[at-l] Thru Hiker inviting a relative to join them

[ellen at clinic.net (Bob C.)]

>"...I've heard that inviting a  friend along, mid-way is a bad idea for
>thru-hikers, because it messes up  their routine and adds to their homesickness
>once the other person leaves."

A major problem is that only rarely can the newcomer keep pace with the
experienced hiker. The newcomer is either forced to hike at an uncomfortable --
and sometimes an impossible -- pace. Or the thru hiker must slow to what seems
like a crawl.

I'm not a fast hiker. I was met by several very experienced hikers in
Pennsylvania. But they could not hike day after day at the pace I had managed to
achieve.  It was less a matter of speed, than of endurance. They weren't capable
of 16 mile days, day after day, which were what I needed to reach Katahdin.

Weary