They had everyones head spinning?Originally Posted by mweinstone
At the start ron. At one point tricks demanded i drive his truck just a mile up forest servise road 42. I told him i dont drive and wouldnt know how and that it was steep and rocky and full of hairpin turns.
He sat on me. It hurt.
Later, mala and phattchap told me stecoa gap was fine for camping.
they sat in the truck waiting for a drizzle to stop as i pitched my tent.
Quickly i found out, malas stelth spot was a poop mine field.
Returning to the truck covered in hiker dung.... they said i had nothing to wine about.
Me and lwolf and jack behaved ourselves.
Said my goodbys to jester today as he left for duncannon to help trailanglemary load her van.
Then they will convoy to damascus.
My son maximilian needs me and i need to find work.
If i somehow get ahead by next weekend, ill go to the doyel nd recieve jester and any northeners stopping there after afterdays.
Meanwhile my plan is the same as every summer i cant hike, hang out at the doyel and be a help.
This year ill remember jacks kind ways when hikers piss me off.
Hehe.
Bill Bryson was a candy ass.
Did not know him
Met him once briefly several yrs ago. Didnt stop to chat.
But I remember the first time I heard of him.
A section hiker with a young kid had run into him somewhere. He gave the kid something, maybe a patch.
It made their trip.
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 05-11-2016 at 21:35.
Having a shot of Jim for BJ. Met him several times on hikes, he always seemed that he was helping others. Really cool dude!!! He was always in the company of other legends, LW, JKD, BP and Lumpy . Happy Trails! Hike On!!!
Miller
I will start the bidding at eighty seven cents - but he has to walk to my place, may be renamed thin bastard by arrival
Many years ago, while hiking in Georgia (I think), Baltimore Jack and I were leap frogging on the trail. At one point, I found him sitting on a downed tree or rock. We got to chatting and he told me that whenever we come across a place on the trail that is "butt high", we should sit down and take a break. To this day, every time I take such a break on something butt high, I think of him. RIP Jack.
Some people take the straight and narrow. Others the road less traveled. I just cut through the woods.
Traildays weighs heavy on sad shoulders.
In my mind i remember corinthians," believe all, hope all".
That bible verse has never been hard for me.
i still believe in my heart something could happen to allow me to go.
My mission to cheer up the downsaddened with homeade words and antics so foul is and will remain my mission.
and failure is an option i will suffer for any.
Johnney thunder just emailed from korea. He threatened me that id better be recieving his mail in the passenger seat of a car going south to damascus.
soon the threats will stop and turn to drunken calls from hikers missing my teepee filled funtime happy wonder cakes.
Heres my belief......
Somewhere theres an old crippled hiker wathching our lives unfold.
They really want to make some magic happen so they have me picked up by a single hot chick whos loaded, lonely and desprate for a hiker boyfriend.
Or.......
maby theres an ego tripping maniac who wants to be the guy who delivers the missing link to the daze and on the last mile needs to be a maniac and so gives me all his money.
Or.....maby my god wants me to miss traildays cause an asteroid is commin and im needed here.
Or......maby ill just find hidden treasure and with it, come to traildays and attempt to fly myself with nothing but dollar store kites.
Hundreds of kites. All tied to my feet so that when enough kites are flown, i lift up upside down and fly away ...saftly landing on marys shoulders by letting kites go one at a time.
Earned an apt full of food these last 3 days. So good to see cheese again. Just ate a block of feta. May eat another every day for ever.
I purposly spent myself to zero on food so i can gain back my ass. It went concave weeks ago.
with my very last 2 $ , i bet the daily pick four lottery. If 1726 hits at 1:30.... i would have 10,000$.
that would let me pay my 3000$ debts and use the remainder for kites.
I could be on the 540 am dogbus loaded for healing others sad.
In my pack would be a single acorn. I would plant a tree for jack in the center of traildays and endow a gardening company to maintain it forever.
When it would be full grown, hikers would gather round it who never met jack and tell storys of him they heard for others long ago.
A small plaque on the tree would read, " for jack, from 1726 and hikerdoms heart."
The acorns would be gathered and planted up and down the trail each season by hikers.
Eventualy, jacktrees would be prolific.
All with their telltale red blaze painted on to make them jacks.
Baltimore Jack was, as he and I laughingly referred to him as, my ex brother-in-law; he was married to my sister many years ago. His daughter is now 31. Having known him pre-AT days, imagine my surprise when he showed up dressed head to toe in black, leather motorcycle gear at his and my first ALDHA Gathering - Hanover, '94. He'd talked a buddy into giving him a ride up - I don't think he ever had a driver's license. I don't know how he found out about the Gathering, and only there and then found out about his Dad's connection to him hiking and backpacking.
I got to see Jack periodically over the years at Gatherings and on the AT (he had a knack for meeting everyone and everybody - including my in-laws, on the top of Greylock, of all places). He always wanted to talk with me about his daughter. I've been in some contact with one of his sisters and a tiny bit with his daughter. His sister has made contact with ATC and some hiker friends, so I think communication about an obit and anything else will trickle down the vine - as it always seems to on the AT. His daughter's currently in the middle of Finals.
I know the stories and comments here and on Facebook have helped to open up his AT world to others in my family, and I'm sure to his sisters as well. He was vastly loved, and I'm so grateful for the life he found and lived on the AT. He found his passion and purpose and community, and for these things he was a lucky man. He loved it all, and I will always remember the animation on his face when he talked of those things he cared about. He always had incisive and well thought out opinions on all topics trail-related, and his motives always ran from a place of pure love for the Trail. I loved one video I saw where he was at a hostel and said something along the lines of "lots of great folks on the Trail this year - everyone's been fantastic.". His positiveness says it all.
