[pct-l] Tuna Helper Speed Attempt is Off

[Ryan Weidert]

Hey All,
     This is Tuna Helper and I'm disappointed to report I've gotten off
trail and my speed record attempt is over. The snow in Oregon around and
north of Crater Lake really slowed me down and I didn't foresee it getting
much better, as anywhere above about 6000 ft, especially under trees or
north slopes, the snow was deep, hard and usually steep. When hiking by Mt.
Thielsen, it took me 8 hours to go 10 miles, where the 'trail' was buried
under snow 95% of the distance. Theilsen Creek was even still covered and
no flowing water to be seen. Sure, conditions could have improved and I may
have still been able to best the record but I figured the last 800 miles
were going to have tough snow conditions which would make my efforts nearly
fruitless come the border and end of the hike. I'm happy with what I was
able to accomplish, having gone 1864 miles in 42.5 days, made record time
to the midpoint and across California and have no regrets. It would have
been great to have finished the hike but one must accept the unexpected and
how things turn out. In the next few weeks Ill have a few more emails with
links to my GPS data, logs and daily journal entries. Until then enjoy the
summer and hope you can get out on trail.
Tuna Helper