[pct-l] PEACE EVERYONE!

[Joanne Lennox]

Let me get this straight - you have instituted a rule ( for everybody) That 
a Speed record is only a RECORD if it is  announced in advance of the hike?? 
I can not see any basis for this. So if you go faster on your thruhike it 
doesn't count unless you have the intent to outcompete the PRIOR record? 
Certainly Jenny and Ray Jardine did not announce when they were going to 
finish.  Did you announce when you were going to finish? So you were not 
hikng your own hike but comparing yourself from the outset against somebody 
else hike.

  This has nothing to do with speed

In my book thruhiking is not nearly as important as treating all people with 
respect.  In your book, if somebody disagrees with you , they deserve 
disrepect.

I talked to The person who has maintained 40 miles of the PCT in the fire 
zone that you went through( before you went through).  They were not 
allowing him in to do the maintenence.  Exactly WHO told you that you could 
go through the closure.

When I was doing the Continental Divide, they closed all the National 
Forests North of Grants, New Mexico and on the very day that I got to Grants 
to resupply.  There were no fires in the 3 National forests that I was going 
through, but every road and trail was closed.  I talked to The FS supervisor 
in Grants,  They said they would allow me a transit, and I would have to 
have written permission and a release, but I could not go off my designated 
route to get water.  Without water, it was a mute point. They said they 
planned to patrol with helocopters, and I would be ticketed if spotted.  I 
crossed the Navaho INdian reservation for 300 miles.  It was quite a trip, 
and certainly not easy and I ended up doing a completely different route 
thereafter as I was on the "wrong"side of the divide from all my planning. 
I would never have crossed the closure without permission, I simply do not 
feel I have any more right than any other hiker or any other person to 
disobey rules put out to protect the forest and the people that use it.  The 
Forest Service will have a record of your permission and crossing if it is 
actually legitimate, and nobody here has heard their side of this story.

Two people from my area were killed in that fire - one from a falling tree, 
and one when the wind shifted suddenly.  It was not a trite thing to cross 
the closure and go into a actively burning area.  You have done everything 
you can to make this matter worse by simply dismissing your detractors out 
of hand rather than taking responsibility for what you did.  Even Scott's 
wife Michelle recommend that peole not cross the closure:
(" Yes Scott & Joe hiked the closure.  Not  recommended.  Scott did get 
water
poured on him by a helicopter and  the police and fire fighters did catch 
them
but no one was hurt and no one was  fined.  It was a exciting and extremely
scary day on the trail  for them and a frightening one for us family 
members.
Please everyone  be safe, it can be dangerous out there.
Michelle ").  And she says that you were "caught", which certainly implies 
that you did not have permission.  Not being fined does not mean being given 
permission.

Why is the record important to you anyway?? Why would you scheme for a whole 
year anyway when you already had a speed record.  Unless the experience was 
really unimportant to you -it is not what others think of you BUT WHAT YOU 
THINK OF YOURSELF. Maybe it was the experience with Scott, I would not doubt 
it must have been a very heady 2 months out there.  And now you are home, 
and alas, work on Monday!  Physical strength, emotional strength - 2 
differnet things.

Illegally crossing a fire closure as far as I am concerned, negates any 
legitimacy for a "RECORD". You have been touting all the ethics of minimal 
impact, and you completely disregard not just ethics of use, but regulations 
in place for everybody. If you can pick and choose your ethics, I can pick 
and choose who I believe to be legitimate- you're out and Scott is in.

Ta ta!!




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "joseph kisner" <lostonthecrest at hotmail.com>
To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2008 10:50 AM
Subject: [pct-l] PEACE EVERYONE!


