[pct-l] What to say to MBers
Dan Jacobs
youroldpaldan at gmail.com
Mon Oct 28 14:18:07 CDT 2013
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Do it for the children!
Dan Jacobs
Washougal
On Mon, Oct 28, 2013 at 8:31 AM, Bill Chavez <wachavez64 at gmail.com> wrote:
> I encountered 2 MBers coming down into the Big Bear area. It was not a
> pleasant moment on the trail. I was confrontational. I said something here
> about it. Lon, Half Mile, sent me a link that I could formalize the event(I
> forget the address). At least I "told" someone?
> Bill
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Oct 27, 2013, at 9:38 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
> >
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> >
> >
> > Today's Topics:
> >
> > 1. What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT (Barry Teschlog)
> > 2. how to contact Eric Yakel AKA Robocop? (max sands)
> > 3. Re: What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT (Dan Jacobs)
> > 4. 45 Uses for Trekking Poles (william jennings)
> > 5. Re: What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT (JPL)
> > 6. Re: Legs of the PCT (Lint and Anish) (Diane Soini)
> > 7. Re: What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT? (Diane Soini)
> > 8. Re: 45 Uses for Trekking Poles (marmot marmot)
> > 9. Re: What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT (Dan Jacobs)
> > 10. Re: What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT? (Dan Jacobs)
> > 11. Re: What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT (JPL)
> > 12. Re: Should the date of the PCT days at Cascade Locks be
> > changed? (Rob Langsdorf)
> > 13. Re: What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT (marmot marmot)
> > 14. Adding to the 45 plus Uses for Hiking Poles on the Trail
> > (Susan Alcorn)
> > 15. Re: 45 Uses for Trekking Poles (Doug Carlson)
> > 16. Re: 45 Uses for Trekking Poles (marmot marmot)
> > 17. Re: Adding to the 45 plus Uses for Hiking Poles on the Trail (JPL)
> > 18. Re: Adding to the 45 plus Uses for Hiking Poles on the Trail
> > (marmot marmot)
> > 19. LightHeart tent (Jim Bravo)
> > 20. RE Mtn Lions (Doug Carlson)
> > 21. What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT (Nick Thelen)
> > 22. Re: What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT (Dan Jacobs)
> > 23. Re: 45 Uses for Trekking Poles (Cat Nelson)
> > 24. Re: Legs of the PCT (Lint and Anish) (Carol)
> > 25. Re: RE Mtn Lions (Cat Nelson)
> >
> >
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 1
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 12:10:07 -0700 (PDT)
> > From: Barry Teschlog <tokencivilian at yahoo.com>
> > Subject: [pct-l] What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT
> > To: PCT-L <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID:
> > <1382901007.78348.YahooMailNeo at web124502.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
> >
> > Tim said:
> > "Say what you will. They don't care. They're prepared to be challanged.
> The ones that do care aren't on the trail in the first place."
> >
> > Response:
> > This hits the nail on the head. ?MTBers that poach simply don't care -
> they show that they don't care by their actions. ?They care not about
> rules, nor of the environment, nor of other users - they care about nothing
> other than themselves in their selfish pursuits of taking over others hard
> work for their own purposes (and ruining it for the current users in the
> process). ?
> >
> > So, the real question is how to deal with people that only care about
> their own enjoyment. ?Simple, take the joy away from them. ?They poach the
> PCT because it's fun to poach. ?If the PCT wasn't fun to poach, they
> wouldn't.
> >
> > What makes a trail fun to ride? ?Flow, in a word. ?
> >
> > So, to halt MTBers from poaching the PCT, there needs to be a way to
> break up the flow, the fun of riding it, without affecting the experience
> for hikers and equestrians (to any large extent).
> >
> > Flowly trail is winding and twisting, with smooth tread that is totally
> rideable and constant radius climbing turns (in lieu of hard, sharp
> switchbacks). A trail that one can ride, and ride, and ride....without
> having to stop because it's too steep, or too rough, or there are
> unrideable features. ? That also sounds mostly like prime hiking and
> equestrian trail, which it is. ?
> >
> > HOWEVER, feet can step over some obstacles with barely a notice that
> give wheels all kinds of problems and will force a poacher to stop,
> dismount, hike their bike over the obstacle, then remount to continue the
> ride, or crash and be physically halted while (foolishly) trying to ride
> over said obstacle (much as a truck would crash & be physically halted if
> trying to drive through the bollards that surround Federal buildings these
> days - see how this works MTB clowns - a passive barrier, to be effective,
> must physically make it difficult to impossible for the proscribed party to
> pass, yet allow others to - pedestrians can walk between the bollards
> without difficulty, for example). ?This (force a stop, dismount,
> hike-a-bike, mount, continue) defines breaking up the flow. ?No flow, no
> fun. ? ?
> >
> > If poachers are having to stop at unrideable obstacles often enough,
> it's simply not fun and they'll go elsewhere. ?Perhaps poachers would even
> begin engaging in positive behavior, such as building trails that are open
> to MTB's in full compliance with NEPA, the land managers wishes,
> etc.....But I put the probability of that at vanishingly small, since IMBA
> and the poacher clowns seemingly aren't interested in the hard work it
> would take to actually build and maintain trails by the book, rather they
> seemingly always take the lazy way and attempt to do a hostile takeover of
> the trails of other user groups. ?The sad thing here is had IMBA, et al
> taken the positive step of planning, advocating for and taking a lead in
> building a parallel MTB route to the PCT, I suspect the hiking groups would
> have been supportive. ?Instead, IMBA and the MTB clowns chose to start a
> war.
> >
> > I await the day when there are design guidelines from the USFS for
> anti-bike barriers on the PCT. ?You can bet the trail crews in the poacher
> affected areas will be installing them with a passion. ?
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 2
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 12:10:27 -0700
> > From: max sands <maxsands at hotmail.com>
> > Subject: [pct-l] how to contact Eric Yakel AKA Robocop?
> > To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID: <SNT145-DS37A8E489D17C2DFC27B7ED00F0 at phx.gbl>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > Does anyone know how to contact Eric Yakel AKA Robocop?
> >
> > Eric if you are out there, send me an email.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Max
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 3
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 12:39:39 -0700
> > From: Dan Jacobs <youroldpaldan at gmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT
> > To: "pct-l at backcountry.net" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID:
> > <CA+-77MUi+Wwjgcnd+pkQeRdLFn++WKzBkQV_7-H_6rJrQZkT1Q at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
> >
> > On Sun, Oct 27, 2013 at 12:10 PM, Barry Teschlog <
> tokencivilian at yahoo.com>wrote:
> >
> >> Tim said:
> >> "Say what you will. They don't care. They're prepared to be challanged.
> >> The ones that do care aren't on the trail in the first place."
> >>
> >> Response:
> >> This hits the nail on the head. MTBers that poach simply don't care -
> >> they show that they don't care by their actions. They care not about
> >> rules, nor of the environment, nor of other users - they care about
> nothing
> >> other than themselves in their selfish pursuits of taking over others
> hard
> >> work for their own purposes (and ruining it for the current users in the
> >> process).
> >
> >
> > We're all guilty of some offense, whether legal, criminal, or any other
> > topic that could be brought up about human interaction in society. My
> words
> > here do not single out Barry or anyone else in particular. If you are
> upset
> > about what I write, look inside yourself, not at me.
> >
> > It is interesting that this comes out on a list that is damn near full of
> > hikers, and so many of the hiking community have needed to be rescued due
> > to bad weather they plunged into in the most fool-hardy of fashions, some
> > brag about hiking closed trails, fishing in waters they know nothing
> about
> > and no mention of having a license, hitch-hiking where it is illegal
> and/or
> > dangerous (for others), leaving messes for others to clean up, ad
> nauseum.
> > How about that laundromat on the AT that excludes hikers? Think the owner
> > did that just because they don't like folks that wear backpacks? Yeah,
> > *HIKERS* did that. Hikers poaching closed trails during the shutdown?
> > Again, HIKERS. All of our halos are crooked in some form or another, and
> > some are bent, tarnished, broken, or maybe the only reason we still have
> > one is because it is hanging around our neck.
> >
> > Your feelings can only be hurt by those that have your permission to do
> so.
> > Same with your hike, outdoor experience, your commute, etc. Get over it
> and
> > enjoy your time outdoors, don't let the rare folks you might see on
> > bicycles, or doing anything else you don't agree with. completely ruin
> your
> > trip, or your life. I wonder how many other people's trips I have ruined
> > because I being a two way radio with me on my hikes, and enjoy sharing my
> > time in the outdoors with my hobby of amateur radio? Oh dear, I might
> have
> > actually *harmed* someone because they don't think technology belongs in
> > the woods! How will I ever sleep again at night?!?!
> >
> > Be a good witness and information gatherer. Take pictures or video, write
> > down or dictate into your smartphone details that might help the
> > administrator of the land where it occurred to take action, and remain
> > calm. That is the *best* thing people can do in a "closed to bicycles"
> > bicycle encounter. Otherwise, write to those involved in the decision
> > making process and make your voice heard (honestly, it kinda sounds like
> > they aren't really listening right now). Do anything else at your own
> risk,
> > including getting out of bed or drinking water (those things can actually
> > kill you! GASP!) Life is chock-a-block full of risks, and a rare bicycle
> > encounter on a closed trail is pretty low on the list of Things That
> > Statistically Will Do You Harm Whether You Think About Them or Not.
> >
> > All this hand-wringing is aging very quickly. I can also tell that winter
> > is creeping in. I'll just focus on keeping my own house clean, let others
> > worry abotu the other stuff. They are so willing to do that for me, so
> I'll
> > let them. Less problems for me in more ways than one.
> >
> > Losing popularity by the keystroke,
> > Dan Jacobs
> > Washougal
> > --
> > "Loud motorcycle stereos save lives."
> > Motorcycle to hike, hike to motorcycle.
> > Make a friend of pain and you'll never be alone.
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 4
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 20:32:53 +0000
> > From: william jennings <mrjenn at hotmail.com>
> > Subject: [pct-l] 45 Uses for Trekking Poles
> > To: PCT L <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID: <BLU172-W10AF013A034ED50216C97CDF0F0 at phx.gbl>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> >
> > Additionally: use for the cooling of forehead, the pole seems to be ice
> cold; and the strap is a good source of salt for the critters. Once when
> using a pole to support a 6 moon design tent, I awoke to find it chewed off
> and carried off.
> >
> > Teutonic
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 5
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 17:25:11 -0400
> > From: "JPL" <jplynch at crosslink.net>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT
> > To: "Barry Teschlog" <tokencivilian at yahoo.com>, "PCT-L"
> > <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID: <AE274BA8733C4A3CB54B954A1E25CF4A at jpl3PC>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> > reply-type=original
> >
> > One quick and easy thing to do is to not remove down trees. Hikers can
> > easily step over them. As can (I guess) horses.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Barry Teschlog
> > Sent: Sunday, October 27, 2013 3:10 PM
> > To: PCT-L
> > Subject: [pct-l] What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT
> >
> > Tim said:
> > "Say what you will. They don't care. They're prepared to be challanged.
> The
> > ones that do care aren't on the trail in the first place."
> >
> > Response:
> > This hits the nail on the head. MTBers that poach simply don't care -
> they
> > show that they don't care by their actions. They care not about rules,
> nor
> > of the environment, nor of other users - they care about nothing other
> than
> > themselves in their selfish pursuits of taking over others hard work for
> > their own purposes (and ruining it for the current users in the process).
> >
> > So, the real question is how to deal with people that only care about
> their
> > own enjoyment. Simple, take the joy away from them. They poach the PCT
> > because it's fun to poach. If the PCT wasn't fun to poach, they
> wouldn't.
> >
> > What makes a trail fun to ride? Flow, in a word.
> >
> > So, to halt MTBers from poaching the PCT, there needs to be a way to
> break
> > up the flow, the fun of riding it, without affecting the experience for
> > hikers and equestrians (to any large extent).
> >
> > Flowly trail is winding and twisting, with smooth tread that is totally
> > rideable and constant radius climbing turns (in lieu of hard, sharp
> > switchbacks). A trail that one can ride, and ride, and ride....without
> > having to stop because it's too steep, or too rough, or there are
> unrideable
> > features. That also sounds mostly like prime hiking and equestrian
> trail,
> > which it is.
> >
> > HOWEVER, feet can step over some obstacles with barely a notice that give
> > wheels all kinds of problems and will force a poacher to stop, dismount,
> > hike their bike over the obstacle, then remount to continue the ride, or
> > crash and be physically halted while (foolishly) trying to ride over said
> > obstacle (much as a truck would crash & be physically halted if trying to
> > drive through the bollards that surround Federal buildings these days -
> see
> > how this works MTB clowns - a passive barrier, to be effective, must
> > physically make it difficult to impossible for the proscribed party to
> pass,
> > yet allow others to - pedestrians can walk between the bollards without
> > difficulty, for example). This (force a stop, dismount, hike-a-bike,
> mount,
> > continue) defines breaking up the flow. No flow, no fun.
> >
> > If poachers are having to stop at unrideable obstacles often enough, it's
> > simply not fun and they'll go elsewhere. Perhaps poachers would even
> begin
> > engaging in positive behavior, such as building trails that are open to
> > MTB's in full compliance with NEPA, the land managers wishes,
> etc.....But I
> > put the probability of that at vanishingly small, since IMBA and the
> poacher
> > clowns seemingly aren't interested in the hard work it would take to
> > actually build and maintain trails by the book, rather they seemingly
> always
> > take the lazy way and attempt to do a hostile takeover of the trails of
> > other user groups. The sad thing here is had IMBA, et al taken the
> positive
> > step of planning, advocating for and taking a lead in building a parallel
> > MTB route to the PCT, I suspect the hiking groups would have been
> > supportive. Instead, IMBA and the MTB clowns chose to start a war.
> >
> > I await the day when there are design guidelines from the USFS for
> anti-bike
> > barriers on the PCT. You can bet the trail crews in the poacher affected
> > areas will be installing them with a passion.
> > _______________________________________________
> > Pct-L mailing list
> > Pct-L at backcountry.net
> > To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >
> > List Archives:
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> > All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> > Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 6
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 14:26:57 -0700
> > From: Diane Soini <dianesoini at gmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] Legs of the PCT (Lint and Anish)
> > To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> > Message-ID: <ECFD8C6C-A7A5-43FF-AE77-9FE487FB21F3 at gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
> >
> > I know you're just kidding.
> >
> > Soap is not necessary and would lead to you needing to use more
> > water. Half a cup is about as much as you might spill being careless
> > making your dinner so it's inconsequential. Weighs a lot less than a
> > useless bag liner that you're not going to need most of the time on a
> > thru-hike, too. You don't have to get pristine clean, just get most
> > of the dust and sweat off so you can sleep comfortably. I can't
> > imagine sticking your dusty, dirty, sweaty legs into long underwear
> > or a bag liner without cleaning them first, either. At the very
> > least, use a dry bandana and try to get the dust that isn't embedded
> > into your pores off. These days I do a good dusting of my legs with a
> > towel before I shop at Trader Joe's on my way home from a day hike.
> >
> >> On Oct 27, 2013, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
> >>
> >> From: Dan Jacobs <youroldpaldan at gmail.com>
> >> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Legs of the PCT (Lint and Anish)
> >>
> >> But Diane, that 3/4-1 cup of water weighs X grams! Are you crazy for
> >> carrying that much extra weight or just plain stupid? (heavily
> >> sarcastic,
> >> very tongue in cheek, not intended to be a dig at Diane at all,
> >> really!!!!!)
