[pct-l] RE The "Guide book"

[Deems]

To those young Whippersnapperers!! !!,

Maybe these current PCT hikers have it way too easy these days, and have too 
much extra trail time to gripe about the excellent information available to 
them via the internet, Yogi, Wilderness Press, BenGo, thruhiker's journals, 
etc. I have to chuckle over this memo, since I first tried to tackle the PCT 
in 1976, sparked by a youthful naive dream, with nothing available to me  to 
research except USGS maps, a very vague and difficult 1973 WP PCT Guidebook, 
and Eric Ryback's High Adventure book. If you have the time to criticize 
Yogi's book, you must be pretty bored, and definitely not lost, or ill 
prepared. Yogi's book helps to fill in the gaps, and for those that haven't 
hiked the PCT or any long trail, it gives incredible insight into the 
preparation and what it's like to hike a long trail. The PCT Handbook is a 
helluva lot better than what I had 30 years ago, and I have to sit back and 
chuckle at those that have the trail time to criticize it... I didn't 
succeed with my PCT adventure, (maybe I would have with today's (your's!!) 
info), but I know many that did with just as much info as I had , or much 
less. Perhaps, today's PCT hikers are a might bit spoiled due to the 
expansive trail information resources available??  I have used Yogi's book 
for the last three years to add her perspective to my PCT adventures, and 
haven't been disappointed.  Yogi is a Triple Crown hiker, and may soon 
achieve the Double Triple. She is definitely not "just another hiker"... 
however, I am one.



<"Here is a most excellent review of the PCT Handbook
from some of this years hikers:


At Stirrup Creek we sat and talked about life in
general (girls), the PCT (and its lack of girls), and
this thing called Yogi's PCT "Handbook", supposedly a
requisite for doing the trail. Yogi is a 40-something
year-old waitress from the mountainous state of Kansas
who's hiked the PCT twice. This enables her to write
such a book and promote it as necessary.

The four of us all agreed the book sets out to
homogenize the trail experience and it not really
needed like the guidebooks are, even though three of
the four of us purchased it. "All the info within
could be ascertained in a matter of minutes on the
trail or in towns...once you've reached that point..."
Whiptail quipped. "You can't expect to walk this far
into the woods relying on a poorly researched,
outdated book."

It is amazing how many folks had complaints about the
information in this book this year.  In fact I did not
hear any positive things being said about it.  Sure
was happy I didn't get sucked in to buying another.
Yogi advised me to write over the mileage in mine
since mine had been outdated by new mileage on the
PCT.
Thanks for the Tip YOGI!

Listo del Norte

Coming soon PCT mythbusters.  WE will be combing
through all the mistakes, inconsistencies, rubbish in
this "guidebook" amongst all the other things you
don't need for a PCT hike.  Or things you shouldn't
let yourself be afraid of or be worried about or
cajoled into buying because you wouldn't be able to
hike the PCT without it.">