[pct-l] Report on Continual PCT Conditions Idea

[Hiker97 at aol.com (Hiker97@aol.com)]

I have a great idea for yearly real time updates of the PCT weather  and 
trail conditions.  There is a fellow on the journal list hiking the  trail with a 
laptop and satellite phone (Pete Behmer _http://pct2005.com_ 
(http://pct2005.com) ).  This are great  posts because they are so current from the trail.  
Almost daily pictures  and dialog of conditions.  Really neat.
 
Here is my idea.  Someone with a lot of money could do an endowment to  the 
PCTA for a 6 or 7-person team to start out one week apart (and stay one week  
apart) each year on the trail.  Say from mid April to the end of May. They  
would be equipped with a laptop and satellite phone to post daily reports of the  
trail.  Here is the requirements.
1.  Have a lot of money, say $5 million for the interest to equal  $100,000 
per year to fund the 6 person teams forever.  I would guess each  team would 
have 3 persons times $5,000 each for trail costs (18 times  $5,000).  That 
equals $90,000 per year for the program.  The extra  $10,000 is for equipment 
replacement and phone service fees each year for 5  months.  Of course, the initial 
equipment costs might be a little  higher.  I just bought a $400 laptop from 
Frys on a Fourth of July ad  special and had it upgraded for $110 to half a 
Gig of memory.  Really nice  little computer for the Internet with Ethernet 
connection.
2.  Set up the endowment to the PCTA for the yearly teams.
3.  Make sure Switchback is the exclusive executor of the  estate.
4.  Die.
 
This would solve a lot of problems with the continual need to know what is  
going on out there each year.  Also, there is a safety element to this, so  if 
there is a problem help can be gotten right away.
 
Always putting you first and thinking of your safety,  Switchback