[pct-l] RE Mtn Lions

[Doug Carlson]

I have been pretty close to bear a few times, but never seen a mtn lion
while out bping.

I have walked in their tracks.  My trail hat goes off to Marmot- the great
lion tamer!

I don't share a lot of this kind of stuff with my wife.

Shhhhh......

-Trew

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of marmot marmot
Sent: Sunday, October 27, 2013 6:34 PM
To: JPL
Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Adding to the 45 plus Uses for Hiking Poles on the
Trail

I think sign for mtn lion should be banging poles together while yelling at
full voice while picking up a large rock.  Worked for me Marmot

Sent from my iPhone

> On Oct 27, 2013, at 6:29 PM, "JPL" <jplynch at crosslink.net> wrote:
> 
> I sent my REI Komperdell poles off to be repaired last week.  I've had 
> them about about 15 years.  The paint has all long ago worn away.  The 
> lock mechanisms on one of the joints wasn't holding.  I imagine the 
> other three aren't far behind.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Susan Alcorn
> Sent: Sunday, October 27, 2013 8:25 PM
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Subject: [pct-l] Adding to the 45 plus Uses for Hiking Poles on the 
> Trail
> 
> PEOPLE category: Depending on how high you hold them above your head, 
> indicated what kind of animal you just say. Up high is a deer, close 
> to your head is a bear--haven't developed one for mountain lions.
> 
> TRAIL INDIGNITIES: Move pole side to side like a windshield wiper in 
> front of face to keep black flies, mosquitoes, etc. out of your face.
> 
> ANIMALS: Use to push stubborn rattlesnakes off the trail, or to plant 
> an object (the pole) between snake and person wanting to get by safely.
> 
> ENTERTAINMENT: Twirl like batons like cheerleaders do.
> 
> Happy trails,
> Susan Alcorn
> 
> Shepherd Canyon Books, Oakland, CA
> www.backpack45.com and backpack45.blogspot.com 
> http://www.examiner.com/hiking-in-san-francisco/susan-alcorn
> 
> 
> 
>> 
>>> On Oct 26, 2013, at 9:44, Eric Martinot <eric at martinot.info> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Upon my completion of the entire PCT last week in Ashland (OR 
>>> Section B, but no sign of Reese Witherspoon on the trail filming 
>>> Wild), I thought to offer the following to the PCT community. This 
>>> is not to say that everyone should use poles (HYOH, YMMV, etc), and 
>>> many through-hikers don't.  Indeed, times were when I didn't want to 
>>> use poles either, being so exhausted that even small pole-swinging 
>>> energy seemed too much, or just tired of the things.  But mostly 
>>> poles became a natural extension of my body, an integral and 
>>> indispensable part of me. And as with most hikers, I found many 
>>> uses!  And can attest to all of these personally except those with (*).
>>> 
>>> --Eric / Double Zero ("because one zero is never enough")
>>> 
>>> P.S. I started the PCT in 1997 so it took me 17 years to hike the 
>>> whole trail, although I only hiked 9 of those years. I consider 
>>> myself a "Multi-Year Through Hiker" (MYTH) because "Section Hiker" 
>>> to me just doesn't convey the requisite dedication to the endeavor 
>>> of finishing the whole trail, a goal I set after hiking that very 
>>> first section in 1997 and falling in love with the trail.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 45 USES FOR TREKKING POLES ON THE TRAIL
>>> 
>>> SPEED, ENERGY, EASE (THE USUAL)
>>> 
>>> Get less tired when your feet can just focus on powering ahead and 
>>> don't have to do the continual work of stabilizing yourself 
>>> side-to-side that your arms and poles do instead.
>>> 
>>> Establish a more regular cadence and rhythm that keeps you at a 
>>> constant pace even as you're getting tired -- your feet follow the 
>>> cadence set by your arms.
>>> 
>>> Reduce wear on your knees from the constant jarring of multi-mile 
>>> multi-hour downhill sections, by absorbing some of the energy of 
>>> each step down with your arms and body.  (And 17 years later my 
>>> knees thank
>>> me.)
>>> 
>>> Hands feel better, less bloated, when kept at a higher level than 
>>> hanging by the side, and also more active, hour after hour.
>>> 
>>> Put power into pole plants to push yourself along when very tired at 
>>> the end of the day.  ("Balance of power" shifts from legs to arms.)
>>> 
>>> Keep balance when walking on slippery or submerged rocks across a 
>>> stream or when fording deep swift water (most valued of all uses to 
>>> me). Also when crossing stream on a log using high-wire balance 
>>> (looks good, anyway).
>>> 
>>> Semi-pole-vault across narrow deep streams without rocks to step on.
>>> (Easier than a run-and-jump approach.)
>>> 
>>> 
>>> TRAIL INDIGNITIES ("WHAT'S IT REALLY LIKE TO HIKE THE PCT?")
>>> 
