[pct-l] Hikertown guests of 2008

[Eric Lee (GAMES)]

Bob wrote:
>
Please read my blog at:
 www.hikertown.com
How not to act when you're
 a guest at HikerTown.
>

The subject of Bob's blog is Wheeew, the same thru-hiker who was called out here on Tuesday for flinging extra food into the bushes along the trail (as she described at http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=224476).  She wrote about her HikerTown stay at http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=225034.

I'm generally not a fan of discussing people when they're not around to defend themselves, so I'm not sure how best to articulate what I'm thinking here.  I guess I'll just observe that a self-absorbed attitude is a very corrosive thing and it's something that long-distance hikers have to guard against.  Unfortunately, it's an all-too-common problem.

It's all too easy to get caught up in the epic proportions of what you're trying to do and to start thinking that the entire world must be admiring you, rooting for you, and exists only to help you.  It crops up in how people treat water caches, how they treat trail angels, how they treat town facilities, and how they treat the trail itself.

If you start becoming self-absorbed, the best thing to do is to take a step back and remind yourself that you're not the center of the universe after all.  Don't expect any outside help, and be sincerely thankful for any little help that's offered.  You didn't get everything that you wanted?  Hey, you're lucky you got any assistance at all.  That person didn't owe you anything and whatever you got was an undeserved gift.

In other words, it's all about humility and graciousness.

Eric