[pct-l] Point of this List

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

Sly - I suggest that there is a big difference between giving it your best 
shot to reach a personal goal and trying to stand out above and beyond all 
others. I see nothing wrong with competing with yourself in order to grow, 
gain self confidence and encouraging and assisting others to do the same. I 
just don't believe in having to prove I'm the best of all. I don't believe in 
comparing my self to others and competing with others for physical proof of 
mastery. I don't mind if others do such as in the arena of sports.(Hell, I'm 
a baseball nut) But when I'm around others who are continually trying to 
start a race to see who can get to the summit of Rainier first, or first of 
the group into camp or who is going to be Cheif and who's going to be Indian 
or who are always ruminating about their past accomplishments, I draw a line 
in the snow. I don't want to be around people who toot their horns or are 
domineering especially in a wilderness setting where I am TRYING to leave 
such rat race entrails behind me. John Muir was a mountain climber. He told 
the world about his wilderness experiences. Does that mean he was a braggart 
macho man too? I believe that someone who announces to the world that he is 
going to hike 25 miles a day for one year because no one else ever has, is. 
Just my opinion. Sure, I'm making assumptions, but I've been around a number 
of truly competitive marathon types, and they seem to have one thing in 
common: a desire to be first. I'm saying that one should choose his reasons 
for visiting the wilderness with some thought behind it. You may not get 
another chance. Do you want to be "first" or do you want to experience. 
  on the subject of ultra light - I certainly have no objection of trying to 
reduce your base weight as much and creatively as possible. That's simply 
good thinking, for the most part. The problem arises when these ultralites 
feel the need to hike 30 miles a day when there is no real need to. Who 
enjoys and experiences the wilderness more? Someone who hikes 45 miles 
through the Olympics in 2 days with a 20 pound  base weight or someone who 
takes a week with a 20 pound base weight. Seems to me the longer you are 
there the more likely you are to capture all the nuances that a wilderness 
entails. Why rush through it as fast as possible unless of course you are 
competing in some way and for bragging rights? And if you only have 2 days to 
experience the entire wilderness, well then I guess I just feel sorry or you. 
Maybe a new livelyhood is in order? Or smaller chunks of wilderness at a 
time. Someone hiked around Mt. Rainier on the Wonderland Trail in 27 hours. 
Are you going to tell me this wasn't a blatant record breaking macho trip and 
that the guy was simply out there to experience the Mt. Rainier 
wilderness.(Kind of hard to do when you're running in the dark at night, 
don't cha think) What's he gonna say? I experienced more in one day than most 
people do in ten? More likely he's just going to put another feather in his 
cap
  On thru hiking. I leased my house out for six months. I had no home but the 
trail. Hiking a 90 mile section in 5 or 6 days was simply a reasoned decision 
not a competitive macho one and certainly not a difficult task. I could have 
taken more time per section if I was willing to carry more weight. I 
hopefully plan on doing so on many sections someday. The goal of Canada was 
simply something to give focus to the trip much as a goal of a Coliege degree 
gives focus to studying for tests. And how I cherish the ending - being 
humbled and stopped in my tracks 20 miles from my "goal" by a blizzard and 
NOT machoing the thing out.