[pct-l] Contributing to Common Ground

[Chris Martin]

This is a really cool idea.

More realistically, if I were a principal investigator for a
wildlife-related study, I would want to minimize the influence of a popular
hiking and equestrian trail on my data, unless I was specifically studying
the effects of that trail.

That said, I'd be eager to contribute to the scientific body of knowledge
while on a thru-hike. Those who need to collect data in the backcountry
should have ways to harness our enthusiasm for backcountry travel.

The PCT is also an interesting place to study human physiology and even
psychology. Where else are people engaged in cardiovascular exercise, under
a variety of weather conditions and altitudes while carrying a load, in
unfamiliar terrain, for several months continuously?

Here, we discuss nutrition, clothing, and hydration at length. Most of this
is subjective opinion; there is a lot of science to be done. What is the
optimal ratio of nutrients for the sort of cardiovascular endurance needed
on a thru-hike?

Let me step on my soapbox: whatever data is collected should be released to
the public domain, or at least under a creative commons license. If it is
proprietary, it is not Common Ground. Unfortunately, those who will pay for
others to collect data often seek a competitive advantage (whether in
profit or academic bragging rights) by possessing said data exclusively.

On Fri, Mar 9, 2012 at 2:54 PM, Heather Liston <hcliston at gmail.com> wrote:

> I am not (yet) a through-hiker, but I would like to help.
>
> Anything an avid day hiker and occasional backpacker can do?
>
> *Heather C. Liston * San Francisco *
> On Fri, Mar 9, 2012 at 8:07 AM, Marshall Reid <marshall.reid at gmail.com
> >wrote:
>
> > I'm in. Depending on what data is gathered this could prove insightful. I
> > know farmers that have observed changes on the same farm for more than
> > 20-30 years. Complimentary data from the forest/mountain regions, in the
> > right hands, could detect changes long before they are observed
> elsewhere.
> >
> > - Mars
> >
> >
> > --
> > "So this is?..." "Think of it as after the game, outside the theatre."
> "So
> > if this is a game are we cheating?" "Yup" exert from a xkcd cartoon on
> > Special Relativity
> > _______________________________________________
> > Pct-L mailing list
> > Pct-L at backcountry.net
> > To unsubcribe, or change options visit:
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
> >
> > List Archives:
> > http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> > All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> > Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
> >
>
>
>
> --
>
> **
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-L mailing list
> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> To unsubcribe, or change options visit:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
> List Archives:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
> Reproduction is prohibited without express permission.
>