> Last year as most of you know, I hiked the trail in just under 80 days. I 
> came back this year because of a few reasons, and they were all personal. 
> For one, I new I could do it quicker. For two I just love the trail in a 
> whole. But, something else bothered me. I broke someone's record, who 
> posted, and declared his attempt. What I did was not fair to him nor could 
> I ask you (the public) to recognize it as a record. So for a year, I 
> planned, worked and focused on this attempt. That is why we went public, 
> and attention had nothing to do with it. I hope the next person is also 
> man or women enough to do the same. Scott, I and the previous holders, 
> deserve that much in respect, and I for one will be real sour if they do 
> not. The record is low enough now, that it will take a plan and the person 
> will be going for it from the gate. That is the first rule that I give, 
> and if anyone WHO IS ATTEMPTING fails to do so, just do not ask to be 
> recognized.
>
> A lot of you may not understand, but I am a sole provider of a family of 
> four, so for me just getting to the trail is so hard. I have to have 3 
> months of bills, and a lot more for my hike. I am not sponsered, I am 
> gifted a few items, that company's feel it is in their best interest to 
> give. All the money it takes for me to be here, it is just a drop in the 
> bucket. So do not get the wrong idea, please.
>
> Some people have the wrong idea about how I got to this place in the 
> hiking world. So here is the short version. I started hiking the sierra's 
> with my father in the late 60's at 3 years old. It was our weekend outings 
> and our week long camps/fishing that began to grow on me, like it has done 
> to so many of you. I can remember many "heavy loads" and 7 mile days. I 
> did not appear here over night, throw on a ulpack and go break a record. 
> It took years of, trying new things, that sometimes worked, and sometimes 
> did not. I learned a lot from Ray Jardine's book, Beyond Backpacking, but 
> more than that, I just looked for a better way. In 2005 I thru-hiked the 
> trail, every step and completed a life long dream. All the sections hikes, 
> and weekends, payed off, for I had a goal, was fully prepaired, and pushed 
> through a heavy sierra snow pack year. My point is, I know exactly what it 
> is like to go out overly prepaired, and struggle needlessly up a mountain 
> pass. I will not insult anyone for this, and I am sorry for sounding that 
> way, but there is another point.
>
> While doing all three of my thru-hikes, I have started behind a lot of 
> people. I have seen just about all you can imagine. And what I have been 
> noticing is a huge impact the hikers are having on the trail. I have seen 
> so many new camps, fire rings, unneeded fires, trash, empty caches, 
> polluted springs, ect... What I would like you to know is, the way Scott 
> and I are, we have so little impact. We sometimes walk so late we just 
> sleep on the tread, we do not clean up or use soaps in the springs, we 
> never once had a fire, we never put caches out, to leave the empty 
> containers to be picked up by others. We never cleared out room for 
> another camp, or for that matter, we feel no need to create another trace 
> of man. We also preach these beliefs to others. We also never cook. This 
> year, there were two fires started by thru-hikers and there carelessness. 
> The Apache fire, and Dario the ranger at Ray Lakes, told us of another he 
> walked up on just in time at Woods Creek. This is a topic worth debating. 
> I just feel that those who focus on camping, and not hiking seem to leave 
> a much larger trace. I have done it myself and can look back at lots of 
> faults, and I guess pointing this out can be very touchy, but it is what I 
> see.
>
> As far as fire closures go, we were not the first or last. Yet we were 
> singled out cause of popularity, and people who just do not agree with our 
> methods of hiking. We chose the safer route, for the highway is far more 
> dangerous. We had extra maps, and we knew where the fires were to 
> relationship of the trail, thanks to calfire.com. We went in knowing we 
> might get to a point where we might have to turn around. We never put our 
> lives at risk. There turned out to be no fire anywhere near the trail. 
> What we did encounter was only backburning, where we met over 200 
> firefighters who now are aware of the PCT, as well as interested. We met 
> up with crew leaders and forest service officers, who just admired us, and 
> were completely unaware of the PCT. All encounters were left in a 
> possitive matter. They gave us permission to continue, so really people, 
> could it have been that bad. We had Michelle post for the safety of 
> others, who are not familiar with the area, like us, for the trail was 
> bulldozed. I feel the people who recommended hiking the highway are the 
> ones who should be ridiculed. I think it was the year 2000, correct me if 
> I am wrong, but two thru-hikers, Jane and Flicka were killed by a careless 
> driver, on a highway. That is what I was thinking while making MY decision 
> to continue. You may look to the back of a data book and get that info. If 
> I had one I would give more information. As far as being a role model, 
> well I never once thought of that. For me, I never been one, so this is a 
> first. In fact I have always been a rebel, a person who contest authority, 
> who breaks laws and rules that are not fair or right. I will be the first 
> to stand and fight for what is right, so maybe I am not your best role 
> model,  who ever signed me up for that, sorry I let you down. But I am the 
> one who stands up when something is wrong. This year I saw a lot going on 
> out there, and as soon as we can put things to rest, I will begin showing 
> you all proof of what is happening on your trail.
>
> As far as not recognizing our endeavor, that is perfectly fine with me. I 
> did not do this for you or anyone else. I did it for me! As far as 
> bragging rights go, Maybe when I am too old to walk, and need something to 
> keep my blood warm. But for now, I need to save for next spring, put a 
> slideshow together, and make peace with the community. I really do 
> understand and honor everyone's opinion, just understand me, I am not like 
> you. I am sure if we met on the trail we would sit a while and talk PCT, 
> and leave each other in a kind way. Why is the internet so differ? I hope 
> this really puts things to rest, and we can get on to the real challenge, 
> protecting this trail and its wilderness.   peace- Joe
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