There it was. Horses in a corral, a pool heated
> by hot springs, hot 
> spring
> showers, little cabins all nestled in the trees. We
> headed to the main 
> building
> and a dining area. We walked around awkwardly not
> knowing what to do. A 
> woman
> with an accent said, "PCT Hikers?" We said, "Yup."
> She said, "Go through. 
> Eat
> as much as you want!" Then a gentleman (Ed) brought
> us a pitcher of water 
> and
> asked if we needed anything else. He said, "Welcome
> to Drakesbaad.
> Congratulations on making it half way. There are the
> showers and pool down 
> there, help
> yourself! How long are you staying?" Breatheright
> said "All day and all 
> night."
> Well, we about giggled ourselves to death and ate
> like kings and queens. 
> Then
> I showered and soaked and was on my way, trying to
> make it another 10 miles
> to get to Georgi's the next day. I was on my way by
> 3:15 feeling refreshed 
> and
> wonderful. What a wonderful treat and what wonderful
> people. That was
> officially the best magic I ever received on the
> whole trail! Almost like 
> the
> Chihuahua Road day! I made it to Soap Lake and
> camped alone.........
> 
> I arrived at Georgi's in Old Station and found out
> an hour later from 
> Twisted
> Sister (PCT 05) that Billy the owner of Drakesbaad
> had called ahead to 
> Georgi
> to tell her that some girl had skipped out on her
> bill. I was the only girl
> for miles and miles so they assumed it was me. I
> gasped and started to try 
> not
> to cry and told them my side of the story, which was
> that Breatheright and I
> were under the assumption that they were going to
> throw all the food away or
> something, because it was the end of lunch and there
> were no customers 
> besides
> us. We finished eating and waited for about 15
> minutes. There were no staff
> members there except for a young bus girl. She was
> emptying the buffet and I
> cleared the table and brought her my plate and glass
> and waited for her to 
> bill us
> or give us the check. Nothing. No communication. I
> thanked her and asked if
> we were all set and she said, "Yes, thank you!" We
> went to the shower, I 
> took a
> brief swim and dried off and left. I thought it was
> magic. From the
> information I received from other hikers and the
> entry in the Yogi Guide, 
> saying that
> Suge received free prime rib, free food, a free
> shower and free swim in 
> 2005, I
> assumed that it was free. Later that evening, Billy
> and Ed, the owners,
> supposedly asked my friend Breatheright where I
> went, thinking that I was 
> his
> partner they thought I was staying the night with
> him. They told him that I 
> skipped
> out on my bill and he knew that it was a
> misunderstanding and PROMPTLY PAID
> THEM THE $6 I OWED. Georgi understood my side of the
> story and understood 
> that
> it was a misunderstanding and said she would talk to
> Billy, apologize for me
> and clear my name. I was beside myself thinking that
> my name had been 
> slandered
> all over the trail. Apparently 25 hikers arrived
> later that day and Billy
> told them all that I had skipped out on my bill and
> they were going to have 
> to
> rethink their offerings to PCT hikers. I immediately
> started to cry again 
> when I
> heard that. I grew up in a restaurant. My mother and
> grandfather owned a
> restaurant and I practically lived there. I learned
> to wash dishes first, 
> cook,
> bus, waitress and bartend. I WOULD NEVER SKIP OUT ON
> ANY BILL ANYWHERE AND I
> WOULD NEVER LEAVE ANYTHING UNPAID EVER EVER EVER.
> There was a very serious 
> lack
> of clarity that led to this situation. I was
> extremely hurt that a number of
> hikers later came up to me and told me they had
> heard some girl skipped out 
> on
> her bill. I explained the situation to countless
> people, and even went on 
> tape
> on Squatch's camera and tried to clear my name. I
> gave Breatheright the $6 
> and
> wondered if my reputation was worth $6,000 to me. It
> is.
> 
> I am extremely hurt that a woman I don't know would
> drag my tired thruhiker
> body through the mud without getting the information
> straight. The internet 
> is
> a corrupt place that attracts lies, conjecture and
> leads to nothing but
> trouble. The PCT is full of rumors at all times that
> I have found difficult 
> to sift
> through. If anyone out there knows me, they would
> KNOW that I am a refulgent
> soul and would NEVER do anything to jeopardize the
> comfort of any member of 
> my
> trail family, of which I have been a member since
> 2001.
> 
> Drakesbaad is not closed to hikers. I do not steal.
> I love and respect 
> anyone
> who offers me anything. I do not feel entitled to
> any magic anywhere at any
> time. I apologize to Billy and Ed, Georgi,
> Breatheright, Yogi, the PCT-L, 
> the
> people of this country and the members of this
> planet, the PCTA, some woman
> named Sue who DOES NOT KNOW ME. I hope that this is
> the end of it. I have 
> walked
> 1726 miles on the PCT, including 340 miles in the
> last 10 days to get away
> from the people who might think for a second I was a
> thief. I have cried for
> hours over this. What a great way to spend a zero in
> Ashland. Crying. Thank 
> you to
> Radar, Weathercarrot, Donna Saufley and She-Ra who
> KNOW FULL WELL WHAT KIND
> OF PERSON I AM. Time for some Shakespeare. Cast your
> stones.
> 
> Yogi, I will be getting your address and sending you
> a postal money order 
> for
> $30.
> 
> 
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