[pct-l] Prepared for weather

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

You know, the more I hear about your ride the more amazing it sounds.  
Did you write a book? How long did it take you? If you kept a journal  
you should consider making a book on lulu.com. I bet people would  
love to read it.

Diane

On May 4, 2010, at 11:05 AM, Edward Anderson wrote:

> Diane,  This is another excellent post from you. In riding the PCT  
> I had to take many "alternate routes". I have called them detours.  
> To reach Fobes Saddle, for example, I was able to eventually find a  
> detour route, partially cross country, that ended up taking a day  
> and a half.. The obstacles were down trees that barely delayed my  
> hiker friends. I carried a saw but there was far too much to cut,  
> At other places I found shorter ways around down trees and boulders  
> and had to cut dozens of trees that the hikers could easily get  
> past. In other places I had to leave my horse in good care and  
> hitch ahead to get my trailer rig where I last parked it - then  
> load my horse and trailer around fire closed areas and, once again,  
> find someone to care for Primo while I drove north, cached, parked  
> rig and hitched back to Primo so I could continue riding north.  
> Lots of research and logistics required. It's much more difficult  
> to solo ride the PCT than it is to
>  hike it. If the weather changes for the worse, unexpectedly, I had  
> fewer options - even as to where I could camp.  I simply had to be  
> prepared for pretty much anything that might happen since Primo and  
> I mostly lived on the trail.
>
> MendoRider
>
> --- On Mon, 5/3/10, Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com  
> <diane at santabarbarahikes.com> wrote:
>
>
> From: Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com  
> <diane at santabarbarahikes.com>
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Prepared for weather
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Date: Monday, May 3, 2010, 9:21 PM
>
>
>
> On May 3, 2010, at 12:12 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>
>>
>> There are limits to the ultra-light philosophy. Somehow, ultra-
>> light has morphed into the only way to travel in the mountains. It
>> is accepted as gospel, and is never questioned on this list, for
>> example.
>>
>> One thing that doesn't get mentioned is that UL makes you, in a lot
>> of cases, a PCT avoider. I read in journals of people skipping
>> beautiful sections of the trail because of their gear.
>
> The ultralight philosophy is more than gear. It also includes
> strategies for dealing with weather and snow. People really should
> read Ray Jardine's PCT Hikers Handbook. I found it very helpful.
>
> It's easy to go to backpacking light and read the gear lists and
> spend money and get a bunch of really light stuff that's even lighter
> than what Ray Jardine himself would take, but that is missing the
> other half of ultralight philosophy which includes things like
> choosing a good start date and yes even taking alternate routes if
> the conditions are such that your gear or lack thereof might put you
> in danger. I have no problem with alternate routes myself. It's all a
> good adventure to me.
>
> Books I've written:
> ~ Piper's Flight
> ~ Adventure and Magic
> ~ Santa Barbara Hikes
> http://stores.lulu.com/dianesoini
>
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Books I've written:
~ Piper's Flight
~ Adventure and Magic
~ Santa Barbara Hikes
http://stores.lulu.com/dianesoini