[pct-l] Please, People. Don't do this (Brick Robbins)

[Ned Tibbits]

Hi, Tom!

Good to know! I’ve volunteered with El Dorado on the CA side and Douglas on the NV side of South Lake Tahoe in the past.

The mountains are going to be dry unless we get all those thunderstorms again like last year. But, then, we might get the fires, too. So it might be a “different” kind of summer for all the sierra hikers in these drought conditions after another dry winter. 

People need to quit theorizing and betting on probabilities in order to travel as light as possible and prepare for the trail realities that might be present when they inject themselves into the high country

Hot daytime temperatures
Hot metabolisms and feet
Dry trail, creeks, and below-rim lakes with no inflows
Limited springs
Stagnant, not moving, water that is dirty and stinky
Greater distances between reliable water
Oily/Dirty film on lake water
Daily water carries that may include over-night and morning needs.

Now, if we get the monsoon thunderstorms like we did last year, all this could change. Certainly we didn’t get any snow during the winter yet we are now in May, so go figure, but don’t rely on figuring, plan for the dry conditions, and filter!

The southern sierra wasn’t very fun to be in last week...


Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education, Inc.
www.mountaineducation.org 
ned at mountaineducation.org 


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."

From: Tom Grundy 
Sent: Friday, May 08, 2015 10:34 AM
To: Ned Tibbits 
Cc: Reinhold Metzger ; PCT 
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Please, People. Don't do this (Brick Robbins)

Nevada County SAR (basically Donner Pass / SR40 to Jackson Mdws Reservoir) is 'gearing up' in the general sense for PCT awareness, blocking point / containment point access, etc.

Last year we put together a detailed SAR-specific PCT map for section L and will be doing more data collection on the ground later this month.

The only real guideline changes that I'm planning to suggest for this summer vs others are to make sure every searcher carries a bottle of water to give away, and that we brief / refresh teams specifically on hyperthermia and dehydration medical protocols as they go out.


Ned, if you'd like to network on the topic, please get in touch.


-Tom Grundy

Nevada City CA


On Fri, May 8, 2015 at 10:05 AM, Ned Tibbits <ned at mountaineducation.org> wrote:

  Hey, Reinhold!

  We saw this coming two years ago, went to talk with Cheryl about it a year ago, and are already "Standing By!"

  Did I ever tell you that back in 1979 I did a 4-month, 5,000-mile bicycle camping tour of Europe? Had an absolute blast! I would love to hear about your trip sometime!



  Ned Tibbits, Director
  Mountain Education, Inc.
  www.mountaineducation.org
  ned at mountaineducation.org


  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."
  -----Original Message----- From: Reinhold Metzger
  Sent: Wednesday, May 06, 2015 6:44 PM
  To: PCT
  Subject: [pct-l] Please, People. Don't do this (Brick Robbins) 



  Fritz,

  You hit the nail right on the head.
  I carried 10 liters on some dry Grand Canyon trails some years ago.
  I learned many years ago, if you are going to skimp on anything to keep
  your
  pack light, don't ever skimp on the water, skimp on your food.
  You can survive without food for days, even weeks, you could be a casualty
  in one day without water.

  Mother Nature tolerates no fools.
  To prevent these things from happening, it is best to keep fools like
  that out
  of Mother Natures harm.
  In other words keep fools of the PCT, until they have learned the ways of
  Mother Nature and know how to survive in the wilderness.

  With statements like "To my surprise, this trail was very rugged and
  difficult"
  it appears that Driscoll had absolutely no idea what he was getting into.

  But folks, judging by this years crop on the trail, YOU AIN'T SEEN
  NOTHING YET.

  Ned,....get your "Search & Rescue Team" ready,....something tells me
  this is
  going to be a busy year for you.

  JMT Reinhold

  **

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Fritz wrote:
  Aloha Everyone,
  I don't feel bad when I tell people I normally carry 9 or 10 liters when hiking the lower sections of the PCT--admittedly, it's heavy, but I don't have issues making it safely from one assured water spot to the next. Most people I meet react with some surprise when I tell them that, but I've never run dry even when the "expected" water sources aren't there. I saw folks a week or so back in Section C that are going to be struggling, potentially dangerously, if they don't keep a close eye on the water report and/or change their water strategy in Section D, E, and F.
  Aloha, Fritz




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