[pct-l] Rude behavior in Warner Springs

[Donna Saufley]

I have to agree, and I know that there are many others, including some of
the PCT's most famous denizens, who also share your view. 

L-Rod 

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of Matt Geis
Sent: Friday, May 02, 2008 10:09 AM
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Rude behavior in Warner Springs

Solutions?  Here's a 'modest proposal'

Remove the water caches.  There's enough water to do the hike without them.
Sure, you might have to go off trail a mile or two, or take an alternate
route.  You might have to hike at night (hello, it is the desert, after
all).  You might have to get up early, or take a break, or go slowly to not
burn through your water, or actually (gasp) CARRY WATER A LONG DISTANCE.
You might even have to take a zero on the trail once you do get to a good
water source, just to recover.  It's really not that hard or that big a
deal.

However, removing caches (and WIDELY announcing that there will be no
caches) will reduce the number of thru-hikers to a smaller group of folks
who are...

a.  prepared
b.  up for a challenge
c.  grateful when they do get a little help

There are a lot more hikers this year than 5 or ten years (or more) ago,
which means there's a lot more GREAT people on the trail.  However, there's
also a lot more people who feel that the hike should be easy, that they
should be catered to, that they have some sort of *right* to trail magic
(despite the fact that it's not trail magic if you expect it and are waiting
or even depending on it).

Of course, getting rid of the kickoff, the artificial "start day", and the
herd would probably help too

While my idea above is only halfway serious, if something isn't done (like
addressing the herd created by the kickoff), at some point the situation is
going to get bad enough to motivate someone go poke holes in water
containers to find out how many non-hackers they can send home by forcing
them to rely on their wits, their maps, and their common sense to make it
through the desert on their own.

Iron Chef



 
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