Only one post, and this was it?Originally Posted by pixielauren
400+ miles is in. Helluva stunt...
This family is the real deal. If you have checked out previous history of their vlogs you would find that they have run multiple marathons as well as long distance backpacking trips. Very interesting alternative parenting. They are currently 400+ miles in. Will they make it? Who knows, but few do. Already winners in my book.
Just wondering if this will be the only record setting stunt on the AT for 2018?
Let's head for the roundhouse; they can't corner us there!
Some people can sure cause a lot of trouble by having "no firsthand knowledge".
Appalachian Trail: Child Protective Services [MESSAGE FROM THE KIDS]
Stumpknocker
Appalachian Trail is 35.9% complete.
Some people report reasonable suspicions and trust the authorities to sort it out. I stand by my actions.
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
If the video had been taken in NH any required reporter (teacher Doctor scoutmaster little league coach) would have had to report it to the authorities.
This is a terrible thing that this family is doing. The kids should be overdosing on Facebook and getting fat watching Desperate housewives.
enemy of unnecessary but innovative trail invention gadgetry
There is a lot of 'convenient oversight' and 'reckless dilution of facts' along with misdirection. Many have expressed opinions about the teenage kids, those who are able to express their opinion.
The crucial focus, however, is and should have been the toddler. The toddler can not speak his opinion, the toddler did get flicked in the mouth until he started bleeding, the toddler did have windburned freeze on his face, the toddler WAS stuck in a seat during freezing temperatures, the toddler is unable to move freely when he is awake and in the child carrier.
It is less crucial now after the freezing weather gave way to warmer season but what happened can not be undone.
Let me go
it didn't work. Have you watched the video? This whole incident scared the kids quite a bit and created a lot of stress for the entire family.
This ^^^^^
the whole thing starts with the parents, if ya don’t want the attention then maybe don’t posts videos of you stating that you flick your kid in the mouth for being frustrated...unless your aim is to get hits on your video, and if that’s the case then by all means why not bear bag em by mistake only to realize he’s not at the dinner table.
Blame the Dad, he shouldn't have done it and published it. Getting flicked in the face from your caregiver when you are a toddler and barely understand the world is pretty stressful too.
Now lay off Bill folks.
"Sleepy alligator in the noonday sun
Sleepin by the river just like he usually done
Call for his whisky
He can call for his tea
Call all he wanta but he can't call me..."
Robert Hunter & Ron McKernan
Whiteblaze.net User Agreement.
I stand behind you too. Nothing wrong with reporting something, if all turns out okay then no harm done. Its not like a wellness check from CPS was devastating to their lives. May have been a good wake up call to Dad to not be flicking his kids in the face.
Trail Miles: 4,980.5
AT Map 1: Complete 2013-2021
Sheltowee Trace: Complete 2020-2023
Pinhoti Trail: Complete 2023-2024
Foothills Trail: 47.9
AT Map 2: 279.4
BMT: 52.7
CDT: 85.4
Abuse happens when "good" people turn a blind eye. Somebody suspected abuse and reported to the authorities. The authorities investigated. The suspicions were not substantiated. The family was let go. End of story.
They put their lives on YouTube to get attention. They got some attention they didn't want. That happens when you put your life on public display. Bill did nothing wrong.
If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.
Where was everyone's pearl clutching when Kanga and Sherpa hiked last year with Roo? Get the **** outta here.
They've made it past the 1/4 mark. If they want to finish, they'll finish barring injury.
I stopped giving them clicks about 2 weeks ago.
I think some people are making incorrect assumptions about Bill. He stated that he sent an email alerting the GSMNP to the families presence during a winter storm and provided them with a link to their YT videos. Nothing more. Nothing less. There was legit reason to be concerned for the family at that time and he made a judgement call.
Yesterday I stumbled upon another forum that also has a running discussion about the Crawfords. They call it the Crawford Trailwreck. They start a new thread every few days when new videos are uploaded and the discussion has been very active and the comments brutal. They have brought up the topic of abuse and CPS quite often over there since the beginning of the Crawford's hike. The father Ben is aware of this as he created an account and tried to partake in the discussion. Lets just say he didn't participate in the discussion for very long.
This has already been discussed previously. Bottom line, they were knowledgeable and well prepared and left weeks after the Crawfords.
If you have watched the Crawford family's videos of their first couple weeks on trail you will clearly see the difference between the two families.
The father of the Crawford family talks about how he feels about putting his family in dangerous and uncomfortable situations. You can go watch his videos if you like, I can't quote him directly as I am not watching their videos any longer. But he talks about how safety for his children is not his top priority. These are his words, not mine.
If you would like to know how Kanga and Sherpa feels about the hiking in the trail in this situation, I present this to you. From their feed.
---------------
thedirtbagbabyI’m making a confession: we got off the trail every time there was forecasted extreme weather(snow, ice, high winds, flooding, etc).
Whew, I said it.
Just because we were thru hikers didn’t give us an excuse to have a lack of judgement as Ellie’s parents. Our first priority was Ellie’s safety.
But how do you balance high adventure parenting without being a helicopter parent? It’s such a grey area.
It was about this time last year when we hopped off trail before a storm rolled in at Grayson Highlands State Park. The forecasted temps were in the teens, snow and ice accumulation, and wind gusts of 70 miles an hour. It was a no brainer to get off the trail, regardless of what fellow thru hikers were doing. While Derrick and I could walk to keep warm, Ellie wouldn’t have been able to generate enough heat to stay comfortable.
While there is growth in suffering through harsh weather as an adult(or even older child/teenager), it was unnatural to allow my baby to suffer.
I DO believe it’s good to take babies outside in the winter with proper clothing.
I DO believe uncomfortable circumstances creates a flexible human being.
I DO believe we were created to spend a large majority of life outdoors.
I DO believe we should utilize modern technology to track weather forecasts when taking someone so vulnerable in the backcountry (we may have been overly obsessed with checking the weather!)
I DO believe you should have a lengthy resume of backcountry experience before taking a little one out on an extended trip, including training and certifications like Wilderness First Responder.
Knowing when to get off trail isn’t a sign of weakness or lack of courage, rather it is a sign of experience, wisdom, and good judgment skills.
---------------------------------
That is copied from their IG acct.
It figured that this was the best example I could give of how their philosophies about family safety differentiates on trail.
The difference between the families is night and day. I hope they have a successful hike with no harm done.
If you don't want to get wet, don't go into the water (Confucius).
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote