[pct-l] Intentions and Dreams

[Ron Graybill]

If Jeffrey is right, and there are many or perhaps most of the PC Forum
followers who are section hikers, that gives me courage to make a comment
as a section hiker.  Often it seems to me that members of the list make
some comments about closures or trail conditions and give place names and
land marks as points of reference.  If it's not too much trouble, it would
be helpful to those of us who are not veteran thru-hikers if these points
of reference could be mile markers instead of place names, or better still,
in addition to place names.
Ron "Slo Charger" Graybill

Ronald D. Graybill
11832 Fordham Place
Riverside, CA  92505
rgraybill44 at gmail.com
909-910-9339

On Tue, Jan 27, 2015 at 7:49 PM, Jeffrey Olson <philos56 at live.com> wrote:

> Most of us on the listserv are section hikers - a week at a time, a month,
> or a couple months if we're lucky, or good planners.
>
> I participate in other social media that has the PCT as its focus, but
> find myself checking the feeds less and less often as personality moves to
> the foreground and sharing about the trail is backgrounded.
>
> I want to hear about what causes blisters (heat, friction and moisture)
> and how to prevent them (thin, tight socks, duct tape on the inside of the
> back of the shoe before it's worn, and loose shoes that seem way too big).
>
> I skip over discussions of relative merits of gear by manufacturer, and
> really listen when someone presents a system that works for them.  To be
> honest, in the last couple years, the whole "systems of gear" thread has
> pretty much disappeared.
>
> There's an entitlement ethos that enough hikers reproduce that demeans the
> rest of us.  In my section hikes I've seen examples of how it works - a
> fire every night, toilet paper visible from the trail, motel rooms trashed,
> the generosity of trail angels expected rather than treated as a random act
> of kindness.
>
> I've always enjoyed the questions of newcomers to the listserv, especially
> women.  Their enthusiasm and self-confidence balanced by fear of the
> unknown is really fun to watch.  This is the time of year when the surges
> of negativity recede and there is naive and joyful questioning and sharing
> for a while.  And then someone makes a cynical comment and you can just
> feel everyone pulling back.
>
> I've write these little messages every year or so for the last decade.
> The sexist, paternalistic crap from a few seem to damp the spirit of the
> many for a while.  But every year there is a resurgence of the curious and
> excited, the visionaries seeing themselves accomplishing something few do -
> a thru-hike, a section hike, a week along the trail.
>
> The pct-l is a wonderful resource.  We're at the time of year when those
> planning to hike are getting serious.  This is when we should reach out and
> welcome questions and comments and fears and wonderings.  And it really
> shouldn't matter if the trip is five months or a week.  WE are the resource
> and make up a virtual family, with all that can entail.
>
> Welcome to those who are new and bright eyed.  You are why the rest of us
> continue to be here.  Ask your questions and we will do our best to share
> what we've learned.
>
> Jeffrey Olson
> Arcata, CA
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