> >>
> >> And soap, that is more dense than the water! I can't even bear to
> >> think of
> >> carrying that, too!!!!!
> >>
> >> A Few ounces shy of a full cup,
> >> Dan Jacobs
> >> Washougal
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 7
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 14:48:22 -0700
> > From: Diane Soini <dianesoini at gmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT?
> > To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> > Message-ID: <53A905B0-FCEE-4BC2-AE24-2E6E8CD39893 at gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
> >
> > I think there must be some kind of campaign on or something because
> > we caught a poacher on a local trail just today. The only local trail
> > closed to mountain bikes.
> >
> > I usually don't say anything. Over time I've kinda stopped caring,
> > mostly because they stay off that one trail and I know I can hike it
> > and not have to worry about bomber downhill bikers. But for some
> > reason it pissed me off today and I was tired of just being silent.
> > It's like in this stupid culture the more ridiculously brazen and
> > jerkwad-ish you can be the more chance you have of getting what you
> > want, so what's stopping me from being as big a jerk as I can be to
> > get what I want, too? I don't know if it's the right thing to do but
> > I hope that I made it seem just a little less fun to poach a trail
> > than he thought it might be, maybe made his day a little less
> > pleasant. But these guys love unpleasantness so I'm sure it only made
> > him want to do it again.
> >
> > Oh well.
> >
> >> On Oct 27, 2013, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
> >>
> >> From: Eric Martinot <eric at martinot.info>
> >> Subject: [pct-l] What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT?
> >>
> >>
> >> But presuming they all knew they were not supposed to be there, what
> >> does one say? Nothing? Or take a hard-line attitude: "Get the
> >> f--- off
> >> the trail, you are not supposed to be here" (?) Or: "You're causing
> >> too much trail erosion and turning the trail into a difficult-to-hike
> >> ditch." (?) (I wondered if that is true, bike tires vs. feet vs.
> >> horse
> >> hooves.) Or perhaps, "from your presence, I've lost the serenity
> >> of the
> >> trail because I'm constantly having to be aware of what might be
> >> barreling down a narrow steep section of trail towards me so I can
> >> jump
> >> out of the way to avoid a collision, and can't listen to music and
> >> zone
> >> out as I usually do on the trail."
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 8
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 15:13:35 -0700
> > From: marmot marmot <marmotwestvanc at hotmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] 45 Uses for Trekking Poles
> > To: william jennings <mrjenn at hotmail.com>
> > Cc: PCT L <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID: <BLU405-EAS260E155FAC79AA8AC9391BAC80F0 at phx.gbl>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> >
> > My brand new pole handles were eaten while holding up my tent(by deer or
> elk on Arizona trail).Of course then I used duct tape to fashion
> replacements and they have lasted another 2,000 miles and counting.
> > I use my feet and hiking poles to stamp out bike tire prints on trail
> 'cause to see them makes me angry so maybe I save a hiker behind me that
> reaction. It calms me down - makes me feel like I'm doing something
> Marmot
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
> >
> >> On Oct 27, 2013, at 1:33 PM, "william jennings" <mrjenn at hotmail.com>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> Additionally: use for the cooling of forehead, the pole seems to be ice
> cold; and the strap is a good source of salt for the critters. Once when
> using a pole to support a 6 moon design tent, I awoke to find it chewed off
> and carried off.
> >>
> >> Teutonic
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Pct-L mailing list
> >> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> >> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >>
> >> List Archives:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> >> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> >> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 9
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 15:34:38 -0700
> > From: Dan Jacobs <youroldpaldan at gmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT
> > To: "pct-l at backcountry.net" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID:
> > <CA+-77MVWfryGgQG4Cd4Q24uGs8KsmW8WCBRv1oDKThUBM7sjnQ at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
> >
> > Unless the trees are more than 100 ft long and 6 feet or even more in
> > diameter on an unstable or sensitive slope. Hikers can get hurt trying
> to
> > overcome such obstacles, too. #Think.
> >
> > Dan Jacobs
> > Washougal
> >
> >
> >> On Sun, Oct 27, 2013 at 2:25 PM, JPL <jplynch at crosslink.net> wrote:
> >>
> >> One quick and easy thing to do is to not remove down trees. Hikers can
> >> easily step over them. As can (I guess) horses.
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 10
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 15:39:27 -0700
> > From: Dan Jacobs <youroldpaldan at gmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT?
> > To: "pct-l at backcountry.net" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID:
> > <CA+-77MWRq8ttnS_cNqBgps9XVi16eOYq6_7-AVMmBzK0p6nUog at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
> >
> > In my experience,...
> >
> >
> >> On Sun, Oct 27, 2013 at 2:48 PM, Diane Soini <dianesoini at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >> I don't know if it's the right thing to do but
> >> I hope that I made it seem just a little less fun to poach a trail
> >> than he thought it might be, maybe made his day a little less
> >> pleasant.
> >
> >
> > Nope. Just something to get past in the use of the trail. Nothing more
> than
> > a very minor annoyance, like a fly that buzzes around the head for a few
> > seconds but then goes away.
