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[pct-l] My Views on Jardine



I have been accused of "belittling all things Ray" and I want to make my 
feelings on Jardine and the "Ray Way" clear. I also want to make it clear 
that I am speaking as list member, not list admin. Please feel free to 
disagree with anything I post on the list, just as long as it is kept civil 
and polite, I firmly believe public disagreement is a good learning tool.

I do not belittle "all things Ray." As a matter of fact I developed a very 
similar style for myself, and promoted it in an article published in 
UltraRunning magazine in 1990, two years before the publication of the 
first edition of the Handbook. I have even been accused of being a 
"Jardinite" when folks see the gear I carry. When I hiked California in 95 
(a heavy snow year) my basic pack weight (no food or water) was about 12 
lbs. I made the pack, and much of my gear.

Two things have shaped my opinion of Jardine, the man:

Adventure Lore Publishing (Jardine's company) threatened to sue an ISP over 
a review of the first edition of the hand book I posted on their site. (see 
a copy of the threat below). The review mostly consisted of stuff posted to 
this list. None of it was libelous. It certainly didn't make me feel warm 
and fuzzy about Ray. Neither did the check I wrote the lawyer after I 
consulted him as to if I should be concerned about the threat.
You can read the review at: http://www.fastpack.com/brick/jardine.html

Jardine hates horses so much that he founded ALDHA-West west to try to 
split up the PCTA. (ALDHA-W has grown beyond this since then, and Jardine 
is no longer on tits board) This was a great disservice to the trail. The 
PCTA isn't perfect, but urban encroachment, clear cut logging and OHV 
access is a far greater threat to the PCT (jardine disagrees: p336, second 
edition), and we need all the support we can get to protect it. The PCTA is 
the best way to do this and Jardine tried his best to hurt it. In the 
second edition, he effectively calls the PCTA "blind and intolerant" (p327 
second edition). In '97 I spoke with several "Jardinites" who refused to 
join the PCTA based on what Jardine had said. What has Jardine done lately 
to protect the PCT from urban encroachment and clearcutting? The PCTA has 
done plenty. See the first two articles at http://www.pcta.org/

This is why I developed an antagonistic opinion of  Jardine. I don't have 
any problems with his hiking style, but I have big problems with the man. 
Brett Tucker suggested that I "upgrade to Beyond Backpacking " but I won't 
pay money for any further publications from Adventure Lore press because 
some of the money would go to Jardine. I'll have to wait till my library 
gets it.

Do I have a strong opinion about this? You bet I do. I have reason to.

Here is the original libel threat. How would you feel if you got it?

 >Return-Path: <AdvenLore@aol.com>
 >Date: Sun, 8 Dec 1996 14:19:49 -0500
 >From: AdvenLore@aol.com
 >Subject: Libel
 >
 >
 >We would like to direct your attention to a web page hosted by your service
 >which is publishing defamatory material. This libel is actionable per se. It
 >is harming the reputation of the author of one of our books, by exposing him
 >to scorn, ridicule and contempt.
 >
 >This is illegal, and we might point out that the agency which hosts
 >defamatory material (yourselves) is just as liable as if that agency had
 >originated it. However, we are not seeking damages at this point. No doubt
 >you were unaware of the problem, and we sense that these people are otherwise
 >well intentioned. But the fact remains that in discouraging our customers
 >they are likely interfering with the normal course of our business.


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