[at-l] Fwd: Young men's stamina; CHAINSAW; Re: Hoplite's recovery time..

[daveh at psknet.com (David Hicks)]

No thanks needed.

FWIIW, from my notes/memory.

I had just arrived at Spaulding Mtn Lean-to not too long before you.

The shelter, was overrun with folk's gear.  Folk (6?) on an AMC organized, pay 
for a leader, meals, etc trip.

I just walked up and said something like, "Hey folks, hoz'bout consolidating 
some of this stuff and making room."  They were still slowly making room for 
me when a NOBO Thru moved in.  More grumbling.

Then you showed up. I was about to say something like, "Come on in" when the 
"leader" gave you the "Pretty well full!", or whatever.  I was toying over how 
much hostility I wanted to create when I realized it was you.  Then I decided 
to hell with hostility, I'll give the 'toe the options.

I still think there was more than enough room for the three of you and more. 
But who knows what the reactions would have been at that point.

While you and I were get the tent set-up, two more NOBO's moved in.  "Hey, 
there is only supposed to be room for eight."   But guess what?  Ten (?) fit 
just fine.

As it was, they became very friendly and full of questions by the time they 
saw the 242, my soda can stove in action, my pot cozy cooking a real meal, and 
the relative weight of your, the NOBO's and my packs to theirs, etc.  Then I 
stepped in when they couldn't get their all their food bear bagged.  I showed 
them how to suspend it between two trees when the tree sizes & branch 
locations make simple text book once-over-a-limb technique difficult, if not 
imposable.  From that point on the only hostility, which I detected, came from 
the leader.

In any case, as I'm a slow hiker, I spent the next night with the AMC group, 
also.  The paying guest were full of questions about long distant hiking, 
equipment, food, you & the boys, etc.  I told them about this list as a 
resource.  I wonder if any of them are reading this exchange.

Chainsaw

BTW -- I wish I had checked if they had any tents with them and, if not, I 
wonder what would happen with a really full shelter.