> >
> >
> >> But these guys love unpleasantness so I'm sure it only made
> >> him want to do it again.
> >
> > DING DING DING! We have a winner.
> >
> > Oh well.
> >
> >
> > Exactly! Just keep on doing what you went there to do.
> >
> > Dan Jacobs
> > Washougal
> > --
> > "Loud motorcycle stereos save lives."
> > Motorcycle to hike, hike to motorcycle.
> > Make a friend of pain and you'll never be alone.
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 11
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 19:08:26 -0400
> > From: "JPL" <jplynch at crosslink.net>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT
> > To: "Dan Jacobs" <youroldpaldan at gmail.com>, <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID: <94F040947163493FA2177471D842E501 at jpl3PC>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> > reply-type=original
> >
> > I'd like to hear from bikers on this. Seems like having to constantly
> make
> > your way over down trees, step-over size for hikers, would be a pain; at
> > least act as a speed bump.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Dan Jacobs
> > Sent: Sunday, October 27, 2013 6:34 PM
> > To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT
> >
> > Unless the trees are more than 100 ft long and 6 feet or even more in
> > diameter on an unstable or sensitive slope. Hikers can get hurt trying
> to
> > overcome such obstacles, too. #Think.
> >
> > Dan Jacobs
> > Washougal
> >
> >
> >> On Sun, Oct 27, 2013 at 2:25 PM, JPL <jplynch at crosslink.net> wrote:
> >>
> >> One quick and easy thing to do is to not remove down trees. Hikers can
> >> easily step over them. As can (I guess) horses.
> > _______________________________________________
> > Pct-L mailing list
> > Pct-L at backcountry.net
> > To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >
> > List Archives:
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> > All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> > Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 12
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 16:06:07 -0700 (PDT)
> > From: Rob Langsdorf <sdscpcts at yahoo.com>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] Should the date of the PCT days at Cascade Locks
> > be changed?
> > To: PCT <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID:
> > <1382915167.22960.YahooMailNeo at web140805.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
> >
> > Nabor J may not intend to be inviting the through hikers to attend. But
> the fact that the event is only a few weeks after people should be leaving
> the Bridge of the Gods tends to invite them to come. If the PCT days were
> held on the 1st weekend of August it would encourage people to be earlier.
> If it were held the 1st weekend of October it would be late enough to
> encourage people to flip to Canada and come back to Cascade Locks or to
> push through and finish the trail and then come back. But the date that it
> was held this year encourages the party crowd (which has been spending too
> many zero days) to have a few more zero days before pushing for Canada.
> > ?
> > ????????? Mataguay Connector
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: Jackie McDonnell <yogihikes at gmail.com>
> > To:
> > Cc: PCT <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2013 8:03 AM
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] Should the date of the PCT days at Cascade Locks be
> changed?
> >
> >
> > The person who organizes PCT Days is Nabor J.? He asked me to post the
> > following email to the list.
> >
> > Yogi
> > www.pcthandbook.com
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > "PCT DAYS is not the Kick Off, which is an event geared toward
> > through-hikers.? This has been a point of confusion for some people.? PCT
> > DAYS is a gathering of the outdoor recreation community and the
> businesses
> > that support it.? The date of PCT DAYS should have no bearing on when and
> > where people are on the trail.? Whether or not they choose to attend the
> > event, people need to consider that adverse conditions can begin anytime
> > after September 1st in the Cascade Range and be prepared for their own
> > accountability."
> >
> > Jason Waicunas, Outdoor Viewfinder
> > Photography Instructor & Oregon Registered Guide
> > oviewfinder at gmail.com
> > 503.705.6769
> > http://oviewfinder.com/
> >
> >
> >> On Wed, Oct 16, 2013 at 7:04 PM, Rob Langsdorf <sdscpcts at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> Hi All,
> >>
> >> ? ? I have been wondering what the impact of having the PCT days event
> at
> >> Cascade Locks on the weekend after Labor Day weekend may have had on
> >> encouraging PCT hikers to be late in reaching the boarder?
> >>
> >> ? ? One post said, "Taka attended the PCT Days, and then headed towards
> >> the Canadian border."
> >>
> >> ? ? He was the Japanese hiker who was stuck at Milk Creek this year due
> to
> >> heavy snows. I wonder how many other hikers were stopped or delayed by
> the
> >> snow this year because they went to the PCT days event and then tried to
> >> hike to Canada.
> >>
> >> ? ? What if the PCT days were held the week before Labor Day? Would this
> >> encourage hikers to either go faster or to skip north to the locks, do
> the
> >> hike to Canada and then flip back to pick up the segments that they had
> >> missed?
> >>
> >> ? ? ? Mataguay Connector Rob
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Pct-L mailing list
> >> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> >> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >>
> >> List Archives:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> >> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> >> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Pct-L mailing list
> > Pct-L at backcountry.net
> > To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >
> > List Archives:
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> > All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> > Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 13
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 17:08:51 -0700
> > From: marmot marmot <marmotwestvanc at hotmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT
> > To: JPL <jplynch at crosslink.net>
> > Cc: "pct-l at backcountry.net" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID: <BLU402-EAS289A636A789C6419A4DCB6C8080 at phx.gbl>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> >
> > A lot of the hikers I know have always used their hiking poles to flip
> small branches off the trail and have stopped to drag bigger ones away.
