[pct-l] Mountain Education's Spam Schedule

[Jon Danniken]

K Murray wrote:
>
>... how do you explain your post here?

This problem is not only limited to Ned Tibbits spamming this list (and
other
backpacking forums) for his Mountain Education company, but is indicative of
what a growing number of entities who insinuate themselves with the PCT are
doing.

You need look no farther than what Greg Hummel does with the ADZPCTKOP to
see an example of this. By encouraging and providing a place for commercial
interests at the event (Leki and Six Moon Designs, amongst others), the
collusion between those who have established themselves as structures within
the hiking community and corporations motivated by profit becomes
established.

Look at what Ron Moak is doing, President of the ALDHA-West, and oh, just
coincidentally, the founder and owner of Six Moon Designs, which makes tents
and other gear for distance hikers. That such a man assumes such a position
of leadership in a hiking organization while profiting from it is
despicable.

Remember the row at Dick Cheney's former involvement with Halliburton and
the company's involvement in the Iraq war? Imagine how much worse it would
have been had Mr. Cheney been the founder and owner of Halliburton, as Ron
Moak is with his company.

Beyond these reasons, they are encouraging this trail to become populated by
individuals whose sole expertise in hiking is that they plunked down money
to pay for their trip, similar to the "culture" of well-funded "mountaneers"
that currently infest the slopes of Everest.

As I have stated in the past, people need to provide for their own
experience insofar as hiking a trail such as the PCT is concerned, and
spoon-feeding them what they need to know for cash money goes against the
very nature of being self-reliant enough to hike on a trail.

What men like Ned Tibbits, Greg Hummel, and Ron Moak are doing is obvious;
it is the whoring out of the PCT for their own financial gain and/or
other motives they have. What boggles my mind is that individuals such as
yourself do not see this for what it is, the carving up of the PCT for
commercial exploitation, and take a stand against it.

Jon