[pct-l] 3rd ADZPCTKO

[pctcoach@sopris.net (Margo Chisholm)]

(Please post this, Brick. I'm a member under 
margo@tothesummit.com. Thanks)

Thanks, Greg, for the news and update. It was almost as 
good as being there! Next year for sure. I knew all along 
that Nick was taller. :-) I was so sorry not to see him. 
He and Whitney became good friends in '99. 

Bravo to all of you who so willingly give so much to make 
the ADZPCTKO such a delightfully, celebratory success! 

Happy Hiking!

Quoting Bighummel@aol.com:

> Hello Marge, Margo and all of the others that could not attend the 3rd ADZ.
>  
> I must tell you, unfortunately for you and joyfully for us, it was the best
> 
> ever!  
> 
> The weather = perfect!
> The transportation help = great!
> The food donations, preparation, serving and clean-up = superb!
> The money donations to make it all work = enough to run two (if I had 
> accepted all)!
> The people = friendly, open, smiling, helpful, excited, thoughtful, kind.
> The Lake Morena Rangers = helpful, flexible to our trespasses, excited to
> be 
> part of it, looking for ways to make it easier and better next year. 
> 
> Where to start, where to start.  12 to 15 thru-hikers from 2000,
> twenty-or-so 
> hikers crowded around Meadow Ed to get details of water sources and
> stashing 
> sites, the Lounge Lizzards singing lude songs at midnight, Nick and Strider
> 
> standing side-by-side at the urging of many to see who be the taller (Nick
> by 
> a nick!), Lightningbolt extolling the virtues of his "deluxe cooking
> system" 
> with a classic southern salesman's drawl, Mad Monte showing first hand the 
> manufacturing and operation of the soda pop and cat food stoves, then
> giving 
> all of them away to envious thruhikers, Donna Suffley tearfully calling for
> a 
> moment to remember Butch Wiggins, the winners of the 1st AGPLDHG&IR grand 
> prize G4 pack bubbling over it's virtues with Glen Van Peski (the 
> manufacturer) and substituting it for one of their existing packs, Brian 
> "Never Be" Robinson being swarmed all weekend by people seeking insight
> into 
> his strategy of hopscotching back and forth between different sections of
> the 
> three trails, Jerry Smith (a 1976 thru-hiker!) showing his Kelty Tioga next
> 
> to mine except his loaded for a repeat thru-hike this year, an aspiring
> young 
> couple put into a state of awe at the camaraderie, openness and kindness of
> 
> these people . . . 
> 
> When I was asked to perform the unofficial duties of coordinator for the
> 3rd 
> ADZ, I feared that it might ruin the experience for me.  I happily found so
> 
> many, so eager to help, so free with their vehicles and so anxious to 
> contribute.  "Hey, I need some help over here" I would shout to the throngs
> 
> of people deep in conversations, and forward would jump 8 or 10 people
> ready 
> to jump to the task!   "How can I help?" was the comment heard over and
> over 
> and over.  It enabled me to join many of the conversations and meet almost 
> all of the people and drink many, many cold beers and thoroughly enjoy
> myself 
> along with everyone there. 
> 
> As Bob Reiss indicated in his message, transportation of hikers to and from
> 
> San Diego and Campo and the border and Hauser Canyon and Warner Springs and
> 
> Cibbets Flat campground went on daily from Thursday through Sunday.
> 
> Thanks goes out to Paul Dietrich who I sent out late Saturday morning to 
> Warner Springs to pickup any stragglers to bring back to the ADZ.  He found
> a 
> women hiker who had a serious foot injury and took her to get medical 
> attention in Temecula!  He ended up missing the all of the main ADZ 
> activities and worried his girlfriend and many of us as to his delay.  
> However, when he returned to find most of food cold and put away, Paul
> smiled 
> up at me, shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, isn't the point of this 
> whole event to help out hikers?"
> 
> The PCTA signed up a lot of new members (including me, shamefully having
> let 
> my membership lapse for way too long) and gave a good speech on the focus
> and 
> goals of the organization.
> 
> Mad Monte Dodge filmed a large part of the event and interviewed many 
> individuals and groups on video tape.  He gave me the tape to duplicate for
> 
> those of you that could not attend and may wish to get a feel for the
> event.  
> Send me a note, off list, if you want one, so that I can get a feel for how
> 
> many copies I need to make.
> 
> The goals of the organizers of the ADZ have been, and continue to be, to
> hold 
> a low key gathering of supporters, trail angels and past thru and section 
> hikers for the benefit of the current and aspiring group of thru and
> section 
> hikers.  I believe that we have succeeded beyond our original intent and 
> concept.
> 
> Unfortunately, we have added a couple new rules to the existing:
> 
> Existing rules of the ADZPCTKO:
> 1) There are no rules.
> 2) Contributions from aspiring thru and section hikers will NOT be accepted
> 
> New additions to the rules of the ADZPCTKO:
> 3) Dogs are not invited
> 4) No lude song singing before 9 PM or after 10 PM
> 5) Remember rule #1
> 
> Already looking forward to the 4th ADZPCTKO,
> 
> Greg "Strider" Hummel
> 
> P.S. I believe that two things tie us together so closely, 1) the 
> appreciation of the PCT and all of its virtues, and 2) singular acts of 
> kindness and the burning desire to pass this on to others
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> 

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