[Cdt-l] Hiker's reactions

[lynne whelden]

Having been in and (mostly) out of various trail spotlights for 25 years, I can relate to Keith's dilemma. 
In particular, I can remember back in '90 when I was shooting "How to Hike the AT." A sick hiker came along while I was doing some interviews at a particularly busy trail junction in PA. Since everything seemed under control (for example, phone calls had been made to medical facilities, there was a doctor hiker present), my help didn't seem to be needed.
I thought that was the end of the story. Not so. Five years later when I was shooting "How to Hike the PCT" in CA I got an extremely negative reaction from one hiker when I asked if I could interview some from a group gathered in a motel room. So negative he ended up storming out of the room after making a scene.
Turns out he'd heard a rumor that I had declined to help this sick hiker years before. He construed me to be some sort of selfish monster taking advantage of hikers for the sake of money.
Lord only knows what hikers may think of me after I've had brief video interactions with them. But I've come to realize that's beyond my control. Keith, for all we know, you might have put cream instead of milk in a hiker's coffee. Months later that incident then mushroomed into your being an awful host...worth crowing about wherever feedback is sought! You can't win.
I suppose some hikers take to the trail because they've left behind a trail of chaos in the real world!
lynne whelden
lwgear.com

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