[pct-l] Fit for a thru-hike?
jeff.singewald at comcast.net
jeff.singewald at comcast.net
Thu Feb 4 17:38:26 CST 2010
Come on Ned, admit it, it is still somewhat enjoyable (ok make that commical) to read about those poor souls who toss their packs on the ground in the first 50 miles and make the call home intending to never set foot on the trail again. I admit it's a bit evil to say this, but I still get a laugh as it seems to happen at least once or twice every year.
Some people enjoy planning an preparation and some people prefer to wing it from the start. So many of us on this list are quick to use that cliche, HYOH, but, then we want to tell people how they should be planning and preparing. Seems like we want to pick and choose when and how we should HYOH.
Personally, I am on the side of significant preparation and planning. In 2006, there was not a piece of gear on my back that did not have a significant amount of mileage and trial and error. Up until the plethora of water caches were placed on the trail, there were even more constraints that dictated the early 20s. Looking back in the archives from 2004 and 2005, the advise and recommendations were to plan to cover the Campo to Warner Springs leg in 5.5 - 6 days due to the distance between water availability. So, in 2006 I set my planning and prep on this assumption and my pre-hike prep included twice weekly 20 mile hikes with fully loaded pack AND 3 consecutive 20+ mile days with a fully loaded pack. Personally, I wanted to know that my body and gear would handle this in advance of hitting the trail.
But, I understand this is not for everyone and many folks (seems like a greater percentage of the younger crowd) prefer to take the other approach and "learn as you go". Maybe this is perceived as more of an adventure, maybe it is laziness, maybe it is a last minute decision to hike, but more likely it is simply a lack of disire to spend the time and effort to prepare.
I am not certain there is sufficient evidence over the past 10 years to correlate dropping out with a lack of fitness or preparation. Some people drop because of injury (I think it was Pink Gumby that got stung by a bee in the first 40 miles, wasn't it?) and others drop out because the trail did not live up to their expecation of adventure. There are many reasons.
I have said this before but the definition of a thru-hike for many is no longer completing the full trail, but living the thru-hike lifestyle and that is what many folks want to experience so they call it a thru-hike. It's not for everyone, so I wonder why some folks want to advise folks on how to hike their hike a certain way. As long as one can say when they leave the trail that "I hiked MY hike" that is what this adventure is all about, right? ProDeal taught me a valuable lesson about this in 2006 and I greatly appreciate this.
Elevator
----- Original Message -----
From: ned at mountaineducation.org
To: "Swope Christopher" <sswwooppee at gmail.com>, "pct-L backcountry.net" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Thursday, February 4, 2010 3:08:20 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Fit for a thru-hike?
How do you know if you're ready for anything? You practice the thing you're
going to do until you can perform it with satisfaction.
Translated to the trail: If you plan on hiking straight out of the gates
with pack on at 20mpd, then you'd better be able to do that before you drive
to the border.
Now, everyone's different. Some don't have to assure themselves of this
because they know themselves well enough. They have done 3-week hikes
straight from a sea-level pre-hike training program and they didn't even get
a blister. Some are in such good shape anyway because they spend their
weekends hiking that they know the starting expectations won't kill them.
Others may not care, choosing to "wing it" and find out day-one what their
body's capable of or not.
Certainly, "To Each His Own" and HYOH, but if you want to avoid some of the
physical trials and strains experienced in the first few weeks of a thru
hike far from home, train with your loaded pack on your back on trails and
in conditions expected at the beginning of the PCT, whichever end you're
starting from. If you can enjoy without injury the daily mileage you expect
to do, then you're ready to go!
Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
South Lake Tahoe, Ca.
P: 888-996-8333
F: 530-541-1456
C: 530-721-1551
http://www.mountaineducation.org
----- Original Message -----
From: "Swope Christopher" <sswwooppee at gmail.com>
To: "pct-L backcountry.net" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Thursday, February 04, 2010 2:50 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Fit for a thru-hike?
> I've never attempted a thru hike before, so I've had to do a lot of
> reading about what I do to prepare for one.
>
> I've read what seems like hundreds of threads about the merits of
> being "in shape" on day one, as well as that it's not as important as
> some claim it is.
>
> What I can't remember ever seeing is some kind of a rough baseline by
> which to judge whether I'm "in shape" or not.
