[pct-l] Heights

[Tom Grundy]

I have vertigo problems too, or whatever you want to label the general fear
of exposure-to-fall, i.e. "if I stumble or significantly misplace a foot
here, it would be somewhere between bad and fatal" compounded by the 'fear'
that leads you (or at least me) to walk in an unsafe manner, i.e. with any
unnatural gait and/or with your feet as far as possible from the drop,
which is generally not smart cause the footing is often worse, more
outsloped, less trodden, etc on the side of the trail farthest from the
drop.

Apologies in advance for all the numbers: I'm an engineer...

A hiking partner and I both had a similar 'rating system' of zero to ten as
to how freaked out we were on any given stretch of trail.  For me, ten
would be nearly hyperventilating where you have to take whatever measures
necessary to hold it together and force yourself to focus (usually in the
form of sternly saying out loud "step, MFer, step, MFer, step, MFer... "
(addressing myself of course) with pressure-breathing, hand up beside your
face for 'blinders', etc.   Good stuff.  Probably not real reassuring for
others in the area...

Anyway the highest I've hit on the PCT (section hiker, and have not done
all of it, but have been in all of WA and north OR and many small sections
in the high Sierra) was in Mokelumne Wilderness in the crumbling lava-type
slopes a few miles north of Kinney Lakes.  We both and individually gave it
an 8 out of 10 after we got through that stretch.  "Crazy Eights" is the
name we gave that stretch, though the worst was only a couple of yards
long.  We took a few pictures afterwards, and sure enough the trail was not
really visible from 100 yards away even though there was no vegetation.

I've been at 5 or 6 many times on sloped snowy patches.

Eagle Creek approaching Cascade Locks was probably 6 or so, but they have
cables.  (Not sure how this is affected by the current bridge-out
situation.)

The Knife Edge in Goat Rocks was probably 4 for me most of the way, with
not much crosswind and clear skies.

There were many more 3,4,5,6 places scattered throughout, but, they are all
brief moments in the grand scheme.  Overall average of all miles, if you
could invent such a bogus number, is probably 0.001.

A few notes in retrospect:

1. I'm pretty sure that crazy-eights section is a lot better now, but I
couldn't swear to it.  That was about 10 years ago.
2. In general, picking your timing to avoid snow will definitely help.
Traction devices, used appropriately, can be like instant courage on snow
if you need it.
3. I never stumbled in the 'zero' sections.  Why would I stumble in the
'five' sections or the 'eight' sections?  Focus on a keeping smart normal
gait all the time.
4. The bark was usually worse than the bite.  Kendall Katwalk, for all the
hype, was a zero or one for me cause the trail quality is so dang good.
The 'washouts' around Glacier and Woods passes in WA last year were a zero
or one - the sideslope angle of the area was MUCH less than I had
imagined.  Granted, the trail crew patched it up just a week before we were
there so we missed the 'full' experience.
5. remember that the trail is used by horses and by hikers of ALL sizes and
ALL ages.  If my grandma can do it, or if those yahoo hikers in front of us
could to it, then it can't be that big a deal.
6. The trail crews do an awesome job and they are aware of all this.
7. It almost goes without saying, but keep your eye on the prize: all the
incredible places and views that this short section of
mental-challenge-trail is going through and taking you to.
8. Some things that helped me in those 'special' moments; your results WILL
vary:
- tilt your hat to block your view of the drop, or even hold your hand up
vertically beside your eye on the drop side; i.e. 'blinders'.  You can
admire the view when you stop moving for a few seconds, then go back to
blinders when you are moving.
- focus on normal breathing and normal 'intelligent' gait, and work towards
a 'normal' pace instead of creeping
- make sure you are going with a partner who understands and is patient,
within reason that you can both work with; but, at the same time, always
work on improving as you go so as to be a 'good steward' of their
understanding and patience.

9. I always have been and always will be envious of folks for whom this
whole topic is a non-issue and/or seems silly.  If you've read this far,
you are probably not one of said folks...  but if you are, thanks for
acknowledging that everyone has a different experience on the trail, and
that a simple "Howdy" as you pass on the trail can be pretty reassuring
 and comforting.

Enjoy the trail!

Enjoy!

On Tue, Mar 15, 2016 at 9:43 AM, Scott Bryce <sbryce at scottbryce.com> wrote:

> On 3/14/2016 6:21 PM, Jim & Jane Moody wrote:
>
>> Yes, parts of the PCT are not vertigo-friendly. It starts early, in
>> the San Felipe Hills
>>
>
> I have slight vertigo problems, though not as bad as the OP. I did not
> find anyplace in the San Felipe Hills difficult.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-L mailing list
> Pct-L at backcountry.net
> To unsubscribe, 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.
>