[pct-l] weekendhiker

[Birgitte Jensen <bjensen4@juno.com>]

Let's all avoid using the expression "weekend hiker". It's one of those
easy-to-pick-up put downs like "redneck", and it really doesn't mean
anything anyway. Factually, _anybody_ who has a trail-problem with
another hiker on a Sat/Sun is also hiking those days, no?<g> People
hiking "thru" don't actually avoid weekends, do they? Neither can
mid-weekers like myself if their hike takes longer than 5 days.

The majority of backpackers have M-F jobs (or hiking buddies who do), and
many of them are super-competent outdoorspeople, niceguys, and
environmentally concerned. For instance, there's a guy on this list who
sent me trip-reports for nearly every hikeable weekend last year (wow!);
that weekendhiker must have more meaningful trail miles than most of us
accrue on one-a-year (or once-in-a-lifetime) Big Hikes.....

How about substituting a phrase like "clueless, obnoxious dirt-stomper?"
- or something else that doesn't insult good people?         bj


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