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[pct-l] PCT Origins / Completion Statistics



Well, for some silly reason my hiking friends don't believe 
me when I say that I'm not hiking in 2005.  My plan is to 
stay home, pay off some bills, and work on my hiking books.  
By 2006, I'll be ready to hit the trail again.  Probably the 
PCT, but maybe it will be the AT again.  I'll definitely be on 
some long trail in 2006.
 
yogi
www.pcthandbook.com

Judson Brown <judson@jeffnet.org> wrote:
So what's next, Yogi?

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces@mailman.backcountry.net
[mailto:pct-l-bounces@mailman.backcountry.net]On Behalf Of yogi
Sent: Thursday, December 09, 2004 10:06 AM
To: pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
Subject: [pct-l] PCT Origins / Completion Statistics


After every hike, re-entry into this crowded, fast-paced world gets tougher.
I smile
and play the game, but my mind and heart are always someplace else . . . . .

yogi
www.pcthandbook.com

dsaufley@sprynet.com wrote:
Yes, it is interesting and thought provoking!

Speaking of completions, how is the re-emersion going?

-=dsaufley=-


-----Original Message-----
From: yogi
Sent: Dec 9, 2004 9:34 AM
To: pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] PCT Origins / Completion Statistics

I just thought it was an interesting stat! :)

yogi
www.pcthandbook.com

dsaufley@sprynet.com wrote:
This is an interesting thread. Some thoughts:

Mountaineers are a breed unto themselves. Mountaineering is not as
accessible (or cheap) as hiking. It seems illogical to compare the two at
all.

Why is the Everest number comparison being made to the PCT only? Many have
said that the AT is more strenuous than the PCT and would therefore take
just as much commitment. I think it's more a function of the age of the
venue. I think that the older and more well-known the venue, the more people
are on it. This is the case with the AT versus the PCT, and the PCT versus
the CDT. Nine-tenths of the non-hiking people I mention the PCT to here in
California have never heard of it, whereas everyone back east seems to know
about the AT.

Following that concept, Everest has been around longer than the PCT . . .
given time, I'll venture that the number of PCT thru-hike completions will
surpass the number of Everest summiters, and I suspect that the number of
starters versus finishers will proportionally be greater on the PCT than
Everest.

I believe that Krakauer stated in "Into Thin Air" that it cost in excess of
$60,000 per person to buy your way into an Everest summit attempt (and that
was a few years ago). That sum alone will eventually tip the scales of how
many finish the PCT in one season as compared to the number of Everest
summiters.

I would also propose that while long-distance hiking seems to be pervasive
throughout the history of mankind, the fact that so many people have the
leisure and freedom of choice to live an alternative lifestyle that supports
such a time consuming activity has much to do with where our society and
economy is today. To look at it another way, while it's very international,
we don't see ANY representatives in the PCT hiking community from "third
world" countries, only from industrialized and well-educated nations.

I believe that having the luxury of time to do a long-distance thru-hike is
related to the wealth, security, and attitudes of the society from which the
individual comes. These are very good times for many of us. We don't have to
look very far back in our own families to see that our parents and our
parents' parents did not have the same luxury of time, nor were prevailing
attitudes of their generations supportive of taking time to do something
"alternative". In our post 911 world, "taking time out" is not only okay,
it's admired and envied.

Anyway, just some more fodder.

-=Donna Saufley=-

-----Original Message-----
From: Brett
Sent: Dec 8, 2004 9:32 PM
To: pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] PCT Origins / Completion Statistics

A thru-hike requires more time and arguably more commitment
than a guided Everest attempt. Nor does it strike most as a
goal worth committing to; the PCT isn't recognizable like an
8000 meter peak in the Himalaya. The experience is
intangible to those outside looking in. (Whew)

- bf


> I found a website which shows that 2200 people have
> summitted
> Everest. I'd imagine that the number of PCT completions
> is
> lower than the Everest summits.
>


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