[pct-l] ice axe, and shoes...

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

In a message dated 2/2/04 1:24:54 PM, kbrandt@cats.ucsc.edu writes:

<< I'm afraid this is an apples and oranges comparison. I can say from
experience with both, that the Sierras in early season is not the same
as climbing as Pacific northwest volcanos. Northbound thru-hikers, who
typically hit the Sierras early, should be seeing congealed snow and
mostly around the high passes. This isn't days on end of snow; it's days
of alternating snow and clear trails. >>
 
  Well, I thought my "preemptive" move would prevent such a reply, but to no 
avail.
 
   You are saying to be that people who enter the Sierra early (pre June 15 
most years) or in a high snow year don't spend a lot of time walking on snow. 
This is not true. Some years you would be spending  a LOT of time walking on 
snow. In 1998 there was so much snow that most people skipped the Sierra 
altogether
 
   People who hike the Sierra in running shoes have wet feet much of the 
time. Some people don't care. Some do and want to avoid it. That would be ME.  T
hat is why I chose boots. And guess what? It worked.
 
  I could revise the same old crap about boots VS. shoes but why bother. We 
all know that peer pressure (meet the new boss - same as the old boss) is going 
to cause most people to thru hike in running shoes. And a large majority of 
them are going to end up with terrible blisters and end up limping their way to 
Canada (or not) on pain killers. It was that way in '99. '00, '01, '02, '03. 
And it will be that way again this year, no doubt at all.  And they are all 
going to think that that is just the way it is. Me? I ain't fixing what ain't 
broke

    Mountaineers are just as prone to peer pressure. When I first took up 
mountainering, EVERYBODY told me that I needed a pair of Asolo or Raichle 
mountaineering boots. I asked about their mangled feet and guess what I was told? 
"Aw, they'll scab over and you'll get used to it." (sound familiar?) Independent 
minded me said, "hey no thanks - I'll stick with my hiking boots." I was 
scoffed at for doing so, (EVERYBODY uses mountaineering boots, man -- doncha know?) 
just as I was for choosing hiking boots (must be some kind of oxymoron) for 
my thru hike (EVERYBODY uses running shoes, dude, doncha know?) 

 500 climbs and a PCT thru hike later I'm still walking on happy feet and 
their feet still have scabs all over them. Guess I just don't want to fit in that 
badly. Revolution is good. Throwing the baby out with the bath water isn't
  Let the flames begin
    David C