[pct-l] Too much spare time - part 2

[Brian Lewis]

Patti wrote:           "hmmm...seems to me that all the females are on my
side...
           WE ARE WOman!!?? LOL Maybe that's why we prefer to plan...."


Hi Patti.  I don't think it's so much gender based as personality type.  I
planned a great deal and sort of agree with the Eisenhauer quote.   There's
an on-going tension, I think, between those that plan a lot and those that
don't plan much.  Some members of the latter group claim that planners
aren't good at adjusting to changes.   I used to think that was rubbish,
that being more prepared doesn't inherently make you unable to adjust, and I
still sort of think that way.   I think their point is that the better you
are at planning, the more you come to expect that your plans will work out,
and thus --- ironically --- the better a person is at planning, over time
the worse that person could be equipped emotionally and/or mentally to
adjust on-the-fly.

The best thing, IMO, is the person that does the right amount of planning,
while still retaining flexibility.   A lot of planning things that I did
made little or no difference, but a lot of them did help.   I would say to
anyone inclined to plan more --- and who perhaps enjoys the planning process
--- to go for it, plan as much as makes sense to you.   I scripted my first
three trail days --- didn't even stick to that script, but I had made a
reservation at Mt. Laguna motel (nice to have when starting with the herd)
and I stuck with that.    I had a big spreadsheet printout on a wall in my
basement that my wife could consult to ensure she mailed me the right box to
the right place at the right time.  I planned to swap out gear at the start
and end of the Sierras, and that more or less worked out as planned.  I had
a lot of data along with me (on my smartphone) that occasionally helped,
such as the zip code to a particular trail town or the phone number to a
particular motel, though Yogi's book handles most of that quite well.
Part of the benefit of planning was internalizing a lot of PCT-related data
that was all new to me.  Part of it was confidence that I had prepared for
what I reasonably could, and could thus relax a bit more as a result.

Assuming all the basics are in place, I think the biggest advantage that
advance planners have is the chance to do some meaningful shakedown trips
beforehand (perhaps 100 to 200 mile solo trips), to try out gear and
associated hiking style issues to have a better idea of what works best for
them.  I did a number of shakedown trips in '07 in prep for '08, and they
helped me a lot.  In particular, I found and dealt with some foot issues
that might have sidelined me if I'd found them first on the thru-hike
itself, and I did some gear adjustments, verified that my bear can carrying
plan would work, tried out different trail food options, etc.

Best wishes for a happy planning process!


Brian Lewis / Gadget '08
http://postholer.com/brianle