Date: 2007-09-09
From: Duncannon (the Doyle)

To: Duncannon (the Doyle)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Help! I¢ve fallen into this dark hole called the Doyle and I can¢t get out (of Duncannon).Welll, I must have made Yellowbird and her mother Grey Goose mad -- see yesterday¢s post (Sorry guys, I did NOT mean to upset you all last night, probably during the ¢balcony¢ incident). They took off this morning without a word. Fine.Traveler says ¢hey, I know it stinks to zero twice, but if you can wait until tomorrow (Monday), then Tau and I can take you¢. (hooray!)So here we go, two zero days. Geeze.Guess I need to try and explain the ¢balcony¢ incident. Whilst we were chilling out on the balcony last night, everyone being in good spirits, the subject invariably turns to trail talk. And, depending on the participants, somehow the talk will get around to ¢pure¢ hikes vrs ¢unpure¢ hikes, and a thousand other tainted hiker versions. You get the picture.Before we go there, permit me one quick digression. A setup if you will. Question: Does the reader know who Warren Hall is? (Hint, look at today¢s pic.) Warren was a hiker elite among hikers. One of the few true hiker icons in my view. He happened to attend one of the original organizational meetings (1929) of the early GATC when they were still defining and shaping what the Ga AT would represent, and he became quickly engrossed and actively involved with the club. Prime example is the famous plaque(s). At one of these early meetings, it was decided to design a bronze plaque for all the trailheads in GA, especially since they had a member who could sculp. Of the various candidates who posed, one was a 250 lb fellow who sported a revolver stuck into his belt. However, as you are well aware, the candidate selected was Warren. He projected the image the club wanted to project. Can you imagine the ripple effects through the decades if the robust guy with the gun was selected instead. Stranger things have happened. Anyways, ¢¦I¢ve always been impressed with that portrayal. Warren is going somewhere. He has a goal. He invokes confidence. Literally hundreds and perhaps thousands of hikers have photographed that positive, strong, hiker image. Ummmm, but note what Warren is carrying, other than the hatchet. Why, I believe it¢s a ruck sack, with possibly 15-20 lbs of stuff. Where is the 40 lb ¢full pack¢. Can one possibly consider Warren, ¢¦ a slackpacker?Now flash back to the ¢balcony¢ incident. Seems that during our discussion, a purist hiker who shall be called, oh, lets call him Prozac (not his real name), insists that a slackpacker is NOT a ¢pure¢ thru-hiker. Well a few beers later this escalates to, NOT a thru-hiker at all. Whoa.Well I take exception to that. Although I have slackpacked on occasion (not often), typically I still carry my backpack, but minus the sleeping bag and pad. I ditched the tent, stove, and filter long ago back in Maine. Now understand we are all twenty-somethings loaded with male testosterone, so it¢s easy to move from verbal to physical. Fortunately, others in the group with clearer heads stop the entire ruckus before it comes to blows (thanks guys), but the parting shot from Prozac is ¢if I had my way, I would throw EVERY slackpacker OVER the BALCONY.¢ Grrrrr.OK, here¢s the point for this journal entry. Exactly what IS a full-up backpacker? Does he or she have to carry 40 lbs in an external/internal pack? 35lbs? Why not 19.7 lb.   Is a sleeping bag essential equipment? What¢s the cutoff?Warren carried none of the above and survived without modern high tech gear. So did Earl Shaffer (the first recorded thru-hiker in 48). That¢s right, Earl carried a ruck sack. Oops ¢ another slacker.So did Gene Espy (number two thru). Hell, Grandma Gatewood (first woman, etc) carried a shower curtain for a tent in a duffle bag. Yep, both slackers. Are you beginning to see where this is all going?Get off it Prozac, or be prepared to throw some mighty fine company over the balcony. And lots of them too I bet. I may slack here or there, but by golly, I¢ve covered ALL the blazes (and then some). And I¢ll probably do it in four months or less (much like Earl).Thanks for reading.   ~ Dr Jekyll (Obie)PS:   I¢d be proud to be included in the slacker crowd of Earl Shaffer, Warren Hall, and Gene, and Grandma, and, ¢¦ heck I¢ll JUMP over the balcony to join that elite group.