> Maybe we should all stop this. It seemed like we were helping with trail
> maintenance but in the long run we are hurting the trail. Marmot
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
> >
> >> On Oct 27, 2013, at 4:08 PM, "JPL" <jplynch at crosslink.net> wrote:
> >>
> >> I'd like to hear from bikers on this. Seems like having to constantly
> make
> >> your way over down trees, step-over size for hikers, would be a pain; at
> >> least act as a speed bump.
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Dan Jacobs
> >> Sent: Sunday, October 27, 2013 6:34 PM
> >> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> >> Subject: Re: [pct-l] What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT
> >>
> >> Unless the trees are more than 100 ft long and 6 feet or even more in
> >> diameter on an unstable or sensitive slope. Hikers can get hurt trying
> to
> >> overcome such obstacles, too. #Think.
> >>
> >> Dan Jacobs
> >> Washougal
> >>
> >>
> >>> On Sun, Oct 27, 2013 at 2:25 PM, JPL <jplynch at crosslink.net> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> One quick and easy thing to do is to not remove down trees. Hikers can
> >>> easily step over them. As can (I guess) horses.
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Pct-L mailing list
> >> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> >> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >>
> >> List Archives:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> >> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> >> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Pct-L mailing list
> >> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> >> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >>
> >> List Archives:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> >> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> >> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 14
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 17:25:30 -0700 (PDT)
> > From: Susan Alcorn <backpack45 at yahoo.com>
> > Subject: [pct-l] Adding to the 45 plus Uses for Hiking Poles on the
> > Trail
> > To: "pct-l at backcountry.net" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID:
> > <1382919930.30658.YahooMailNeo at web182201.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
> >
> > 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!)
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 15
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 17:44:50 -0700
> > From: "Doug Carlson" <doug-sue at centurylink.net>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] 45 Uses for Trekking Poles
> > To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID: <000601ced376$e98d5b40$bca811c0$@net>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> >
> > This is the first time I have heard of animals eating the handles of
> > trekking poles.
> >
> > I just discovered another reason why I use the tent I use and sleep with
> my
> > poles inside the tent.
> >
> > -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 3:14 PM
> > To: william jennings
> > Cc: PCT L
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] 45 Uses for Trekking Poles
> >
> > My brand new pole handles were eaten while holding up my tent(by deer or
> elk
> > on Arizona trail).Of course then I used duct tape to fashion replacements
> > and they have lasted another 2,000 miles and counting.
> > I use my feet and hiking poles to stamp out bike tire prints on trail
> 'cause
> > to see them makes me angry so maybe I save a hiker behind me that
> reaction.
> > It calms me down - makes me feel like I'm doing something Marmot
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
> >
> >>> On Oct 27, 2013, at 1:33 PM, "william jennings" <mrjenn at hotmail.com>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >> Additionally: use for the cooling of forehead, the pole seems to be ice
> > cold; and the strap is a good source of salt for the critters. Once when
> > using a pole to support a 6 moon design tent, I awoke to find it chewed
> off
> > and carried off.
> >>
> >> Teutonic
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Pct-L mailing list
> >> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> >> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >>
> >> List Archives:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> >> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> >> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> > _______________________________________________
> > Pct-L mailing list
> > Pct-L at backcountry.net
> > To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >
> > List Archives:
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> > All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> > Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 16
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 18:04:32 -0700
> > From: marmot marmot <marmotwestvanc at hotmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] 45 Uses for Trekking Poles
> > To: Doug Carlson <doug-sue at centurylink.net>
> > Cc: "pct-l at backcountry.net" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID: <BLU406-EAS20481529EBF53ECB6A13293C8080 at phx.gbl>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> >
> > Yes squirrels?mice?chipmunks ?eat the handles too. I learned that when I
> forgot one out side my old tent and found it chewed on by different kinds
> of small teeth. I thought that if I used the poles handle up to hold up
> tent I would avoid that problem. Wrong. Taller animals love them. Also
> wood rats eat pack straps. Remember that Hooper? Hooper are you out
> there somewhere? Marmot
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
> >
> >> On Oct 27, 2013, at 5:44 PM, "Doug Carlson" <doug-sue at centurylink.net>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> This is the first time I have heard of animals eating the handles of
> >> trekking poles.
> >>
> >> I just discovered another reason why I use the tent I use and sleep
> with my
> >> poles inside the tent.
> >>
> >> -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 3:14 PM
> >> To: william jennings
> >> Cc: PCT L
> >> Subject: Re: [pct-l] 45 Uses for Trekking Poles
> >>
> >> My brand new pole handles were eaten while holding up my tent(by deer
> or elk
> >> on Arizona trail).Of course then I used duct tape to fashion
> replacements
> >> and they have lasted another 2,000 miles and counting.
> >> I use my feet and hiking poles to stamp out bike tire prints on trail
> 'cause
> >> to see them makes me angry so maybe I save a hiker behind me that
> reaction.
