[pct-l] The peanut butter & tortilla diet

Sat Feb 21 00:30:33 CST 2009

In 2007 I think Dozen told me he was eating nothing but peanut butter and 
tortillas when I ran into him near Trout Lake in Washington.
He was picking wild huckleberries and smashing them into his peanut butter.

I think this was just a temporary condition though.

Lightweight Backpacking
The fun goes up when the weight goes down
-Warner Springs Monty

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com>
To: <whcrs4543 at aol.com>
Cc: "PCT MailingList" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 10:15 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] The peanut butter & tortilla diet

> Hi, Don!
>
> We're all novices just feeling our way up the trail!  I'm putting my reply 
> out to the L so that someone might remember the vein that talked about 
> eating nothing but peanut butter and tortillas. I believe it was actually 
> done.
>
> Anybody recall this topic?
>
> Mtnned
>  ----- Original Message ----- 
>  From: whcrs4543 at aol.com
>  To: ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com
>  Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 9:44 PM
>  Subject: Re: [pct-l] Foot stretch or not?
>
>
>  Hi Monte,
>
>
>  I'm a total novice compared to all you guys! I'm learning so much just 
> following the chatter.
>
>
>  Have you actually talked to someone who ate nothing but peanut butter on 
> trail ? Sounds possible....for short periods, anyway.
>
>
>  You going to the big KO in 8 weeks?
>
>
>  Don
>
>
>  -----Original Message-----
>  From: ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com
>  To: montypct <montypct at gmail.com>; Ikem Freeman <ikem.freeman at gmail.com>; 
> pct-l at backcountry.net
>  Sent: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 9:40 pm
>  Subject: Re: [pct-l] Foot stretch or not?
>
>
> Monte,
>
> I routinely carry about 65 pounds over a two week stretch. I walk fast and
> relaxed and pound down the trail (gear down for the uphills!). My feet 
> have
> never spread. Is it genetic? As you guessed, I use the heaviest leather
> stompers I can find. Mine have lasted me 25 years and are still going
> great-replace the Vibram soles once in a while....
>
> I have tried trail runners. I used to use them every day about town and on
> trail. Then one day I totally twisted my ankle to where it was black and
> blue because my ankles were no longer supported and I never went back.
>
> One of the most important activities an aspiring hiker can do to prepare 
> for
> their thru hike is to personally test for themselves all the advise and
> current notions offered in hiking circles. As others have said, what works
> for one may not work for you. You need to find out by trial and error what
> works for you, whether it be no stove, only eating peanut butter, trail
> runners, a tarp, or going off the trail to town for resupplies every 3 to 
> 6
> days. You've got to know why you're out there, your motivations and
> aspirations, or you may not be out there for long.
>
> The trail can be a trial where everyone comes out the other end a little
> differently than they went in!
>
> Mtnned
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "montypct" <montypct at gmail.com>
> To: <ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com>; "Ikem Freeman"
> <ikem.freeman at gmail.com>; <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 9:09 PM
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Trail Running Shoes
>
>
>>> So is it the advise that leads to the purchase of runners too big which
>>> allows the feet to spread both ways?
>>
>> Hi Ned
>>
>> To keep it simple?
>> I'm pretty sure it's the weight of the body over a long hiking day that
>> spreads the feet out.
>>
>> That would be some heavy advise otherwise if it could change the shape of
>> feet..
>>
>> I take it you aren't going to give trail runners a try.  :)
>> A lot of us have tried both.
>>
>> monty
>>
>>
>> Lightweight Backpacking
>> The fun goes up when the weight goes down
>> -Warner Springs Monty
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: <ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com>
>> To: "Ikem Freeman" <ikem.freeman at gmail.com>; <pct-l at backcountry.net>
>> Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 8:52 PM
>> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Trail Running Shoes
>>
>>
>>> Sofar,
>>>
>>> Now there's another concept that doesn't fit with my experiences along
>>> the
>>> Crest and Divide and 45 years of carrying a heavy pack,
>>> my feet haven't changed a half-size in all those years! But, then, I
>>> chose
>>> not to hike in 'runners.
>>>
>>>
>>> Mtnned
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: "Ikem Freeman" <ikem.freeman at gmail.com>
>>> To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
>>> Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 8:28 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Trail Running Shoes
