Date: 2007-09-12
From: Pine Grove Furnace (Ironmasters)

To: Rocky Mountain Shelters
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: clear sky

Fireside chat.I've had an urge to write about the vibe I've been getting in PA for a few days now, but wanted to wait until I could fully understand it first. There are two distinct issues: hiker / local interaction, and hiker / hiker interaction.Back in Maine / NH / Vermont / Mass / Conn, local people couldn't be happier to see you. Sure, you paid for everything yourself, but their attitudes were accepting of us across the board. Not so in PA. Now there are some shining exceptions (Pat and Vicky at the Doyle, folks at the Pub in Duncannon, several people in LeHigh Gap, others), but for the most part, all-in-all, its been my experience that hikers in Pennsylvania are greeted with apprehension (mean looks, odd behavior, a bar in Boiling Springs even had a dress code which should've just said "no hikers"). Don't even think that's necessarily bad. It just is what it is.Maybe I was spoiled by New England's overwhelming hospitality combined with the excitement and newness of the first legs of the adventure. And note for the record that people I came in contact with in NY/NJ were never intentionally mean, they're just too darn busy to worry about some smelly bum. But PA was different somehow, at least for me. If the people in Penn (or anywhere) don't want hikers here, no big deal, no hard feelings. We should just move away (reloc). Prime example, Boiling Springs. I don't see why the trail runs through Boiling Springs. If the local populace dislikes hikers and the economy they bring to the area, don't force them to deal with us, just route the trail around the town and avoid the problem altogether. Everyone's happy. Problem solved.I'm sure that thousands of other hikers have found the locals in PA friendly and outgoing, and vent their daily hiker frustrations on the rocks. So it might very well be a 'me' thing. Anyways, I can't wait to get outta here and move on to Harper's Ferry. 'nough said.The second issue is among us hikers. It's not that anyone's fighting, but little signs have been creeping in (negativity, doubting someone's claims, hikers bickering, etc) which indicate that things aren't super-shipshape.Back in Maine, thru-hikers, and SOBOs especially since they were still fresh, enjoyed a solidarity to the point where people you've never met are automatically your friends until proven otherwise. But now it's different, and I think I finally figured it out, or at least this is my assessment of the situation.It's hard to hike 1000 miles without getting attached to the trail. Subconsciously, I started to think I knew everything there was to know about the trail. That this was MY trail. So when other people arrive who I know have also hiked a similar distance, in the back of my head it challenges the bond I have with the trail, and a little power struggle ensues. It's not a big deal, but as soon as I got out of town and back in the woods I started questioning whether or not I was an arrogant horse's ass. (You don't have to answer that!)In Maine, I talked trash TO the mountains, and it was a big joke to me to act as cocky as possible. But if people don't understand it's all a joke and actually took me seriously, they would probably think I belong in a nuthouse! And I would have to agree.This whole thing with backpacking and yellow-blazing and skipping miles is a perfect example. Early in the trip, nobody concerned themselves with what others were doing, strictly because (1) there's no rulebook, and (2) you just didn't care. Now that everyone's a little attached (to the trail and to groups) it's hard to keep your nose out of other people's business. Also, I understand how it feels if you (and many others) have actually hiked the hike, to see people skipping entire sections, especially the boring areas, with the intent of coming back to make it up. Yeah right. But, so what. Truth is, it just shouldn't matter to me (or anyone else). Correction, it does NOT matter to me how you get from point A to point B. But don't question my effort and accomplishments. Just because you don't pound out the miles, or you fudge a little here or there, don't jump to the conclusion that everyone else is doing the same. I'll walk side-by-side with any challenger any day, days on end if necessary to squash any doubts.I'm no authority on the trail. Jeez, I haven't even done ONE complete thru-hike, much less the dozens it would take to have real 'trail' clout. It's funny though, because in town all that stuff almost matters, but just 10 minutes back on the trail and I realize immediately that this weird vibe is the same crap as in the real world, and precisely why I wanted to get away from it in the first place!.Lesson learned is: it's all just little stuff and you can't let anything like that bother you. Thicken up that skin boy, 1000 more miles to go.Thanks for reading.   ~ Dr Jekyll (Obie)PS:   time to crank UP the mileage meter a notch or two, ¢¦lets really give em something to talk about.