> >> It calms me down - makes me feel like I'm doing something Marmot
> >>
> >> Sent from my iPhone
> >>
> >>>> On Oct 27, 2013, at 1:33 PM, "william jennings" <mrjenn at hotmail.com>
> >>> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Additionally: use for the cooling of forehead, the pole seems to be ice
> >> cold; and the strap is a good source of salt for the critters. Once
> when
> >> using a pole to support a 6 moon design tent, I awoke to find it chewed
> off
> >> and carried off.
> >>>
> >>> Teutonic
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>> Pct-L mailing list
> >>> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> >>> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> >>> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >>>
> >>> List Archives:
> >>> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> >>> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> >>> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Pct-L mailing list
> >> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> >> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >>
> >> List Archives:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> >> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> >> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Pct-L mailing list
> >> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> >> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >>
> >> List Archives:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> >> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> >> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 17
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 21:29:30 -0400
> > From: "JPL" <jplynch at crosslink.net>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] Adding to the 45 plus Uses for Hiking Poles on
> > the Trail
> > To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID: <E372364604384D64BADEF8B27CAB5101 at jpl3PC>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> > reply-type=original
> >
> > 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!)
> > _______________________________________________
> > Pct-L mailing list
> > Pct-L at backcountry.net
> > To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >
> > List Archives:
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> > All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> > Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 18
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 18:33:50 -0700
> > From: marmot marmot <marmotwestvanc at hotmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] Adding to the 45 plus Uses for Hiking Poles on
> > the Trail
> > To: JPL <jplynch at crosslink.net>
> > Cc: "pct-l at backcountry.net" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID: <BLU402-EAS2678DF427A874F090755039C8080 at phx.gbl>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> >
> > 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!)
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Pct-L mailing list
> >> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> >> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >>
> >> List Archives:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> >> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> >> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Pct-L mailing list
> >> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> >> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >>
> >> List Archives:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> >> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> >> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 19
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 18:45:25 -0700
> > From: Jim Bravo <jimbravo2 at gmail.com>
> > Subject: [pct-l] LightHeart tent
> > To: PCT Forum <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID:
> > <CACMJFrD1EnFv8DcOGuLhGdQ36beXAAHgFvLDgafT+Q94S9e_fg at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
> >
> > Selling 2013 LightHeart SoLong 6 tent. Grey with spruce green floor.
> Seams
> > sealed. Used 4-5 nights this past summer, always on groundsheet. Tent is
> > well-made, roomy, and under 2 pounds. Includes Tyvek groundsheet and six
> > stakes. $240. I'll pay shipping.
> >
> > Below is link to manufacturer's product page:
> >
> >
> http://www.lightheartgear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=42
> >
> > Jim
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 20
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 19:15:55 -0700
> > From: "Doug Carlson" <doug-sue at centurylink.net>
> > Subject: [pct-l] RE Mtn Lions
> > To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID: <001201ced383$a316ccc0$e9446640$@net>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> >
> > 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!)
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Pct-L mailing list
> >> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> >> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >>
> >> List Archives:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> >> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> >> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Pct-L mailing list
> >> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> >> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >>
> >> List Archives:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> >> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> >> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> > _______________________________________________
> > Pct-L mailing list
> > Pct-L at backcountry.net
> > To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >
> > List Archives:
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> > All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> > Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 21
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 20:15:10 -0700 (PDT)
> > From: Nick Thelen <nthelen03 at yahoo.com>
> > Subject: [pct-l] What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT
> > To: "pct-l at backcountry.net" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID:
> > <1382930110.33175.YahooMailNeo at web121802.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
> >
> > JPL wrote:
> > "I'd like to hear from bikers on this. Seems like having to constantly
> make
> > your way over down trees, step-over size for hikers, would be a pain; at
> > least act as a speed bump."
> > _________________________________________________
> >
> > If no one has guessed - I am a mountain biker.....but I'll be very brief.
> >
> > Short answer is no - not really a pain. ?If it's not a problem for a
> hiker
> > or equestrian it's not a problem for a MTB'r.
> >
> > Also, the nature of the trail (being insanely remote for the most part)?
> > dictates minimal traffic - like super minimal...unless it happens to?
> > be located near a populated area. I would guess this is where virtually
> all
> > encounters occur. ?MTB's that go out farther simply do not see
> anyone...and?
> > if they do the encounter is friendly to benign (from my experience)
> >
> > Addressing a few of Mr. Teschlog's points - some cyclist like flow, some
> do not.
> > As there are varying disciplines in hiking there are varying disciplines
> in MTB'ing.
> >
> > Also, any type of trail feature that 'locks' a wheel can be unbuilt
> about 10X faster?
> > than it was built. And Barry's fanciful musings "the USFS will come down
> hard on cyclists
> > by allowing XYZ features to be built'. ?Never will happen - and we all
> know it.
> >
> > In any case, I guess I was not as brief as I though I would be. ?I
> follow Mr. Jacobs Golden Rule...
> > courtesy begets courtesy. ?If y'all feel that strongly (and many/most of
> you do) please report it....going off
> > on someone in the backcountry can be unpredictable for all parties (IMO).
> >
> > Thanks for listening
> > Nick
> >
> > PS - I am still wondering how a photo/video will be of any use
> whatsoever in a rider receiving a citation....
