[pct-l] authors' merits

[Matt Geis]

Did I use the apostrophe correctly in the subject here?  We're talking about the possessive here, yet also about multiple authors?

I'm going to have to go against what Brick says, and talk about the merits of the authors. I will not be detracting from them.  I'll be talking about their **merits** (this is a good thing).

As for Yogi:  I wish folks would try to get to know the subjects of their attacks prior to launching them (maybe they'd cancel the attack...).  Yogi works as a waitress, at least according to the last time I talked to her.  She also happens to have an MBA.  That particular degree, however, often leads to a career path in a cubicle that doesn't afford good long-distance hiking opportunities.  So, what does she do?  She plans, executes, markets, and sells her own guide books.  The lesson, I guess, is that the "lowly waitress" serving you might just be a lot smarter than you think.

As for her book:  I contributed a fair amount of info to it.  That being said, I'm kind of glad it didn't exist when I did my hike, as I think it would have taken away a lot of the surprises.  Of course, should I ever hike the CDT, I'll be contacting her to get that book, so call me a hypocrite.

As for Funnybone:  The guy has some strong opinions.  I don't think he was criticizing the book as much as the idea that YOU NEED TO HAVE THIS BOOK!  A couple years back one hiker was given a faux trailname "Yogi Says" because of his endless stream of citations.  Sometimes hiking your own hike means actually figuring things out for yourself -- otherwise, we could just choose to sit in an armchair with a pile of guidebooks, maps, and trail guides.  The attacks on his literacy make me laugh.  To my knowledge, he skipped out on college to pursue a career as a professional athlete.  He's raced in Europe, and has a command of *several* languages (unlike the other 99% of the United States).  I challenge ANYBODY to read his journal and even go a single week of entries without running across some unfamiliar word (if I had a way to actually verify someone could do this, I'd offer a plate of 5 pancakes as a prize).  Some of those words would stump an 800-SAT scoring whiz-kid (the best part, is that they're used correctly, and people would actually take the time to acknowledge their own ignorance and just look up the word, before assuming that this college-pedigree-less hiker just invented it, they would see that not only did he get the word right, but nailed the exact nuance as well).  Somehow, I think Chuck is actually that well-read -- I do not think he's carrying around the Oxford English Dictionary in his pack.

Sure, the guy may incorrectly punctuate his sentences, but his *command* of the language is why his journal is the most-read one on the TJ site (if that quote in another email is correct).  It's readable.  It's funny.  Anybody who has ever seriously tried their hand at writing can tell you it's hard to write something that's easy and engaging to read.

So calm your asses down, people.  We don't seem to get all in a huff over the pinko lefty blue-state wimps on the list, nor do we attack all the gun-toting red-state hillbillies, so this is another issue where people would do well to just cool it.

In the interest of full disclosure, I know and consider myself friends with both of these hikers, so maybe I have an advantage in restraining myself and not jumping into the fray with a lot of name-calling and insults.  So, that gives me an edge on being a little more fair and respectful than some of the other people on the list.

Now, feel free to correct my punctuation, spelling, and diction.

Iron Chef