[pct-l] Re: Brian/Purity

[buzz@dimensional.com (Buzz Burrell)]

On 10/24/01 11:02 AM pcnst wrote (in part):

>On the subject of purity mentioned a while back, I suppose one could vow 
>to through-hike 
>without staying in any permanent shelter and by traveling
>to resupply entirely on foot - just the PCT, that's hard enough.
>Or better yet, resupplying only with what's
>available to purchase along the way - no post office or ups packages!

Heck, the true "non-supported" hike would be to carry a gun, rod, and 
digging hoe, and forget civilized support altogether.  What is "pure" 
about walking into a grocery store, taking out a piece of plastic, and 
walking out with little dried packages of food that were manufactured in 
factories thousands of miles away?

One could carry this line of thinking endlessly ... why rely upon gear 
that is based on industrial refining of petrochemical byproducts?  
(nylon).

The stylistic spectrum is extremely broad.  It's human nature to draw 
demarcation lines on that spectrum ("this is good", "that is bad"), but 
also good to keep in mind all those lines are drawn in the sand of our 
own minds.  

Purity, one suspects, lies more in the heart and mind of the participant 
than in what other people think of what they are doing.


Go Brian!  I'm impressed.  Walking a couple days with him was one of the 
highlights of my summer.  Great trip, great guy.

Buzz Burrell