[pct-l] Planning first solo PCT hike

[Joel Fisler]

Again and again I am amazed what people ask on this list. But this question kind of blew my mind and I had to answer. Maybe it has to do something that I am not a US citizen and thus am not used to the "not without my gun"-mentality but this question is so out of my "range of thinking" that I wonder if maybe I have been too naive the last weeks hiking the PCT. Are you guys actually carrying a gun while hiking? From all the people I've met so far, who had a gun in their backpack? The thought kind of scares me... 

So a question back to the person asking this question: If a an evil bear or axe murder would come around the corner you'd shout "stop", you'd actually take your backpack off your back, start searching throughout all the mess you have in there until you find the gun, put a bullet in the gun, "unsecure" the gun (or whatever you call this process...) and then shout "ok, you can come now!". Or how did you think the gun would serve you out in the wild? Or if someone at night would approach your tent trying to find a flat camping spot you'd shoot through your tent into to the dark? And if its another hiker, too bad for him or her? Or what exactly do you intend to do with a gun?

carrying a gun while hiking is something I have never ever in my life thought about (and I am approaching my 40ies and I have thought about a lot of stuff that I potentially would carry on a hike :-) Now that I think about it, thats just bull*** Hope you guys all leave your guns at home :-)

Joel aka Blaze (currently enjoying many zero days in Topanga :-)



On 23.05.2010, at 15:50, Grete Martinson wrote:

> I've been getting a lot of "advice" from non-hikers who encourage me to take
> a gun for personal protection.  I am not taking a gun because I don't want
> to believe they have a place on the trail in addition to the fact that I
> have no training at all and don't want to use one etc.


___________________________________________
Joël Fisler - joel at fisler.ch - http://blog.fisler.ch

HOME:	109 Muerdago Rd., Topanga, CA 90290
PHONE:	+1 (774) 2FISLER or "joelfisler" (Skype)
CHAT:	fisler at mac.com (Messenger & iChat)
___________________________________________