>>>
>>>
>>>> Great re-cap, Brian.
>>>>
>>>> One more very important point ... plan on the size of your foot to get
>>>> wider
>>>> and longer as you go.
>>>>
>>>> Before I started my 08 hike, I wore size 10.5 USA. My first pair of
>>>> Montrails were size 11.5, and my second were size 13 ( I got them at 
>>>> the
>>>> 1,000 mile mark, near Bridgeport, CA.) and they fit really good.
>>>> O. Ikem Sofar
>>>> On Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 8:20 PM, Brian Lewis <brianle8 at gmail.com> 
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> As a side note, all of this stuff gets talked about again and again,
>>>>> here, and on various forums, such as http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum,
>>>>> or http://www.backcountryforum.com/ or
>>>>> http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/  ...
>>>>> As another side note, the only way to decide what's right for you is
>>>>> to try out most likely solutions; I don't propose what works for me
>>>>> personally as the one, true and universal solution, and suggest that
>>>>> you be skeptical of anyone that does.
>>>>>
>>>>> The issue of goretex shoes is one that like so many things is a matter
>>>>> of personal preference (and opinion ...).  The anti-goretex camp says
>>>>> that they take longer to dry out, and in stream crossings, wet snow,
>>>>> or continuous rain, they *will* get wet.   I'm in this camp, and per
>>>>> previous, use goretex socks if I want the benefits of goretex.   I had
>>>>> a pair of goretex shoes once that fairly quickly developed holes,
>>>>> which IMO made them a bit like having a screen door on a submarine ...
>>>>> water gets in, but has a harder time getting back out.    Of course
>>>>> not everyone agrees with this viewpoint.
>>>>>
>>>>> Ken Powers already gave IMO a great response to the long list 'o
>>>>> things-that-are-to-feared about trail runners.  My take:
>>>>>
>>>>> Slip and Falls - no
>>>>>
>>>>> Frostbite - not even close. Trail runners worked better in snow than I
>>>>> had expected, you get used to it
>>>>>
>>>>> too many rocks in the shoes - depends on the shoe (or boot), and
>>>>> whether you use gaiters, and whether your shoes develop holes ...
>>>>> bottom line, not a big issue for me, and my shoes develop holes faster
>>>>> than most.
>>>>>
>>>>> Plantar Fasciitis - I did have a mild case of this before starting on
>>>>> the trail, but got custom orthodics.  Yes, a shoe with a firmer sole
>>>>> might help here (?), but didn't turn out to be a problem for me.
>>>>>
>>>>> Achilles Tendonitis - no
>>>>>
>>>>> ripped or torn uppers- somewhat, but so what?  I used the infamous
>>>>> Golite shoes, and they developed holes along the way, but I still got
>>>>> 500+ miles per pair.
>>>>>
>>>>> sole separations/delaminations - Never had this, but I don't try to
>>>>> get thousands of miles on a single pair (as some people do try to)
>>>>>
>>>>> Sprained/Strained Ankles/Tendons - no.  Some people feel that boots
>>>>> are important to support the ankle, some (Jardine) feel that boots
>>>>> enable a person to keep hiking despite weak ankles. Dunno, I guess my
>>>>> ankles are fairly strong, never an issue for me.  As Ken said, keep
>>>>> your base weight within reason, plus you will indeed really strengthen
>>>>> all the associated muscles, etc over time.
>>>>>
>>>>> jammed toes from soft uppers - no.  Note that thru-hikers tend to get
>>>>> shoes one or more sizes too big; with so much leeway, it's not likely
>>>>> a problem, unless you're fearing something falling on top of the toe
>>>>> area (?).  I never had a problem with that either.
>>>>>
>>>>> numerous blisters from too roomy a shoe - No.  Like many people (boots
>>>>> or shoes), I had some blisters early on, and as someone else pointed
>>>>> out, your feet toughen up as you walk.  At some point it feels like
>>>>> you have hooves rather than feet, nothing seems to bother them.
>>>>> I'm of the opinion that non-waterproof shoes, ones that breathe very
>>>>> well (quick to get wet, but quick also to dry out) are ideal, less
>>>>> prone to blisters than boots that create a closed-in moist
>>>>> environment.  Of course, sandal advocates likely look at my shoes in
>>>>> the same way that I look at boots!  :-)
>>>>>
>>>>> Bottom line is --- try it.   Find some local snow if you can, bring
>>>>> spare socks, find some reasonably challenging terrain. Decide for
>>>>> yourself if the lower weight and/or better ventilation make shoes the
>>>>> right approach for you.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Brian Lewis / Gadget '08
>>>>> http://postholer.com/brianle
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>  Pct-l mailing list
>>>>> Pct-l at backcountry.net
>>>>> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>>>>>
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