[pct-l] The Twin Heresies of Demetri Coupounas

[blisterfree at isp01.net (Brett)]

>> Heresy #1: Coup's diet consisted of dried fruits and 
>> nuts. He cooked nothing and carried no cooking gear.

But Coup himself admits:

"Just as on the previous two trails, I lost over 1 ? pounds 
per day starting at 193 ? pounds and ending up at 169."

Which is not to suggest some PCT thru-hikers couldn't 
likewise go raw. On the contrary, a few have. But at daily 
calorie allotments low enough to facilitate a packweight 
capable of carrying a hiker 450-500 miles between resupply, 
something has to give. Coup's weight loss would kill an 
extended (1000+ mile) thru-hike attempt for just about 
anyone but the morbidly obese. (Coup himself admits to 
starting each hike above ideal weight by a fair number of 
pounds.)

>>Heresy #2: Coup carried two pair of trail runners, 
>>swapping them out when one pair got wet. His account of 
>>all three trips is on the Golite website, but it's not 
>>easy to find:

How is #2 a heresy? Most ultralight types would only carry a 
single pair.

FWIW, the town of Twin Lakes is on the Colorado Trail itself 
at roughly the half way point. It features a restaurant and 
small grocery. Would I avoid consuming food from either for 
the sake of principal on a "no resupply hike?" Well, first I 
would have to check my rule book. Coup _does_ admit that 
wild foraging would fall in line with _his_ rules, in the 
sense that he would be eating food during the hike with no 
logistical prearrangement. I'm not sure how store-obtained 
foods occurring along the official route of the trail would 
be any different.

The Long Trail passes through the town of Jonesville, the 
outskirts of Johnson, and for many years the Long Trail Inn 
and Irish Pub. Otherwise, a no-resupply hike would certainly 
be unusual and mostly for its own sake, but certainly not in 
the realm of the ultra elite.

The JMT is frequently thru-hiked without resupply.

Myself, I like the CT challenge that Coup has tacitly put 
forth, and might consider trying it myself one day. It might 
be a fun way of protesting the often dismal hitchhiking 
prospects to/from a number of its common resupply points.

- blisterfree