[pct-l] For the Record...

[ned at mountaineducation.org]

Some of you have known us since 2005. Some of you have been our students. The vast majority of you do not know who I am, what our Wilderness School, Mountain Education, is all about, nor what either stands for other than what you read on this Forum. This post is to answer these questions and you can decide what you think of us.

In specific and with regard to the current topic of Ultralight and Safety, all we are concerned about is that hikers are aware of and have made some kind of decision about how they will deal with safety concerns while miles from help in the Sierra backcountry. If their prior experience has taught them what they need to know and do, who are we to say otherwise. Ultralight does not mean unsafe.

With that said, you should know what we do and why:

Who is behind Mountain Education:

Ned Tibbits hiked the PCT in 1974 at the age of 17 with the help of eight corporate sponsors. He hiked half of the CDT in 1980 and met with the Regional Forester to discuss its route; injury near Steamboat Springs prevented his completion of the trail. He bicycled 5,000 miles in Europe, worked as a Backcountry Wilderness Ranger for Sierra NF, graduated from UCDavis, served as a Paramedic in the Bay Area for five years between 1979 and 1983, worked as a Professional Ski Patrolman in Tahoe, personally worked with Warren Rogers between 1973 and 1978 regarding the routing of the PCT, and has run his "outdoor school" since 1982. He is a nationally registered EMT, Wilderness First Responder trained, and a Level-1 Avalanche Rescuer who volunteers for two Sheriff's Department's Search and Rescue Units in the Tahoe area.

Ned started hiking at the age of eight during summer camp just outside Kings Canyon NP. Needless to say, he fell in love with it and continued to attend that camp and hike its "50-milers" for another eight years until he became a counselor there. When Ryback's book came out in 1971 that did it, he had to see what this PCT long trail was all about, the only problem was there was little information out there about it. He became a Charter Member of the Pacific Crest Club, founded and run by Warren Rogers, to gather info and advice from Warren. Ned's thru hike changed his life.

While hiking the PCT in March just above Idyllwild, Ned, while camping in the snow near Saddle Junction, heard the cries for help from out in the meadow in the dark. The first young man he met just outside his tent. He was lost and wanted to know the way down Devil's Slide Trail. He was freezing and dressed in soaked tennis shoes, shorts, and a cotton tee shirt. After that, Ned still heard voices out in the meadow, so he headed that way to find four or five college-aged young men and women huddled together for warmth out on the open snow. They were also lost and in the dark figured that they would have to survive the night right there. Ned helped them find their way to the trail. What this experience did was galvanize a passion in Ned to try to help everyone who desires to visit the backcountry have a fun and safe time out there so that they might love it as much as he does and return to tell their friends so that they might go, too. This he tries to do through his "Mountain Education" school without requiring a fee.

The Premise behind Mountain Education:

To help aspiring backpackers and thru hikers learn how to be safe in and enjoy snow-hiking and its challenges. Our wilderness is too beautiful and beneficial to our lives to go into unprepared, have a bad experience, and never want to do that again. Hiking, much less a thru hike, can be a life-changing experience for the better. 

When hikers want to hike in the mountains during the "shoulder" seasons (Spring and Fall) or winter months, they may run into snow, either on the ground or falling to it. Thru hikers typically try to avoid it by leaving late in the Spring (late April or early May)and hiking into October. At either end of this time spectrum it is highly likely that they may run into snow. For them to have a fun and successful wilderness visit, they might want to consider getting some experience beforehand in the following areas (of course, they don't have to):

What We Teach:

Over-snow Navigational clues        Self-Arrest Skills                    Snow Emergency Shelters                    Map & Compass Skills                    
Safe Route Selection                    Search & Rescue Skills          Avalanche Awareness & Avoidance       Topographic Awareness & Staying Found
The Planning Process                   Trip Preparation                     Snow Equipment, Clothing, & Foods      Trail Ethics, Trail Sanitation, LNT...

