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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Good morning, All,</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">I certainly agree with L-Rod on
both points.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I received my first
Boy Scout Handbook as a ten-year-old and I was soon ready to add another line
item to the twelve points of the Scout Law:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>A Scout is skeptical.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">At first I thought that chubby
little Handbook contained all the wisdom of the world …. or at least all that
mattered to me at the time …. but as soon as I gathered the suggested gear and
tried to pack it for a hike I became reasonably convinced that whomever wrote
the book didn’t have the foggiest notion of what they were doing:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>1)<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>I didn’t think I needed all that junk, 2) All that junk couldn’t possibly
fit in a standard Scout packsack, and, 3) It was too heavy to carry even if it
did fit.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>From then on I was always
at odds with the “Be Prepared” principle because I just quietly left lots of
stuff home.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> <o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Modern Army infantry gear is even
worse.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>From the days of the
Continental Line in the late 18<SUP>th</SUP> century, through the entire
19<SUP>th</SUP> century with its Civil War and the western expansion, the list
of equipment and the weight of a foot soldier’s gear in “Heavy Marching Order”
remained substantially the same.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>About the only change in the first half of the 20<SUP>th</SUP> century
was the addition of a gas mask during WW-I.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Individual items evolved, but it was
still about the same gear list that I carried serving in the Army under
Commander-In-Chief Dwight D. Eisenhower.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Now just look at what the troops have to carry, and even more than that
is coming soon.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> <o:p></o:p></P>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Someone
…. other than themselves …. selects the gear, but the grunts have to carry
it.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It’s perfect example of the
theory that states:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“Nothing is
impossible for those who don’t have to do it.</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">”</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT
face=Arial size=2>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Steel-Eye the skeptic</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">^^^^^^^^^^<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Skeptical</SPAN> hikers gather at:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><A
href="http://www.aldhawest.org/"><SPAN
style="COLOR: purple">http://www.aldhawest.org/</SPAN></A>
^^^^^^^^^^</P></FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=dsaufley@sprynet.com href="mailto:dsaufley@sprynet.com">Donna
Saufley</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=hikerguy599@aol.com
href="mailto:hikerguy599@aol.com">hikerguy599@aol.com</A> ; <A
title=pct-l@backcountry.net
href="mailto:pct-l@backcountry.net">pct-l@backcountry.net</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, January 30, 2008 9:58
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [pct-l] At last! A kid-sized
SUL backpack, from MLD.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">We need to start a
revolution in Scouting (Boys and Girls). They’ve got these poor kids
carrying ridiculous amounts of weight, and it probably turns a large
percentage of them off to backpacking altogether at their first exposure. I
saw it happen when my son was in scouting. I hope Lord Baden Powell
wouldn’t mind if we added “be lightweight” to the list along with “Be
Prepared.” While we’re at it, the military could take a lesson or two
from the lightweight book as well. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">L-Rod<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
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