[pct-l] Lost time, poor planning - is UL so great?

Mon Dec 10 22:33:14 CST 2007

Each individual takes away from the PCT backpacking experience what they 
need to, nothing more, nothing less.

For L-Rod, it was meeting with her sweetie and having fun in the trail 
towns.....

For Ned, it's immersing himself in nature and seeing towns as a 
"necessary evil" to be avoided at all costs.....

Respecting each other's views is what Hiking your own Hike is all about. ;-)

Donna "L-Rod" Saufley wrote:
> Ned,
>
> With all due respect, I planned, tested, trained, and literally have spreadsheets for my food planning and calorie intake.  What I wasn't prepared for was that the food I used on my first Sierra hike was almost inedible to me on the next.  I can't explain why, but I seriously had to force myself to eat it, almost gaggingHow could I have planned for that? I was so glad when we got to the northern Kennedy Meadows and I was able to get some other foods that were more tolerable to me.  
>
> I've seen so many people pre-arrange their food and wind up hating it, and dumping it in hiker boxes. I agree that planning and preparation is important, but so is being flexible and dealing with Plan B.  
>
> Besides, trips down into some of the Sierra's towns can be a lot of fun when there are other hikers about. I planned them into my journey just to have the experience, and I don't regret it.  They also provided rendevous opportunities to see my sweetie, so they were well worth the side trip to me!!!
>
> L-Rod
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
>   
>> From: Ned Tibbits <ned at mountaineducation.com>
>> Sent: Dec 10, 2007 7:41 PM
>> To: Alden Dale <alden at cedar-creek.com>, Pct-l at backcountry.net
>> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Lost time, poor planning - is UL so great?
>>
>> My question is:  Why wait until the journey starts to figure out what you 
>> like or what works for you?  Adjustments during the adventure = wasted trail 
>> time. Hiking up and down lateral trails on the eastern escarpment of the 
>> Sierra to spend time in towns figuring out my food needs instead of staying 
>> on-trail sounds counter-productive to the intent of hiking a National Scenic 
>> Trail, Mexico To Canada, especially when I could have figured it out before 
>> by taking a few long-ish summer and winter hikes. That's Planning and 
>> Preparation.
>>
>> I'm sorry, I still don't get it....
>>
>> Why hike as fast as possible risking injury and enduring misery for a few 
>> days only to veer off on a lateral route to a trailhead down 2,000 feet to 
>> hope to hitch a ride to a town farther away to hope to find a place to 
>> sleep, eat, and wash up (recover) to hope to find a market that might have 
>> acceptable foods you can carry back up the 2,000 vertical feet - if you can 
>> hitch a ride to the trailhead - so you can get back on the trail and do this 
>> cycle all over again in a few days!
>>
>> What a waste of time!!  To each his own.  If this is the "Modern Method" of 
>> hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, I don't buy it.  Just because it is the 
>> acceptable standard logically encouraged by the number-crunching crowd 
>> doesn't mean it is the only way to do it. Take the time before your trip to 
>> get to know yourself well enough to decide if this technique of hiking will 
>> work for all your needs. Obviously, I don't embrace the Ultralight Bible. 
>> Hiking as light as possible is excellent, but don't sacrifice health, 
>> safety, and enjoyment to say you had the lightest pack. Light is good and 
>> works for most people; ultralight is risky and may not work for you. How far 
>> toward Ultralight do you go?  Try it on training trips and see if you can 
>> stand the sacrifices to attain it, then decide what you want to do. There 
>> are other ways to enjoy a hike.
>>
>> Don't go into this adventure-of-a-lifetime blindly accepting what seams to 
>> be good for everyone else only to find it doesn't work for you and you 
>> suddenly find yourself in the middle of the mountains in a foreign state! 
>> No wonder so many people don't complete this hike! Talk about 
>> disillusioning!
>>
>> If UL means I have to carry as little food as I can (requiring me to leave 
>> the trail frequently) and to hike as far and as fast as I can to cover more 
>> distance so the trip takes up less time costing me less, then, to me, this 
>> style of hiking is dictated by time and money.  Have we lost sight of why we 
>> originally liked spending time in wilderness?
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> For Information on Programs, previous Trips, and Photo Gallery,
>>
>> Please visit: www.mountaineducation.com
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Alden Dale" <alden at cedar-creek.com>
>> To: <Pct-l at backcountry.net>
>> Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 12:12 PM
>> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Question about food
>>
>>
>> I agree with Donna. I started out this last summer, and I had to
>> force myself to eat even 1000-1500 calories per day. I just wasn't
>> hungry. But for me, about a week or two into it, I really started
>> picking up momentum, and after about a month I was taking about 5,000
>> per day, doing 30's.
>>
>> Just be flexible. Thats the beauty to buying most of your food along
>> the way instead of doing mail drops. You'll find how much you eat and
>> what you like to eat.
>>
>> This last summer I found I love tortillas. I normally hate them, but
>> for some reason when I'm hiking I found they're awesome, and I
>> started downing up to 8 a day.
>>
>> Also, I found in the colder weather, my calorie intake rose a lot. I
>> had some 30° days through the sierras, and the nights were down to
>> 15° ish. During those times, I found I was eating about a third again
>> as much (and much more at night, I was waking up four or five times a
>> night to eat.)
>>
>> So- be flexible. You'll learn pretty quickly how much you need. The
>> time until the first couple resupplies won't be too bad though-
>> almost everyone (that I've talked to, including myself) overpacks for
>> the first leg.
>>
>> Good Luck
>>
>> alden
>>
>>
>> On Dec 10, 2007, at 11:25 AM, Scott Bryce wrote:
>>
>>     
>>> It is estimated that a through hiker burns about 6000 calories per day
>>> on his hike. Do you carry enough food to consume 6000 calories per
>>> day,
>>> or do you carry less, and make up the difference during town stops?
>>>
>>> I know the answer is different for every hiker, but I am interested in
>>> getting a rough idea how many ounces/calories per day a typical
>>> through
>>> hiker carries.
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Pct-l mailing list
>>> Pct-l at backcountry.net
>>> To unsubscribe or change list options (digest, etc):
>>> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>>>       
>> _______________________________________________
>> Pct-l mailing list
>> Pct-l at backcountry.net
>> To unsubscribe or change list options (digest, etc):
>> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Pct-l mailing list
>> Pct-l at backcountry.net
>> To unsubscribe or change list options (digest, etc):
>> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>>     
>
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-l mailing list
> Pct-l at backcountry.net
> To unsubscribe or change list options (digest, etc):
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>   
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
> Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.17.0/1180 - Release Date: 12/10/2007 2:51 PM
>   