[pct-l] Early PCT Casualties

[A.C. Scott]

My advice. To new. Thru hikers. Is don't do it. There. Are lion's and bears and snakes. Oh my. Ninja. Tortoise 

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Reinhold Metzger <reinholdmetzger at cox.net> wrote:

>[pct-l] Early PCT Casualties
>
>Paul,
>First of all, nobody is criticizing inexperienced hikers for
>attempting a PCT thru hike...being bold, adventurous and heaving
>big dreams is a virtue that is not what is being criticized.
>
>What is being criticized are the reckless statements by some
>romantic dreamers on this list that mislead inexperienced hikers
>to assume that a PCT thru-hike is like a walk in the neighborhood
>park with statements like that:
>
>ooohhh, your safer on the trail than in your own home,
>ooohhh, you don't need experience, it will come as you go,
>ooohhh, don't worry about the snakes, bears or Mountain Lions,
>         they will not bother you if you don't bother them,
>ooohhh, you don't need a map or compass, if you get lost or into
>         trouble, call 911.
>
>Statements like that only mislead inexperienced hikers into
>underestimating the trail and as a result wind up unprepared to
>deal with the harsh realities they may or may not encounter.
>
>For instance,...Yes, you probably could complete the trail without
>a map or compass if everything goes just right.
>It's when you get lost or have an emergency that requires you to
>get to civilization as soon as possible,...that is when the map
>and compass are worth their weight in gold.
>
>Using arguments like,..."the way to get experience, is by doing it"
>are not always valid arguments.
>
>If I never climbed Mt. Everest, should I just go and do it, or would
>it be advisable that I first get some experience climbing lesser
>Mountains first?
>
>Should I just start scuba diving, or should I get some experience first?
>
>What about Sky diving, should I just jump out of the plane and pull
>the rip cord, or should get some experience on jump towers first?
>
>I wonder why the USMC put us "GRUNTS" (infantry) through a year of
>intense advanced infantry training, including cold weather training,
>desert training, mountain warfare training, hand to hand combat
>training and commando training before shipping us out to Vietnam
>in 1965?....we could have just learned all of that on the job, as
>we were fighting the war.
>
>JMT Reinhold
>Your puzzled trail companion
>----------------------------
>  
>Paul wrote:
>>/You don't need a map or compass,  Also, arguably, true.  I've met
>first-time-PCT hiking buddies using nothing/but the data book.
>It's a very easy trail for most to follow, though I personally wouldn't
>advocate hiking it with just the data book.
>I've never used a compass or seen another PCT hiker use a compass.
>It's a very well established trail.
>------------------------------------
>
>Barry wrote:
>Ahem....I wouldn't call that arguably true.  I'd call it demonstrably
>dangerous.
>
>
>Yeah, sure, perhaps THIS year, when there will be little to no snow in
>the Sierra or anywhere else on the south parts of the trail.
>You can possibly skate by there.
>
>
>Pick a high snow year on the other hand, like '05, '06, or '11 and a
>person in the Sierra would be hosed without nav gear.
>Unless you want to tag along with someone who knows what THEY'RE doing
>...then again, that's not hiking your own hike, that's being dependent
>on some one else.
>
>
>Oh, and hope to heck you don't get caught out here in northern Washington
>at the end of the season, with no maps, no compass, snow on the trail...
>oh, wait...that DID happen, just last year....and the guy was lucky to get
>out with his life after starving in his tent for over a week with no food.
>
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