[pct-l] RE Mtn Lions

[Cat Nelson]

I my encounter it was as afraid of me as I was of it.

Cat McPeek (SageGirl)
sagegirl51 at gmail.com
Friend on Facebook.
On Oct 27, 2013 7:16 PM, "Doug Carlson" <doug-sue at centurylink.net> wrote:

> I have been pretty close to bear a few times, but never seen a mtn lion
> while out bping.
>
> I have walked in their tracks.  My trail hat goes off to Marmot- the great
> lion tamer!
>
> I don't share a lot of this kind of stuff with my wife.
>
> Shhhhh......
>
> -Trew
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
> On Behalf Of marmot marmot
> Sent: Sunday, October 27, 2013 6:34 PM
> To: JPL
> Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Adding to the 45 plus Uses for Hiking Poles on the
> Trail
>
> I think sign for mtn lion should be banging poles together while yelling at
> full voice while picking up a large rock.  Worked for me Marmot
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Oct 27, 2013, at 6:29 PM, "JPL" <jplynch at crosslink.net> wrote:
> >
> > I sent my REI Komperdell poles off to be repaired last week.  I've had
> > them about about 15 years.  The paint has all long ago worn away.  The
> > lock mechanisms on one of the joints wasn't holding.  I imagine the
> > other three aren't far behind.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Susan Alcorn
> > Sent: Sunday, October 27, 2013 8:25 PM
> > To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> > Subject: [pct-l] Adding to the 45 plus Uses for Hiking Poles on the
> > Trail
> >
> > PEOPLE category: Depending on how high you hold them above your head,
> > indicated what kind of animal you just say. Up high is a deer, close
> > to your head is a bear--haven't developed one for mountain lions.
> >
> > TRAIL INDIGNITIES: Move pole side to side like a windshield wiper in
> > front of face to keep black flies, mosquitoes, etc. out of your face.
> >
> > ANIMALS: Use to push stubborn rattlesnakes off the trail, or to plant
> > an object (the pole) between snake and person wanting to get by safely.
> >
> > ENTERTAINMENT: Twirl like batons like cheerleaders do.
> >
> > Happy trails,
> > Susan Alcorn
> >
> > Shepherd Canyon Books, Oakland, CA
> > www.backpack45.com and backpack45.blogspot.com
> > http://www.examiner.com/hiking-in-san-francisco/susan-alcorn
> >
> >
> >
> >>
> >>> On Oct 26, 2013, at 9:44, Eric Martinot <eric at martinot.info> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Upon my completion of the entire PCT last week in Ashland (OR
> >>> Section B, but no sign of Reese Witherspoon on the trail filming
> >>> Wild), I thought to offer the following to the PCT community. This
> >>> is not to say that everyone should use poles (HYOH, YMMV, etc), and
> >>> many through-hikers don't.  Indeed, times were when I didn't want to
> >>> use poles either, being so exhausted that even small pole-swinging
> >>> energy seemed too much, or just tired of the things.  But mostly
> >>> poles became a natural extension of my body, an integral and
> >>> indispensable part of me. And as with most hikers, I found many
> >>> uses!  And can attest to all of these personally except those with (*).
> >>>
> >>> --Eric / Double Zero ("because one zero is never enough")
> >>>
> >>> P.S. I started the PCT in 1997 so it took me 17 years to hike the
> >>> whole trail, although I only hiked 9 of those years. I consider
> >>> myself a "Multi-Year Through Hiker" (MYTH) because "Section Hiker"
> >>> to me just doesn't convey the requisite dedication to the endeavor
> >>> of finishing the whole trail, a goal I set after hiking that very
> >>> first section in 1997 and falling in love with the trail.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> 45 USES FOR TREKKING POLES ON THE TRAIL
> >>>
> >>> SPEED, ENERGY, EASE (THE USUAL)
> >>>
> >>> Get less tired when your feet can just focus on powering ahead and
> >>> don't have to do the continual work of stabilizing yourself
> >>> side-to-side that your arms and poles do instead.
> >>>
> >>> Establish a more regular cadence and rhythm that keeps you at a
> >>> constant pace even as you're getting tired -- your feet follow the
> >>> cadence set by your arms.
> >>>
> >>> Reduce wear on your knees from the constant jarring of multi-mile
> >>> multi-hour downhill sections, by absorbing some of the energy of
> >>> each step down with your arms and body.  (And 17 years later my
> >>> knees thank
> >>> me.)
> >>>
> >>> Hands feel better, less bloated, when kept at a higher level than
> >>> hanging by the side, and also more active, hour after hour.
> >>>
> >>> Put power into pole plants to push yourself along when very tired at
> >>> the end of the day.  ("Balance of power" shifts from legs to arms.)
> >>>
> >>> Keep balance when walking on slippery or submerged rocks across a
> >>> stream or when fording deep swift water (most valued of all uses to
> >>> me). Also when crossing stream on a log using high-wire balance
> >>> (looks good, anyway).
