[pct-l] my first PCT Question

[Bill Batchelor]

Kuurva,

Thank you for asking. And thank you for noting that the list has lately not
been very useful for hiker information.  The list ebs and flows like that.
I personally think that the "personality attacks" should be done off-list.
However, the human ego is such that we tend to like to battle in public.
So, thanks again for a "trail logistics" question.  I will give you a couple
answers of my own.

3.Trekking poles
I have come to like trekking poles very much.  Others don't care for them.
Here are the pros and cons as I have discovered.

Pros: 1. Going up hill I can transfer some of the work to my arms (stick and
pull, stick and pull, stick and pull).  This makes better use of muscles
that are otherwise not being productive.  This makes me a bit faster up hill
than I am without the poles. Someone referred to this as like having
handrails on stairs.   I think that is a perfect comparison.  2. Going down
hill for any extended period of time can be tough on my knees.  Especially
when I get into areas where the steps down can be greater than seven inches
(20 centimeters).  In those cases I find myself using my poles and arms to
keep my steps down from excellerating to a thump!  This can be especially
tough on the knees with a full pack.  3. Over loose rocks, or highly uneven
terrain I am much more stable.  I can move through those areas a bit faster
with my added stability.  When the going gets fairly flat or easy, I often
store the poles in my outside strap on the pack.  5. Crossing
rivers/streams.  I do not need to look around for the perfect stick for
water crossing.

Cons: 1. Weight - one more thing to carry.  I also use the trekking poles
for my tarp/tent setup so they serve double duty.  This negates some of the
added weight.  2. Since they are usually in your hands, this ties up your
hands from using them for other things.  So, when I want to stop to grab a
handful of food or anything else, I have to shuffle the poles from one hand
to the other.  You get good at this though and can generally move the poles
around without stopping.  

4. Maps
I am assuming you are looking for topo maps.  Try topozone.com.  For
street/city maps you can try AAA.com  When going to AAA.com the site asks
you for a postal code.  Just use 92054 to get in the digital door.  In the
AAA is a membership type setup and maps are free to members.  However, if
you use the site to call them, I think they will sell maps to non members.

I hope that helps.
BillB

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of John Bynum
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2007 8:20 AM
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: [pct-l] my first PCT Question

Am so excited to be planning my PCT hike-and at the same time so
disappointed at the posts that i have read so far on the page...aprils fools
jokes?? whether to wear or ban kilts??? I noticed that there are more
replies to the B.S. than to the actual Questions...WTF?

If this is posted (and to be honest, its not so clear how to do that through
the way i entered your site...maybe i am missing somehting?) I hope that the
following questions can be answered, cause i will probably have many more...

1. Can i bear hang anywhere? or maybe i need to have a canister in YNP? are
they required anywhere else?

2. If i get a trail permit south of YNP can i still enter and camp there on
my hike thru? I have heard that there are "days you can start on" or
"limited camping permits/areas" there (or something...), and many of them
are booked. can anyone explain this to me?

3. Trekking poles? never used 'em b4 am i missing something??

4. am leaving Europe to start in late June, and i cant find maps of C. and
N. california in libraries here. does anyone know any good, very detailed,
online maps??

Whether you know 1 or all  of these, thanks for your answers.

Kuurva
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