[pct-l] three in a year

[KBerger466@aol.com]

Three in a year was tried, I think in 97, by an English guy who had extensive 
long distance experience. I could be mixing the years up. (Sieve-brain 
syndrome.) He was going to start on the AT in January, finish by late April, 
and then do the PCT northbound and the CDT southbound.

Well, he quit after two and half months on the AT. Slogging through too much 
snow day after day -- with the Whites and Maine in April still ahead of him, 
which can be serious mountaineering. And that was the "easy trail." 

If there's one thing I've learned in more than 10 years (EEK! HOW DID THAT 
HAPPEN?) of being a long distance hiker and being around long distance 
hikers, it's never say never. I mean, the AT has been run in 40-some days, 
Olympic athletes do amazing things -- who am I to say it can't be done? 

Although personally, I can't see how... no matter how you slice it (if, that 
it, you intend to stay reasonably close to the trails' highcountry routes). 
With all that snow, you can't really truly go ultralight. The math works out 
to 22 miles a day, not including any travel time or days off or short 
resupply days. I suppose that's doable, although not by me. But mostly, I 
think the issue is the weather. I was literally blown off James Peak in 
November once while dayhiking in Colorado -- we didn't get within 3,000 feet 
of the summit and three of us had to huddle together and stagger like drunks, 
hanging on to each other so we wouldn't fall! Blah, blah, blah, obstacle, 
obstacle, obstacle. 

Doing the CDT in one direction in one season on the real high country route 
with no flips is in itself an extremely rare event -- I can't think of more 
than a couple of people who have done it. (Dan and I had to go low and road 
walk the last part of Montana -- we returned the next year to rehike the 
"real" route; most recent hikers have done at least one flip or big shortcut 
somewhere.) Colorado's elevation averages more than 11,000 feet -- It goes up 
and stays there for miles and miles at a time. Maybe if you were a 
cracker-jack skier you could handle November, but even so, there's the wind 
and the navigation. I mean, even Lewis and Clark quit exploring in the 
Rockies in November! 

Well, three-in-a-year is beyond my imagination -- but at the same time, I'm 
quite sure someone will do it some day. 

I''ll happily buy the book!

Karen Berger
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