Shelter Registers

imported
#1

After being at home for a couple of weeks for a temporary departure of the trail, I found that a shelter register had been mailed to me (one I dropped off on last year’s hike). Well, I was pretty pumped up to see what other people who had been behind me last year, and what some of the SOBO’s from last year had written, but to my surprise, all the pages from 2003 had been ripped out. Not only had they been ripped out, but almost every single place I had written down my address had been blacked out by a PATC member.

I was slightly annoyed (pissed off, really) by this action but, although I can understand that the PATC wants to keep registers for the portion of the trail they maintain, I think that if a hiker packs out a register and leaves it at a shelter without one, they deserve to have it sent to them.

I also think that it is very rude and inappropriate for the PATC to deface those shelter logs dropped off at shelters, just because a hiker beat them to replacing the register. I mean, seriously…there were PATC ridgerunners signing in on the register AT least on a weekly basis, if not more. Is it really that hard to keep up with the registers? Is it really necessary to steal a hiker’s register?

I don’t think it is.

bearbait

#2

Unfortunately, the missing pages might have been used for kindling. :bawling

I don’t understand your reasoning that the PATC defaced, and especially the accusation of the PATC stealing your register when you have your register?

Wild Hare

#3

Who mailed you the register? There’s always been the problem of registers being removed before the season is over, say that. Odd.

B+B

#4

Um, I didn’t say they stole my particular register.

As far as defacing, what else would you call scribbling out my name, address, and inside notes on the cover with a black marker, and then putting their name on it? Not to mention ripping the pages out for half a year, and having it start, pretty much, at the beginning of the year with a note from the PATC being the first entry.

bearbait

#5

ah, now that makes more sense.

Thanks for the clarification.

It’s a shame that everyone doesn’t treat these registers like the historical records they are.

Wild Hare

#6

It seems like PATC and others who have a policy of keeping all trail registers in their area could do a better job of clarifying how things work. I have no problem with a trail maintaining organization wanting to keep the historical record. Sounds like their right to me, and these are more valuable in a collection than scattered in people’s garages. How about a notice where the register is kept? An explanation in the guide books? An admonishment to leave them put?

In defense of the trail maintainers, they might have left a register with plenty of pages to last a while - then come back to find the extras had been ripped out for notes, fire starter, etc., causing the register to fill up more quickly.

Speaking of registers, I have two from my 2001 hike. Anyone have the mailing address to the Trail museum so I can send them along?

Joel

#7

Ridgewalker, you’re certainly making some assumptions here. What do you base them on, other than your anger?

It is VERY UNLIKELY that a PATC (or any other trail club) volunteer would have vandalized a shelter register to the extent of ripping out lots of pages. The only time I’ve ever had to do delete a page (as an overseer) was when someone drew pornographic pictures on a page. And I’m not talking about something that might have been R rated, might have been X rated. It was beyond X rated. Still, then, it was only one page–not a half-year’s worth of entries–and I made sure to copy what was on the reverse side to another page.

Overseers have enough to do without finding reasons to do what is unnecessary and possibly controversial. If your only “proof” that a volunteer overseer ripped out a half-year’s worth of pages is that a PATC volunteer wrote a message in the register, chill out. We write messages all the time. Sometimes to let hikers know of a problem in the area, sometimes to commend them for keeping things tidy, sometimes to remind them to pack out what they pack in, sometimes just to say hi and wish the Class of '04 best wishes. While unsure of what the volunteer’s message in question said, I’d bet it said something about sending the register, when filled, to PATC in Vienna.

“Thugs” removing ugly graffiti from shelters? Give me a break. Again, that’s something overseers are expected to do–like painting the shelter, privy, picnic table, keeping the fire ring cleaned out, cutting grass and weeds, and much more.

So how did the register make its way back to bearbait? I’d rather read his answer than someone else’s conjecture, especially if that conjecture has so much misdirected anger behind it.

If you don’t approve of the policy of “official” PATC registers, your annoyance with volunteers is likewise misdirected. We are given both gentle guidelines and firm rules about how we do our (non-paying) jobs. You should probably get involved with the trail maintaining club of your choice at its higher levels if you want to change its policies. Personally, I could live with registers left by hikers or stick with the current system. But it’s not like I have a choice to create my own rules.

I’d like to also answer Joel’s more constructive and polite criticism/suggestion, so here is an excerpt of the text of the front inside cover of the “official” PATC registers:

“These log books are reviewed for comments of special interest, and noted maintenance problems, then become part of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club’s Archives, which documents shelter use back to the 1930’s. Please do not remove pages from the log. If anyone is interested in researching old logs, or just reading them, they may call or come to PATC H.Q. during working hours Monday through Friday, or make other arrangements by calling 703/242-0693 ext. 12. Please notify us if any log book is full or missing.” (Then it gives the address to mail full log books to.)

Skyline