[pct-l] re: section hikers

[shutterbugg313 at yahoo.com (Shutterbug steiner)]

I too am a section hiker and last year when I hiked almost 500 miles of the PCT, I specifically chose to hike against the grain and go South hoping to run into some thruers and gleam information from my idols.  On the trail (after  I ripened enough and I stunk like a thruer) all the thruers treated me with respect and many had a good conversation about what each of us was to expect in the hours/days ahead.  Two years ago around Castle Crags I was talking to a THRUer and after I explained to him that two of my hiking buddies who are on year 20 of a 30 year section hike plan ..... he said something like, "You guys have a higher commitment than us Thruers, all we committed to is one long summer, You guys have committed for a half of a lifetime and have many more opportunities to call it quits."  On the trail I feel NO discrimination.
 
Off the trail and in front of a computer, I do think that this list leans more to "pedestaling" thru hikers and I have felt a slight discrimination against section hikers and even more discrimination against weekend warriors.  I know I do.I have the utmost respect for thruers and when I finish section hiking (3-5 yr plan) I will perhaps do it all again in a 4-5 months.  When dreams and goals have been achieved is that the time one earns respect?  Or should we earn respect because we simply have dreams?
 
Shutterbugg 

Judson Brown <judson@jeffnet.org> wrote:
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.


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