[pct-l] Steve Peterson Introduction

[jeffmoorehead1 at cox.net (Jeff Moorehead)]

right on Steve, keep trekking! I'm planning the PCT for 2006 and you gave me
some ideas for some mental/physical prepping.... I'm one year behind you in
your quest...

> Having blown my cover as a lurker (for the past year) I figure I ought to
> introduce myself.
>
> I'm 54 amd I'll be doing the JMT next month. If all goes well, I will
probably
> attempt the PCT in '05. I've taken two long, human-powered solo trips in
my
> life: an 1800 mile trip by bicycle through the western U.S. when I was 16
and a
> somewhat longer trip (again by bicycle) through western Canada when I was
18.
> Came face to face with bears both times. Since then I've car-camped,
day-hiked,
> and backpacked throughout Alberta, B.C., Oregon, Washington, and Northern
> California. These days, since I live in the SF Bay Area, I spend part of
every
> September backpacking in/around Yosemite. Somewhere in there I also became
a
> fairly serious runner and did a bunch of marathons as well as shorter
races.
>
> I first started considering the PCT last summer and have been doing my
homework
> ever since: I subscribed to the list and immmediately read the entire
previous
> year's archives, read and annotated the guidebooks, data book, and Yogi's
PCT
> Handbook, worked like the devil to lighten my load (now under 10 lbs and
still
> getting lighter), experimented with a lot of different foods, did a
130-mile
> hike (complete with resupply, just to see what that was like) last fall,
have
> been training my butt off to get back to somewhere close to my marathoning
level
> of fitness, and, as I said above, will do the JMT this fall--mostly to
enjoy the
> area, but also in part to get a little more data on myself and how my body
> responds to thru-hiking miles, day after day.
>
> Although my competive side really wants to make it all the way to Canada
and do
> a 30-mile (or greater) day somewhere along the way, my prudent side
cautions
> that high-mileage days may just get me off the trail sooner, one way or
the
> other, and I'd rather stop at, say, mile 2400 due to snowstorms than at
mile 300
> because I was too aggressive with the daily mileage. I also prefer to be
on the
> trail, rather than in towns, so I'm currently planning to resupply
somewhat less
> often and (also because I'm hiking fewer miles per day) therefore carry
slightly
> more weight than many PCTers--which is where I am coming from in my recent
> comments about water and pack weight. Also unlike many, I actually enjoy
> planning and preparing for projects like this, and prefer to solve
forseeable
> problems up front rather than deal with them on the trail, which makes me
seem
> rather fanatic to those whose approach is to "cross that bridge when/if I
get
> there".
>
> Finally, since this list has been entirely too quiet (the recent bear can
> discussion notwithstanding), I may as well say right out that I will
probably
> wear boots not trail runners, carry an umbrella (knowing full well that it
gets
> windy in places), not carry trekking poles (to a runner, trekking poles
are just
> plain weird), happily carry the "beer" can (which I've been carrying for
years),
> use a tarp (even in Washington), not carry an ice axe (though I won't
leave KM
> before 15 June), and use a down quilt. I think that covers all the
controversies
> I've noted in the past two years' postings :-)
>
>    -- Steve
>
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