TC4

“rox: We have always encouraged people to come for the fun. Cooking is not required, Roxy. In fact, after seeing you online for about three years now, I look forward to meeting the Carolina Hikers group.

There are always a lot of folks that just come to eat, learn, and meet one another.”

“I want to hike in the long way too! Currahee we should all try to carpool.”

“heh.. I'm finally watching Kill Bill on DVD.. but I wanted to urge everyone.. please.. if you plan on coming.. sign up on the trips page. An accurate headcount is very important for a number of reasons.”

“I may or may not cook, but I'll certainly at a minimum enjoy watching the cook off regardless.

Is there a separate category for the best alcohol stove, rehydrate-in-a-bag-cozy meal?

lol”

“Try #3

Danababy Dances

”

“

"Is there a separate category for the best alcohol stove, rehydrate-in-a-bag-cozy meal?"
Roam Around

Don't know about that, Roam Around, but last year I received a prize for the most primative cooking, by cooking over a fire.

TownDawg - Thanks.

However, I do feel that allowances should be made for handicapped backpackers. After all, I don't want you to feel ruled-out, if and when you reach my age and condition.”

“I thought it was for cooking in the fire....

<G>”

“Well, maybe! The pot did tip over and spill the ox tail.”

“I plan on making a pb&j sammich just to give Tilt some competition this time.”

“Oops...I forgot I had created an account for my wife to sign her up for the trip.”

“TownDawg - I have some more!

1. What about people who hike-in with one or more others, with others carrying some of the common-use equipment? This means that the one in the contest is likely to be carrying a reduced load, when compared to you, me or others, who hike in alone and unaided.

2. After the contest is over, can we take the shuttle for the return to town?”

“1) You bring up a good point, and you are not the first to mention it -- unfortunately, I don't really have a good answer.. It is one of the things the Tc committee will have to discuss and make some ruling on. As of right now, today, I don't know.

2) I don't see any reason why you can't ride out, if you hiked in.”

“TownDawg - Thanks. Also, is it a requirement to use titanium pots, spoons, etc., for the cooking? If not, why not?”

“Batman! Lets just go, cook, have fun! I've been waiting for the debauchery to begin. Come to think of it.... October is too long to wait. I'm going to get my own party started now. I'll be back!”

“Sorry, danababy. I'm probably done now. This all ties in with something that happened at TC-3. Ask me, while we're there in October, and I'll be happy to give you the details.”

“It would seem to me that to require actual titanium cooksets is getting just a bit carried away, but I don't know what happened at TC 3, it sounds interesting though.”

“i'm gonna try to finagle a titanium surprise at this event”

“I don't think they make those out of titanium, OPIE...”

“Paul - I was not aware of any problems in that regard.. but sorry to hear it -- we have always encouraged folks to be creative.. esbit, open flame.. cast iron.. whatever floats your boat.. if you can haul it in 7-8 miles.. have at it.

:)

Again.. sorry for any problems you had.. I will gladly work with you anyway I can to update the rules if we need to.. including a [/b]senior citizen category[/b] if need be.. * ducks, just kidding tho!*”

“Paul, I will even loan you a Ti pot to use if you want to.”

“NS, I'll carry your sleeping bag in for you if they make you hike the 7.5 miles. I'm sure a few others (step up punks, show the real TT spirit) won't mind carrying an item or two in to help you out man.”

“Nowslimmer...I'll carry you toothbrush : )”

“but seriously...I'll help!!!!”

“I don't want NS to not compete or not come because he's disabled and can't carry his fully loaded pack in over a 7.5mi distance...then I think 4-5 of us should step up and carry some of his gear for him to help out. Not that any of us are required to or that NS wants us to, but because TT is a community full of cool people that look out for each other. Three extra pounds for some of us youngens is nothing if it helps someone make it who can't make it because of a disability. If he was fat and lazy and couldn't do it that would be one thing, but NS has a disability and would do it if he could and is willing to try--I say a few of us give him a hand so someone cool can make it. Think of the good press we'd get if any newspapers are there...Thebackpacker.com helps disabled friend in so he can compete. That would say a lot about this place in a positive light.

We got your back NS!”

“ahhhhhhh, inchworm.... daddy like*!








*daddy likes is trademarked slogan registered by LtWtBackpacker, aka Rob.”

“i'm sneaking rocks into everyones pack this year...and no miss opie...not shiny ones..big grey heavy ones!!!!”

“Dub I will carry an item for slimmer.”

“What if Nowslimmer hikes in, but shuttles the bulk of his gear up?”

“First, it has already been stated that I can hike up a day or more early, so everything is OK.

Last year someone stated that those of us, who used the shuttle, were ineligibile because we did not hike all the way up. It probably was just a joke. But this person is a serious contender, so I suspect that this person may have been in the background pushing for enforcement of the rule to hike the full distance. Like anything to eliminate some competition.(There were others who found shorter routes to the top.) However, this same person was not alone, and as such, may not have carried everything needed to overnight and to cook alone.

