[pct-l] running on the PCT

[James Vesely]

It's not so much how many runners there are or runners in general it's how hikers and runners interact.   

Runners should play by the same rules as how fast hikers and slow hikers interact.     It is that simple.  

That being said,  if there are a couple hundred runners without packs spread out over 25 miles and I am slogging up a mountain with a 40 lb pack  I would like to ask what  would be a reasonable figure of how many times I would have to step aside before getting a little frustrated? 

Jim

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: [pct-l] running on the PCT

2015-03-16 12:37 GMT-07:00 Tom Grundy <caver456 at gmail.com>:
> Scientific proof that there really is no trail user conflict.
> Deepest apologies for being 'unreasonable'.

I assume the use of the term "scientific proof" is sarcasm, so I won't address it.

There are real trail conflicts, mostly having to do with over-use or non compatible uses for the same stretch of dirt in the woods. The main conflicts on the PCT have been between wheeled vehicles and foot traffic, and the occasional equestrian or Sierra pack train.

The management agencies have to come up with reasonable rules to handle this. This first step is understanding the problem. The numbers I gave on relative speed of trail runners were an attempt at sharing some information on the nature of trail running, which most hikers have probably never seen. These are not high speed sprints. They are slow steady endurance treks.

Disclaimer: I am a trail runner, and yes, I have participated in permitted races on the PCT. Those races have never been scheduled during the narrow window when "the herd" has been passing by. Event directors, if only to provide a better race environment to their participants, would avoid doing that.

So this question becomes a matter of whether there is significant conflict between a pedestrian traveling at 5mph and a pedestrian traveling at 3mph, and to many on this list, there is. Some people seem to generally object to having any activity that increases the number of people they will see on the trail.

The next question becomes one of overuse or impact to the environs of the trail. Does a runner, without a pack, a tent or boots, who is not camping, impact the trail environment significantly? What about event infrastructure like course markings, and aid stations (which are almost always at trail-heads or road crossings). A permitting process for USFS lands already exists which has been taking that into account, on a case by case basis.

Other people have a moral objection to any Commercial Use at all, but non wilderness areas of USFS and BLM are regularly subject to commercial use, so I'm not sure how this argument really applies

The issue here is that the PCTA is taking a position to restrict an activity that is currently legal and that has been going on for years.
I really do appreciate their efforts to protect the trail, even if I personally disagree with this one.