>
> What do you grizzled PCT vets consider to be "in shape" enough to
> start a PCT thru hike? How do you come to the judgement that you're
> ready?
>
> Does one have to be able leap Mt. San Jacinto in a single bound or is
> it; be able to string together 17+ mile days indefinitely?
>
> What's your standard, and what is THE standard, as you perceive it?
>
> What would you consider signs of definitely NOT ready? (the answer to
> this question will probably be much funnier)
>
> Thanks,
>
> Swope
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Feb 4, 2010, at 4:14 PM, <ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com>
> <ned at pacificcrestcustombuilders.com
> > wrote:
>
>> Hi, Paul,
>>
>> If a hiker dreams of hiking 2650 miles, you'd think that they'd
>> start in as
>> best a physical fitness as they possibly could, being informed that
>> if they
>> don't and get hurt, they'll have to quit, wasting all that planning,
>> preparation, and expense. We are in equal agreement with you that
>> we, too,
>> want everyone's dream to be realized and more. That's why we offer
>> our snow
>> skills training courses for free--to help them overcome the
>> challenges of
>> the trail by learning about them first-hand, on the snow, with an
>> instructor, so they'll be ready to use the skill when the need
>> demands it.
>> We want everyone to come out the other end with a new sense of
>> completion,
>> confidence, and knowledge of who they are and what they want out of
>> life,
>> and these are just some of the benefits of long trail hiking.
>>
>> There's nothing wrong with starting with the herd or being social
>> along the
>> trail. But if you let another person's speed dictate your's when
>> your body's
>> not up for it, you're asking for trouble. So, do as Paul pleads and
>> get in
>> shape for hiking before your trip starts! If you can't do or don't
>> want to
>> do 20+ miles a day straight out of the gates, then lengthen your
>> trail time
>> by starting earlier. So you run into a little snow, maybe? Are you
>> so purely
>> a summer hiker that you won't even prepare for it? Snow can fall in
>> the
>> Sierra any month of the year.
>>
>>
>> Ned Tibbits, Director
>> Mountain Education
>> South Lake Tahoe, Ca.
>> P: 888-996-8333
>> F: 530-541-1456
>> C: 530-721-1551
>> http://www.mountaineducation.org
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Paul Bodnar" <paulbodnar at hotmail.com>
>> To: "pct-L backcountry.net" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
>> Sent: Thursday, February 04, 2010 12:32 PM
>> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Fit for a thru-hike?
>>
>>
>>>
>>> Ned,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> My research shows that most hikers start the PCT at the Kick Off or
>>> the
>>> last weekend of April. I don't see this changing in 2010. Most
>>> people
>>> want to travel in a herd, it is typical animal and human behavior.
>>> Because of this most people will probably start close to the last
>>> week of
>>> April. This limits the time window to about 5 months for the
>>> majority
>>> (more like 90+%) of thru-hikers (see link below for statistical
>>> data).
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> My primary goal is to increase the success rate of thru-hikers
>>> completing
>>> the entire PCT. Because of this I can not endorse starting the PCT
>>> out of
>>> shape.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I have fallen victim to my own laziness and I admittied this to the
>>> list
>>> to encourage myself and others to get in shape for this PCT thru-
>>> hike.
>>> This trail is not a joke, it will eliminate about 60% of the thru-
>>> hikers
>>> if they follow the same trend they did last year. I don't want
>>> that to
>>> happen. I want every thru-hiker to finish.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Getting into shape before your hike is the right thing to do. Not
>>> only for
>>> the hike but for your health. Everyone knows this, but again here
>>> comes
>>> the excuses....
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Paul
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> 2009 PCT Migration Pattern
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> http://hikethru.com/about-the-pct/pct-hiker-migration
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> 2009 PCT Success Rate
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> http://hikethru.com/about-the-pct/thru-hike-success-rate
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> Paul,
>>>>
>>>> Your math is good, but presumes an average start date. What if
>>>> hikers
>>>> start
>>>> "early?" Wouldn't they, then, have more time to go slower at first,
>>>> speeding
>>>> up to their own desired daily mileage to pull in before the snow
>>>> flies in
>>>> Manning as they get stronger?
>>>>
>>>>
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>>
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