I last saw Baltimore Jack walking down the sidewalk in Hanover last Fall, pack on his back. I was on my way to work and gave him a ride home. We just had a few minutes, but it was enough time to give him a hug, and chat about his daughter's upcoming wedding. I feel his loss deeply, and am grateful for all of you.
Sunbeam,
That was beautiful and true and kind... you left a lump in my throat, and I'm only one of those guys who hoped to meet Baltimore Jack on some not-too-distant-future hike. I have no stories like so many here... But I know his kind, which is why I wanted to meet him. When someone is so passionate about something that they become part of it, and you can't tell if it's feeding them or consuming them, you can feel the energy and it becomes a part of you.
mweinstone, I'll sit beneath that Baltimore Jack oak tree when I'm 90 and plant acorns from Springer to Baxter, you betcha.
Trail Days. Next year, for sure. There better be a chainsaw sculpture of BJ touching a white blaze somewhere, so I can put my hand over his and listen to the mountains whisper.
Room 23 at the doyel hotel in duncannon was givin to m many years ago for being a help .
Its mine alone. Its never rented to hikers and is full of trail memorys and art. I have the keys to it and the hotel. I can show up anytime and just go to my room unannounced weather the hotel is closed or open.
Only baltimore jack and bag of tricks have ever slept on the bed. I sleep on floors. Ive never owned furniture. Im sittimg on a bucket with a blanket folded on it in an empty apt.
Its how i live.
jack and tricks often slept in my room .
They are the only ones allowed at all times.
jack snored less than tricks.
Next time im in 23, im gonna sniff the pillow for jacks teltale scent.
If the familycould see jack's dopted familys actions at this years traildays, they would be moved to tears often, and to a one.
The knowlage of his notoriaty or a vidio of memorials at traildays would have nothing in common with the tear wet hugs you would all recieve from people of all walks who reviered and admired jacks life and acomplishments.
Only the smiles of old hikers telling storys of his exsploits would fill your hearts with what i pray to my god you could see.
If you only knew and could see first hand the masses of good people gathered to honor their loved one lost.
The numbers of folks that never met him and wished to would be astonishing to you all.
know this well, no man woman or child has left such trace on this, our home we call the AT.
In years to come, if a term or exspression or designation is ever attatched to the lore of the man we miss so,....
let them ask," are you doing a sobo , nobo or bobo?"
And let some be heard to answer," neither. Im doin a baltimore jack"
Which will come to be known as hiking from springer to katahdin utilizing the maximum blue blazes.
Sorry to hear about your friend Matty, sucks...though I never met Jack, it's nice to read all these stories and that so many held him in regard.
I first saw Jack sitting near the office of Ron Haven's Budget Inn on the night of 4/21/16. He eventually came over and sat right next to me on the sidewalk. He was silent for a bit just listening to all the banter flying back and forth and I decided to engage him in conversation. I didn't greet him or acknowledge him as Baltimore Jack; I just treated him like any other hiking friend I met on the trail. We talked for over an hour and had a great conversation as I sipped my first single-malt Scotch in 110 miles. We shared many of the same views on politics and the like, and Franklin was my kind of town. He was passionate with strong opinions and struck me as a cool and intelligent dude. We talked about the trail, gear, food, his daughter and her upcoming marriage, his love of Jeopardy, and people he despised like Bernie Sanders and Sir Packs A Lot [he hated this guy more than Bernie!]. He was carrying three paperback books with him. I didn't see him drink or smoke the entire time. I considered that chance meeting with him a priceless event on my first AT hike. In fact, my entire stay in Franklin for three days was awesome. Thanks Ron!
I was blown away to hear he passed away the same day I had to get off trail in the Smokies due to an ankle injury. I was looking forward to seeing him again at Trail Days where he stated he was going to lay into Sir Packs A Lot. Alas.. that was not meant to be.
RIP Jack Tarlin. You will be missed, but not forgotten.
Carpe Diem
I guess my first meeting with him fits in here. It was '98. I was sitting on a log, looking out at the valley of trees below and having a jerky treat. It was a short distance before the descent to NOC would begin. Deep in my thoughts about how much I loved being there, I did not notice anyone as they passed about 10 feet away on the trail. It must have been too tempting for him to pass up. I was startled as his voice broke my reverie, I mean REALLY startled. He was at that time wearing his ragged shirt uniform, sweaty, lean and hard. Innocently, he asked if he had frightened me. Of course, if he had, I would never have admitted it. So I offered him some Robertson jerky, he sat down, and we discussed the trail. Good advice: That some people on the trail did not like to have anyone inquire about what they did when not hiking. (Probably mostly himself.) But then he got the last laugh. I asked about the hike from there to NOC where I was to meet Pittsburgh and Tagalong Jan. He gave the about correct amount of mileage but failed to mention the steepness of the terrain. Then left. By the time I finished the descent, my boots had damaged my toes so badly that they eventually needed surgery. Like so many of you, I met Jack again and again over the years. His salutation always was "What are YOU doing here?" That made me laugh. Our last conversation a couple of years ago was about that first meeting and how lean and healthy he was at the time. He told me that he would be that way again the coming summer. He was going to get fit again on the trail. And that is a sad thing, something all of us can relate to. Bye, Jack. It will be a surprise not to see you the next time I am able to be on the trail, even if only sitting on a log, eating a small snack.
You never know just what you can do until you realize you absolutely have to do it.
--Salaun
thats kinda funny, just today I bypassed to boulders that I really just couldn't see myself fighting to get up from...and I had a pebble in my shoe. 1/2hr. Later I sat on the ground to remove it.
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