[pct-l] PCT-L - Most Common Causes of Thru-Dropout

[Charles Doersch]

My family and I are thru-hiking the PCT next year -- and we've also been
testing gear, hiking long miles, backpacking more, etc. We live in Colorado
and we hike and have hiked aplenty, but the PCT (we've come to realize) is a
paradigm shift from what we've done before.

We've done long-distance, long-term expeditions abroad for years, and what
we've experienced there seems to jive with what we've been reading in the
trail journals this year and last for PCT thru-hikers. The will to finish
appears to be paramount.

Aside from the catastrophic injury that really requires quitting the trail,
it seems to me that folks who stop their thru-hike have one way or the other
"seen the elephant" (that 19th century term for being overwhelmed by the
difficulty [physical/emotional/psychological] of an expedition and their
will to continue fails.] Of course, we'll all know exceptions -- I'm not
saying this is true for everyone -- but it seems to be a pattern that's
recognizable. I have read of thru-hikers with torn cartilage in their knee
being told by the doctor in a trail town (looking at the x-rays), "Nope,
you're done. You can't continue." And that hiker found a way to continue,
and completed it. Others quit for much less grievous pains. I've read other
journals where someone quit because of shin splints -- while other
thru-hikers had repeated bouts of shin splints and continued and finished.
Some quit because of relationship or family issues -- others continue
despite relationship or family issues.

On every expedition I've launched myself on, I've discovered that there are
always "sufficient" excuses to quit that can build up in our brains & hearts
as we slog along ... Yogi has good advice in her book about what to do when
you feel like quitting. The PCT isn't for everyone, I can understand that.
But I keep reading about everyone from office workers to athletes, the
experienced to the novice, from the young to the elderly crossing the finish
line successfully. And I read as well about those who fail: office workers
to athletes, the experienced to the novice, from the young to the elderly.

The veterans of the PCT, I'm sure, will weigh in on this.

Cheers,

Charles & the gang.



On Wed, Sep 21, 2011 at 11:18 AM, Jeff Judd <frotiss_lupus at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Quick background - my wife and I are planning on thru-hiking in 2013.
> We're currently gathering and testing gear as well as increasing our hike
> mileage and frequency.  My wife just got a different/better job which will
> allow us to hike together much more frequently as we ramp up our training.
> Very excited to get this journey underway.  I've wanted to hike the PCT ever
> since I first heard about it as a wee Cub Scout.  Albeit that was only 13
> years ago.
>
>
> As we watched the 2010 class DVD that Tortoise mailed us, (Thank you!) I
> was reminded of the Nat Geo special on the PCT where it showed the thrus
> gathered at kickoff and stated "only half will make it..." dun dun dun!  The
> numbers commonly tossed around are roughly 300 attempt per year with ~half
> finishing.  Which begs the question, how do I avoid being one of those that
> do not make it?  I
>
>
> My understanding based upon lurking on this list since last November is
> that the most common cause of dropout is lack of funds or injury.  My wife
> and I are setting aside money already and planning our finances etc for us
> to be gone up to six month, so I don't expect the financials to cause us to
> drop out.  We're not particularly big party animals, and as neither of us
> drink alcohol it sounds like we'll save a fortune on beer in town compared
> to the average thru.  Which leaves the possibility of injury knocking us
> out.  Are the hike ending injuries typically things that can be avoided by
> proper conditioning and training (repetitive motion injuries etc?) or are
> they more likely to be unfortunate events like falling and breaking an
> ankle?
>
> tl;dr - In your experiences what are the most common injuries and causes of
> hiker dropout?  What can we do to avoid these pitfalls?  Any particular
> training we should consider beyond hiking, hiking, and more hiking?
>
> Any points for consideration will be greatly appreciated.
>
>
> PS It was amazing how many of the locations I recognized in the 2010 class
> DVD as the famous sites along the PCT.  Hiker oasis, third gate, Painted
> Lady, Forrester, Eagle Rock, Muir Hut, Warner Springs, Mt Shasta etc etc.
> Places I've never been before.  It was only then that I realized how much I
> obsess over the trail looking at maps and pictures and reading journals.
> Suffice it to say my wife was sufficiently weirded out by the whole thing.
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