[pct-l] lameness of pct2007 and law budget hiking

Fri Jan 18 15:35:54 CST 2008

bullshit. 

all of this is coming from someone who lives in that geographical location?
> Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 02:10:50 +0200> From: roni.h10000 at gmail.com> To: pct-l at backcountry.net> Subject: [pct-l] lameness of pct2007 and law budget hiking> > Seems like again, due to my confrontational and a highly abnoxious> personality, I a have to write what many people think but are too nice> to say. (At least what I think many think)> This is what I wrote in the pct2007 group, which I consider to be on> average the most lame group of thruhikers I've ever met:> > > > > "> The fact that both medow-ed and I, who have an opposide perspective about> most stuff, actualy agree about this subject, shows there must be> something to it.> what ed is saying in his nice, none confrontational way, I will repeat> in my rude Israeli style. It looks like hikers in the last year or> two are becoming increasingly lame, and are strongly loosing the sense> of titenited community that used to be found amongst thruhikers in> previous years.> I don't know the pct group of 2006 but I there are 3 reasons I see of> the apperent lameness of the 2007 group:> > 1) There was an unusal amount of couples hiking the pct this year.> I'm not saying all couples are lame, but couples, especialy but not> exclosively young couples, tend to be much more closed to interaction> with other hikers. For them its more a couple experience than a social> experience. Again, I can show many exceptions for this rule, but as> an average, I find thruhiker couples to be much more lame than single hikers> > > 2) Almost all thruhikers I've seen this year were hiking an a much> higher budget than I've seen in previous years, especialy 2003. More> accuratly, the low to very low budget segment of hikers seemed to be> completly missing. Tony and I were virtualy the only people I met who> persistently stealth camped in towns. I think there might have been a> few others but far less than I I've seen in normal years.> One reason for that is possibly Yogi's hand book. Its a good book but> its definetly geared towards the higher budget hikers who actualy buy> the book. Of what I've seen in it there is almost no mention of> stealth camping sites in towns, which makes most people think there> are none.> > You might think stealth camping and low budget hiking has nothing to> do with lameness, but the truth is that if you think about a group of> hikers, they will always be bounded much tighter together, if they end> up having to stealth camp or sleep 6 in a motel room than if every> single one of them ends up getting a motel room for himself.> For me and Tony one of the most interesting chalenges in hiking is> finding a good stealth site in a town.> I'm know that there were this year many hikers who should have been on> a lower budget than mine (I actualy have money, I just try to spread> it over more hiking seasons) but they weren't very succeful in keeping> to their budget, partly because everyone around them was on a higher> budget.> Stealth camping and low budjet hiking are aquired skills. without> having anyone to show and teach you how you can easily thruhike on> less than 10$ a day, and still enjoy it, You might never try.> > 3) As I mentioned in the past, I saw an unusaly high sense of> entitlment from hikers towards trail angels. Not from everyone, but> from more than I've ever seen before.> Its probebly partly due to the abundence of trail magic but also has> something to do with the almost complete lack of low budget hikers> this year. Bluntly speaking, for a high budget hiker who stays in> every motel, a trail angels house is basicaly just a free motel room.> For me, who didn't stay in a single motel room on the whole pct this> year, a trail angels house is so much more, (inc' what might be the> first real hot shower I had in a month or more)...> I know this is a gross generalization, but its natural for people to> appreciate more what they dont have normaly, than what they have.> And so,generaly speaking, a low budget hiker tends to have a smaller> sense of entitlement than a high budget one.> > > I'm not sure what the solution for this situation is. Definetly> having pct 2007 hikers try to keep in contact with each other would> help, but its probebly too late for that. People got used to not> writing, finding excuses why not to write insted of why to write.> > I do think that someone might want to give at the next kickoff a talk> about low budget thruhiking on the pct (not me, because I'm probebly> not going to be around there this year). Thats an aquired skill that> seems to have all but disapperd from the pct, which is a real shame.> > > Roni (in Israel)> > > --- In PCT2007 at yahoogroups.com, "edfaubert" <edfaubert at ...> wrote:> >> > Roni is on to something, note i did not say Roni in ON something.> > Many of the class of 07 were first time hikers on the PCT and had a> > great time enjoying all the miles and the people you meet alone the> > way. For many LDHs its the people you meet that makes a diference in> > having an enjoyable time.> > Having been envolved for over a decade with you folks i will say> > there is a difference in the hikers of 07 and say 2000 or as Roni> > said the 03 group. We still see at the KO folks who hiked years ago> > still together as a group and keeping in touch. For whatever reason> > and i have not heard a good explanation for this, times change and> > the yearly folks hiking the trail change as well. Take the class of> > 06 for example, after 02 we saw a class gift from them to the class> > of 03, same for the next few years too. giving something back to the> > next group of hikers coming behind you. When it was 06s turn to give> > something back there was no takers offering some form of thank you> > from the group. I think its only those of us who have been involved> > with the hikers on the PCT for years and years that really see a> > difference in the collective group of thru hikers.> > Am i saying this is bad, well no,not at all. Roni had pointed out> > something last summer about hikers in 07 (expecting) rides back to> > the trail etc etc where when he hiked befor no one would have even> > asked for a ride back to the trail.> > That was then i know and now is now but still it beggs the question,> > why have hikers changed in the past few years. Those of us older> > folks who are into mangement positions talk a lot about the upcoming> > generation of folks who just don't care about responibility> > anymore... Is this same kernal of thought affecting the hiking world> > too? And if it is, is it a bad thing or just something us older folks> > have to readjust too.> > Just some food for thought here....................and this is not to> > say Roni is in anyway correct about anything, either.................> >> _______________________________________________> Pct-l mailing list> Pct-l at backcountry.net> To unsubscribe or change list options (digest, etc):> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
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