[pct-l] flamer from heck

["William M. Stenzel" <manjovin@jps.net>]

I haven't seen good 'ol fashioned flaming for awhile. The funny part is when we get
together at gatherings such as the one kicking off the thru-hiking season, none of
these arguments take place.

I just mentioned the National Park Service because of their tendency to play god in
a given situation (such as governing stealth camping). It was a joke. Thru-hikers DO
play fast and loose with rules that everyone else must follow. I considered getting
one of those thru-hiker permits every year so I can wander around the backcountry,
camping close to rivers and lakes, starting random campfires, and ignore quotas/the
permit process in general. The stealth camping discussion is made moot by the
terribly slim chance of ever seeing an enforcement ranger along the PCT. Rarer than
grizzlies in California, they are often more interested in information on trail
conditions they don't have time or energy to go check than checking permits.
    Thru-hikers have a bad reputation with the Forest Service, Park Service, etc.
because they are a rogue element. Few in number, we come cruising through with
little regard for the rules, history, or other hikers. Carrying mylar umbrellas and
little packs, we make quite a sight. I am very impressed with how the PCTA carries
such legitimacy and weight with the government; from what I have read, it does this
partly by NOT focusing on thru-hiking and thru-hikers.

Someone on the trail last year mentioned that Jardine had an eccentric stance on
chipping and gluing climbing holds. Does someone have more information on this? How
about his extreme kayaking adventures?

    All the trash talking on this post proves my much-decried stance a few weeks ago
("The Devil's Own") that thru-hikers have to deal with a lot of bullshit from other
hikers -- it's one of the PCT's most serious dangers. I received a dozen or so
personal flames, including one, my favorite, that suggested "real" thru-hikers (?)
should break off from us bozos and start their own hard-core mailing list. You can
find some of this attitude in Jardine's guide, by the way. There numerous points
where Ray interviews poor, sweating, overburdened "backpackers" (for Jardine, a term
of derision); he extends a real sense of pity for these deluded souls who have not
yet discovered the light.

Finally, and most importantly for puposes of 2000 PCT trip planning, Jardine's
itineraries are part of the problem, not the strongest part of the book. Anyone with
a calculator can go through the PCT guidebook (a true labor of love), add up miles,
and figure out how long it will take them to get from place to place. Using the
guidebook, you can then check the topos to see if these guess-timate numbers have
any grounding in possibility -- something Jardine apparently did not do. On the 4
month northbound itinerary, Jardine plans for a hiker to travel 26 miles a day
between Agua Dulce and Tehachapi. For a strong hiker, no problem. But 21 miles a day
between Kennedy Meadows and Vermillion Valley? There's a lot of snow up there, dude!
And some big passes. And no side trips to Mt. Whitney or anywhere else.
    Of course, side trips and snow don't really matter much when you're booking from
Mexico to Canada in four months, which is the root problem with the Ray Way. When
did speed become a such a priority? I've never seen another book on hiking or the
outdoors that focuses on speeding up a backcountry experience.

Okay, I'm done with Ray.

will

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