[pct-l] Fwd: Sorta OT - Reaction to Abby Sunderland's Rescue

[jktibbits at aol.com]

My husband hiked the PCT when he was barely 17... He began his planning when he was 14. He contacted sponsors, some who are with him to this today. This was in 1974 when the trail was not completed. He had to contact all the Forest Services for maps. He didn't have a trail angel nor a father to support him (his father died when he was 12).. He did it all on his own! He had a passion for the mountains since he was a small  boy and  has been skiing since he was two. I can't say that all young adults have the same passion but Ned did. As for Abby, she too had a passion for the sea! She and Ned are the exception. There are those young adults who are uniquely called to follow their quest. Neither Ned nor Abby went into the wilderness for others but for the quest that was deep within their soul and spirit. When I asked Ned's mother why she let him go on the hike at such a young  age her reply was, "How can I stop him, he was driven to complete this adventure." He graduated high school early with a GPA of 3.85 and missed his high school graduation just to he on PCT. After the hike he went to UC Davis and also graduated early to hike the CDT and bicycle tour 5000 miles in Europe. There are certain young adults driven to complete journeys. We as adults need to acknowledge the difference between a whim and a passion.

-----Original Message----- 
From: G L <pctair at yahoo.com>
To: pct-l <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Sun, Jun 13, 2010 1:43 pm
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Sorta OT - Reaction to Abby Sunderland's Rescue


Well it's simple.  You're right, and he's wrong.
As Abby herself said quite rightly, her age had nothing to do with the storm and 
r the wave that broke her mast.
Whenever I have conversations with non-hikers about some of my trips, the 
eaction I usually get is shock. "Don't you take a gun?"  "Aren't you worried 
bout crazy people out there?"  I'm sure you've all heard the comments.
And when I point out there are quite a few women who hike the PCT solo too, some 
f them just shake their heads in disbelief.  So for you guys who think Abby 
houldn't be doing what she was doing, let me ask a question:  should we ban 
omen from the PCT too, because it's not safe for them?
The real question we should ask is whether she was prepared and experienced 
nough to undertake the task responsibly.  She was,  and that should be the end 
f it.  
By the way, her 17 year old brother did the same thing last year, didn't he?  
ow come nobody is freaking over that?  Sixteen year old Australian Jessica 
atson just finished sailing around the world last month, and nobody threw a 
issy fit over what she did.  The only difference between Jessica and Abby is 
hat Jessica had the good fortune of not having her mast broken by a wave.
Tell "him" to quit being such a girly man.  Life is about adventure.

________________________________
 In my household we disagree about this event. I say more power to her  
nd he says kids that age have no business doing something like that.
Does our upbringing have something to do with that? He had a nurse  
other who told him stories of kids coming in to the hospital  
uffering all kinds of horrible diseases and accidents. My mom was a  
0s feminist who dragged her daughters around the country with a tent  
railer which at that time was a brave thing for a woman to do  
ithout a man present.
Anyway, that girl who sailed looks to me like someone who can handle  
t. I wouldn't have even thought up something that adventurous at  
hat age. All I wanted then was a dark tan.
On Jun 13, 2010, at 9:16 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

 So by now moist everyone knows about Sutherland's rescue. There was  
 an article in the LA times about her reaction to people  
 condemnation of her age and the season she made the attempt.  
 Nothing really surprising until I started reading peoples comments.

 Take a look for yourselves at the LA Times Article:
 http://tinyurl.com/33mkznb

 My company is working on a project that has made me look at how  
 generation X and (even more so) the millennial generation are  
 abandoning experiencing nature. One of the more disturbing factors  
 is what I have come to call "The Fear" that people permeate in  
 discussions regarding experiences that occur out in natural. Also,  
 having just finished reading "Last Child in the Woods" as part of  
 my research for this project it was especially poignant for me to  
 read the comments from people about Abby's failed attempt.

 All of my context for my research has been related to why young  
 people are not hiking, camping, fishing, hunting or just playing in  
 the local woods anymore. But the response in the comments of this  
 article are also blatantly ripe with "The Fear" that parents are  
 now passing on to their kids.

 Our daughter was 15 when she spent her first summer working a pack  
 station in the central Sierras. My wife and I were not naive to the  
 unique dangers she would be exposed to working with large animals  
 over treacherous terrain but we were also certain it would be a  
 rewarding experience for her that would help shape her in a way  
 that High School could never do. I won't bother to go into all the  
 details but she is 21 now and by far the most grounded person I  
 have ever met in her age group.

 So were Abby's parents reckless in supporting her quest to  
 circumnavigate the world? You can guess my opinion, but I would  
 like to hear from a group of people of whom most are not influenced  
 by "the Fear".

 BigToe
Books I've written:
 Piper's Flight
 Adventure and Magic
 Santa Barbara Hikes
ttp://stores.lulu.com/dianesoini
We're not here for a long time, but we are here for a good time
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