Idiots On the trail ...Above topic (Alckys)

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#1

Okay…let me say that from this year a few places that used to offer services will not be this year because of the few idiots that think the AT is one big party. As an example…Stratton White Wolf Inn…a standby and a place of cheap staying for hikers for years will be charging more this year because of some incidents of some hikers who basically suck. Broken screen doors, ripped off thermostates, puke that is left on the floor…now the thing is this. When people go into towns, the actions DO INDEED reflect on all other hikers, present and future, and if you read the Handbooks, you will see that a lot of places and towns that used to welcome hikers no longer care if we come or not. And some who dont say it, let you know when you are there that they would be just as happy if you stayed away.

My theory is this…if you want to party down and live like you do at home, stay at home. If you wanna let go of actions and deeds that made you wanna be out on the trail, or any trail for that matter, then pplease, allow yourself to think, and live with what you find out about yourself, good or bad. Cuz that is a great part of this trip.

Realizing where you may have been an ******* in the past and how to remedy those things.

Do not come out here and ruin it for the mind travelers as well as the world travelers who seek something more then just a party.

Sure, have fun, drink eat and be merry with others, but for the sake of future hikers, as well as the name and rep of the AT, be respectful. Cuz if you cant show respect, no one will ever respect you and they will similate future hikers with your actions.

Please be considerate, because there are a lot of great peoiple who want to be a part of this grand adventure and of your experiance…so let them, and show them that you care.

Peace
Lion King

Lion King

#2

I’ll ditto that. When we hiked in '01 we were the first hikers thru Adkins. We almost didn’t get a room at the motel on 81 because some low lifes trashed a room the year before. I politely assured them that ain’t gonna happen and even left my credit card # as a deposit. Not only did we leave the room clean we left a tip and two beer. They were most happy in the a.m. One deed down. We found you could spend the entire hike straightening out others folks screw ups in behavior.

Bushwhack

#3

There is no obligation to put up with obnoxious people whether they are Hikers, local citizens or merely people passing thru on the highway. The proprietor has a business to run and customers to keep. If a place gets known as dangerous or just plain uncomfortable then customers will find a different place to go.

In other posts there is a reference to those who feel that they have a special “aura” and deserve special attention because they are Thru-Hikers. What nonsense! Each person is special because they are, in fact, a person and so we are all valuable. But when someone decides that they are more special than someone else then problems can occur.

Perhaps because of the odoriferousness of people who hike for days there may be an askance look by the “clean” people. Then reactions to the reaction can escalate and things can get out of hand. Judgement becomes less centered and things can get nasty. The result is that one group is banned and that affects many who would be innocent of the actions of the first cause of banishment.

Perhaps there is no solution to this problem. People who have good judgement will be welcomed wherever they go and those whose judgement is questionable will continue to cause problems until their behaviour is changed by circumstances (they get arrested or beaten up) or by someone who can talk sense to the senseless.

If I hear of a place that does not welcome hikers then I will walk on to another place.

Skylander

Skylander

#4

Last summer, I hiked sections of both the AT and PCT and ran into many thru-hikers on both trails. This gave me a different perspective on long-distance hikers!

I found thru-hikers a bit standoffish, really. Their community runs near and even through many small towns, but is socially worlds apart. Hikers look different, smell (um) “different”, eat different, and act different. They tend to huddle together, talking mainly among themselves. This makes a certain sense: if you’re thru-hiking, then other hikers continue to be a part of your world, while— with rare exceptions (like Miss Janet, say)— town folk are people you meet once and never see or hear from again.

I’m not saying this is effect was huge— hikers did open up, if I took the initiative (or talked gear :slight_smile: ). But I understand better now how locals can feel like even the nicest hikers are aliens from another world. There is an invisible wall separating hikers and townspeople, and if no one takes the initiative to knock it down, then there is nothing to counteract the negative impression created by the few “bad apple” hikers.

Eric

#5

BE FRIENDLY IT WORKS!

yo-yo

#6

Ray Jardine made the same suggestion. He called it “Low impact town visits.” He suggested getting cleaned up as soon as possible when coming into town, don’t gather in large, loud groups of unwshed hikers, compliment rather than compare to other towns visited. Don’t monopolize laundromats. Do your drinking in an appropriate place. Smile. Say Thank-you. Show the same respect you would expect from a stranger in your neighborhood.

Low impact town visits are just as important as low impact camping to the folks following you.

Bulldog

#7

When I hiked the AT in 200 I sadly became aware that a number of places had been closed to hikers. Whilst passing through Duncannon PA, Re’al and myself were heading to visit the local supermarket and saw two locals sitting on their porch. We asked if we could leave our packs there while we went trudged up the hill and back to do our shopping, they kindly agreed.
When we came back from the supermarket we had a nice chat with this elderly couple… it so happened that the gentleman concerned was a retired firefighter and he told us that we hikers used to be able to stay in the basement of the local firehouse until bad behaviour of hikers caused the doors to be closed.

It’s strange you know for as soon as he told us that story I felt great sense of shame.

I always tried to clean up if I was passing through a town and was stopping off for food or resupply. I also tried to remember to stand back a little from locals when in stores ect. so as to try not to offend them with hiker funk. Unfortunately a samll number of hikers seemed to take pride in the fact that they hadn’t had a shower for a long period and boty could you smell them!!

There’s no reason why any of us can’t have a sponge bath ocasionally when on the trail.

Downunda

#8

I think a good suggestion to all the “town problems” is to just ban any hikers who are under 50 years old from entering the town limits.

Us “old farts” have litte enough energy for the trail - what damage could we do in the towns?

Brutus