[pct-l] Backpacking in combat boots....before the UL Revolution

[Reinhold Metzger]

Switchback, Ground Pounder,
Cruising through old Pct-L Archives I came across the below post
and respond as follows:

Hi gang,
Yes, backpacking has certainly changed since the UL Revolution.
Hauling 50-60 lb packs and wearing "waffle stomper boots" was the norm
in those pre-UL Revolution days.
I remember when I first hiked the JMT with the Scouts in 1996 hauling a
75 lb pack starting at Yosemite and a 85 lb pack after resupplying at
Vermilion.
I remember when I first hiked Mt.Whitney with my wife Karen in 1968 or
1969 with me hauling a monster pack and wearing combat boots.

BTW....you ain't "Hard-Core" until you hiked Whitney in combat boots.

I was a bad a$$ recently discharged Marine Corps "Grunt" used to hauling
heavy packs and treating my women right and it went against my grain to
burden my lovely recent bride with a pack.
So, everything went in a "Marine Grunt" pack and onto my back and with
Karen skip hopping along and me grunting and stomping along in combat
boots all the way.....that may give you guys a clue why they call the 
Marine
Infantry the "GRUNTS  &  GROUND POUNDERS"

BTW....I also had to carry "Schatzy", our miniture Dachshund, most of the
way because off her short leggs, after a few miles, the only thing not 
covered
with dust were her black eyes and nose.
But with Karen cooooing into my ear,..."Reinhold you are my 
hero"....made it
all worth it because that is all I ever wanted to be......."Karen's Hero".
Of course I also was "Schatzy's Hero".

BTW...it seems that hairy leggs in combat boots gets the girl's "Romance
Motor" running with all the girls "coooing and woooing" when they saw me
coming.
Karen did not like that so I gave up hiking in combat boots.

Say guys, I understand now-a-days you guys make your women carry their
own packs.
Yes, things have really changed from the days when Switchback & Reinhold
romed the trails.
Yes, there was a time when Saber Tooth Tigers roamed the wilderness, the
bones of hikers littered the trails and only "Hard-Core Mountain Men" dared
to roam the wilderness.

JMT Reinhold
Karens Hero
.........................................................................................................................
 > On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 7:15 
PM.................................................
 >    Hikers are sure getting soft about carrying extra ounces these
 >    days. During the 50's and 60's, long before I discovered horses, I
 >    backpacked about 2500 Sierra miles, sometimes carrying as much as
 >    60 pounds. In those earlier times Sierra hikers had to be stronger
 >    and braver to be able to fight off the Saber Toothed Tigers and
 >    Short-Faced Bears that roamed the wilderness. And I hadn't yet
 >    learned about bear charms.  Reinhold and Switchback know about
 >    that, having survived thier epic adventures of the 60's. Then with
 >    the 70's there came a guy named Eric Ryback - who carried as much
 >    as 70 pounds and did'nt resupply very often.