>>> Push away bushes overgrowing the trail, sometimes with both arms 
>>> extended ahead. (Sometimes just to be able to see where you are 
>>> going.)
>>> 
>>> When trail is overgrown and bushes are soaking-wet-dripping with dew 
>>> in the morning, hold poles outstretched to shake off dew before 
>>> passing, to reduce getting drenched. (Only works for short sections 
>>> otherwise a loosing battle.)
>>> 
>>> Swing up poles to clear away spider webs across your trail. (Whether 
>>> real, imaginary, or figurative.)
>>> 
>>> Swat those huge ugly 5 oz. bugs that circle around you at 50 mph, to 
>>> convince said bug to circle around someone else. (Actually did 
>>> connect with one in midair.)
>>> 
>>> On narrow eroded trails with a steep drop-off on one side, 
>>> especially when overgrown or covered in snow, pole plants serve to 
>>> continually probe the downhill side of the trail as you walk, to 
>>> continually (but without conscious thought) confirm to your brain 
>>> the edge of terra-firma, so as to avoid slipping off into the void.
>>> 
>>> Push yourself up to get over a log blocking the trail, and ease 
>>> yourself down the other side, or simply stabilize a step-over. (One 
>>> early season after a windy winter, encountered and actually counted 
>>> 800 logs across the trail in northern Oregon over a 3-day period of 
>>> hiking.)
>>> 
>>> When stepping down into a morass of broken pine tree branches from 
>>> atop a log blocking the trail, or when wading through said morass on 
>>> the ground to get around a fallen log, use pole to judge depth of 
>>> morass to solid footing below, so  foot doesn't plunge deeper than 
>>> expected, potentially leading to disabling injury.
>>> 
>>> Swat your legs to futilely push away biting flies in northern 
>>> Washington before they have a chance to bite your exposed legs. 
>>> (Shorts were a mistake that drove me to tears.)
>>> 
>>> Push away all those trail-crowding Poodle Dog bushes in California 
>>> Section D to avoid getting too much of their nasty toxins on your 
>>> clothing.
>>> 
>>> When inquisitive and swarming wasps/bees (encountered rarely but 
>>> particularly in CA Section N north of Belden) start to congregate in 
>>> large numbers on your blue Nalgene water bottle caps or your clothes 
>>> drying on bushes (seemingly very selective), inconveniently only 
>>> midway into a lunch break, use a pole to jar the item slightly, such 
>>> that the wasps/bees fly off of it momentarily without feeling 
>>> threatened, so you can then grab said item(s) along with pack and 
>>> run down the trail without being stung. (One hiker who just grabbed 
>>> items with wasps/bees still on them was indeed stung.)
>>> 
>>> 
>>> SNOW
>>> 
>>> Measure snow depth for reporting trail conditions on PCT-L, or 
>>> bragging to friends how deep the snow was, or deciding whether yes, 
>>> its really necessary to stop and put on those gaitors.
>>> 
>>> Allow a much faster pace of travel when walking on slippery or 
>>> packed snow so effort and time is not wasted by the feet on balance 
>>> -- the feet slide and go wherever they go, and the arms/poles keep 
>>> it all together and moving forward. (Great fun.)
>>> 
>>> Use pole to chip away at offending ice or snow to open up a clearer 
>>> path, such as in and around streams or other obstacles.
>>> 
>>> Use pole to probe depth of snow bridge over creek before walking across.
>>> (Still nervously no matter how deep.)
>>> 
>>> On steep snow traverses, with or without uphill ice-axe in hand, the 
>>> downhill pole serves the very important function of keeping the body 
>>> at the correct angle to the slope to minimize the risk of slipping 
>>> sideways and sliding off the trail or just falling down.
>>> 
>>> If sliding sideways off a steep trail without an ice-axe in hand, 
>>> pole handles with hands together provide a larger object to punch 
>>> into the snow to arrest slide, provided conditions are not icy. (*)
>>> 
>>> Use one pole with special "Whippet" end to provide self-arrest in 
>>> lieu of (or in preference to) an ice axe. (*)
>>> 
>>> 
>>> EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL
>>> 
>>> Legs and arms swinging simultaneously can create a zen-meditative 
>>> state with exquisite body-mind balance. (Actually the main reason I 
>>> started using poles.)
>>> 
>>> The power, protection and larger "physical swath" brought by poles 
>>> can engender a "Master of the Universe" attitude to help cope with 
>>> being absolutely alone in a huge wilderness.  (OK, whatever gets you
>>> through...)
>>> 
>>> When cowboy camping (no tent or tarp), place poles lengthwise 
>>> alongside sleeping bag to ward off evil spirits and strange animals.  
>>> (Very effective, and surprisingly works just as well as a tent for 
>>> these
>>> purposes.)
>>> 
>>> Stomp ground hard with both poles in tandem as you walk to vent 
