Once upon a time there were some little boys who grew up believing they would become responsible citizens. It was a noteworthy goal which made their respective parents very proud. And... over time... they did grow up and become capable and successful adults. Today, however... throw in some backpacks, a few Cliff Bars and about 10 gallons of Gatorade... then... send these refined gentlemen to Death Canyon Shelf in Wyoming... and... geez... it's the Little Rascals in paradise! Check out these autobiographical snippets of the Boys in action.

Jim has a refined, aristocratic, soothing and gentleman's air about himself. He dines promptly at 0700, 1200 and 1700 hours to ensure precise blood sugar levels and to avoid symptoms of hypoglycemia (so he tells us). At camp, he typically takes a brief nap at 1300 hours and then brews himself a fresh cup of espresso.

Check his backpack. You will find essentials like a full sized pillow, a 5'-10" egg crate foam pad for under his air mattress, and a bath-size purple towel for bathing. On 4-5 day trips, Jim will pack two bottles of wine to accompany the first night's dinner. For breakfast he'll serve himself freshly brewed coffee and sliced bananas (stored in plastic) in cereal with real milk. Then...he'll finish his meal by eating one

pristine, undamaged Sara-Lee miniature coffee cake. (We kid you not.)

Jim relentlessly complained to the Boys that his trail name didn't fit his personna (Jim the Gentleman Hiker, go figure...). After some time, G-WeB's AKA Committee agreed to a change. Because he required a more manly, backwoodsy AKA... a new trail identity emerged! A man with a more manly AKA was born. They (now) call him... AXE.

Whiskey Tottin' Roger the Rock Grabber:

Perhaps the most misunderstood and most sensitive of the Boys, Whiskey Tottin' has endured tremendous kidding about his inability to hike without destroying the family camera, without falling into a rushing brook, and with his gentleman's way of sipping whiskey.

He often offers a calming and reassuring voice of reason for "g." "Gee... 'g'... don't you think hiking 15 miles and climbing out of the Grand Canyon on the same day is a little excessive?"

Quasi-retired, Whiskey Tottin' is one heck of a hiker. Just don't look to him for advice about hanging your food!

Clockwise from left: Whiskey Tottin' Hiking through Basin Lakes and Sunset Lake (background) in the Tetons (8/02); following High Altitude's lead down a snow filled crevasse from the Northern Presidential Range ridge trail (White Mountains; 6/01).