[pct-l] How do you distinguish scuzzy "Hiker Trash" from a grubby "Homeless Bum"?

[Will Hiltz]

This reminds me of my hiker trash/bum story...


I got of the trail for a few weeks due to injury in '07.  This required me
to hitch down out of the mountains towards LA from Idyllwild.  I ended up in
a McD's in Banning (not the most charming of places, and I found out
subsequently that there had been three bank robberies the week before so
everyone was a bit on edge!).  Sitting on the outdoor tables for several
hours trying to figure out where I was headed next, I was eventually
approached by a very nice woman who offered me a lift closer to LA proper.
She told me that she had seen me walking by the side of the highway earlier
and assumed I was a bum.  "Only the bums walk around here..." she said so I
asked her how she knew I wasn't one.  She went over to my pack and pointed
at my bright orange crocs.


So... all of you who say crocs have no place on the trail-- you didn't
realize that they were also secret "I'm not a bum" signals to would-be
rides!  Crocs RULE!


YITOOD,

Easy

On Fri, Sep 12, 2008 at 12:18 AM, Scott Heeschen <sheesh at alum.mit.edu>wrote:

> > Georgi Heitman wrote:
> >
> >> Can't remember the last time I approached a 'bum', but when I approach
> >> 'hiker trash' , I ask if there's any 'hiker trash' around, and they
> always
> >> laugh...would a real, honest-to-goodness bum do that?
> >> FireFly
> >>
> >
> This thread reminds me of two incidents, right before and after finishing
> my
> hike.  Standing at Stevens Pass, about to call the Dinsmore's, a woman
> pulled her SUV over across the road and yelled "Are you hiker trash?"  The
> three of us proudly yelled "Yes!" and then got a ride to the Dinsmore's
> from
> Donna Saufley, of all people!  She was up in Seattle on a business trip,
> and
> came out after work to meet the Dinsmore's and maybe meet with some hikers.
>
> About 10 days later, on a Saturday morning, I was on a street corner
> somewhere near the Seattle Amtrak station, wondering which way to go to
> find
> some breakfast as I waited for the San Jose bound train to leave.  The
> station seemed to be in the financial district, so all the normal
> cafes/delis were closed on the weekend, and I was STARVING.  I was carrying
> around my pack, but had cleaned up in Manning.  Still, some guy came along
> and must have read my mind, in a way - he suggested I go down to the
> Mission, because they had *real* breakfast food that morning, stuff like
> bacon and eggs, not the normal oatmeal.  However, I better hurry up since
> word like that travels quickly and the food would disappear fast.
>
> I was amused, but wasn't exactly sure how to respond.  I think I eventually
> said something along the lines of "That wouldn't be fair - I can afford to
> pay for breakfast".  There was a very awkward pause.  "Oh, umm..."  I
> hadn't
> minded implicitly being called a bum, but he felt bad about it.  I'm not
> sure what he thought I was.
>
> I would guess it's probably best to just use 'hiker trash' all the time.
> You'll either be right, or confuse the heck out of the people :-)
>
>    Buck Larceny '05
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