>>> anger when something has enraged you, possibly the insects, or 
>>> perhaps the trail builder's notions of what constitutes the best 
>>> route, or whatever/whomever else you blame for your misery of the
moment.
>>> 
>>> Increase significance of gesture when praying for even a single day 
>>> without rain, hands outstretched to the sky, in carefully chosen 
>>> moments while traversing the state of Washington.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> CAMPING
>>> 
>>> Use to hold up a tarp in lieu of having a tent or dedicated tarp poles.
>>> (A nice example of "multi-functional" equipment use but a pain to 
>>> re-adjust pole length every day--I prefer to carry dedicated 
>>> carbon-fiber tarp poles, perhaps to the horror of ultra-lightists.)
>>> 
>>> When cowboy camping in a bivy sack with mesh over head for bugs, 
>>> make tripod with poles and a stick from which to hang cord to hold 
>>> mesh above face.
>>> 
>>> When bear bagging using the counter-balance method, use pole to hook 
>>> the loop of cord you have carefully made near the bottom of the food 
>>> sack, to pull down the sack.
>>> 
>>> To stretch out your sleeping bag as horizontal as possible to have 
>>> it dry in the sun without putting on ground or bush, and when two 
>>> suitably-spaced anchor points are not available, anchor one end of 
>>> pole on ground and tie sleeping bag between other end of pole and a 
>>> bush or branch.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> PEOPLE
>>> 
>>> Use to wave to someone else far off by waving poles over head.
>>> 
>>> Write messages in sand or snow on the trail for those following 
>>> behind you.
>>> 
>>> When stopping to chat with a passing fellow hiker, lean on poles to 
>>> rest feet.
>>> 
>>> Impress passing day hikers with your "professional approach" to hiking.
>>> (Not that impressing is needed, but sometimes it feels good.)
>>> 
>>> If hitchhiking to a resupply town, poles serve as one more visible 
>>> sign to potential rides that you are a real hiker in need of a short 
>>> ride rather than a homeless person or worse. (Signs with "PCT Hiker" 
>>> also recommended by many.)
>>> 
>>> 
>>> ANIMALS
>>> 
>>> When hiking at night in dense forest around sharp turns where your 
>>> headlamp may not be visible from a distance, click poles together to 
>>> give extra warning to a bear that you are coming.  (Singing probably 
>>> works better, but sometimes when I sing while night hiking, it makes 
>>> me feel like I'm simply succumbing to fear of the dark rather than 
>>> providing an effective warning to bears.)
>>> 
>>> Allow yourself to maintain the fantasy that if a mountain lion 
>>> attacks, you will have the time and presence of mind to yank off the 
>>> rubber tip of a pole (which I use to avoid clacking noise in contact 
>>> with rocky ground), collapse the pole to a stronger, shorter length, 
>>> and then use the sharp tip to stab lion like a spear during the 
>>> attack.  (*) (Good luck. But a better use of your brain is to be 
>>> rationally clear that no hiker on the PCT itself has ever been 
>>> injured by a mountain lion according to what I've read, and there 
>>> should be no worries as long as you don't appear as prey, such as as 
>>> run away or crouch down.)
>>> 
>>> Use to poke at mountain lions who may be prowling around menacingly 
>>> outside your tent. (*) (This was an actual self-video story by one 
>>> PCT hiker during the 2013 season, who survived intact a scary night 
>>> in her tent with a pair of lions outside for some time.)
>>> 
>>> Swat away a charging snake.  (*)  (Apparently, someone actually did
>>> this.)
>>> 
>>> Normal use makes sharp thuds in the ground (with rubber tips on) 
>>> that continually warn snakes of your approach better than just
footfalls.
>>> (Speculative, maybe I saw very few snakes in the desert because the 
>>> snakes just didn't like me.)
>>> 
>>> 
>>> HIKE DANCING
>>> 
>>> Enhance "hike dancing" with music along the trail, swinging 
>>> arms/poles and moving body rhythmically from side to side, 
>>> especially on rocky downhills where going around obstacles timed to 
>>> the beat is akin to slalom skiing, and pole plants become part of 
>>> the dance. (It's not always about getting from A to B. Make sure to 
>>> do this in ultra-light trail running shoes for "quick feet" rather 
>>> than heavy hiking boots!)
>>> 
>>> 
>>> END-OF-HIKE COMPLETION
>>> 
>>> Wave outstretched poles high into the air in a victory gesture when 
>>> completing the entire trail.  (For many, this will be at the 
>>> Canadian border, but for me was near Callahan's in Ashland after 
>>> hiking my very last sections, Oregon Sections B and C, in 
>>> mid-October. Imagine, Oregon Section C without a single mosquito! 
>>> Spectacular!)
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