[pct-l] The parental aspect of hiking

[gwschenk at socal.rr.com]

At age 15 Muir Dawson participated in the First Ascent of the East Face of Mt. Whitney, his parents weren't along. At 16 he was an outings leader for the Rock Climbing Section of the Sierra Club.

YMMV


---- Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com <diane at santabarbarahikes.com> wrote: 

> 
> Last year I hiked a couple of times with a guy who was 17 years old.  
> When he told me, I couldn't believe it. He seemed a lot older. I  
> think the trail matures people. He had already done the AT, too, when  
> he was 16. He hiked both these trails without bringing friends.
> 
> I noticed that other people along the trail felt somewhat protective  
> of him. At the same time we recognized his expertise and considered  
> him a peer.
> 
> I think that if someone is in their late teens and wants to do the  
> trail, it would be better if they did not go with friends from home.  
> With friends from home they would be more likely to behave  
> immaturely. But alone (alone means you hike with people you meet on  
> the way) people will tend to conform to the expectations and behavior  
> of the community of the trail. When a 17 year old kid helps a 43 year  
> old lady hike a scary mountain pass, he's not going to act like a 17  
> year old kid.
> 
> I'm not a parent, never have been, never will be, so I don't have the  
> same kinds of parental fears as other people. I also remember  
> exploring my neighborhood unattended by adults at the age of 5, so I  
> did not grow up in the current culture of fear. I think the trail is  
> an amazing experience that can only benefit someone of that age.
> 
> I might suggest that you hike the trail nobo so that you can be more  
> a part of the people of the trail. It might help your parent's  
> concerns, too.
> 
> Diane
> 
> 
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