So I'm just trying to see that the rules are clearly established and as fair as possible for everyone. At the same time I realized that, perhaps we should include some exceptions for any handicapped person that might like to enter.

As for the offers of assistance, thanks all. Pack weight is not my problem. Speed is the problem. Uphill I can travel about the same, slow speed, with or without a pack. I will try to ahere to all the rules. If the rules should prevent me from competing, that's OK, but for now everything is GO.

So now you know the rest of the story.”

“"...The mileage requirement is one that has always been in place. We held Tc1 at Small Wilds instead of the parking lot -- to avoid the sort of wild, come haul in all your beer, propane stone bar-b-que competition that has become the staple of good southern life...."
TownDawg
04:27:28 PM
06/04/04



Forgotten TCII? It sure as he11 had no mileage requirement or even a requirement that backpacking stoves and pots be used.
Maybe stuff was 'packed' in 100 yards.
Like this guy packed in that table and coleman stove 7 miles

bar-b-que? Chili made some killer chili!

Beer cart that held two giant trash cans full”

“TCII was good but some strange happenings occured as to who won what.”

“StoveStomper/Ewker: Tc2's original plan was a decent hike. As I am sure both of you recall, the original site was Charit Creek Lodge. The Appaloosa Field site was a last minute substitution at a cost of $850.

I never wanted to have the event that close to the road. We were between a rock and a hard place, and hated to cancel the event.”

“Further: Even in spite of the special challenges that Tc2 presented -- proximity to road, no water source, no toilet facilities, additional legal requirements, unknown attendance numbers -- we survived.

One of the things I am proud of is how well we completely made any hint of our presence gone.

click here

LNT in the best of examples.”

“so you are saying everyone else will get big gray heavy rocks and i'll get a shiny one!”

“Miss Opie, I don't think he meant that kind of shiny rock!!!”

“Ewker/StoveStomper,

I think everyone agrees TC2 got totally out of hand.

I also believe that was the catalyst for changes at TC3 and further changes at TC4.”

“lets hope that those who won at the cookoff last yr deserved to win compared to what went on at TC2.”

“Make no mistake, I had a great time at TCII.
TD just made an incorrect statement about there always being a hiking requirement.”

“Hey SS, how is that ultralight coffee pot doing that you won...lol”

“Ewker - Here's the 'tea kettle' I 'won'

If I ever go car camping with 30 scouts I might can use it. ;-)”

“Opie is in charge of prizes.. Chili is in charge of judges.”

“SS, you are ready for the wagon train to come visit with that pot. Actually I think I saw that one on Rawhide once..lmao”

“Ha Ha, I discovered why it was donated to TCII when I got it home. The lid had a chip in the enamel.”

“hell, send it back and demand a new one. You just can't find those ultralight enamel coffee pots anywhere”

“Donate it to the Boy Scouts and take a full value write off on your taxes.

Damn, not only do we have to set up the TC events, we also have to manage the process two years later.

;-)”

“heh.. well I guess every event has its share of detractors..

Ewker/StoveStover: click here

There's the top ten recipes from Tc2. Five judges, all working somewhat independently.
What did you cook, Ewker and StoveStomper? Just for the record, who did you think did not deserve to win?”

“Dub: Remember what I told you on the phone the other day?

Chili: For real.

Ewker/SS: If this is a personal attack, then get it off the board boys. These folks have better things to do than to hear you two twirps trying to trash Tc2 -- which happened two years ago.

Tc3 (a year ago) is in the hands of the Cumberland Gap Core Group for Revitalization. It has nothing to do with me, with James, with Kristina or anyone else you might want to throw stones at.”

“Ha ha, I'll not bite!

That question is like "When did you stop beating your wife?"”

“Towndawg, I didn't cook anything but I found out later if I had I could have won a prize I wanted like some other people did. Basically (not mentioning names) some people mentioned they would like to win (name some gear) and they were told if they enter they would win what they wanted!!
If I remember correctly there were lots of people past your top ten list who got to chose between quite a few prizes while others who placed in front on them were not given a choice.

Now you may or may not have known that was going on but it did.”

“Again, an issue that was addressed and corrected.

Folks, I don't think anyone is advocating this event has an unblemished record.

IMHO, there are a few people who have worked on this. While it may seem relatively simple to put one of these events together, I know of two people (smokygirl and myself) who would challenge that.

Damn right there were mistakes as this thing progressed, some of them near fatal. But IMHO, to sit around and badmouth the process without volunteering to help is actually pretty #&%!$ing lame.

Constructive criticism I can handle, jeers from the ones who (A) aren't going to attend another TC event or (B) aren't going to volunteer to make the process better are a little hard to swallow.

No hard feelings on my part toward anyone who expresses an opinion here, but again, IMHO, I am just calling it the way I see it.”