[pct-l] The parental aspect of hiking

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

On Mar 12, 2009, at 5:23 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
> Though this may be a bit of a tangent from normal conversation on  
> this email
> list, I was wondering what ages did you start going off and doing  
> multiple
> week hiking trips? Would you let your high school child go on one  
> without
> adult supervision? Has the social standards for hiking ages become  
> more
> liberal or conservative since the time you've started? I'm  
> seventeen and I'm
> hoping to section hike the pct sobo this summer. I've asked an  
> number of my
> friends from all across California if they'd like to join me. While  
> they're
> all avid hikers and are usually thrilled at the idea, I have not  
> been able
> to get parental consent from any of them. What are your opinions?  
> Has this
> impacted you in the past? Thanks.
>
> -- 
> Sasha Leidman
> sleidman at gmail.com

Last year I hiked a couple of times with a guy who was 17 years old.  
When he told me, I couldn't believe it. He seemed a lot older. I  
think the trail matures people. He had already done the AT, too, when  
he was 16. He hiked both these trails without bringing friends.

I noticed that other people along the trail felt somewhat protective  
of him. At the same time we recognized his expertise and considered  
him a peer.

I think that if someone is in their late teens and wants to do the  
trail, it would be better if they did not go with friends from home.  
With friends from home they would be more likely to behave  
immaturely. But alone (alone means you hike with people you meet on  
the way) people will tend to conform to the expectations and behavior  
of the community of the trail. When a 17 year old kid helps a 43 year  
old lady hike a scary mountain pass, he's not going to act like a 17  
year old kid.

I'm not a parent, never have been, never will be, so I don't have the  
same kinds of parental fears as other people. I also remember  
exploring my neighborhood unattended by adults at the age of 5, so I  
did not grow up in the current culture of fear. I think the trail is  
an amazing experience that can only benefit someone of that age.

I might suggest that you hike the trail nobo so that you can be more  
a part of the people of the trail. It might help your parent's  
concerns, too.

Diane