[pct-l] hiking speed - a thought about "the Ray way"

[Ned Tibbits]

Hi, Jeff!

My point, exactly!

 The trail is there for all to enjoy as their interests dictate.

It would appear we are examples of classic backpackers.  The longer we are 
out there, the stronger we become from daily hiking.  It is natural to 
expect the pace to pick up as we go along, to the point of diminishing 
returns of things noticed around us that we value as the purpose of the 
hike, like having the time to climb the tree, read a book beside the lake, 
lay in the sun, sit by the fire, listen to the woods, go swimming, fishing, 
or climbing as a side activity.

Speaking of pace naturally increasing as you get stronger, I was cruising at 
24mpd in July and Aug. (Ore/Wash) when my recently graduated High School 
friends joined me for a brief "hike," they thought. That pace was my rhythm 
at that point; it sure wasn't theirs!  I still feel so bad about that. I 
guess the lesson there is, you can't mix the strong thru with the green 
hiker (unless the thru slows down). The thru will dust them just by nature.

What is interesting is that my fondest memories of my thru hikes of the 
Crest and Divide are of the times I took to soak in where I was, whether I 
was cooling my feet in a creek, sitting on a rock enjoying a view, cooking a 
leisurely breakfast and watching the world unfold around me (still in my bag 
cowboy-camping with my back against my pack against a tree, Fletcher-style), 
or yodeling from a peak to hear if there would be an echo. Is everybody that 
way?

What are your fondest memories on-trail?

Mtnned
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jeffrey Olson" <jolson at olc.edu>
Cc: "pct-l" <pct-l at mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2007 5:43 AM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] hiking speed - a thought about "the Ray way"


> My experience - a committed section hiker - is that at the beginning of
> a hike I tend to hike more slowly as I get in shape, then after four or
> five weeks, find myself able to hike more efficiently both up and down.
> I'm able to maintain a steady pace more easily.  After six weeks where
> before I'd stop at 3 or 4 after hiking 10-15 miles, I would stop at 3 or
> 4 after hiking 20 or so miles.  I never got to the point where I wanted
> to hike more than that - til dark and average 30 mpd.  Regardless of the
> point in my hike, foot pain has me want to stop at 3 or 4, or later if I
> took a couple hours in the middle of the day.
>
> I always have stronger memories of what I see after a month on the
> trail.  I'm not as spaced or paying as much attention to where my feet
> are landing as I was earlier in the hike.  I'm much more a part of the
> world I'm walking through.
>
> Jeff, just Jeff...
>
>
>
> enyapjr at comcast.net wrote:
>> With all the 'talk' recently about fastpackers vs. slowpackers, many
>> times there seems to be a
>> reference to pack weight equating to hiking speed...
>> This is not so in most cases - an ultralighter does not necessarily
>> hike 'faster' than someone with a
>> heavier load...
>> Ray Jardine stated he did NOT hike any faster with a light load than
>> he did previously with a heavier
>> load...  But he definitely could hike more hours in a day with less
>> break/rest time, also - thus he got
>> more mileage per day than before...  He was less tired at the end of
>> the day and could rest sufficiently
>> overnight to start hiking early the next day - and do this day after
>> day after day (making even more
>> miles beyond his previous "normal" "average")...  More benefits became
>> apparent - more miles per
>> day meant less consumables had to be carried between resupply points,
>> being less 'tired' resulted in
>> less zero days, less minor injuries/aches/pains with less weight
>> carried, etc. ...
>>
>> Jardine hiked the PCT in 3 1/2 months at the same hiking 'speed' as
>> when he took almost 5 months previously...
>> So, he should have been able to 'see' the same both times -
>> but Jardine said he actually saw more on
>> the shorter duration hike...  Why?  He was rested enough to start very
>> early each day, and felt good
>> enough to keep hiking into the late evening hours - he saw more
>> wildlife and the morning/evening
>> shadows and twilight on the landscape while hiking...
>>
>> Just a thought to ponder...................................
>>
>> Happy trails!!!
>> Jim
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
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