[pct-l] ADZPCTKO: how it used to be

[Roger Carpenter]

I thru-hiked the PCT in 1996, pre-ADZPCTKO.  My start date was May 8 and I
met my first fellow thru-hiker in Idyllwild, and that was in town, not the
trail!  It wasn't until Wrightwood when I started seeing more hikers
consistently and even then it was in small groups.  I loved solitude and by
the time I started meeting other hikers I was ready for their companionship
on the trail.

If I were starting a thru-hike these days I would avoid the herd to the
greatest extend possible.  I cannot imaging starting a beautiful journey
with so many people.  But I did attend the ADZPCTKO in 2006 as a non-hiker
and I found it to be inspiring and fun.  The event is well run and and the
people who volunteer to organize it, feed everyone and clean up afterwards
are very dedicated.

If starting a thru-hike this year and I had the extra time I would attend
the ADZPCTKO and get a ride to Idyllwild after it's over, camp out in the
campground near town, do some training hikes up San Jacinto for a week and
drink beer every evening.  Before getting on the PCT I might even go to San
Diego and catch a Padres game.  On May 8 I would get myself to Campo and
start my thru-hike.  By then the number of hikers starting will be
tolerable.  I would forget the party scene and hike like a madman.   I would
increase my mileage gradually and start doing 30 miles days in the Piutes
between Agua Dulce and Walker Pass.  In K-Meadows I would probably start
catching up to many the folks who started in late April.  I would avoid the
herd but meet the rest of the thru-hikers on my terms and not on the
ADZPCTKO schedule.

L-Rod's concerns about the herd are real and should be listened to.  But I
also think the ADZPCTKO is fun.  Be creative and find a way to have the best
of both worlds!  It may be your only chance to thru-hike the PCT on your
terms!
Roger Carpenter
Vancouver, Washington
www.elkpass.com

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/attachments/20080228/c5bf5ad4/attachment.html