Competition on the trail?

imported
#41

You remind me of the guy at a lobster festival who has a sign protesting the cruel treatment of lobsters!

Bump

#42

heck lonewolf, I don’t mind sharing if someone is low… it is when they don’t carry it PERIOD that I get alittle ticked. I agree with trying to go lite. It definitlely ( for me ) made a huge difference on the PCT. I never was over 30… even carrying my dogs’ food. Hey, she is my bestest bud… would do anything for her…:slight_smile: We saw lots of folks WAY liter then us. The thing about going ultra lite is ( seems to me ) you are’nt prepared for what could go wrong. saw that quite a bit… Weather can change, can get lost… need more food then you thought ect etc. We did thru hike in sneakers and they worked FANTASTIC. I was amazed !!!.. and my feet were thrilled… not nearly they aches and pains of the AT. Then again, not nearly the rocks as the " older sister " of them all. The true beauty of distance hiking ( for me ) is that there is’nt a rule book. Hke your own hike as they say… oh yeah… why are folks picking on the Wolfer ?? I don’t know ya but ya seem nice to me !..:slight_smile: Yappy… now ya know how I got my name… kinda windy ain’t I ?..:slight_smile:

sarah dooley ( YAPPY )

#43

Being both a distance runner (not ultradistance, tho) and a thru-hiker, and having been both for a long time, I can say that the two communities are very similar. In both, we like to share with each other, help each other out, spend time eith one another, etc. Sure, maybe hikers are a little more environmentally-conscious (and maybe a bit more politically-charged) than runners, but to non-outdoors-people and non-athletes, aren’t we all weirdos? If the little things are bugging you, go hike/run a few more miles and let your endorphins get to work on your brain.

As for the “original intended use” of the AT, shiker, if you want to get technical, many of the trail’s original planners, including Benton Mackaye, wanted to build “community farms and learning centers” along the trail. He wanted a way for people of all types to escape from civilization. My point is that while Mackaye was much more conscious of his environment than his contemporaries, he was certainly not an environmentalist.

So maybe runners impact the trail more (I doubt it), but so what? The mere fact of human presence makes an impact. The AT is a compromise; accept it. If the original AT planners had taken the hard-line and pushed for a strip of land that only minimalist hikers could use, you know what we’d have? No AT. You do your part to keep the trail healthy and you educate the ones that need it.

boot

#44

This lightweighter has given food to the regulars before. Just because I travel light doesn’t mean I travel stupid. I’ve fired up the 1/2 ounce alcohol stove for the regulars with the MSR Wisperheavy that was clogged - light doesn’t mean unreliable. I’ve been warm and tosty in the hammock and quilt while the regulars froze in their tents and heavy bags with therarests - light doen’t mean lack of comfort. Light just means light, and should also mean knowing what you are doing, can do, and cannot do.

Running more impact than a hiker? Nawwwwww. We would be better served bitching about horses on the trail in some areas, now that is some impact.

SGT Rock

#45

On my thru-hike last year, I began around 60 lbs. It sucked, tired me out, blah blah… It took me until harpers ferry to switch out gear. Lighter is more comfortable, but I enjoyed (looking back especially) every single step… just being on the AT can bring out strength and tolerability you never knew you had before.
An excerpt about our bud, from a list on Werewolf’s trailjounal:

  1. To quote A#1, a fellow thru-hiker and carrier of the 50lb Go-lite pack, “The secret to thru-hiking is all about finding a manageable level of pain and discomfort.”

Macgyver