[pct-l] Being joined by friends

[Denis Stanton]

Hi Diane

I have a slightly different perspective on this, being the 'friend who  
joined' rather that than through hiker.

I was privileged to join my son for three days on the PCT last year.   
We hiked together for from Kennedy Meadows to Trail Pass and it was a  
great experience for me.  It required considerable co-ordination,  
flexibility and luck to meet up as I was only visiting the USA for two  
weeks on business and couldn't predict with accuracy how far on the  
PCT he would be

Journal entry here  http://pct2007.org/2007/06/06/2006-06-06-happy-fathers-day/

Looking back at our respective journal entries now I see that I did  
have an impact on his progress.  Here are the daily mileage figures:
June 1 	24.3
June 2	25.1
June 3	27.2
June 4 	2.4 (arrive at Kennedy Meadows and hang out)
June 5	0 (zero day at Kennedy Meadows)
June 6	7.3 (wait at Kennedy Meadows, then a gentle afternoon start for  
me)
June 7	18.3  Hiking together. My first full day on the PCT
June 8	15.1  Hiking together
June 9	22.8  Split up after a couple of miles.  Me to hike out, Craig  
to Crabtree Meadows
June 10	0   "rest day" summit Mt Whitney, off PCT
June 11	23.2 Forrester Pass

He wrote in his journal:
Our progress up the first, and significant, climb seemed slow to me  
but a reputable book has told me that those doing 25 miles per day  
before may drop down to 18 here in the high sierras so Dad has really  
hit the ground running. I think the slowness was caused by our  
tendency to talk.

He's being kind.  It was my tendency to talk as a way to prolong the  
many small breaks I needed to get up the hills towards Oloncha Pass

So it seems that having me along as a guest cost him about 5 to 8  
miles per day, but more significantly it cost a day or more killing  
time at the rendezvous point.  I'm really glad I was able to do it,  
but it does impose on the thru-hiker and perhaps friends should be  
dissuaded from what may seem to them to be an easy enough thing.


Denis Stanton
denisstanton at mac.com