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

Wed Feb 27 12:15:03 CST 2008

It’s Day 2 of my post, but longer if you count Scott Park’s.  And while I
abhor the saying you’ve chosen, you’ve pretty much got it right.  But I will
try, nonetheless, to get the word out to the new group of hikers as long as
I can.  It has made a difference, and caused greater awareness, and some
have even changed their start dates as a result, so all is not lost.  Our
friend Jim Payne sent another great quote to me yesterday:

"Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul."  - Edward Abbey

L-Rod

   _____  

From: Joel Ramey [mailto:joel.ramey at gmail.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 10:00 AM
To: Donna Saufley
Cc: Scott Herriott; pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Time for the Annual "Why I Boycott the ADZ" Message

Is this day three of this now, and it happens every year?

beating-a-dead-horse.gif (image/gif) 19K

20021213l.gif (image/gif) 75K

Happy trails to those of you who start in May with me

-Pax ex

On Wed, Feb 27, 2008 at 11:53 AM, Donna Saufley <HYPERLINK
"mailto:dsaufley at sprynet.com"dsaufley at sprynet.com> wrote:

I want to state emphatically for the record (again) that the problem is not
here at Hiker Heaven.  Squatch, you were here at the peak last year, and saw
that we handled 65 hikers without issue -- and there was a rockin' party to
boot (masterminded by, ahem, you and NaborJ!). I certainly don't want to be
forced to impose limitations, but at this time I don't know what our limit
is, we simply haven't reached it yet. The point is the consequences are not
about us . . . they're about regulation/quotas being imposed, and services
and businesses being swamped and ultimately closed to hikers. Some may find
this hard to believe, but my passion is about protecting the hikers, not
myself.

Here's what I perceive the dilemma is:

-       the KO is a fixed date that is scheduled relatively early
-       early starters who plan to attend the KO generally want to be within

       a reasonable driving range of the event, at a place that is road
       accessible
-       most of them start out about a week ahead (very few earlier) check
out
       the ADZ ride board, which verifies this fact
-       very few hikers want to be right behind The Herd for numerous
reasons
-       depending on the snow conditions, it may be difficult to start much
       earlier for all but the heartiest few

That is why the ride program has not widely diffused the KO-induced Herd,
though the tsunami is now about a week-and-a-half long, rather than a few
days long.  But it's still a tsunami and it is most definitely caused by the
ADZ.

If people weren't trying to get to the KO, starting dates would naturally
spread out more. There would still be a peak to the season, but it wouldn't
look like Mt. Whitney (more like Mt. Laguna).  The overall number of hikers
would be the same, but they wouldn't be bunched up to the extreme they are.

I've been giving this a great deal of thought for a good number of years,
and believe that the best solution for diffusing The Herd is to not have a
starting event.  The KO causes a situation where starters aim at a specific
starting window.  Moving the ADZ to much later in the season and further up
the trail would not make the event any less special.  I propose that it
become AZD for annual zero day.

If the same people are organizing an event, and all the same people are
attending the event, why would the location or timing make it any less
revered, grand, or "holy"?  Personally, I think hikers who make it into the
Sierra deserve a party and a free meal more than the starters do. They've
earned it, whereas a third of the starters don't make it that far.

If you can come up with a better solution than that, I'm all ears.

L-Rod

-----Original Message-----
From: HYPERLINK
"mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net"pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net
[mailto:HYPERLINK
"mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net"pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of Scott Herriott
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 10:47 PM
To: HYPERLINK "mailto:pct-l at backcountry.net"pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Time for the Annual "Why I Boycott the ADZ" Message

L-Rod wrote:

<Um, excuse me, but the ADZ does force an artificially
created crowd on
 ALL
OF US UP THE TRAIL. It forces us to deal with it,
whether we like it or
 not.
I guess how we feel about that is irrelevant.>

Of course what you feel is relevant...what you and
Jeff do is awesome and much appreciated (along with
the Andersons and others along the trail). It just
seems to me that something could be worked out where
two great experiences of the PCT...Hiker Heaven & the
Kickoff could continue to co-exist.  Perhaps even more
specific and more spread-out rides back to various
parts of the trail could be worked out and
suggested?...coupled with continued emphasis of
de-herdifying that initial burst out of the gate on
Sunday via such rides.  As far as  decreasing numbers,
overall, of people on the trail, apart from more saber
tooth lion attacks I don't know what will happen.

Squatch
HYPERLINK "http://www.walkpct.com" \nwww.walkpct.com
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