[pct-l] On "noobs"

[Cat Nelson]

I love you quote. Never heard it before. Should be number one, not #2 No
s**t!  Thank you for your voice of reason.
Not Thru hiker.....yet,
Cat
sagegirl51 at gmail.com
WA Trail Angel
253-861-3425
On Apr 29, 2013 11:37 PM, "Junaid Dawud" <jdawud at gmail.com> wrote:

> It's pretty easy to sit behind a computer and talk about "the noobs". How
> they are under or unprepared, viewing it romantically, biting off more than
> they can chew, etc, etc. And sure, there's some of that at work every year.
> But lay off and try offering a suggestion to help alleviate the situation
> rather than make lamentations that read like "these kids these days". The
> numbers on the trail have been increasing steadily for a several years
> now...it's a little silly to say that hikers getting in trouble is because
> of "Wild". Especially considering that hikers get in trouble in the first
> section every year. My friends and I helped two hikers that were in a bad
> way last night (I guess this morning), and they didn't seem like the "Wild
> type". Maybe there will be a few from the Oprah book club out there, but
> regardless more and more people are out there each year and that means
> every year there will be more and more hikers who get into a bad situation.
>
> When I first set out to hike the PCT in 2006 I had never hiked more than
> about 40 miles at a time. There were only so many miles I could do at one
> time when I lived in Hawaii and I tried my best to prepare. I did research,
> read articles and books about long distance hiking, participated in online
> discussion forums, including this (often childish and off topic) list
> serve. Nonetheless, I endured a knee injury, a few crops of blisters,
> running out of water once, and all sorts of pains. I ended up making it to
> halfway through Washington, more than 2,400 miles. I ended up getting off
> trail on October 30th, snowshoeing 23+ miles back to Snoqualmie Pass. I had
> spent 6 months on the trail. I had learned an incredible amount about
> hiking, and life. I returned the following summer and completed the trail.
> When I touched the Terminus, is wept and laughed. It was one of the
> happiest days of my life.
>
> In 2010, I set out north from the border again, a seasoned hiker. Five and
> a half months later I walked into that hallowed clearing, threw my trekking
> poles into the air, and screamed with pure overflowing joy. I spent a few
> hours celebrating with my friends and then took the victory stroll to
> Manning.
>
> Just remember a few things when you judge these hikers.
>
> 1. You didn't know anything once either. And you probably screwed up a
> time or two and maybe got yourself in over your head once. You learned, at
> least in part, by doing.
>
> 2. "It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the
> strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The
> credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is
> marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and
> comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or
> shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who
> spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the
> triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least
> he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those
> cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." Theodore
> Roosevelt
>
> 3. Even experienced hikers occasionally get into trouble. Including, I'm
> sure, at least a few of the hikers who subscribe to the pct-l. Sh*t can
> happen to anyone.
>
>
>
> We should be starting a conversation about how to help those that need it.
>
> -----Speshul 41 (aka Junaid Dawud)
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