I'm guessing Flamingo hasn't commented because he personally knows some of the key players in the long distance hiking community. Many of these are board members on the PCTA, while others play a major role in trail politics. One of these is Donna Saufley who runs Hiker Heaven (
https://www.facebook.com/donna.saufley https://www.facebook.com/HikerHeaven/ http://hikerheaven.com/). She was instrumental in advocating the 50/hiker per day rule to smooth out bulges in hiker traffic.
Anyway, if you zoom out and (anthropologically) view the hiking community as this sort of self enclosed eco-system, with its own distinct cultural norms, and (unspoken) rules of conduct, it's quite obvious is was content "doing its own thing". Sure, there was/is a bro culture, but the women hikers dealt with it, competed and ultimately prevailed.
However, somewhere along the way, Wild exposed an 'outsider' element that was seized by a mythological idea that obscured the core reality. In a weird way, it's almost like this new brigade 'culturally appropriated' the hiker community by trying to impose its own ideals and expectations. Adding a commercial bent, some realized they could profit from selling the dream to other, non traditional hikers, who would then too embrace expectations that inevitably weren't realized. The result of all this, as we've seen, is the Carrot Quinn crew, along with some of her disciples, such as Vanessa who was the author of the anchor post.
OK, so that's the back story: small, isolated culture governed by its own rules of behavior. Everyone knows and either abides or drops out. Outsider comes in, exploits the community for commercial gain, then mounts large(r) public exposure denouncing said practices. Question: is that the end of the story? And this is were it gets interesting, because Donna S is one vocal, hard assed mofo. Once she gets her teeth into something, she doesn't let go. (Her trail name is L-Rod; short for Lightning Rod - you do the math.) Which brings us to the point of the counter-attack.
First, confirmation of existing culture, with women not only overcoming, but establishing themselves as dominant players:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfMWY7aADyj ... ance_hikes
NOC: When men are sexist to me on trail I can usually out hike them; however, it's going to happen, even on routes you do alone. I was in nowhere New Mexico, cross country, and some guy said "What's a pretty girl like you doing out here?" Like that has anything to do with anything. I just laughed and kept walking. They think you're crazy ya know? And it makes you thick skinned and a hell raiser. You know you've got the power to say **** You to the bros! Hike Like Hell babes.
NOC: I lived and hiked with CQ, she stalked me in 2014, she changed her start date to mine without me knowing it. My life has been complicated ever since. Anyone who gets close to her knows what she is and it's not good. I'm guessing you two aren't close. I also had a rough youth, her and I bonded over a similar past. She has also accused me of bullying her. She has accused multiple people in the community of bullying when they haven't. You must think I'm some privileged white girl? Lint was the only one to stand up to her. Did he do it graciously? No! But since she has the biggest platform out of anyone, people take her word as gospel. There are many people who know what she is but are afraid to come out fearing her obsessive smear tactics, and they aren't willing "to go there."
Then, the first salvo of perhaps the one person you don't want to piss off:
donnasaufley: I fear that the people who find her stuff brilliant are not members of the hiking Community or know any of the players involved. Hiking Community is known for being supportive of each other. I have been involved in hiking Community for over 20 years hosting the majority of the hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail. Never have I seen anyone do such an all-out attack and try to destroy someone as CT has. Her behavior is the complete antithesis to what the hiking Community is all about. We call out fakes and phonies when they show up. CQ has done some deceptive things but don't reflect well on the hiking community, like taking money from her fans on false pretenses. Yes she is an anarchist, she is a wounded person, and she is also very vindictive and destructive. People who know her in a hiking Community are standing up and calling CQ out for the abusive bully she is.
So, it will be interesting to see where this goes. My guess is the CQ contingent eventually fades and goes off to find some other social justice cause. Hiking will remain as a primary physical challenge, with women welcome, but all subject to the same basic requirements without any preferential treatment.