[pct-l] Firsts and list relevance

[CMountainDave@aol.com (CMountainDave@aol.com)]

On the subject of a "first" triple crown in one calendar year: Seems to me 
that the reason this would be such a difficult task is BECAUSE of weather and 
snowpack conditions. To simply sidestep these conditions and claim to "win" 
the game of being first seems to be making up your own rules as you go along. 
They don't do that in marathons, ballooning around the world or claiming to 
be the first to reach the summit of K2 do they? So why should it be any 
different in claiming a first triple thru hiking crown in one calendar year? 
An entire mountain range was skipped due to snowpack. To me that means Mother 
Nature won the "game"
   As the Dude said, there are no rules to hike your own hike. But there are 
or should be for those grandly claiming to be "first." 100 feet from being 
the first to reach the summit of Everest is just that: a great effort but no 
cigar, leaving the first ascent to another time and effort of a "first" 
wannabe. In the world of mountaineering, this is a given
    On the subject of list relevance: I am grateful to Brick for having such 
a liberal view of what's appropriate to be on this list. For me, it would be 
rather boring to JUST read about what alcohol stove is best or what length 
ice ax is best. Sure, these things are important to discuss and are extremely 
helpful to many people but I most enjoy those "borning" stories that Ms Wart 
Hen dissed when she asked to be removed from the list