[pct-l] To flare or not to flare

[David Thibault]

After reading this I went through my gear list to look for my "survival kit"
I found only one item that I would consider an item I carry for survival.
 That is a whistle. All the other things like a knife, meds, bandages, etc.
are more for comfort than survival.  I guess you could consider a tent/tarp
as part of your survival kit but to me its just what is needed to do the
trail.  The things like the bandages (bandaids) and meds (anti diarrheal,
IB,  and antibiotics)  I carry are not going to save my life out there, they
are just going to make me more comfortable until I get to town.

I believe that what people are trying to express is most thru hikers learn
pretty quickly to carry only what is required and then some of  what is
desirable (nice to have).  Super ultra-lighters generally don't carry a lot
of the 'nice to have' stuff.  The advice you are getting is an attempt to
make the trail easier for you.  But, this is really something everyone has
to learn for themselves.  What works for one person will not work for
another.  One trait I've picked up, and I have noticed it in a lot of long
distance hikers, is that I can't pick up an object without subconsciously
weighing it. Never did that before I started long distance hiking.

One more thing,  while most people are strong proponents of HYOH and the
idea of "carry whatever you want" there maybe exceptions.  For example, if
you are carrying something that endangers others or the trail .  The
concerns expressed with the road flair was just this. If that flair
accidentally ignited in southern CA it could be tragic.  Trust me on this,
if you get through the trail in CA you will gain an great appreciation for
the amount of damage that has happened to the trail due to forest fires.  I
was saddened so many times to be walking through so much devastation.  I'm
still saddened by just the memory of some of those huge dead burned trees
that had to be hundreds/maybe a thousand years old.

Enjoy your hike.
Day-Late


>
> Some of us do carry little in the way of a survival kit and rely on
> experience and planning to mitigate the few true dangers that exist on the
> trail; but this by no means is the answer for everyone. Back in '06 I
> carried a knife, multi-tool, patch kits, many types of tapes and bandages,
> three forms of back-up fire starter, a dozen types of pills and on and on.
> Through time and experience I've trimmed this down to some tape,
> antiseptic,
> needle and dental floss, backup lighter, pocket knife and a few meds.. But
> I'm comfortable with that, most wouldn't be.
>
> Jackass
>
>
>