[pct-l] In Praise of Section Hiking

[Tom Griffin]

I'd just like to second what Diane says about section hiking. Sometimes 
(especially two months before the Kick Off), we tend to revere the thru 
hike too much. I can't afford to take six months off from work, but I 
don't mind the 1-2 weeks I spend on the trail every year. Hell, I got to 
hike over Forester Pass when there WASN'T a snow chute, I got to visit 
all The Sisters WITHOUT the mosquitoes, and I even traveled from 
Stehekin to the border in the SUN. We section hikers can wallow in the 
delights of a particular view or take an extra rest day at an alpine 
lake, and not feel like we have to burn another 40 miles before sunset 
to make it to Canada by October 1st. If we are injured and have to leave 
the trail, we don't have to deal with the disappointment of abandoning 
the Trip of a Lifetime. And if we get a ridiculous trail name that we 
hate--we can always change it the next year.

So while I respect all thru hikers and wish them no blisters and plenty 
of sunshine every day of their trek, I also sing the praises of the 
section hikers, who love the trail just as much.

Tom "Bullfrog" Griffin
Seattle

>Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2012 17:49:59 -0800
>From: Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <diane at santabarbarahikes.com>
>Subject: Re: [pct-l] What do you wish you had done before your thru?
>
>I loved my long distance hikes. There is something you can get from  
>such a long time out there that you can't really get from shorter  
>distances. But I think sometimes we revere the thru hike too much.  
>When I have gone back and done section hikes the thing that I wish I  
>had done before my long hikes was understand that doing lots of  
>section hikes is almost better than one big thru. I mean, you CAN  
>make getting out there into the backcountry who you are now, you  
>don't have to wait for a big giant long hike.
>
>I overlapped a lot of the trail on my 2nd long hike, and I've section- 
>hiked parts I've already seen, so one thing I learned was how great  
>it is to hike parts of the trail I've already seen. I know where the  
>water is and what it's like. So much fewer worries about water. Some  
>parts are totally worth seeing again, and seeing them again at  
>different times of the day or in different weather can turn a hated  
>section into a loved one.
>
>So my advice to you is section hike! Do week long trips, weekends,  
>overnighters. And if you can't get to the PCT just hike a lot in your  
>own local area. It's all good. Playing with your gear is a lot of  
>fun, too. Make every trip a gear testing adventure.
>
>Diane
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