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[pct-l] Re: pct-l-digest V1 #421

>Just to be a devil's advocate, someone told me one of the guys who works
>in the map department at the Seattle MEGA-REI thru-hiked the PCT in '97

That would be Jeremy Wilson. When I caught up with him in the Tehachapis he
had a some very sore feet indeed. He was firm advocate of Ray Jardine
however, complete with the umbrella and running shoes, and was one of the
only people to go the whole way with a tarp as far as I know. He also did a
lot of side trips such as climbing Mount. Shasta. I heard he totally
revamped his equipment to achieve a very lightweight system, and he was
touting the virtues of the "can stove" on this list a while back. I grew to
respect Jeremy for his perseverance, as I saw hikers leave the trail with
far less foot problems than he had for the first couple months.

Justin and Katrina also worked at REI/Oakland and Katrina started with a
homemade Ray style pack. This turned out to be a mistake and she had to
revert back to her North Face internal. (The only other homemade pack I saw
didn't cut it either.) Incidentally, they later had their packs stolen, but
managed to replace their equipment and finish. Once again, high marks from
me for perseverance.

What you think you will need while planning and what you think you need
once you are out on the trail will be two different things. I think it is
safe to say that everybody brings along stuff that gets classified non
essential and then gets unceremoniously dumped. You will spend many hours
during your trek scheming about what is the next item in your pack you
could well do without. While this is not news, it always seems that we must
all relearn it to some degree each time. Fundamental human nature I guess.

The following basic concerns preoccupy PCT through hikers most of the time
above all else; water sources, feet, food, and pack weight. Prior planning
can't always help much for the first two but can make worlds of difference
with the second two. Never the less, there will always be room for
improvement as the summer progresses and you learn, which is after all part
of the reason for doing such a thing. Good Luck!

			Andyman


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