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

[Wes Rose]

One key aspect in any debate is motivation.  In this particular debate regarding 
departure times during what is arguably one of the highest snow years of record,
 one can argue that one side is motivated by the concerns for the hiker's health and
 safety, while the other side of the debate is promoting a product or service with a 
clear commercial interest in the outcome.  Ned, by all accounts, is a great guy who
offers a well received product, but I feel that there are some ethical concerns involved 
in his promotion of early departures.  On a side note, I do get a little tired of the constant 
infomercials from Mountain Education on the list.

[pct-l] Advice to a beginner about crossing Sierras
Eric Lee saintgimp at hotmail.com 
Mon Jun 6 02:15:11 CDT 2011 

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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