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[pct-l] Let's pull it together people...



It is great that this discussion has gone from a few
quick negatives to a more thoughtful and positive
dialog.  Certainly there is hiker clumping due to the
kickoff.  Here are a few thoughts regarding minor
changes that I passed directly to the organizers.

Advise the thru hikers, at the time they register for
the kickoff, of the event's size and the unintended
clumping of thru hikers that results.

Encourage and enhance the ride board and ferrying of
thru hikers to and from the kickoff (from additional
points along the trail).

Consider holding the event a couple of weeks later. 
This would lessen the risk of a bad or late winter
affecting those who started early, and also help to
spread out the hikers.  More hikers could start early
and get rides back to the kickoff.

Consider moving the event somewhat further along the
trail, somewhere early enough to benefit the hikers,
yet far enough to allow hikers to spread out while
hiking to the event.  This would allow hikers to start
either before the event and hike to it, or start after
it while allowing the crowds to get well ahead.  While
Lake Morena has been great, perhaps another site could
be found that could not only accommodate more folks
but also be easier to reach.

The kickoff is a great event.  Yet a few small changes
could make it better for thru hikers, the purpose of
the event in the first place.

--- Mike Saenz <msaenz@mve-architects.com> wrote:

> I must spend more time in meetings than actually
> getting work done (no
> cracks about all the posts I write, please...).
> Most the time in meetings is spent strategizing
> about how to get work
> done! It's a sick irony.
> Steve Courtway knows what I'm talking about...
> 
> Anyway.
> 
> I'm glad we're seeing an intelligent discussion
> about the real issue
> that started this thread: The impact of a large wave
> of people on our
> trail.
> 
> Just a couple observations from me:
> 
> Section A is a wide, well beaten trail that very
> often can be walked
> side-by-side with another hiker. It's as wide as a
> dirt road in many
> places between Campo and Morena. As the trail gains
> miles, the trail
> becomes more of a trail and you can go miles without
> seeing roads and
> houses. To me, THAT'S more of a wilderness
> experience. The wide portions
> are a direct result of the larger numbers of hikers,
> immigrants, horses,
> mountain bikes, etc. that have easier access to the
> southern portions of
> the trail. As the number of thru-hikers is more at
> the beginning and
> significantly less at the end, it only stands to
> reason that the only
> adjustments we, as the PCT community, can make is to
> send less
> thru-hikers through at any one period of time. We
> may not be able to
> control the total number of hikers passing any
> portion of trail within a
> single hiking season, but we CAN try to reduce the
> stampede effect and
> allow at least a little time for the natural forces
> to heal the trail as
> much as it can.
> 
> Morena Res has the special quality of being one
> day's walk from the
> border. A thru-hikers first day's walk. The first
> day of a 4-6 month
> long walk. It can accommodate ADZ. It's the place
> ADZ has always been.
> There's a lot to be said for tradition...
> After a thru-hiker's first day's walk, to drop into
> the park and be
> greeted by fellow class members and a throng of
> supporters. To maybe
> make that final mile at sunset and to hear the music
> of Weathercarrot's
> DVD (Last year it was the 70's soundtrack of the `77
> slide show- Jethro
> Tull wafting through the fog...), and a hot meal and
> a beer handed to
> you as you drop pack. That's magic...
> 
> Even if ADZ was moved somewhere further north, the
> number of thru-hikers
> planning their start date with an ADZ arrival a
> significant factor in
> their planning, would still mean a wave of people
> starting out at the
> same time. Unless, of course, ADZ was moved up a
> month or two's hike
> north, then we'd see a natural thinning. But I don't
> think that's what
> the majority wants to see happen.
> 
> So if a thru hiker is as far north as Agua Dulce in
> late April, or
> points south, an organized shuttling effort would
> allow them to attend
> and participate in ADZ. And the added benefit of
> giving info on what
> they've encountered to those who are just starting
> out.
> 
> Are there any other ways to lessen the size of the
> wave/pulse/tsunami?
> 
> 
> Michael Saenz, Associate Partner
> McLarand    Vasquez    Emsiek   &   Partners,   Inc.
> A r c h i t e c t u r e  |  P l a n n i n g  |  I n
> t e r i o r s
> MVE       MVE    Institutional       MVP   
> International
> w  w  w   .   m  v  e   -   a  r  c  h  i  t  e  c 
> t  s   .   c  o m
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Judson [mailto:judson@jeffnet.org] 
> Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2005 10:26 PM
> To: Mike Saenz
> Subject: RE: [pct-l] Let's pull it together
> people...
> 
> Very impressive organizational skills, Oilcan! And
> here we thought you
> were just a dude who like beer! ;)
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pct-l-bounces@mailman.backcountry.net
> [mailto:pct-l-bounces@mailman.backcountry.net] On
> Behalf Of Mike Saenz
> Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2005 1:52 PM
> To: pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
> Subject: [pct-l] Let's pull it together people...
> 
> In an attempt to address the issue Donna raised,
> instead of debating the
> validity of the issue itself, here's an agenda for
> discussion (yeah, I
> do WAY too many meetings....)
> 
> Issue:		Alarming increase in the number of thru
> hikers
> concentrated in a wave.
> 
> Impacts:	Adverse destructive impacts of The Trail
> itself.
> 		Overwhelming Trail Angel Resources (Hostel/water
> caches).
> 		Overwhelming trail town services.
> 
> Causes:	Narrow window of thru-hike start dates.
> 		Concentration of thru-hike starts based on ADZ.
> 		Coalescing thru-hikers along trail due to
> resources
> (Hostel/cache/trail town).
> 
> Remedies:	(Open for discussion, but possibilities
> may be:)
> 		Organized staggering of start dates based upon
> anticipated hiker's mileage/strength/experience.
> 		Alternative (yet in addition to) gathering to
> disseminate info on trail conditions.
> 		Organized effort to minimize overwhelming trail
> resources.
> 
> 
> If I read Donna correctly, these are the core
> issues/impacts she's
> trying to address. Does this cover it Donna?
> Thru Hikers- Don't be too quick to discount the
> ideas and suggestions of
> non-thru-hikers. You may be surprised at the
> organizational capabilities
> of some of us behind our computer screens.
> 
> That said, allow me to initiate the discussion:
> 
> It's been said that the number of thru hikers has
> increased year to
> year. I think we all can agree with that.
> The reason appears to be the growing popularity of
> the PCT as a result
> of increased media exposure. It's also been said to
> be easier to
> thru-hike the PCT due to the help of trail angels,
> water caches, more
> "hiker friendly" trail towns, and (IMO) more
> sophisticated gear systems.
> I think the class of 77 would agree to that.
> More to Donna's point, starting a large portion of
> thru-hikers out at
> one date, ostensibly because of ADZ attendance,
> creates an initial
> concentration that takes longer to thin out. The net
> result is heavier
> and heavier pressure on The Trail and trail
> resources each passing year.
> This, I think, is the essence of Donna's concern.
> 
> I don't believe it's out of the question to ASK each
> thru-hiker class to
> consider this looming problem and voluntarily
> organize staggered start
> dates within their ranks. I've heard that walking
> along with a hindered
> people around you for a month isn't the epitome of
> the PCT experience...
> Perhaps strong hikers could later, only to catch up
> near KM? Perhaps
> those who don't expect (or want) to start out with
> 20 mile days can
> start early and build up to the 20 miles by the time
> they get to KM? And
> the rest of those who fall in between, well, start
> in between!
> 
=== message truncated ===


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