[pct-l] Bickering

Jackie McDonnell yogihikes at gmail.com
Thu Jan 12 21:13:23 CST 2012


It is irresponsible to go hiking without maps.  I am honestly shocked that
Diane would suggest such a thing.

Mapquest shows that the road mileage from Washington DC to Los Angeles is
2670 miles.  You wouldn't drive from Washington DC to Los Angeles without
road maps.

The PCT from Campo to Manning is 2663 miles.  You shouldn't hike from Campo
to Manning without maps.

*Could* you make it from Washington to Los Angeles or Campo to Manning
without maps?  Sure.  But you're going to stop a lot along the way to ask
for directions.  And you're relying on others to carry the weight for you.

Yogi
www.pcthandbook.com



On Thu, Jan 12, 2012 at 7:59 PM, Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <
diane at santabarbarahikes.com> wrote:

> The trail is so easy to follow that I don't think Halfmile's or
> anybody's maps are needed all the time. I think it's good to have
> maps in the High Sierra, maybe San Jacinto (seems easy to get
> confused there) and maybe the first section so you can get used to
> the trail.
>
> Pretty much almost all the rest of the trail in my opinion can be
> done with just the WP guidebook descriptions and data book distances.
> I suppose if you are getting into the snow season as you near Canada
> it might be time for real maps again. That's just my opinion though.
>
>
> On Jan 12, 2012, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>
> > Thanks Jeffrey for saying what needed to be said.  I am fairly new to
> > this post (since August) and I actually find the bickering an
> > entertaining way to break up my day, but not really any help for
> > planning or decision making.  As far as maps go, I really am leaning
> > toward just using the guidebook maps I have already purchased and be
> > done with it.  I really will never know how the maps perform until I
> > just pick one and use them for many miles, and then evaluate.  I may
> > check out some of the free options (Halfmiles??) just to have a backup
> > and another source, but I haven't decided that carrying extra maps
> > would be worth it or necessary.  I mean really...who wants to know
> > EVERYTHING about hiking trail before you get there?  Where's the
> > adventure in that?  I don't necessarily want to know exactly what
> > elevation gain I will encounter in the next several miles ahead.  I
> > want to enjoy the moment, not always planning or worrying about the
> > future.  There's a certain level of knowledge needed just to be safe
> > but beyond that...just let it unfold and enjoy the surprises.  That's
> > how I plan to hike.
>
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