Appalachian Rule Book

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#41

…only occurs in association with the Appalachian Trail. There are (7) other National Scenic Trails. Why do you see this kind of banter associated with the AT, and not the other trails?

For example, a few years back the AT recognized several Boy Scouts as some of the first 2000 milers. They submitted a report detailing their hike from 1936. You would have thought someone had shot the Pope! People went apoplectic. Does anyone here actually have any proof that they didn’t hike the trail?

Peace Pilgrim was perhaps he first woman to ever hike the AT, but folks (including Earl) back in the 1950s seemed intent on making sure Grandma Gatewood was recognized as the first female to hike the trail. Same old silly argument… Funny thing is, Peace Pilgrim could have cared less about being recognized as the first. She had a bigger mission. We could lean much from her wisdom.

http://www.bluedove.com/new_repr/books/b-peace.html

It’s just a trail folks. That’s all. Nothing more, nothing less. If someone submits a report that’s false, that’s something THEY have to live with. What difference does it make to you or me? Someone elses lie about completing a thru-hike has absolutely no impact on my hike. Furthermore, it is impossible to verify if ANYONE has ever hiked the entire trail. It’s an honor system, and clearly, in our society, many people have problems with honesty.

Isn’t hiking what it’s all about? Relax, enjoy, take a hike.

Little Bear

#42

The problem with the AT is like anything else in life…the more people that get involved the more fu**** up it gets.
Next, I will have to bring my papers and documentation showing that I am following the rules of the hike; checkpoints with KGB and Gustapo will be the rule. There are two kinds of people in life…those who want to control everything and those who spend their lives fighting that control…which side are you on???

AT Patch

#43

Very little (if any) of this topic is discussed among northbound thru-hikers who are on their thru-hikes north of Harpers Ferry. There are so few thru-hikers left on the Trail by then.

For those northbound thru-hikers who are left on the Trail, backgrounds or intentions or past transgressions on or off Trail are pretty much forgotten because it just took so much effort to get to that point by everyone still remaining.

The thing that prevents most people who want to thru-hike the AT from actually doing so is refusing to take the first step on a thru-hike. That stops way more people than the rigors of a thru-hike stopping a person from completing their thru-hike once it starts.

So getting your life setup or your ‘situation’ massaged or dealing with fears to the point of actually taking the first deliberate step on a thru-hike of the Appalachain Trail is a huge accomplishment. Believe me, that point is pretty significant in the minds of thru-hikers because those are the people who know specifically what it took to just start a thru-hike.

Most thru-hikers have thoughts of other things rather than debate while thru-hiking. It’s just too heavy to carry a debate load and still get up and down the mountainsides every day. A thru-hiker begins to shed pack weight as well as psychological weight pretty quickly once a thru-hike begins.

By the time a northbounder reaches Katahdin, I think you’d fine them to be some of the most peaceful-minded people on the planet. It’s only when they are re-introduced back into ‘normal’ society that conflict and overt competition and their duly appointed proportion of psychological baggage reappears.

Loved that ‘busy mind’ info.

Datto

Datto

#44

Do what you have to do out there. Who the hell honestly cares what others think?

I always seemed to notice, however, that the stupid trail politics got worse the further north you go.

bearbait

#45

I only hiked a little over 600 miles of the A.T, so far and enjoyed not the start or the finish but the experiences along the way. the moving murials, the people, the rain, the sun, the heat, and the cold. Reading all the strife and bull cheapens my exp. I got on the trail to leave that crap behind, why not leave it where it was and keep the trail as it was meant for me “Natures Valium”:boy

Hillbilly

#46

please expound whut you mean: the stupid trail politics got worse the further north you go.

Huh

#47

At the end of the day, you are fortunate enough to be able to take off from life for 4-6 months and go hiking. That in itself is great. So don’t worry about the “rules”, or the folks that feel they need to impose thier own personal set of rules on everybody. If you hike 2000 miles, you hike 2000 miles. Who cares if you sit in town too long, or you slack pack here and there? You are doing this for you, not anyone else. So do what you have to do to make your experience work for you, and above all, have fun! -peace

Waker

#48

I saw quite a few more judgement calls being made about non-purists, in regards to how to hike the trail, yellow and blue blazing, slack-packing, and a lot of other concerns. I saw a few really rude shelter register entries made about people who simply stay in town and take in civilization a few extra days than others, and a ridiculous amount of name-calling aimed at those who didn’t just stick to the white blazes while out on the trail.

It was mainly done by the same handful of people, but I just didn’t see all of the politics in the south.

bearbait

#49

they are no official rules, the great thing about Hiking is you can hike the trail ( any trail ) However you want to their is no diffenant right or wrong way just go out their and have fun, their is one rule that i follow and it’s pretty simple it’s HYOH alot of people forgot or just don’t know what it means, but yeah HIKE YOUR OWN HIKE, and please don’t let any body try and tell you how to hike trust me there’s poeple that will try and when someone tries and tell you how to hike just say HYOH bro and Hike On.

RED-DOG