> >>>
> >>> Semi-pole-vault across narrow deep streams without rocks to step on.
> >>> (Easier than a run-and-jump approach.)
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> TRAIL INDIGNITIES ("WHAT'S IT REALLY LIKE TO HIKE THE PCT?")
> >>>
> >>> Push away bushes overgrowing the trail, sometimes with both arms
> >>> extended ahead. (Sometimes just to be able to see where you are
> >>> going.)
> >>>
> >>> When trail is overgrown and bushes are soaking-wet-dripping with dew
> >>> in the morning, hold poles outstretched to shake off dew before
> >>> passing, to reduce getting drenched. (Only works for short sections
> >>> otherwise a loosing battle.)
> >>>
> >>> Swing up poles to clear away spider webs across your trail. (Whether
> >>> real, imaginary, or figurative.)
> >>>
> >>> Swat those huge ugly 5 oz. bugs that circle around you at 50 mph, to
> >>> convince said bug to circle around someone else. (Actually did
> >>> connect with one in midair.)
> >>>
> >>> On narrow eroded trails with a steep drop-off on one side,
> >>> especially when overgrown or covered in snow, pole plants serve to
> >>> continually probe the downhill side of the trail as you walk, to
> >>> continually (but without conscious thought) confirm to your brain
> >>> the edge of terra-firma, so as to avoid slipping off into the void.
> >>>
> >>> Push yourself up to get over a log blocking the trail, and ease
> >>> yourself down the other side, or simply stabilize a step-over. (One
> >>> early season after a windy winter, encountered and actually counted
> >>> 800 logs across the trail in northern Oregon over a 3-day period of
> >>> hiking.)
> >>>
> >>> When stepping down into a morass of broken pine tree branches from
> >>> atop a log blocking the trail, or when wading through said morass on
> >>> the ground to get around a fallen log, use pole to judge depth of
> >>> morass to solid footing below, so  foot doesn't plunge deeper than
> >>> expected, potentially leading to disabling injury.
> >>>
> >>> Swat your legs to futilely push away biting flies in northern
> >>> Washington before they have a chance to bite your exposed legs.
> >>> (Shorts were a mistake that drove me to tears.)
> >>>
> >>> Push away all those trail-crowding Poodle Dog bushes in California
> >>> Section D to avoid getting too much of their nasty toxins on your
> >>> clothing.
> >>>
> >>> When inquisitive and swarming wasps/bees (encountered rarely but
> >>> particularly in CA Section N north of Belden) start to congregate in
> >>> large numbers on your blue Nalgene water bottle caps or your clothes
> >>> drying on bushes (seemingly very selective), inconveniently only
> >>> midway into a lunch break, use a pole to jar the item slightly, such
> >>> that the wasps/bees fly off of it momentarily without feeling
> >>> threatened, so you can then grab said item(s) along with pack and
> >>> run down the trail without being stung. (One hiker who just grabbed
> >>> items with wasps/bees still on them was indeed stung.)
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> SNOW
> >>>
> >>> Measure snow depth for reporting trail conditions on PCT-L, or
> >>> bragging to friends how deep the snow was, or deciding whether yes,
> >>> its really necessary to stop and put on those gaitors.
> >>>
> >>> Allow a much faster pace of travel when walking on slippery or
> >>> packed snow so effort and time is not wasted by the feet on balance
> >>> -- the feet slide and go wherever they go, and the arms/poles keep
> >>> it all together and moving forward. (Great fun.)
> >>>
> >>> Use pole to chip away at offending ice or snow to open up a clearer
> >>> path, such as in and around streams or other obstacles.
> >>>
> >>> Use pole to probe depth of snow bridge over creek before walking
> across.
> >>> (Still nervously no matter how deep.)
> >>>
> >>> On steep snow traverses, with or without uphill ice-axe in hand, the
> >>> downhill pole serves the very important function of keeping the body
> >>> at the correct angle to the slope to minimize the risk of slipping
> >>> sideways and sliding off the trail or just falling down.
> >>>
> >>> If sliding sideways off a steep trail without an ice-axe in hand,
> >>> pole handles with hands together provide a larger object to punch
> >>> into the snow to arrest slide, provided conditions are not icy. (*)
> >>>
> >>> Use one pole with special "Whippet" end to provide self-arrest in
> >>> lieu of (or in preference to) an ice axe. (*)
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL
> >>>
> >>> Legs and arms swinging simultaneously can create a zen-meditative
> >>> state with exquisite body-mind balance. (Actually the main reason I
> >>> started using poles.)
> >>>
> >>> The power, protection and larger "physical swath" brought by poles
> >>> can engender a "Master of the Universe" attitude to help cope with
> >>> being absolutely alone in a huge wilderness.  (OK, whatever gets you
> >>> through...)
> >>>
> >>> When cowboy camping (no tent or tarp), place poles lengthwise
> >>> alongside sleeping bag to ward off evil spirits and strange animals.
