[pct-l] Advice to a beginner about crossing Sierras

[Eric Lee]

Scott wrote:
>
Ned advocates traversing over snow for thru hikers as well as early start
dates, instead of waiting for the trail to clear. But the hiking community
is much larger than that single narrow view. WE all have our own styles and
preferences, it's not one size fits all.
>

Our community benefits from a wide range of viewpoints.  With something as
subjective as how/when/whether to deal with mountain snow, I'm glad that we
have people advocating an early Sierra entry as well people recommending to
wait for more manageable conditions.  I hope that all of those viewpoints
will continue to be offered and heard because prospective thru-hikers need
to be aware of all of their options and Scott's absolutely right; it's not
one-size-fits-all.  I'm glad that we have Ned to say, "Hike through the
snow, you can do it!" and I'm glad that we have Scott to say, "You know, if
you'd just wait a while you'd have a much easier, safer, and *more
enjoyable* hike!"

What we don't need is personal attacks between the various camps.  Let's all
assume that everyone is offering what they believe to be reasonable advice.
Have a different point of view than someone else?  Feel free to debate on
the merits of the argument.  Tell us the advantages of your suggested plan.
There's likely going to be someone who will listen to your ideas and like
them well enough to follow them.  That's great!  Others won't.  That's ok
too.  But remember that we're all in this because we love the trail and we
love the long-distance hiking experience and everyone's offering the best
advice they have to give.

Eric