[at-l] RE: testing: certius, altius, fortius was...Record time hiking AT

[DTimm65344@aol.com (DTimm65344@aol.com)]

I've stayed out of this one til now so everybody could finish venting - I 
think we're approaching that (but I could be wrong). <g>

I'm on a 12 year, extended zero days, thruhike.  That means, if I hike 15-20 
mile days when hiking, like I typically like to, I have 3 percent hike time 
and 97 percent zero days for the next 11 years or so.  If I end up adhering 
to that schedule, it will constitute the equivalent of a 4 to 4 1/2 month 
hike.

As everybody who looked at the pictures or read the trip report will notice, 
I don't think I missed much in the way of the "good" stuff (hanging with the 
kids at Gooch Mtn, nice views) in Georgia (60 miles in four days).  And while 
trying to cover the ground, I also try to never do stupid things that require 
me to be hold up injured somewhere for a period (as I do not deem this to be 
a fun way to spend vacation and I'm doing this on vacation).  Hence the 
slackpacking, which doesn't impact (at least for me) the joy of the walking 
and allows the miles to be covered.

My body prefers me to remain in motion when performing pack animal duties, so 
I do that so as to keep my body happy.  And in so doing, I cover milage, it's 
as simple as that.  If I take my pack off, my body complains when it goes 
back on.  If I take my boots off, my feet complain when they go back on.  So, 
absent sock adjustments and a short lunch break, I pretty much keep all the 
gear where it is all day.  And while it works for some, I gave up naps a long 
time ago when I became a hopeless insomniac.

I guess the other thing that causes me to walk at a pace that is more rapid 
than some (and I find nothing wrong with any pace anybody likes for 
themselves) is that since I joined this list I now have two more long trails 
that eventually need doing of which I had only scant knowledge and for which 
I had no plans before meeting all ya'll - the PCT and CDT.  And here I had 
always thought the next thing to do after the AT was Machu Pichu or some of 
the Chinese backcountry.   So I guess my thought is that there is too much 
stuff out there to see and too little time to get to it to spend more than 
the necessary time (for me) to hike a distance.  IMHO.

Not looking to set a blistering pace - looking to get to all the good stuff.
YMMV. 

Black&blue

In a message dated 03/15/02 5:09:38 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
shane@theplacewithnoname.com writes:


> I respect what you are saying, I just have a different philosophy.  When I
> sit on top Katahdin (how is that pronounced, anyway?) I won't think of it 
> as
> winning or passing a test.  When I finish riding a wild roller coaster I
> don't think I won or passed a test - I just think, "Wow. That was FUN!"
> 
> 



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