[pct-l] Do you plan?

[Eric Lee]

Sir Mixalot wrote:
>
I don't see much of a point once you have the basics.  That is, carry enough
water to go 15-20 miles, have a sleeping system that's good down to 20°F,
and carry a bear canister in the required areas.  Beyond that, I think
everything else can be planned on the trail if you carry something like
Yogi's book and Halfmile's maps for the next 3 sections or so.
>

I planned obsessively back when I first started doing long hikes.  I wanted
to know exactly where I was going to sleep each night, exactly what I was
going to eat for each meal, etc., etc.  As I did more and more section hikes
and got more experienced, I felt much more comfortable just winging it.
Throw some food in my pack, grab a map, and start walking.  Everything else
will work itself out.  Oh, it's getting dark?  I should probably start
looking for a flat place to sleep.  Or not.  Maybe I'll just walk in the
dark.  Whatever.

So yeah, experienced long-distance hikers rarely go in for detailed planning
because they already know what they need to think about and what they don't.
They know which things they need to prepare in advance (not much except mail
drops) and which things can be made up on the spur of the moment (most
things).  The thing is, beginners don't know those things.  So it's probably
a mistake to tell a beginner, "Don't bother to plan, just start walking."
It's actually good for beginners to be obsessive about planning because it
helps them wrap their brains around everything they need to be aware of.  I
think the most helpful thing you can tell a beginner is, "Go ahead and
obsess all you want to right now.  When you no longer feel the need to
obsess (and at some point in the future you won't), then feel free to back
off the detailed planning."

Eric