[pct-l] The Grinches Who Are Stealing PCT-List

[goforth at cnw.com (Joanne Lennox)]

Maybe we should view participation on the list as a requirement of 
thruhiking.  -PCTA wouldn't issue a permit without list participation, 
former PCT thruhikers cruising the ranks of hikers to make sure nobody had 
escaped the toughening process, the hazing that regular list participation 
involves.  Every prospective thruhiker whould have to answer at least 5 
questions to start from Campo.

It would be interesting to do a survey to see if  all the thin skinned 
complainers hike as far as the jump-in-with-bot- feet questioners and list 
participants.

What is wrong with a little reading in the archives ???  I had read the 
whole archive by the time I asked the first question on the list.

>Telling someone to go check the archives is not very polite.
 It offers a source of a lot of good information. A lot of new persons fail 
to realize that it is there.

In fact the list might consider sending a post to new orl prospective 
members with the 50 most asked questions(FAQ), and relevent sections of the 
archives where they are answered , and  hope this deals with  the newbie 
difficulties.

.>  If there is a legitimate argument then send it to the others offlist.

Interesting, I was told not to contact offlist.

> There is room enough for all of us to have differences of opinions about 
> all these subjects. If I learned anything in preparing for and hiking the 
> PCT it was that all  kinds of equipment and all different philosophies are 
> valid. It has far more to do with what a person is carrying inside than 
> what they are carrying on their back

I guess we need to distinguish between a legitimate argument, and a 
difference of opinion??.  If all different philosophies are valid, why not 
be able to express opinions, and "argue" a different viewpoint.  Maybe we 
should just restrict the discusions to equipment ratings???  But you note 
that equipment is not as important as what is being carried inside - how do 
you talk about that.

Could I be nominated for supreme grinch???  I am trying REALLY 
HARD.(Grinchdom is what you carry inside)

 Grinch Goforth