[pct-l] John Muir Trail....PCT Hikers...."UL vs Heavy Trucker"

[Reinhold Metzger]

  Well said Ned!!!

Herb,
I hike on both sides of the fence.
"Heavy Trucker" when I hike with the Scouts and my wife and UL on my JMT
fast packs.
I have thru-hiked the JMT with a pack as heavy as 85 lb and as light as 
25 lb
with all the food and water for the 222 miles from Yosemite to Whitney 
Portal.

There is nothing wrong with "Heavy Trucking", if you can handle the load,
just like there is nothing wrong with "UL".
It all depends on your physical ability and what you want out of your hike.

There will always be "RABBITS" (Ulta-lighters) and "TURTLES" (Heavy 
Truckers).
Who is to say that the rabbits way is the better way or that the rabbit 
enjoys
its journey more than the turtle?

I have been a rabbit and a turtle, enjoyed my journeys either way and have
come to realize there really  is no absolute right way....what works for 
you is
the right way.......FOR YOU.

I say,...let them go on their journey their own merry way,...and let 
them enjoy
their journey their own special way.

I like the way "RADAR" once put it....RADAR once said......"Why must 
there be
a right way and a wrong way to hike the trail?"

Yes,......I ASK YOU WHY?

JMT Reinhold

**
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ned wrote:

Herb,
Great and classic observations of two different sets of wilderness
wanderers, the Hikers and the Campers!

"Hikers" like to:
     - walk! (sometimes even into the dark),
     - get up early and make camp late to walk as far as they can in a
       day for various reasons,
     - challenge themselves to see how far they can go,
     - travel light and try to be as efficient as they can with what
       they carry, how they carry it, and what they do with it, and
     - to go places and see stuff and get the job done in the brief time
       they have on-trail.

"Campers" like to:
     - well, camp! (sometimes even staying there from well before sunset
       to long after sunrise),
     - carry luxuries like more food and clothing on heavier packs with
       books hidden inside,
     - loiter, both here and there, soaking up the sounds, sights, smells,
       and other memories to take home and savor forever,
     - go slow, stop often (even taking the pack off!), and look forward
       to the nice campsite just ahead,
     - make campfires just to stare into them and let the mind wander (they
       got into camp early enough to do this and still get enough sleep), and
     - be prepared for simple climbing, exploring, photography, swimming,
       fishing, extended meals, bad weather, sound sleeping, and a good book
       by headlamp.

HYOH comes to mind. Each wonders about the other. Some know both sides.
Some think it's funny!

Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education, Inc.
www.mountaineducation.org
ned at mountaineducation.org  <http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l>  


Mission:
"To minimize wilderness accidents, injury, and illness in order to
maximize wilderness enjoyment, safety, and personal growth, all through
experiential education and risk awareness training."
......................................................

Herb wrote:
My experience hiking Tahoe to Yosemite face first into the herd was
entirely positive.
The PCT'ers I encountered were uniformly friendly and exchanged greetings
as a matter of course.
In fact, I knew they were a PCT'er because they often began their
pleasantries 20-30 feet away--enough time to exchange greetings without
either of us having to break stride.

Sure, there were some smoking the trail like they were late for an
appointment.
But I engaged at least 5-10 PCT'ers per day in extended conversations
during my 10 day hike and never once felt someone was anxious to move on
or annoyed at the interruption.
Because I would like to do a thru hike in the future, I asked about gear,
food, stove versus stove-less, mosquitoes, resupply strategy, hitchhiking,
etc., and received great feedback. Several hikers, unsolicited, gave me
contact info and said they would gladly answer more questions and help me
plan my hike.

Perhaps the difference in experience is that the section I hiked had few
southbound hikers--after I left the Tahoe Rim section of the trail I saw
no one heading south until TM--whereas the JMT would have greater traffic,
much of it hikers doing segments or weekend jaunts just touching upon the JMT.

I do note several PCT'ers commented on the heavy loads that the JMT set
seemed to be carrying.
And I think we all can say we have seen some packs along the JMT
reminiscent of the Clampets on their way to Beverly Hills.
You have to imagine how that would appear to someone hiking 2,600+
miles with a base weight of 10 pounds.

Herb