[pct-l] Wannabe Solo Female Hikers/Tent

[Edward Anderson]

Hello Steel-Eye,
 
My first long backpacking trip was in the Sierra. Three of us went for 18 days.  The year was 1953.  I was a high school junior. On that first trip I had no tent, sleeping pad or air mattress. We dug "hip holes" and lined them with pine or fir needles. I had only a tarp to use as a ground cloth.  We slept under the sky.  When, in 1959, I got a wife and we got air mattresses and a tent.  I could no longer see the sky or look all around.  On my PCT ride I found a compromise in a one-man tent ( a Hubba by MSR ) that is simply insect netting with a rainfly. I rarely needed to use the rainfly.  I could star-gaze and could look all around and be able to see my horse - who was always highlined nearby.  I do like having the insect netting to keep the critters out.
 
MendoRider

--- On Sun, 5/2/10, CHUCK CHELIN <steeleye at wildblue.net> wrote:


From: CHUCK CHELIN <steeleye at wildblue.net>
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Wannabe Solo Female Hikers
To: "Sherry Smith" <sherry_s1954 at yahoo.com>
Cc: Pct-l at backcountry.net
Date: Sunday, May 2, 2010, 1:35 PM


Good morning, Sherry,

I’m often amazed at what people fear.  One hiker I met wasn’t afraid of
sleeping out alone, or of bears, cougars or rattlesnakes.  He was afraid of
being the first one out on the trail in the morning.  He got up early, and
then fussed around in camp until he saw some other hikers on the trail.  His
problem?  Spiders.  Very often during the night some little spiders will
stretch webs across the trail, many of them about face level.  If you see
hikers flailing their hiking poles about madly in the morning you can bet
they object to eating spider webs.



We all have our own demons to battle.



Steel-Eye

Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09


On Sat, May 1, 2010 at 2:23 PM, Sherry Smith <sherry_s1954 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> I am a 55 yr old woman who is planning on hiking the Oregon section of the
> PCT come mid July.  I have been out solo camping, with only a tarp for
> shelter.  (It poured and I remained quite dry). I wake several times a night
> and scan the horizon- so to speak, and then I drift back off to sleep (I am
> sooo hoping this will diminish with time).
> I hadn't realized that I would feel so vulnerable with my head exposed.
>  The first two times I tarp tented I slept side to side instead of end to
> end (I hope that makes sense).  Consequently neither my feet or head were
> exposed. I do feel more vulnerable in a campground than I do out alone in
> the forest.  A week ago I was out tarp tenting and had the dubious honor of
> a pica running over my head while I was asleep. (I had covered my head with
> a small blanket to keep it warm.  I imagine I scared the pica as much as it
> scared me).  I huddled down in my mummy bag for about 45 minutes before I
> realized just how silly that was.  (How is this for a good laugh, I had been
> texting my son earlier.  I told him that when I died I wanted my kids to
> look back and think:  that was my mom, she wasn't afraid of anything).   If
> I was going to let a little rodent scare me then how in the heck was I gonna
> walk the PCT?!?.  I finally came out and told the thing it could have
>  free run of my tarp tent, just PLEASE stay off my head.  I spent another
> two nights and everything was fine.
> I am working up to camping without a tarp.  I would love to be able to fall
> asleep watching the stars.  Weather permitting, of course. I would love to
> be able to wake up to a deer eating near me, or a rabbit, etc.  Well, maybe
> not a bear.  lol
> I read all the emails I can and I have learned so much, as well as some
> very good laughs (at the joking).
>
> Sherry
>
>
>
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