[pct-l] Wannabe Solo Female Hikers/Tent

[Marion Davison]

Edward Anderson wrote:
> Hello Steel-Eye,
>  
> My first long backpacking trip was in the Sierra. Three of us went for 18 days.  The year was 1953.  I was a high school junior. On that first trip I had no tent, sleeping pad or air mattress. We dug "hip holes" and lined them with pine or fir needles. I had only a tarp to use as a ground cloth.  We slept under the sky.  When, in 1959, I got a wife and we got air mattresses and a tent.  I could no longer see the sky or look all around.  On my PCT ride I found a compromise in a one-man tent ( a Hubba by MSR ) that is simply insect netting with a rainfly. I rarely needed to use the rainfly.  I could star-gaze and could look all around and be able to see my horse - who was always highlined nearby.  I do like having the insect netting to keep the critters out.
>  
>
As llamapackers our experience is very similar.  We find a tent with the 
most possible netting on top, so that we can sit up and look at the 
llamas easily, who are staked out around our tent.  We have to keep them 
close as they have no actual defense against predators.  We, and our big 
dog,are their defense.  Currently we use an REI Half Dome 4, and only 
put on the fly when it is raining.
Marion