[pct-l] Being joined by friends

[Matt Geis]

I had a friend join me in Ashland for the ~100 miles to Crater Lake, and it was difficult.  I slowed my pace to 20 miles/day, and even though he packed light, it was still hard for him.  A couple tough things I encountered...

He didn't believe me that he had to continually be eating.  I think he may have seen this as a chance to lose a few pounds, and he didn't have an appetite proportional to his energy output (I didn't either, my first week or so).

He walked a lot slower than I did.  I found it took me extra energy to walk at a slower pace, so I'd walk ahead, and take breaks for him to catch up.  Unfortunately, by the time he showed, up, I was getting cold and ready to head out again.

He ended up getting so tired that he missed a couple signs I put in the dirt for him to indicate the right trail, or to show him "hey, turn left here -- this is where I told you I'd veer off the trail to set up camp and build a fire."  This last one is mostly my own fault, as he was tired, but it illustrates the vast difference between someone who has been hiking and camping every day for a few months (frankly, your body is probably functioning very efficiently, and you're aware of just about everything around you) and someone out for the weekend.

These are just my experiences.  Take them for what you will.

Iron Chef



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