I met Jack several times over the years. His thoughts, ideas and opinions always came from an obvious love and passion for the Appalachian Trail.
I met Jack several times over the years. His thoughts, ideas and opinions always came from an obvious love and passion for the Appalachian Trail.
Paul "Mags" Magnanti
http://pmags.com
Twitter: @pmagsco
Facebook: pmagsblog
The true harvest of my life is intangible...a little stardust caught,a portion of the rainbow I have clutched -Thoreau
Terrible news. I was fortunate to meet him several times last year on my thru and he had a real presence about him. A tremendous loss.
Any possibility of replacing a shelter in his name via donations?
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Better yet if he hated shelters tear down one and dedicate site with brnch etc in his name?
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I remember seeing him for the first time on trail. I didn't who he was yet. But, I had heard of Baltimore Jack eagerly anticipating meeting this AT legend. By outward appearances he was the antithesis of everything I was led to believe a hiker and a legend should be. With young and naive ignorant judgments I saw this person as an out of work possibly homeless guy just rolling out from under the bushes, maybe a wayward down on his luck slightly overweight John Cougar Mellencamp incognito trying to find meaning, still reliving a late 70's rock concert, who smoked a Camel as he hiked, sometimes wearing a sleeveless cotton tee shirt and backward facing baseball cap like a hip hop artist with "attitude", and with way too heavy of outdated gear. This was a great lesson in itself that finally hit home after hearing it countless times, 'don't judge a book by it's cover.' Next lesson: HUMILITY, my way, my path or the way I know isn't everyone else's way, everyone's else's path. I learned to look outside myself. I learned hiking doesn't have to be characterized and defined by constant self serving narcissistic behavior. I was very fortunate to meet Baltimore Jack spending much time with him early on in an AT thru-hike that these lessons laid the groundwork for the entire AT experience. So apt, the quote by Buddha: "when the student is ready the teacher will appear." These are lessons some of us are in need of practicing. Jack was a great teacher to me.
Jack knew how to whisper in a troublemakers ear and cause them to vanish.
Allways imagined the thinhs he may have whispered.
In my head i hear jack in the very most polite voice ," um...it might be best if you slept a mile down the road, out of all the comotion of the law searching for you."
He may have said....
Jack was a compulsive giver.
He would make up an excuse like," no, its fine.....i dont need it".
When he did...
Jack said you cant tell stupid people nuthin and that they would learn soon enough.
a woman with burger size patties of thigh missing from chaffing asked if he thaught she would be fine to continue.
Jack spoke calmly of her imediate danger of septic and she laughed and walked on bowlegged.
It was those moments looking into jacks eyes, i had a friend who saw as i, the worlds woes.
The inner family is cryin hard now.
But we will stop .
Jack was a big man. We have alot to cry about.
We all feel lost.
thats cause the biggest tree fell and were standin in shock.
Later, and forever, we will dance.
We will revere the place and make it sing with the laughter of hikerdom.
So many tears cause many new green things to grow.
Just had a good long cry.
may have a short one later.
Dosnt matter.
I have him still in this family.
^^^ Nice, Matty.
Letting down someone you love and cherish usually results in loss.
Baltimore jack tarlins gold zippo engraved with the years of his hikes was allways pulled from wherever he kept it and held in offering , glowing and warm to any struggeling or percevied by jack to be about to struggel for a light, without sound or movement.
Like french maid service, it appeared.
Jack was like that.
Once i lost it at traildays and broke into a panic.
My friends know, matty panics if stars come out at night.
After 12 hours i went to him and confessed crying.
He said it was only a lighter and ment nothing and to calm down please.
I had allready seen my life passing before my eyes.
Now i only was confused.
he laughed.
Later, i found it and held it in my closed mouth as i ran to return it.
That was a bad day.
a life lived.
I've missed your post Matty. Nice.
Indeed, a big venerated tree fell in the woods. But what happens next is part of the long life of the tree.…giving and giving intertwined so deeply in a larger perspective. It provides shelter for wildlife on the ground, decomposes to enrich the soil diversity, makes way for other seedlings….
My God.
Jack (who went by another first name way back when) attended high school together. We were both involved in arts there. Mid-baby boomers who enjoyed certain aspects of the tail end of the hippie generation. The same age as each other. I knew him years before he became the AT's Baltimore Jack. So long ago now. He was handsome and smart.
Even back then, he loved to walk. He walked everywhere. We grew up in a "streetcar suburb" with three trolley lines and three bus lines, but how he loved to walk! So great for him that he followed his passion for walking from the suburbs to the woods, helping others along the way as he happily walked through the decades.
May his memory be a blessing.
ETA:
If no-one's posted his high school graduate pic yet:
http://www.brookline1976.com/class_p...ber_id=3829440
Last edited by Miel; 05-04-2016 at 13:21.
I just spoke to Macon Funeral Home in Franklin, NC where Jack's body is at this time. They stated that obituary information would not be posted until his family was contacted. Sadly, I don't know anyone in his family.
He died much too young.
R.I.P. Jack
Amazing story, Miel. Who'd a thunk it? You and Jack. I knew he had Boston connections. It came up when someone praised Sam Adams beer. Jack would point out that "real" Bostonians didn't think all that much of it.
Sad news for sure...great guy, never forget all the good food he cooked at the Kincora on my way through in 2009
Hearing this news I am shocked and without words today, my profound and sincerest condolences to his family and friends, rest peacefully Mr. Tarlin
Thanks Ron Haven for the update
Sorry to hear
Very happy to see your posts, Matty.