I have this theory that in recent years, a lot of A.T. hikers have adopted what can only be called a sense of profound entitlement.......by this I mean, they all too often have come to expect certain things from people they meet and encounter, and they expect treatment this BECAUSE they are thru-hiking, period. In short, they've decided they're somehow very special and should be treated as such.
This sense of entitlement can take all sorts of forms:
*They expect discounts at motels, outfitters, and other places
*They expect discounts or free stays at hostels
*They expect discounts or free rides from shuttlers and other folks with cars
*They expect free or discount lodging both on the Trail (campsites, privately
operated huts/facilities/cabins, etc.
*They expect that certain facilities, campsites, shelters, etc. exist primarily
or ONLY for them, and resent these things being used by others
*They expect and anticipate Trail Magic (especially free food) and will loudly
complain in registers and elsewhere if they don't get it, or if it isn't up to
their standards
*They will take great umbrage when they discover that certain goods,
services, and food is either not discounted for them or free
*They will, on occasion, claim that certain rights, privileges, or services
are either free for thru-hikers, or exist ONLY for thru-hikers, and this
claim is frequently false
*They'll be rude or demanding to people in retail stores, businesses,
Post Offices, and elsewhere and expect "special" treatment or services
*They bully and berate (even blackmail) gear manufacturers and Trailside
outfitters into giving themfree replacement gear that they don't merit
*They can be outrageously demanding when guests in private homes as to
their needs, wants, expectations
*They often think they're entitled to "special" rights or privileges that other
folks (i.e. non thru-hikers) are not entitled to
*They are frequently rude or inconsiderate to the needs or desires of non
thru-hikers; this can most frequently be observed in Trail towns, businesses,
motels, restaurants, etc.
And this goes on.
I'm not saying the above behavior is by any means true of ALL thru-hikers, but it seems to me that it's true of many of them. This year alone (in fact this week alone!) I've witnessed some pretty outrageous things, and unfortunately, I'm not sure the behavior I witnessed constituted isolated incidents.
Any thoughts on this?
I'd particularly like to hear from people who shuttle, run or work in Trail-related businesses, do Trail Magic, put up hikers in their homes, etc. But bottom line, is that in recent years I'm starting to see hikers with real attitudes. And maybe this was always there, but I've only recently started to see it.
Your comments are welcome.