> >>> (Very effective, and surprisingly works just as well as a tent for
> >>> these
> >>> purposes.)
> >>>
> >>> Stomp ground hard with both poles in tandem as you walk to vent
> >>> anger when something has enraged you, possibly the insects, or
> >>> perhaps the trail builder's notions of what constitutes the best
> >>> route, or whatever/whomever else you blame for your misery of the
> moment.
> >>>
> >>> Increase significance of gesture when praying for even a single day
> >>> without rain, hands outstretched to the sky, in carefully chosen
> >>> moments while traversing the state of Washington.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> CAMPING
> >>>
> >>> Use to hold up a tarp in lieu of having a tent or dedicated tarp poles.
> >>> (A nice example of "multi-functional" equipment use but a pain to
> >>> re-adjust pole length every day--I prefer to carry dedicated
> >>> carbon-fiber tarp poles, perhaps to the horror of ultra-lightists.)
> >>>
> >>> When cowboy camping in a bivy sack with mesh over head for bugs,
> >>> make tripod with poles and a stick from which to hang cord to hold
> >>> mesh above face.
> >>>
> >>> When bear bagging using the counter-balance method, use pole to hook
> >>> the loop of cord you have carefully made near the bottom of the food
> >>> sack, to pull down the sack.
> >>>
> >>> To stretch out your sleeping bag as horizontal as possible to have
> >>> it dry in the sun without putting on ground or bush, and when two
> >>> suitably-spaced anchor points are not available, anchor one end of
> >>> pole on ground and tie sleeping bag between other end of pole and a
> >>> bush or branch.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> PEOPLE
> >>>
> >>> Use to wave to someone else far off by waving poles over head.
> >>>
> >>> Write messages in sand or snow on the trail for those following
> >>> behind you.
> >>>
> >>> When stopping to chat with a passing fellow hiker, lean on poles to
> >>> rest feet.
> >>>
> >>> Impress passing day hikers with your "professional approach" to hiking.
> >>> (Not that impressing is needed, but sometimes it feels good.)
> >>>
> >>> If hitchhiking to a resupply town, poles serve as one more visible
> >>> sign to potential rides that you are a real hiker in need of a short
> >>> ride rather than a homeless person or worse. (Signs with "PCT Hiker"
> >>> also recommended by many.)
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ANIMALS
> >>>
> >>> When hiking at night in dense forest around sharp turns where your
> >>> headlamp may not be visible from a distance, click poles together to
> >>> give extra warning to a bear that you are coming.  (Singing probably
> >>> works better, but sometimes when I sing while night hiking, it makes
> >>> me feel like I'm simply succumbing to fear of the dark rather than
> >>> providing an effective warning to bears.)
> >>>
> >>> Allow yourself to maintain the fantasy that if a mountain lion
> >>> attacks, you will have the time and presence of mind to yank off the
> >>> rubber tip of a pole (which I use to avoid clacking noise in contact
> >>> with rocky ground), collapse the pole to a stronger, shorter length,
> >>> and then use the sharp tip to stab lion like a spear during the
> >>> attack.  (*) (Good luck. But a better use of your brain is to be
> >>> rationally clear that no hiker on the PCT itself has ever been
> >>> injured by a mountain lion according to what I've read, and there
> >>> should be no worries as long as you don't appear as prey, such as as
> >>> run away or crouch down.)
> >>>
> >>> Use to poke at mountain lions who may be prowling around menacingly
> >>> outside your tent. (*) (This was an actual self-video story by one
> >>> PCT hiker during the 2013 season, who survived intact a scary night
> >>> in her tent with a pair of lions outside for some time.)
> >>>
> >>> Swat away a charging snake.  (*)  (Apparently, someone actually did
> >>> this.)
> >>>
> >>> Normal use makes sharp thuds in the ground (with rubber tips on)
> >>> that continually warn snakes of your approach better than just
> footfalls.
> >>> (Speculative, maybe I saw very few snakes in the desert because the
> >>> snakes just didn't like me.)
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> HIKE DANCING
> >>>
> >>> Enhance "hike dancing" with music along the trail, swinging
> >>> arms/poles and moving body rhythmically from side to side,
> >>> especially on rocky downhills where going around obstacles timed to
> >>> the beat is akin to slalom skiing, and pole plants become part of
> >>> the dance. (It's not always about getting from A to B. Make sure to
> >>> do this in ultra-light trail running shoes for "quick feet" rather
> >>> than heavy hiking boots!)
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> END-OF-HIKE COMPLETION
> >>>
> >>> Wave outstretched poles high into the air in a victory gesture when
> >>> completing the entire trail.  (For many, this will be at the
> >>> Canadian border, but for me was near Callahan's in Ashland after
> >>> hiking my very last sections, Oregon Sections B and C, in
> >>> mid-October. Imagine, Oregon Section C without a single mosquito!
> >>> Spectacular!)
> > _______________________________________________
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