[pct-l] A potential member of the ADZ heard

[Donna Saufley]

Laura,

You've hit the nail on the head so perfectly.  This is exactly why the ADZ
causes a herd. Your situation is repeated with almost all of those who
attend the event -- the ADZ forces people to start at a specific window if
they want to go to it, for whatever reason (finding a partner, getting over
jitters, buying new gear, free food, or the drink fest that inevitably
occurs). 

Naturally, people would make other choices for starting dates if the ADZ
didn't exist. Somehow they all managed before . . . 

As to the partner/safety in numbers thing, I've been toying with the idea
that there should be a website where thru-hike hopefuls could post their
start dates, so you could see when folks were starting in advance, and if
you choose start when other hikers would be out there too or chose to avoid
them. I just know from my poor track record at maintaining my own site that
I'm not the right person to do this.

Best of luck in your decision.  Please know, and spread the word, that Hiker
Heaven is not near capacity yet and we want you ALL to stay with us,
regardless of when or why you started your hike.

L-Rod

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of Laura Fox
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 9:46 AM
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] A potential member of the ADZ heard

This "herd" discussion is interesting to me as I'm trying to figure  
out my start date.  It would be difficult for me to start before the  
ADZ and get a ride back to it (the earlier I start, the more of a  
pain it will be for me to deal with, for non-hiking-life reasons).   
It would be easy enough for me to start after the ADZ, sometime in  
the first couple weeks of May, but that would mean I couldn't attend  
the ADZ at all (I live on the east coast, and don't have the $$ to  
fly out there and back here for the ADZ and then out again to  
start ... I also can't attend Trail Fest for that reason).

I would be interested in going to the ADZ for the fun, camaraderie,  
etc., but also because I thought I was going to have a hiking partner  
for the whole trail, but that fell through, and not being a super  
solitary person I'd like to meet (and potentially hike with) other  
people (some other people ... not 100s of other people!).  I had been  
planning to go to the ADZ and start then, but this talk of the "herd"  
and LNT implications has given me pause.  I hiked the AT in '01 (with  
a partner) and started on February 24th, which was well ahead of the  
AT herd, so I'm not sure what it's like to hike with a giant clump of  
people.  I think maybe I'd be better off starting a bit later to help  
spread things out, but then I'd miss the fun and people-meeting  
opportunity of the ADZ.

Anyway, not sure what my point is.  What should I do??  :)
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