[pct-l] re: section hikers

[judson at jeffnet.org (Judson Brown)]

Hi, my name is Judson, and I'm a section hiker. (Hi, Judson.)

I have amassed about 550 mi. on the PCT over the years, and have noticed an
occasional discrimination by thru hikers toward section hikers. This is not
always the case- the majority of thru hikers I have met were incredibly
friendly and couldn't have cared less if I hadn't started at Campo. And I
have never been treated with flagrant rudeness, but there have been times
where it wasn't far from it. Where you started on the trail, or whether
you're doing it all at once, should not matter any more than your political
beliefs, your occupation, or what kind of car you drive. One of the things I
absolutely love about the trail is that when I'm out there, I can meet
people with whom in the "real" world I wouldn't have a damn thing to
discuss. It doesn't matter; out there we're all just hikers. Well, if none
of those superficial things matter, why should it matter if I'm hiking 2,700
mi. or 100?

Please don't take this as a condemnation of thru hikers: nothing could be
further from the truth. (that's the trouble with e-mail: tone is so easy to
misconstrue) Just something to think about for the thru hikers of the
future. The trail isn't only about people who hike it all at once.

Submittedly respectfully, IMHO, etc.