I STOPPED HIKING THE PCT BECAUSE OF TOXIC MA

[zacjust32]

All I can say is HYOH. Not everyone is out there to enjoy the scenery in the exact way that I do, and that doesn't affect me.

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[Wandering Daisy]

It DOES affect you when the trail becomes a zoo. It DOES affect you when you find a nice spot to camp, and at 10PM the few bad acting PCT'ers set down beside you and start to party. Unfortunately, the Sierra, being closer to the beginning of the PCT gets the brunt of the impact.

[zacjust32]

HYOH. Go somewhere else, or maybe don't go at all. You can't control others actions. And I would think that the purists/elitists on this board would have left the PCT corridor long ago in favor of their off-trail "hidden gems." We live in a state with 40+ million people and hundreds of thousands of outsiders visiting our mountains, it's naive to think this wouldn't affect every part of the wilderness.

I am being facetious of course. Not directing this towards anyone in particular.

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[Gazelle]

I do try very hard to avoid the PCT and JMT for the reason it is a zoo but at some points you can not avoid them! Most people are very nice but one encounters people that will not yield to you, play music loud, leave their trash, loud at night, decide to make camp right next to you, and worse their toilet paper, not saying this doesn’t happen other places as well but the impact on these trails I (just me) believe is too great you can not (should not) have hundreds? of people starting the PCT all at the same time frame. I believe in the permit system and the PCT needs more regulation IMHO! All these people on the trail at once DOES affect yours and everyone’s experience

[Kmowelk]

I’ve not done the PCT save for using it as a route to get to more scenic locations so I won’t comment on the author’s perceived experience as a thru hiker. I will say that some of the examples she points to as being “toxic” are to me normal trail chatter e.g., where did you start, when did you start, how far have you gone? When I do encounter someone on the trail these are typically the questions I throw out, unless they have a fishing pole of course. I have had a number of encounters where fellow backpackers will ask my husband details of our trip, which always entertain me as I do all of the route planning and he often only has a general idea of where we’re heading that day. In sum, I think it is unfortunate that the author went into her experience hoping to recreate the life she had off trail rather than seek to forge a new life on the trail.

[Hobbes]

When is the new PCT reality show starting?

I think it's already begun. Part of the "fake hiker" label is driven by the perception that CQ is glamorizing and exaggerating certain aspects to drive click-thru hits & book sales. So, one side (the self described core) is trying to carve out a product based business, while the other is focusing on media & entertainment. Both, of course, are trying to capitalize and make money off the growth in thru-hiking.

Add in some true hurt feelings (the classic 'group shunning'), and we have a combination of traditional pity jealousies, unrequited love, and financial rivalries that have existed for oh, let's say 10,000 years. Dress up the package with some new, trending and modern terms, and voila', we have the culture wars imposed on an outdoor activity in which to entertain everyone.

The reason I remain sanguine about this particular episode is because - as Lennon said - I've seen this movie before. That's to say, if you dial back the time-machine, the grand-daddy of all exploited outdoor sports, activities & lifestyles is, of course, surfing. There isn't one thing occurring right now in any of the active markets that wasn't explored, capitalized and discarded 55 years ago. Romance? Movies? Books? Glamour? Product sales? Promotions? Spokes models? Popular culture?

What about the actual surfing? Well, crowds have grown so large - on a global scale - that any remaining memories of solitude have sailed way, way over the horizon. So, my advice to others is, rather than get upset with the size & behavior of crowds, consider yourself very, very lucky that you got to experience the Sierra during the time period you did.

If you find yourself figuratively yelling at kids to "get off your lawn", you may find yourself mining the dark side. Better to smile, do your thing, and realize everyone else wants to get just a slight taste, a mere smidgen of what you've experienced so many times you've already forget more than they have collectively achieved.

[schmalz]

I will say that some of the examples she points to as being “toxic” are to me normal trail chatter e.g., where did you start, when did you start, how far have you gone? When I do encounter someone on the trail these are typically the questions I throw out, unless they have a fishing pole of course.

I agree so much with this. This woman was bringing some of her own baggage to the table when she had a problem with those questions. Here in civilization people tend to ask what you do for a living, as if that should be your defining characteristic, but really, what should they ask you? Same thing applies to the trail, out there noone really cares what you do, so small talk usually revolves around when did you start, where are you trying to camp tonight, what are you eating, etc. Noone really cares that much about other people to the point where they're passing much judgement.

I'm also amazed that this woman was able to have so many negative experiences over a few hundred miles. Hell, she had a trail name on her first day!?! I've hike close to 2000 miles on the PCT and remain trailnameless. In fact, I most likely passed this woman on the trail as Callie and I were hiking section A during the same time she was, and I only had a handful of very brief conversations with other hikers for that stretch.

[creekfeet]

I stayed with my friend at the Charlotte Lake ranger station for a good amount of time, and many PCT hikers stopped by. I found them to be a pretty clueless, fairly obnoxious bunch. That being said, it's kind of depressing that someone could hike a trail that goes through as many incredible spots as the PCT, and their largest takeaways are all negative. And to the point about the wilderness only being available to white people with money, I spent a good amount of seasons working in the Sierra. I worked with people from all different races, backgrounds, and places. We worked for peanuts because it gave us the chance to live in and explore Eden. Besides our love for the mountains, the only other thing we all universally had in common was that none of us had any money.

[Wandering Daisy]

Yes, I can, and do, primarily backpack in other places in the Sierra. Yet I resent the JMT/PCT route being filled up by that fraction of PCT hikers who have no business being on the route, or who cannot appreciate it and only want the social partying and town time. This robs me of the chance to have a good wilderness experience myself on this iconic trail. This is a serious resource management problem.

Ban all GPS's, PLB's, solar chargers, and all other electronic gadgets (other than a camera) on the PCT and we would weed out a lot of non-serious PCT hikers. No lottery system needed.

[Harlen]

Christ Hobbes, where have you taken me?! For a few hours now I've been plodding through this quagmire, when I should be pouring over Sierra maps. I went so far into the "Carrot Quin vs Clint" saga that I was ready to track Clint down and kick his ass. Then you segued me into the "Carrot Quin the poseur" saga. So now I give up, and will stick to the wonderful Islandic Sagas in the future.
BTW, I could have happily avoided all of this if I had stopped on page one with the wise words of mahjzha, with whom I am in complete agreement.

Ha! One of the best perks of getting older is that you no longer care what other people think about you...

Thanks Hobbes, it has been sort of fascinating.