Primary Philosophies:

Try before you buy. 
Rent whenever possible, first. 
Learn from someone who has been there. (Preferably, go hiking with them, take a class from them, or meet with them as often as needed).
Take classes (schools, stores, clubs, associations, etc.) and read books about doing what you're about to do.
Research the realities of what you aspire to by looking over trail journals. 
Hike as light as possible, but Be Prepared for the realities you read about. 
Test your systems (food, gear, and clothing) in the environment and conditions you aspire to hike in before your expedition starts and you have to make changes while on-trail.
What works for one person may not be to your liking. Find out what you like and what you can do without during your test-hikes.
You can Understand something, but the Experience of it teaches you more. Get more experience before you have to rely on it far from home.
Get the most out of what you carry (multiple uses) so you can carry less stuff. 
Preferably, know yourself before you have to, but self-discovery is part of the trail. 
You'll sleep better if you know that you and your food is safe; carry a bear canister; it also makes a good laundry tub.
The only way to get in shape for a thru hike is to hike in the conditions and manner you expect beforehand.
Experience teaches Common Sense.
Plan for the Worst, hope for the Best, and be as prepared for the both as you want to be.
No whining. You are responsible for you actions. Don't expect others to bail you out and be thankful when they do.

What We Believe:

If you can and want to, take your time and enjoy yourself and the wilderness (know what this means to you). It may be the only time you can do it for a while. (I am not saying that you can't enjoy the wilderness at your own pace).

Consider leaving the southern border in March or April and learn how to deal with snow in order to give your schedule more time and a slower pace.

Thorough Planning, good Research, and lots of pre-hike test hikes during your Preparation phase will help you get in shape for hiking, may tell you whether you'll be able to stand Mac and Cheese for weeks on end, will help you learn where things are in your pack, may help you discover what temperature rating your bag needs to be for your worst expected conditions, and so much more.

Ultralight gear may be as good as ultra-heavy, just make sure through experience with it that it will work for you when you need it.

There are two "styles" of backcountry walkers, Campers and Hikers. Campers prefer to take it easy, go slower, carry more "comfort" items, enjoy camp-life (arrive early, leave late), and do other things besides hiking. Hikers really like hiking and may do it sun-up to sun-down for days on end without a complaint, go light so hiking is easier, and relax along the way rather than at the early end of the day. We like camping, first, and hiking second. A 17mpd pace with zeros every fifth day on average worked on the PCT and CDT, but then they took five and a half and six months respectively.

Just because "everyone else" is hiking 'x' speed or going to 'y' town doesn't mean that you have to or need to, but you certainly can if you want to.

Durability and Functional Predictability of gear when called upon is very important to our safety. We don't mind carrying something heavier if it will last longer.

Start your hikes slow and as light as possible, gain strength as the weeks go by, let your tendons, ligaments, and feet adjust, then speed up and carry more as needed and desired.

Filter questionable water supplies. The most predictably safe water is above use areas like trails, lakes, and meadows. 

Select food, clothing, and gear for the anticipated conditions. Be aware of "what if" scenarios and decide how you want to deal with them should they happen.

Comfort and Safety in general is most important. It is not necessarily a trade-off and has nothing to do with carried weight. You can have both with lightweight and heavier-weight gear and clothing. The degree to which each is attained and by what methods is an individual decision made during the Preparatory, experience-gathering phase. Know how you define Comfort and Safety.

What you do on the trail will be based on why you are there in the first place. Plan your hike based on what you want to get out of it. 

Different people bring different experience levels to the trail. For some, a thru hike is nothing to worry about; they know why they're there and how to do it. For others, it is all new and the distant separation from society, alone, is anxiety-producing. Just because someone says that it was easy for them doesn't mean that it will be for you. Test your self before your next big hike.


Now, I hope that you have a better understanding of where we come from and why. Thanks for reading this. 

Always at your service,


Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
1106A Ski Run Blvd
South Lake Tahoe, Ca. 96150
    P: 888-996-8333
    F: 530-541-1456
    C: 530-721-1551
    http://www.mountaineducation.org