[pct-l] gear, weather, attitude

[suebee@cybergrrl.com]

From: Montedodge@aol.com
>Each person can hike their own hike, but with
> proper gear, the weather doesn,t tell you when 
>and where on the trail.

Everybody probably has different ideas of what proper gear is :-^ Can I add to that "with experience and attitude"? 

Thinking good thoughts isn't really enough to get through 
a real emergency, but realizing a hike can't always 
be ideal helps minimize the shock factor of disappointing 
weather or trail conditions. I've found it's easier to cope 
with deep snows or rain when you're resigned to it in advance, like on the high Sierra JMT. It's the unexpected snow flurries in the desert or a couple inches of new snow where you expect dry trail that is often a stumbling block for people new to backpacking especially.

We all try to get our trip down to a science in prehike planning, but unless we can mentally cope with the unexpected, we might find ourselves hopping all over the trail looking for the perfect way to outwit Mother Nature. That could become exhausting and expensive. It could put a 
damper on the adventure too.

Just a thought from a Y2K hopeful.     sue  (JMT '97)




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