[pct-l] PCT Hiker Register

[I Discovered That By Going Out I Had Really Gone In]

It really is a question about the expectation of privacy, at least to me.  A seperate issue that has come up through the PCT-L is commercial exploitation of posts made in one venue, the PCT-L, by another, Postholer.

One can certainly argue that there is no expectation of privacy from the general public to such posts, but I think that is wrong and not appreciated by those who've been avant-garde from through hiking for awhile.

The rule is that what happens on the trail stays on the trail. So the expected audiance for register posts is the those actually on the trail, not those living vicariously through the hikers of a given season. What is for public consumption are the journals posted by the hikers specifically for public consumption.

This isn't a question of legality so much as it is protecting some hikers who shed the normal persona during a thru hike as well as the experience as a whole.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

Ashley <djalowe at gmail.com> wrote:

>Ohhh let's get gourmet on this!!! He is a lawyer! But the registry does say its going to be posted on postholer so I guess it's the person who registers responsibility to read the fine print! I think the lawyers would agree with that....Haha these email threads are hilarious, so many heated opinions about the darnedest things :)!
>Iguana
>
>Sent from my iPod
>
>On Jul 31, 2012, at 9:32 AM, Greg Hummel <bighummel at aol.com> wrote:
>
>> Hm, if I came across a trail register in the forest, on public land, or in a Post Office, and freely available to anyone coming by, I don't think I would expect any comments I leave to be private in any shape, form or legality.
>> 
>> 
>> The old trail registers are in the PCTA's archives and I and many other old, ancient thru-hikers have been urging them to scan and post, or make available to the public. This same argument came up, one of privacy and we have argued as I have here, that these were recorded on public property, in a public arena, with free access to anyone. Where does the privacy issue come into this? Maybe a lawyer can explain it to me.
>> 
>> 
>> Greg Hummel
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> "I'm afraid of nothing and scared of everything"- GNH 
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