I did get a warm welcome here and I thank you all for that. I have received a lot of support and would like to continue to acquire more friends. I actually enjoy the friendly combativeness. It keeps me sharp and focused on my goal. I believe that we are all friends when we debate but turn to enemies when we argue. I have been poking back at those people who have been the most verbal about being against my ideas without actually looking at the possibilities of the positive results from the 100 Hiker Challenge. They see one word they did not like and turned the focus of this thread into a negative brawl. Trails are built for hikers. If there were no hikers then why build trails? I was the only long-distance hiker on the 1,000 mile MST last year, that I know of. The FMST did not build the trail just for me and the other 12 people who have finished it. They built it for you. I am just trying to help the MST grow in popularity. I think it has a lot of potential of being just as fun and even more challenging then the AT. The MST is around 20 years old or so and has only seen 13 finishers when the AT has seen 10,000. Let's populate the MST and create another wonderful avenue for adventure. It's not that hard to hike, just not popular. If we, collectively, bring attention to the MST it would increase the demand for new stores to open up that cater to hikers. That would bring in money for the towns and may convince the land owners around the trail to work with the FMST to allow the trail to be routed through their property. Then the trail would be moved off the roads. It might even sway them to sell the land or to donate it. The only way that this will happen is if the MST starts to see more people interested in hiking it. I hiked it last year knowing all of this and wrote the Manual to help this trail and the hikers who would attempt it. My main goal was to fix the camping issues of this trail. I camped at a lot of churches along the way and found 108 of them that would be possible locations for camping and water sources, by way of water spigots. There might still be a few sopts along the trail where camping might be a challenge or illegal, but isn't that part of the adventure. How many of us have stealth camped in the Smokies or in the Whites? Why did we have to do that?
Let's all get together to help the MST grow and develope into a great adventure. Let's keep focused on the positiveness of what could come from the success of the 100 Hiker Challenge. I don't mind answering your questions but I ask that you stop trying to create any more issues than the trail already has. I am trying to solve problems not bring more on.
Thank you,
Scot "Taba" Ward
P.S. My jabs like "I think you scared to go into the woods" are all in good fun and were said to stir you all up. Looks like it worked.
Scot "Taba" Ward
There And Back Again
www.Thru-hiker.us
http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=7502
Well said Taba! Keep up the drumbeat! I've always thought it would be cool to start a trail in the mountains & end at the coast, or vice versa.
Scot "Taba" Ward
There And Back Again
www.Thru-hiker.us
http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=7502
So you are saying that Bill Bryson didn't got paid to hike? Well, I agree. Just like guides are paid to guide, not paid to hike, writers are paid to write, not paid to hike.
Back to the MST, not sure why I am disinterested in this trail. Could be that it really isn't a trail yet because it is half road walking, but then the Ice Age Trail fascinates me and that has a lot of road walking. Most trails I read about make me want to hike them. The only three I can think of that leave me cold are the MST, Florida Trail, and Centennial Trail.
Maybe if someone paid me to hike them...
Frosty
That is part of the freedom of choice. However, shouldn't you as a hiker show support to all trails, whether you want to hike them or not, to help our culture grow in psoitive ways.
Hiker is a job description that we use to tell people that we are all adventures. So I guess what I was saying by "Professional Hiker" is that I am a "Professional Adventurer" where as 3/4 of my life have been on lightweight long-distance journeys. With some vacations in between. To truly be a professional you have to first believe you are and act like one.
Scot "Taba" Ward
There And Back Again
www.Thru-hiker.us
http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=7502
and this was my point. regardless of what the product is, your not being paid for your walking, your being paid for what you produce. you wrote a guidebook? good for you. bryson wrote a funny story, good for him. again, so what? do you think you are better than bryson because of your product?
from all your talking, taba, i'm thinking you're the one who doesn't get it.
you want people to hike the MST? good for you. you want to call yourself a "professional hiker?" so far, from what you've said here, i think you already find that most don't agree with you. most do agree that hiking is good. it is good. but claiming to be something you're not, thats not so good.
get it?
Hey, look at that. I must be channeling Jack.
Then let's agree to disagree about this topic and get back to the focus of the post. Remember, the 100 Hiker Challenge?
Scot "Taba" Ward
There And Back Again
www.Thru-hiker.us
http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=7502
A good portion of the MST goes thru some of the wildest and most remote country in North Carolina, including Linville Gorge, the Steels Creek area, Greentown/Upper Creek area(with a gorge of its own as good a Linville), the Harpers Creek watersheds, Raider Camp, and skirts Lost Cove Creek and the cliffs, and further north up into the Price Park, Trout Lake and the Moses Cone area. The blue blaze potential alone is worth tackling this section of the trail. And after you reach Rich Mt above Trout Lake, just turn around and head back down south to Linville Gorge again. If a person could do this loop about 50 times he'd never have to see a town or a couch again.
Taba, good luck on your hike & getting others to hike it! I think it's great that you want to bring more attention to the MST.
Having said that, that's what this post should've been about only. That should've been the focus, hiking the MST. You blurred that focus somewhat when you called yourself a "professional hiker." You distorted your point with your own post. Chalk me up as another hiker who believes there's no such thing. The word hiker is also not a job description. You are a self-proclaimed pro-hiker, and even if there was such a thing as a pro-hiker, so what? It's a title and means nothing.