> > I mean, we all look like spazzy dressed alien bugs with our
> helmets/glasses/gloves and uber ugly attire. ;)
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 22
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 20:36:23 -0700
> > From: Dan Jacobs <youroldpaldan at gmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] What do you say to mountain bikers on the PCT
> > To: "pct-l at backcountry.net" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID:
> > <CA+-77MUfH23L_oL9DwV2e3DC1_ErDw+x+eQciDKn3drjTuPD_Q at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
> >
> >> On Sun, Oct 27, 2013 at 8:15 PM, Nick Thelen <nthelen03 at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> PS - I am still wondering how a photo/video will be of any use
> whatsoever
> >> in a rider receiving a citation....
> >> I mean, we all look like spazzy dressed alien bugs with our
> >> helmets/glasses/gloves and uber ugly attire. ;)
> >
> >
> > I would tell you, but there is no sense in letting the "other side" have
> a
> > possible tactical advantage. We all have our own desires and interests at
> > heart here, don't we? :-)
> >
> > Dan Jacobs
> > Washougal
> > --
> > "Loud motorcycle stereos save lives."
> > Motorcycle to hike, hike to motorcycle.
> > Make a friend of pain and you'll never be alone.
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 23
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 20:51:47 -0700
> > From: Cat Nelson <sagegirl51 at gmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] 45 Uses for Trekking Poles
> > To: Doug Carlson <doug-sue at centurylink.net>
> > Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
> > Message-ID:
> > <CAH9fG23CU0FaPVdGLMvOO4xHW0dkmW9A3TwDf=GFWYScAzqdQw at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> >
> > The handles absorb the salt from our hands and the straps too, they are a
> > critter delicacy.
> >
> > Cat McPeek (SageGirl)
> > sagegirl51 at gmail.com
> > Friend on Facebook.
> >> On Oct 27, 2013 5:44 PM, "Doug Carlson" <doug-sue at centurylink.net>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> This is the first time I have heard of animals eating the handles of
> >> trekking poles.
> >>
> >> I just discovered another reason why I use the tent I use and sleep
> with my
> >> poles inside the tent.
> >>
> >> -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 3:14 PM
> >> To: william jennings
> >> Cc: PCT L
> >> Subject: Re: [pct-l] 45 Uses for Trekking Poles
> >>
> >> My brand new pole handles were eaten while holding up my tent(by deer or
> >> elk
> >> on Arizona trail).Of course then I used duct tape to fashion
> replacements
> >> and they have lasted another 2,000 miles and counting.
> >> I use my feet and hiking poles to stamp out bike tire prints on trail
> >> 'cause
> >> to see them makes me angry so maybe I save a hiker behind me that
> >> reaction.
> >> It calms me down - makes me feel like I'm doing something Marmot
> >>
> >> Sent from my iPhone
> >>
> >>>> On Oct 27, 2013, at 1:33 PM, "william jennings" <mrjenn at hotmail.com>
> >>> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Additionally: use for the cooling of forehead, the pole seems to be ice
> >> cold; and the strap is a good source of salt for the critters. Once
> when
> >> using a pole to support a 6 moon design tent, I awoke to find it chewed
> off
> >> and carried off.
> >>>
> >>> Teutonic
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>> Pct-L mailing list
> >>> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> >>> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> >>> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >>>
> >>> List Archives:
> >>> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> >>> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> >>> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Pct-L mailing list
> >> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> >> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >>
> >> List Archives:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> >> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> >> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Pct-L mailing list
> >> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> >> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >>
> >> List Archives:
> >> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> >> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> >> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 24
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 23:33:01 -0500
> > From: Carol <museumgirl at me.com>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] Legs of the PCT (Lint and Anish)
> > To: Diane Soini <dianesoini at gmail.com>
> > Cc: "pct-l at backcountry.net" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> > Message-ID: <BFF46022-D9FC-4E02-A2F5-E7513DE318DD at me.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> >
> > I thought about that too, Diane. Water weighs too much but the weight of
> a bag liner is fine? Makes no sense, especially considering the benefits of
> comfort, skin health, and extended gear longevity derived from scrubbing
> off the grime.
> >
> > Carol
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
> >
> >> On Oct 27, 2013, at 4:26 PM, Diane Soini <dianesoini at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> Weighs a lot less than a
> >> useless bag liner that you're not going to need most of the time on a
> >> thru-hike, too.
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Message: 25
> > Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 21:38:21 -0700
> > From: Cat Nelson <sagegirl51 at gmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [pct-l] RE Mtn Lions
> > To: Doug Carlson <doug-sue at centurylink.net>
> > Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
> > Message-ID:
> > <CAH9fG20MhqWPAwdzG30hwoyGnLu8OxNB72D-5559zG6SQ+n6Dw at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> >
> > 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!)
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>> Pct-L mailing list
> >>> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> >>> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
> >>> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >>>
> >>> List Archives:
> >>> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> >>> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> >>> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>> Pct-L mailing list
> >>> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> >>> To unsubscribe, or change options visit:
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> >>>
> >>> List Archives:
> >>> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> >>> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> >>> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Pct-L mailing list
> >> Pct-L at backcountry.net
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> >> List Archives:
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> >>
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> >> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >>
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> > End of Pct-L Digest, Vol 70, Issue 29
> > *************************************
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--
"Loud motorcycle stereos save lives."
Motorcycle to hike, hike to motorcycle.
Make a friend of pain and you'll never be alone.
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