[pct-l] the Pacific Crest Trail

["Ed and Vivian Banhoff" <banhoffs@chek.com>]

    Until two years ago, my wife and I were regular hikers
of the now Pacific Crest Trail, the trails that used to be part of it, and many connecting trails. Over the years it has been an important part of our lives, and we try to give something back thru trail-maintenance when we were younger, donations, and supporting other hikers.
     We subscribed to this list out of a desire to form friendships with a wide range of PCT enthusiasts, and we have. At first we made no public postings because we were bashful newcomers. Then we remained "lurkers" because we were confused by what seemed to be the list's slant. Finally we were too frightened to speak out. I know now how wrong I was.
     I read the letters from braggarts and was amused, and only annoyed they wrote so often. I saw beginning hikers ridiculed and condescended to, and did not defend them because I was secretly proud of my own experience. I ignored the flame wars and cries of Nazi, telling myself that the internet is the Wild West after all. The list administrator himself repeatedly supported an angry foul-mouthed minority, but I didn't argue, since anyone who disagreed with him was either savagely attacked or banished from the group. When he began calling fire regulations illegal, divulged private details about subscribers, and baited forest rangers, I hoped the PCTA would step in, but no one, including myself, stood up to him. 
     This morning I received an email that enclosed postings from the non-digest list. It seems a deranged "joke" about minorities, ladies, and homosexuals appeared yesterday, yet Mr Robbins only reserved his official displeasure for the childish bit of fluff that followed. It now is clear that name-calling, threats, law-breaking and bigotry are unacceptable only if they conflict with the beliefs of the administrator or his bully boy friends like the Sweetnam fellow. Disagreement with the administrator is grounds for instant expulsion, yet private pleading with him is futile, as many of us know.
     My only regrets are that I did not speak out sooner and that the name of the Pacific Crest Trail should be affixed to such a travesty of everything the Trail stands for. If Mr Robbins has any decency at all, he will change the name of his list to something less misleading.
     God bless you all,        Edward Banhoff

Signup for your FREE E-mail account at http://mail.chek.com
* From the Pacific Crest Trail Email List |  http://www.backcountry.net   *

==============================================================================