Besides, professional doesn't just mean you get paid for doing something, but that you underwent specialized training for what it is you're getting paid to do, and by another "professional."
At any rate, good luck with your hike, and do fix your trail journals link. Like someone said, let others read those and let the hikes speak for themselves.
Pilgrim.
Taba,
While I think your idea is a noble and that a thru hike of the MST is an adventure that would parrellel the AT, I'm not sure I would want to see the MST overrun with hikers to the extent that the AT is. Tothink that because people hike a trail and people will magically be drawn to support it is a mistaken notion. Even the AT, with all its publicity and population has faced major obstacles to get where it is today. Many landowners in the past, as well as the present are opposed to the idea of a trail running through their backyards. If a landowner is willing to grant an easement for trail access, that easement can be withdrawn at any point. An easement does not protect the trail in the same way that a state or federal land purchase does. Even though the Florida Trail is a National Scenic Trail, there are constant landowner issues there as well, although the Forest Service is working to purchase land as it becomes available from WILLING SELLERS. I emphasize that last portion because unless an owner is willing to sell. that land cannot be purchased by the government. Eminent domain did not work for the AT and those in power have learned their lessons.
Would I like to see the MST moved off of roads? Sure why not. But ion talking to several thru hikers from 30 or more years ago, I thing I have heard is how some of the road walks are missed. (Rt. 42 in VA and road walks through the backwoods of Maine are a couple of specific instances that I have heard about.) But the reality of economics is that it is not likely to happen regardless of how many people hike it. That would raise awareness but I'm positive not all of it would be good.
Personally, I would hate to see the MST, the Florida Trail, the Cumberland Trail in TN, the Allegehny Trail in WV, or any trail for that matter become as popular as the AT has. I beleive people should be willing to check out other trails as each one has something unique to offer. But I am of the opinion that I would rather see a trail receive only a dozen or so hikers per year as opposed to the hundreds that the AT sees. Let's leave some of our trails less impacted by humans and keep our reputation intact along the byways and small towns that some of these lesser known trails pass thru.
I wish you luck on your hike this year, would economics make it possible I would join you. The MST is truly a wonderful trail in progress and hopefully in ten years there will be new things to explore as well.
"Take another road to another place,disappear without a trace..." --Jimmy Buffet
No, of course not. If I tried to support all trails, my efforts would be so diluted I wouldn't make a difference to any of them. Just as you don't support all trails, only the one that you like to hike.
Think Globally, Act Locally, HYOH and stop complaining when others do the same.
Frosty
I don't pay dues to a lot of trail organization but I do encourage hikers to hike no matter what trail they choose to do.
Scot "Taba" Ward
There And Back Again
www.Thru-hiker.us
http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=7502
I don't want to see that many people on it either but I would like to see more than one. I walked the trail last year and found that many of the people in town were very supportive of people hiking the MST. That was one of my main objectives when I planned my hike. I looked for the people who have a desire to help the thru-hikers. I found people who have property on the trail who want to open hiker hostels to help us acheive our goal. Some people still don't know that it runs their town and when they find out it does they are full of questions. As far as the enjoyment of the road walks, there were several sections of raod walk I would miss seeing if they rerouted it from there. You can't deny the fact that if the locals start to see more excited hikers on a mission that they would get excited with us and finally understand why we are there and maybe start to accept us more in their towns. Why do you want to keep this experience a secret? 100 people on a 1000 mile trail is 1 hiker 10 every miles.
Taba
Scot "Taba" Ward
There And Back Again
www.Thru-hiker.us
http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=7502
My apologies for the typo I meant to say that 100 hikers on a 1,000 mile trail is 1 hiker for every 10 miles.
Taba
Scot "Taba" Ward
There And Back Again
www.Thru-hiker.us
http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=7502
I know that I am going to hike the MST, I was just looking for company. Maybe acquire a few more hiking partners. Share the experience. I had fun last year and I plan to have more fun this year. I am not asking you to join me for the entire journey, just a small portion of it. Unless you want to hike the entire trail then I will do everything I can to support you. I like success and enjoy watching it happen. This year is going be a great year for the MST. Give it a chance and join the 100 hikers. It will be 1 week of your life I guarantee that you will remember.
Taba
Scot "Taba" Ward
There And Back Again
www.Thru-hiker.us
http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=7502
Here is another idea for the 100 hiker challenge. I think it would help even more with the development of the MST if we could try to raise $1.00 for every mile from everbody who takes on ths challenge. My personal goal will be to donate a minimum of $1,000.00 at the end of my hike to the FMST. If we all got together to accomplish this goal, I believe that the MST will be one of the greatest adventures. Doing the math, 100 hikers doing 100 miles each and donating $100.00 equals $10,000.00 plus my $1,000.00 would be a great year for the MST. What do you all think and who is going to hike with me? You don't have to donate any money to hike but it would be awesome for the trail if you did.
Taba
Scot "Taba" Ward
There And Back Again
www.Thru-hiker.us
http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=7502
I had to point this out. This is the 100th post for the 100 hiker challenge!!! Let's accomplish this goal!
Scot "Taba" Ward
There And Back Again
www.Thru-hiker.us
http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=7502