Re: [pct-l] Purism

[Jim Owen <jimandginnyo@juno.com>]

David - 
Warren Doyle has walked the AT 11+ times.  Four of those hikes have been
120 day supported hikes with his 'expedition' groups, meaning
specifically that there's a van that meets them at road crossings.  The
hikers carry only the gear and food necessary to get to the next
rendezvous with their 'mother ship'.  The van carries their extra gear,
extra food, etc.  That's what a 'supported' hike means.  There are many
others who have done much the same thing - the AT is a different world.  

I've been invited to paricipate in several of these expeditions, but it's
not my style.  I'm too much of an anarchist  for that.  The CDT was much
more comfortable for me.  

'Slackpacking' is specifically walking the trail (or a section of the
trail) with only what you need for the day, while someone else (not
necessarily a support team) takes your gear to the other end of the
section and meets you there.  Only works for relatively short sections
(10-25 mile sections).  A lot of people slackpack on the AT -  We knew
people who slackpacked for hundreds of miles on the AT.  But I don't
think many do it on the CDT - or probably on the PCT.  

OTOH, if anyone knows o.d. coyote, there's also an entirely different
definition for 'slackpacking'.  :-)  Take your time - make it last -
enjoy every moment out there. Take  pride in having the longest slowest
hike, not the fastest. I like his version even better.

Walk softly,
Jim



On Sun, 2 Apr 2000 09:52:25 -0500 "David B. Stockton" <davstock@tiac.net>
writes:
> <snip>
> 
> My definition of "supported" means that a support team has food and 
> supplies
> waiting for you at resupply points but you carry your gear down the 
> trail.
> 
> If you carry only the gear necessary for the next leg and have the 
> support
> team carry the rest ahead until you need it - maybe that's 
> "slackpacking'
> and maybe that's just like using a driftbox.
> 
> Jim Owens once defined a PCT "thruhike" as getting from Mexico to 
> Canada in
> one hiking season and under your own foot-power -- any danm way you 
> want 
> to.
> <snip>
> 
> Jim Owens is right on.   If a hiker uses the Postal Service or UPS 
> to carry 
> food or gear for him/her, he/she is walking a "supported hike", so I 
> doubt 
> that there are or have been many "purists" in the long-distance 
> hiking 
> world.
> 
> The HMS Beagle -- that's purist.
> 
> -- Dave
> * From the PCT-L |  Need help? http://www.backcountry.net/faq.html  
> *

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