[pct-l] To those dragging babies along while thru hiking

[dnlcyclone at aol.com]

Unbelievable.  I shouldn't be trusted with a child, because I want to take a child backpacking?  I am not a cliff jumper.  I am not a skydiver.  I am not a rock climber.  I do not drive motorcycles.  I don't skateboard.  I don't even go ice skating.  I am not a stunt man or a monumental risk taker.  It baffles the mind how people insinuate that you are putting your child at risk by going into the backcountry.  I'm sure I don't need to pull the stats for you on per capita automobile accidents on the myriad roads in this country.  My wife and I will not put our child in danger.  You are infinitely more at risk putting your child in a car seat in a vehicle on a freeway than you are fording a river.  Believe me, if a river's too deep to ford, we won't do it.  Bottom line.  I love how people think that we would do this without the utmost preparation.  Trust me, there will not be a creek or river that we will not anticipate on this entire trip.  No stone will be left unturned.  Will there be obstacles and surprises.  Definitely.  Am I going to rapell down the side of a mountain with my child cinched up with some bungee cord and a carrabiner?  No.  We are not "playing."  We are living.  And we are making a choice that our child can live right along with us.  I am a teacher, a coach and a PCA, and I have never endangered any of the children entrusted to my care in the ten plus years I have been an educator.  I would also like to say that people in our community and the outdoor community have largely been extremely enthusiastic about our attempt.  I don't know if you've read the book "Zero Days," by Barbara Egbert, but she and her husband thru-hiked the PCT when their daughter was 10.  Yes, she was more self-sufficient, but I would be much more afraid of fording a river with a short ten year old, than with a 16 month old strapped securely to my back in a sturdy, well made backpack.  If the challenge of completing the PCT in 2011 were to present a serious risk, we won't take it.  But we are preparing right now to ensure that we will be as ready as possible.  I encourage all feedback, but will not be bullied into believing that I need to be reported to Child Protection Services because I want to share the wilderness with my child.  By the way, in days of yore (i.e. before cars, roads, etc.), people actually walked with their children.  There are in fact people who still do.  


Cheers,


David Liechty 







 
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