[pct-l] Thru-hiking in 3 months?

[Ellen Shopes]

Record-keeping is a very small part of statistic -gathering.  For example, 
while knowing who did the trail the fastest is interesting, it may be far 
more interesting to more people to know how many who start are successful in 
completing a thru hike, or what the average amount of water carried in the 
dry sections was.  Or what the average pack weighed (or the average 
thru-hiker!).  What was the average amount of weight lost, or number of rest 
days needed, etc.  It is relevant and important to keep track of the 
statistics for this trail, and I applaud Ed's efforts.  I would be intersted 
in this process continuing (although there should be a system in place to 
facilitate it).
Elderly Ellen

>
>
>>I freely admit to not being a fan or advocate of record keeping, though I
>> know it's an opposite view from many (not the first time I've gone 
>> against
>> conventional thinking, and won't be the last).
>>
>> It's not so much the record keeping that I find troublesome, it's what
>> seems
>> to come with it, the comparisons, disputes, and loss of privacy for
>> hikers.
>> It becomes a horse race, with people betting on the side.  Suddenly the
>> gift
>> of being able to hike the trail becomes fodder for others' entertainment.
>> It
>> comes from a deep personal feeling that my hike is my hike, and I don't
>> want
>> it put under a microscope and commentated upon. It takes away, for me, 
>> the
>> very essence of the freedom of the trail.
>>
>> I know that, despite my view, it's inevitable that statistics will be 
>> kept
>> and monitored; it just seems innate in human nature to do so. Some people
>> revel in this type of attention, but I know from experience (over 3,000
>> hikers and counting) that not everyone shares that sentiment.
>>
>> There's just so few places to escape and find yourself alone, Being
>> "staticized" isn't part of my hopes and dreams for my hikes, and I have
>> the
>> same respect for others wishes for privacy.
>>
>> L-Rod
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net 
>> [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
>> On Behalf Of ed faubert
>> Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 8:37 PM
>> To: diane at santabarbarahikes.com; pct-l at backcountry.net
>> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Thru-hiking in 3 months?
>>
>> Meadow Ed here....
>> Years ago when i was the PCT statistion of records i was aware of many
>> folks
>> who would indeed start in early June a few 100 miles up the trail then
>> indeed come back and finish this section last.  It was an amazing fact of
>> trail lore that often the last person who left Mexico would end up being
>> in
>> the top of the list of finishers. i ran into a guy call ed agnew at
>> messenger flats in early june who was #3 to Canada that year. He had just
>> gotten out of the Navy and was doing 30 mile days on day 1......These
>> folks
>> tend to not take no days off as in most cases they are alone out there 
>> and
>> have their nose to the trail....Many folks have compleated the trail in
>> 100
>> days or less,  thats 27 miles a day for 100 days and you can increase 
>> that
>> milage quite a bit by the time you reach Shasta.  so yes its doable and
>> lots
>> of folks have done it in 90/100 days but again its putting your nose to
>> the
>> trail every day and not many days off.
>>
>> Too bad some many folks out there was opposed to this record keeping and
>> that no one has continued this.  The last few years we see more of an
>> interest in rekindling this record keeping and maby someone will step up
>> to
>> the plate. I think the people who were opposed to this have to see the
>> value
>> of this information for future hikers........ if not then its their
>> problem........
>>
>> Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com wrote:
>>> On Nov 18, 2008, at 6:15 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>>>> Thru-hiking in 3 months?
>>> You'll find So Cal very uncomfortable (hot and dry) starting in mid-
>>> June. Why not just start at Kennedy Meadows? That's when the herd'll
>>> be there. Or start at Tehachapi so you get a taste of the desert
>>> before hitting the Sierras. You can always do So Cal some other time,
>>> even at the end if you get all the way to Canada.
>>> Piper
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
>>
>>
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