[pct-l] This records business (was Re: (no subject))

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

The whole thing about setting records kind of bothers me a little  
bit, just like the whole concept of the "unfinished" or "failed" hike  
bothers me.

I met people along the way who knew about Scott and his record  
setting and wanted to know where I stood in the pack. Was I in the  
top 40? Huh? I'm just out for a hike. I don't care where I am among  
the others. When did it become a race?

Others had heard about him and thought the trail could simply be  
reduced to an ultramarathon. They felt sure they could run the whole  
thing too, and that I ought to be able to as well if I did things the  
ultramarathon way. They'd offer me suggestions for "nutrition", which  
usually meant powders and horrid things in wrappers that surely would  
"boost my performance". I don't know about you but a couple of months  
on the trail and I wanted to eat things that grew on trees not things  
that were extruded into wrappers. And after a couple of months I  
wanted the hike to take longer so I wouldn't get there so quickly  
(although I failed miserably at slowing myself down). If someone  
wants to hike like it's an ultramarathon that's fine for them but it  
wasn't the experience I was after.

Neither was it to hike all the way to Canada. I didn't fail to reach  
the goal. I wasn't among the 300 people who set out every year toward  
Canada but don't make it. I wanted to leave a little bit of the trail  
left for later. Not going all the way is not failing. I hiked a great  
hike and will do the rest some day. Or maybe I'll start over. Or  
maybe for the rest of my life I'll only hike from Mexico to Ashland  
and never go further than that. The Southern California section was  
the best part anyway.

Anyway, I just wanted to complain a little. It shouldn't matter to me  
much what people think, but reducing the trail to a race seemed to  
reduce the trail's incredible size and spiritual dimensions to a fun  
run and just made it tedious to talk to people about it at times.  
Kind of like how the wilderness has shrunk to just tiny bits here and  
there still with the mark of Man all over the place.

I hope Scott succeeds in his quest and I think what he's done,  
whether or not he did portions of it badly, is an incredible thing.

Diane

On Aug 6, 2008, at 12:49 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>
>
> jomike at cot.net wrote:
>> "what's the problem??"   ...Others didn't have the chance to do the
>> same, i.e.,unlevel playing field.
>
> That is the nature of the trail. It is an unlevel playing field. Oh
> well. Most of the throughs this year had to road walk between Pines to
> Palms Highway and Devil Slide trail. Some have had to deal with more
> snow than others.
>
> I don't know how much we should be concerned about it. Nobody is  
> keeping
> track of records. I am sure that Scott and Joe are doing this for
> themselves, and not to have anything recorded in any kind of record
> book. Whether it is "official" or not, Scott and Joe are hiking their
> own hike.
>
> If Scott and Joe got permission to hike through the closed area, then
> they didn't break any laws, so we don't even have to worry about what
> kind of example they are setting for other throughs.
>
> They set a goal for themselves, and I hope they make it. And that is
> key, isn't it? They set a goal for THEMSELVES. The only reason it
> matters to any of us is that they have become very visible in the
> through hiking community. Otherwise it shouldn't matter to us. It is
> their hike.
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> I know records don't matter much?to this community. We hike our own  
> hikes and
> we understand the trail is a different place from year to year and  
> even from
> day to day (reroutes, weather, fires ect ect). We do this for fun,  
> fitness,
> spirituality, the challenge, and the lifestyle.
> I do think it matters to the 'outside world'. Some people try to  
> (and do)?make a living
> out of hiking. Many of them seek sponsorship from various companies  
> in the
> industry. Being able to say "I am the PCT thru-hiking record holder  
> for fastest
> time" makes a huge difference in the ability to secure sponsorship,  
> do more hikes
> in the future, and in ones general ability to promote yourself and  
> make a living
> through hiking.
> I have absolutly no idea that this is anyone in particulars  
> intention in setting a
> record this year. I am just offering up one way in which "records"  
> do matter.