So 370 is the magic number? I always thought that it was 42.... ;)<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 8:47 PM, Greg Kesselring <<a href="mailto:gkesselr@whidbey.com">gkesselr@whidbey.com</a>> wrote:<br>
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Seems to me the whole issue boils down to numbers. Is the size of the
group that attends the kickoff large enough to seriously impact the
trail and compromise LNT principles? Seems like a lot of folks believe
that the 150 people who attend the kickoff spread out over a few days
will not have a seriously negative effect. <br>
<br>
I think we'd all agree that if the number of people at the kickoff
were, say 40, we wouldn't have to worry about trail impact and LNT.
And we'd probably agree if that number were, say 700, then yeah, that
group would have a serious impact. But somewhere in the middle of
those extremes is a bit of a gray area where we won't all agree on the
significance of the impact, some will say the herd is too small to
worry about, others will say no, there is a herd effect and it will
have an impact.<br>
<br>
Roger Carpenter wrote:
<blockquote type="cite"><div><div></div><div class="Wj3C7c">
<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span>I
thru-hiked the PCT in 1996, pre-ADZPCTKO. My start date was May 8 and
I met my first fellow thru-hiker in Idyllwild, and that was in town,
not the trail! It wasn't until Wrightwood when I started seeing more
hikers consistently and even then it was in small groups. I loved
solitude and by the time I started meeting other hikers I was ready for
their companionship on the trail. </span></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span></span></font> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span>If
I were starting a thru-hike these days I would avoid the herd to the
greatest extend possible. I cannot imaging starting a beautiful
journey with so many people. But I did attend the ADZPCTKO in 2006 as
a non-hiker and I found it to be inspiring and fun. The event is well
run and and the people who volunteer to organize it, feed everyone and
clean up afterwards are very dedicated.</span></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span></span></font> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span>If
starting a thru-hike this year and I had the extra time I would attend
the ADZPCTKO and get a ride to Idyllwild after it's over, camp out in
the campground near town, do some training hikes up San Jacinto for a
week and drink beer every evening. Before getting on the PCT I might
even go to San Diego and catch a Padres game. On May 8 I would get
myself to Campo and start my thru-hike. By then the number of hikers
starting will be tolerable. I would forget the party scene and hike
like a madman. I would increase my mileage gradually and start doing
30 miles days in the Piutes between Agua Dulce and Walker Pass. In
K-Meadows I would probably start catching up to many the folks who
started in late April. I would avoid the herd but meet the rest of the
thru-hikers on my terms and not on the ADZPCTKO schedule. </span></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span></span></font> </div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span>L-Rod's
concerns about the herd are real and should be listened to. But I also
think the ADZPCTKO is fun. Be creative and find a way to have the best
of both worlds! It may be your only chance to thru-hike the PCT on
your terms!</span></font></div>
<p><i><font face="Arial" size="2">Roger Carpenter</font></i> <br>
<i><font face="Arial" size="2">Vancouver, Washington</font></i> <br>
<i><font face="Arial" size="2"><a href="http://www.elkpass.com" target="_blank">www.elkpass.com</a></font></i> </p>
<div> </div>
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