[pct-l] Early PCT Casualties

[Reinhold Metzger]

[pct-l] Early PCT Casualties

Paul,
First of all, nobody is criticizing inexperienced hikers for
attempting a PCT thru hike...being bold, adventurous and heaving
big dreams is a virtue that is not what is being criticized.

What is being criticized are the reckless statements by some
romantic dreamers on this list that mislead inexperienced hikers
to assume that a PCT thru-hike is like a walk in the neighborhood
park with statements like that:

ooohhh, your safer on the trail than in your own home,
ooohhh, you don't need experience, it will come as you go,
ooohhh, don't worry about the snakes, bears or Mountain Lions,
         they will not bother you if you don't bother them,
ooohhh, you don't need a map or compass, if you get lost or into
         trouble, call 911.

Statements like that only mislead inexperienced hikers into
underestimating the trail and as a result wind up unprepared to
deal with the harsh realities they may or may not encounter.

For instance,...Yes, you probably could complete the trail without
a map or compass if everything goes just right.
It's when you get lost or have an emergency that requires you to
get to civilization as soon as possible,...that is when the map
and compass are worth their weight in gold.

Using arguments like,..."the way to get experience, is by doing it"
are not always valid arguments.

If I never climbed Mt. Everest, should I just go and do it, or would
it be advisable that I first get some experience climbing lesser
Mountains first?

Should I just start scuba diving, or should I get some experience first?

What about Sky diving, should I just jump out of the plane and pull
the rip cord, or should get some experience on jump towers first?

I wonder why the USMC put us "GRUNTS" (infantry) through a year of
intense advanced infantry training, including cold weather training,
desert training, mountain warfare training, hand to hand combat
training and commando training before shipping us out to Vietnam
in 1965?....we could have just learned all of that on the job, as
we were fighting the war.

JMT Reinhold
Your puzzled trail companion
----------------------------
  
Paul wrote:
>/You don't need a map or compass,  Also, arguably, true.  I've met
first-time-PCT hiking buddies using nothing/but the data book.
It's a very easy trail for most to follow, though I personally wouldn't
advocate hiking it with just the data book.
I've never used a compass or seen another PCT hiker use a compass.
It's a very well established trail.
------------------------------------

Barry wrote:
Ahem....I wouldn't call that arguably true.  I'd call it demonstrably
dangerous.


Yeah, sure, perhaps THIS year, when there will be little to no snow in
the Sierra or anywhere else on the south parts of the trail.
You can possibly skate by there.


Pick a high snow year on the other hand, like '05, '06, or '11 and a
person in the Sierra would be hosed without nav gear.
Unless you want to tag along with someone who knows what THEY'RE doing
...then again, that's not hiking your own hike, that's being dependent
on some one else.


Oh, and hope to heck you don't get caught out here in northern Washington
at the end of the season, with no maps, no compass, snow on the trail...
oh, wait...that DID happen, just last year....and the guy was lucky to get
out with his life after starving in his tent for over a week with no food.