[pct-l] Re: Trail Addiction

[jim at mccrain.net (Jim McCrain)]

To everyone that has sent me hate mail for expressing an opinion:

I am not saying that Reinhold doesn't love the Sierra's (or any other wild place) or that he didn't enjoy his trip.  I am not saying that he is wrong for racing through the wilderness.  I just cannot fathom how anyone could rush through such a wonderfull area.  If what he wants to do is travel long distances on foot, in a short amount of time, then I don't think the JMT is the place to do that.

Here are a few reasons for that last statement.  (1) There are limited numbers of people that are allowed into this region each year.  Taking up one of the coveted permit slots just for a race denies someone else the opportunity to go out and truly experience this magical region.  (2) Animals generally respond in a much more frenzied/drastic manner when confronted by fast moving people.  Fast movements are often considered to be antagonistic or aggressive, and thus trigger the "flight or fight" response.  "Low impact" hiking involves not disturbing the fauna as well as the flora.  (3) The few times that I have encountered someone hiking long, hard, fast distances along the JMT and have had the opportunity to talk to them, I have recieved very starteling responses from them.  Case in point: when asked about the conditions of a particular pass, I was given the response "Which one was that?"  When I asked about the Evolution Creek crossing, I was told that "They are all about the same."  These two people couldn't even tell the passes and river-crossings apart, because they were doing so many of them so close together that they couldn't tell them apart or remember anything special about them.  And these people were only covering about 20 miles a day!

When I hike (or "saunter") through an area, I take the time to notice the types of flowers growing, the different types of insects, the way the topography changes from rough, crumbly rock to lush, grassy meadows.  I literally stop to smell the flowers, and take time to watch the deer (and bear) cross the valleys before me.  I listen to the sound of the creeks rushing by, or the rain as it falls through the canopy of leaves above me.  I watch the shadows race across the face of a mountain a mile away from me, while basking in the warmth of the bright sun on my shoulders.  In other words, I take the time to enjoy the surroundings and to experience what nature brings my way.  When I want to race, I go somewhere else.

I hope that Reinhold, and anyone else that likes racing and "fast hiking" continue to "hike their own hike", but I also hope that they will take the time, every once in a while, to stop and enjoy the beauty that the wilderness areas provide.  If they don't, then they might as well go run around Central Park.  (And in case you didn't know, Central Park is entirely man-made.)

By the way, what is a "Deems" and why do so many people think it is so special?

Jim "Slow down and enjoy it" McCrain

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

>From: Paul Magnanti <pmags@yahoo.com>
>Subject: [pct-l] Trail Addiction
>
>Ouch! What a harsh way to judge someone else's trip.
>To me, it seems Reinhold has a deep love for the
>Sierra, esp. by the way he talks about Deems excellent
>pics.
>
>Seems like he enjoyed his hikes quite a bit.