[pct-l] Time for the Annual "Why I Boycott the ADZ" Message

[Jim Keener]

Dear Donna,

I do not buy this premise. It infers that the herd is caused by ADZ.  
While ADZ probably exacerbates the problem, the kickoff is based on  
expected hiker start time, rather than hiker start time being based on  
the kickoff. There are, of course, exceptions.

AT hikers start hiking in almost every month of the calendar and there  
is a considerably higher percentage of SOBOs on the AT, than the PCT.  
So having a starting event in Georgia makes no sense on the AT. The  
start window for the PCT, however, is fairly narrow. And an  
overwhelming number of hikers are NOBO. A start event makes sense for  
a number of reasons, primarily in ease of access for all hikers.

I am going to start hiking earlier than the kickoff in order to miss  
the crowds early on in my hike. Not for LNT reasons (hangs head), but  
that's what I prefer. Others will begin some time after the kickoff. I  
have been re-reading Suge's 2003 journal, and he started in May, but  
attended the kickoff earlier. Point: scheduling an event at Lake  
Morena does not dictate hike start time. It influences it, most  
likely, but people will start based on their own styles and wishes.

I started to write that it is unlikely that the kickoff will change.  
But I don't know if that's true. I hope it does not change too much.  
Even if the kickoff were to go away, there would be a herd. The nature  
of conditions in the west create it, not the kickoff.

With great respect and affection,
Jim Keener ( J J )
http://oldmanwalking.net

On Feb 26, 2008, at 11:44 AM, Donna Saufley wrote:
>
> First and foremost, having a starting event that attracts hikers to  
> start on or around a specific date is against Leave No Trace  
> principles which state, “Schedule your trip to avoid times of high  
> use.”  “Visit in small groups when possible.”  “Consider splitting  
> larger groups into smaller groups.”  http://www.lnt.org/programs/principles.php
>
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