RE: [pct-l] I carry less overall weight......

["Reynolds, WT" <reynolds@ilan.com>]

I am more interested in hiking STYLE than hiking distance or days out. The
"thruhiker" style [as defined by me] is hiking most of the day and making a
minimalist camp for a relatively short stop. The "weekender" style [again,
as defined by me] is either an EARLY stop or a LATE start [there are many
variations] that reduce hiking time in favor of camping time.

To put it another way one STYLE focuses on going while the other focuses on
BEING. Yes I know everyone does both. Individual capabilities differ. To
look at the extremes, some people hike 18 hours a day while some people hike
to a single spot and sit a few days.

My experience is that the standard [again defined by me based on what I see
out there] for weekenders/weekers is a late start [9-10AM] after coffee and
eggs, hiking to 3-4PM with an hour break for lunch and rests every hour or
so. This adds up to 5-6 hours of hiking and 5-6 hours in camp [not
sleeping]. In contrast some thruhikers spend less that 1 hour in camp [not
sleeping]. 


* From the PCT-L |  Need help? http://www.backcountry.net/faq.html  *

==============================================================================