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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Andrea,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I love you dearly and everything you do
for hikers. I don’t want to start the north/south trail angel
battle of ’08, so I will simply tell you the reasons why I came to NOT put
hiker pictures and information on a website or elsewhere. Just my take on
the experiences we’ve had.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>The first awareness came when I had (like
you) been taking pictures of all the hikers, and getting all their info before
they departed Hiker Heaven. Back in those days, when we had far fewer
hikers through here, that was much easier to do! As I was doing this
then-routine picture/info gathering, a solo female hiker (AT veteran) asked me
why I was getting that information; what was I going to do with it. I
told her I wanted to have a website with that information so everyone could see
who was here; the vision was that it could prove to be a link for their family and
friends who could see they’d been or were here, and a place to store our
wonderful memories for all to share. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>The hiker was very emphatic with her
response. She told me under no circumstances did I have her permission to
put her picture or info on any website. She went on to explain that a hiker
or hikers had been murdered on the AT – they had been stalked by the
killer through online journal entries. I had never heard any of this
before, and was stunned. She strongly suggested to me that it just was
not a good policy to put that information out there. Her concerns were
later affirmed for me in “Walk,” the part where two men show up to
meet Tea Tree. They knew where she’d been and where she was going
to be because of her online journal. They were apparently okay guys in
that case, but the fact is they had essentially stalked her because of online
info. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I began to think, “what’s the harm
in putting info up after the fact, when the season is over?” That answer
came when post-season we started getting calls about a 20-something hiker that
was missing, and his family was frantically looking for him and thought he
might be hiking the trail. Initially alarmed, concerned, and wanting to
help, we subsequently came to learn from law enforcement that this young man
wanted to get away from his family and it was his legal right to do so. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>We also learned of a missing hiker somewhere
up north that had terminal cancer and wanted to hike the trail before he
died. His family did not want him to do this for their own reasons.
Determined to follow his dream and not theirs, he set out on the trail with his
family trying to stop him. They of course wanted to keep him under care and
treatment to prolong what was left of his life. He knew he was going to
die anyway and wanted to be on the trail before it came. I do not know the
outcome of this . . . I wish I did. I hope he was able to achieve his
dream and rest peacefully.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Because of these experiences and pieces of
information, I came to understand that some people have their reasons for not
wanting to be found, for anyone to know where they are or where they’ve
been. Those that want anonymity are entitled to it, and I don’t
want to put them in a position of either having to explain themselves, or
having to lie. I respect that some may simply and rightly feel it’s
not safe to post their info. If any hiker ever came to harm because of
something I’d posted, I would never forgive myself. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Another and much more personal reason for
not wanting to post the history out there are those who want to keep track of
hikers like it’s a horse race, wanting to use information to validate
hiker’s claims, and just generally use the information for fodder for
their own purposes – which could even result in financial gain. I’ll
go on record stating I have a real aversion to that, and I don’t want to
feed or nurture it. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>To me, everyone’s journey is
personal to them, and if they wish to, they can (and do) post pictures of being
here. My memories with them are personal to me. If you want to know
who’s been here, the trail register is here for the reading.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>L-Rod<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
pct-l-bounces@backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces@backcountry.net] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Andrea Dinsmore<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Thursday, January 24, 2008
8:44 AM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> G. Lowe aka Wheeew<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Cc:</span></b> PCT<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Re: [pct-l] Maintaining
Anonymity on the Trail</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>We've been taking pics,
adding names and dates and posting the pics to our
website..........everyone seems to be thrilled over it. This has been going on
for years. In all those hikers that have stayed with us no one has ever said
don't take my pic. Everyone signs our register and most seem to be really
interested in who's been here before them. So with all this privacy....hike in
secret issues on this forum......we haven't seen any of it up here. So,
I guess I should fore warn all hikers and guests to the Skykomish
area..........if I see you....I will record your attendance to our place. If
you don't want the world to know you were at our place, in town or even at the
trailhead........you better put a bag over your head. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>No virus
found in this incoming message.<br>
Checked by AVG Free Edition.<br>
Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.9/1239 - Release Date: 1/23/2008
10:24 AM</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>No virus found in this outgoing message.<BR>
Checked by AVG Free Edition.<BR>
Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.10/1241 - Release Date: 1/24/2008 9:58 AM<BR>
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