[pct-l] Words about the HERD

Mon Mar 12 20:09:40 CDT 2007

The only stats I know of are on the 2007 PCT Yahoo!
group.  Based on this data only, there is NOT a herd
created by the ADZ.  People are starting their hikes
on the dates that suit them personally.  Same thing
happened last year.  

A quick glance at TrailJournals shows ~20 hikers out
of 72 who have journals starting their hikes during
the ADZ weekend.  Some journalists don't have start
dates listed, however.

Here's how the herd is created:

A bunch of hikers stop in Warner Springs and take a
zero.  Others catch up.  Can't resist soaking in the
pool for a day.  A bigger group hikes out together
than what hiked in together.

Next is Idyllwild.  Idyllwild is cool.  Many hikers
take zeros.  Others catch up.  The group grows.  

Hello Big Bear City!  Thelma's has good food.  The BBQ
place is great.  Motel 6 is cheap.  The supermarkets
are wonderful.  People take one or two zeros.  The
spread-out group consolidates a little more.

By the time most of the hikers reach the 450-mile
mark, the original well-spread-out starters have
grouped together.  They're not spread out very much. 
Many, many hikers take one or two or three zeros at
the Saufleys.  You can't resist it.  The group grows
in Agua Dulce.

Start dates be damned!!  It didn't matter when
everyone started.  Zero days, meeting new friends, and
enjoying the company of others causes hikers to group
together.  It's been one month on the trail.  Time to
chill, hang out, talk about the Mojave and the Sierra.
 Eventually the trail calls and everyone leaves Agua
Dulce.  But now the consolidated group is even tighter
than before.

This thread is like the bear canister thread, hiking
with a dog, guns on the trail, illegal immigrants,
the-most-snow-EVER-in-the-history-of-the-world..........blah,
blah, blah.  It's beaten to the ground every year
around this time as people get stir crazy.

yogi
www.pcthandbook.com

--- Len Glassner <len5742 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Just trying to understand the dimensions of the load
> management issue...
> 
> How many start immediately after the kick-off?  100,
> maybe?
> 
> How much would they have to spread out in order to
> solve the resource
> demand problem?  For example, 25 per week, for four
> weeks?
> 
> I think it would be interesting to collect the start
> dates for thru
> hikers, KO attendees and non-attendees alike, and
> map against a
> calendar.  Has anyone done this?
> 
> Len
> On 3/12/07, dsaufley at sprynet.com
> <dsaufley at sprynet.com> wrote:
> > Dear Pygmy,
> >
> > I can assure you that the HERD is NOT exaggerated.
>  It was WORSE THAN EVER last year, which was a big
> snow year.  Please don't think that because you
> didn't experience it that it doesn't exist.  FYI,
> the herd dissapates when it hits the Sierras.
> >
> > In protest, boycotting, and otherwise trying to
> educate y'all that too many people all at once has
> and will continue to have a negative impact on the
> trail, trail towns, and ultimately on the services
> the thru hikers depend upon.
> >
> > L-Rod -- the ORIGINAL ADZ BOYCOTTER!!!
> >
> > p.s. I've never been against the ADZ party & hiker
> reunion per se, I'm against it being a starting
> event that bunches too many starters on and around a
> specific weekend. I think it should be later in the
> season and further up the trail (say, Lone Pine in
> June or Tahoe in July).
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > >From: Trail Pygmy <trailpygmy at hotmail.com>
> > >Sent: Mar 12, 2007 11:26 AM
> > >To: pct-l at mailman.backcountry.net
> > >Subject: [pct-l] additional items for hiking list
> > >
> > >plastic bags various sizes both zip lock and
> envelope style... trash bags various sizesaloha,
> Pygmyps- I'm going once again to the '07ADZ "gear
> convention"... i mean hot air gathering... i mean
> REALLY COOL GET TOGETHER. lol Doing the Campo to
> Morena group hike then sectioning Mt. Laguna to
> Warner Springs... then I'll be waiting for the snow
> to melt before finishing my "thru-hike" that I
> started in '05... I'll be getting back on at Tahoe
> North Bound... any guesses on when??? No I will not
> be sporting any crampons or ice axe. Look forward to
> meeting the '07 PCTers... last year I hiked all
> alone... not much fun. I think the "herd" concept is
> greatly exagerated... no "clicks" is another
> story... lol HIKE ON!!!
> >
>
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