[pct-l] Alpine Style Thru-Hiking?

[atjulliard at yahoo.com (Alan Julliard)]

(This is in reference to someone's questions about
Coup's hikes at
http://www.golite.com/team/athletes/coup/index.asp)

  I saw this site a couple of months ago when I was
looking at modifying my GoLite Gust pack.  I had to
chuckle to myself.  From the website:
  
"Alpine Style Thru-Hiking entails doing a hike on a
major trail from one end to the other continuously
without any re-supply or support of any kind. Other
than water, readily available from sources on the
routes, everything will be carried from the very
beginning including every bit of clothing, equipment,
and food."

"Enjoying an alpine style thru-hike of a trail as long
as the Colorado Trail wasn't even thinkable a decade
ago" said Coup. "Now with 1 ¼ pound packs, 1 pound
shelters, 1 ¼ pound sleeping bags, ¾ pound
waterproof-breathable parkas and the like, it's
totally achievable."

  As I am a climber who has climbed some "alpine
style" in the mountains, I know what it means.  Since
he did not define it, I will.  Basically, "alpine
style" originated in the Himalayas in opposition to
"expedition style" which involved large parties of
climbers with porters carrying all of their gear,
moving slowly and establishing multiple camps for
climbers to move between; this was the original method
of climbing big mountains.  Alpine style meant small
teams (usually 2) carrying everything themselves,
minimal gear, moving quickly to minimize the exposure
to risk, as if the climb were in the Alps, hence
alpine.  Retreat is almost impossible in true alpine
style so you better know what you are doing.  Most
climbs are done alpine style now.  GoLite's twist of
semantics when referring to thru-hiking is quite a
stretch even if they do bear a resemblance.
  But what gets me is acting like this is new.  Gee,
where were you guys decades ago?  On the AT in 1974,
because of the bizarre way I did food drops every 20
days (!), I went from south of Mt. Greylock all the
way to Gorham without resupply; isn't that about the
same distance as the entire Long Trail?  Certainly
going 17 days from Highway 178 to Mammoth Lakes
without resupply in 1975 was a lot further than the
John Muir Trail, covered much of the same ground plus
I was in the snow most of the way; I was supposed to
get the next drop at Tuolumne but the PO wasn't open
yet, hence Mammoth, though I had enough food to go on
the 2 - 3 more days.  Take into account that I was
carrying a lot of heavy gear, substitute today's light
gear and you could easily add 10 more days of food and
still have a lighter pack than I had.  So, although
doing the entire Colorado Trail in one go is
impressive, I would not doubt that someone did it a
long time ago.  Considering all the people out there
doing unpublished megahikes for years and years, I
would be very reluctant to claim the first on
anything.  Just look at Eric Ryback!
  Of course, its all just more hype, something we have
come to expect from gear companies.  I wonder if Coup
and GoLite have figured out yet that they have done
the only trails they are likely to ever do in this
fashion since most long trails go through towns and
such.  Me, I am starting a new style myself, which I
have exercised on a thru-hike of the Cotswold Way with
my family and friends, that is, carry no supplies but
stop at every pub along the way and partake of goods
found within; I call it "Alpine style thru-pubbing".

;-)

Alan


	
		
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