[pct-l] The Herd is a FACT...

[dsaufley at sprynet.com]

The Broken Record here.  I've been out here on the PCT seeing 100% of the hiker traffic for the past 10 years, and I am here to tell you that they NEVER bunched up like that until the Kick-Off encouraged the preferred starting dates to be around that weekend.  Period.  

L-Rod

-----Original Message-----
>From: Slyatpct at aol.com
>Sent: Mar 14, 2007 6:15 PM
>To: gwtmp01 at mac.com
>Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
>Subject: Re: [pct-l] The Herd is a FACT...
>
>gwtmp01 at mac.com writes:
>
>So  you've got 90-114 hikers starting within a five day period around  the
>kickoff. You could argue that most hikers would start on a weekend  and
>that the kickoff happens to occur at the 'sweet-spot' and so the  same
>number of hikers would start in that period regardless of the  kickoff.
>--------------------------------------------
> 
>That's exactly what I'm arguing.  I know I've said it time after time,  but 
>if you want to reach KM towards the begining of June at what I consider a  
>normal break in pace for the PCT of about 17 miles per day, you're going to  leave 
>the end of April.  The slower ones will leave earlier, and the faster  ones 
>later.   Regardless 90% will be starting within a month of each  other two 
>weeks around the kick-off.  
> 
>Personally, an earlier start, 4/1 would get me to KM too early.  Also,  in 
>the south, distances between water resources dictates mileage on several  
>occasions.  I also wouldn't want to start in mid May because I'm not  particualry 
>fond of the heat.
> 
>It's easy to say you want to hikers to spread out, to go clumpless, but  when 
>a hikers  planning it doesn't always work that way, unless you  can pass and 
>stay ahead of the pack.  somewhere, sometime just abot  everyone is going to 
>be in the same area.
> 
>Sly
> 
> 
>
> 
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