Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Record number of PCT hikers gather and take off

This last weekend, I attended the Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kick Off, near the Mexican border. I gather that there were a record number of hikers that have permits this year....about 350 (typically last few years, about 300).

It was a remarkable gathering in many ways. It had more people than in the past, including the day use only folks, perhaps nearing 900. It also ran amazingly smoothly. Things ran on time, people got rides to the border and various places, people got fed.

However, the most wonderful thing about this, was the attendance of Eric Ryback, the person credited with the first thru-hike, in 1976. He wrote a book about his trip, which was solo, southbound, and included only 5 resupplies. A couple of years afterwards, he basically dropped out of the hiking community, and got on with his life. He has had no connection with the PCT hiking community, guidebooks, or anything else. He lives in the middle of the US. However, the organizers, after many years of trying, managed to track him down, and invited him to the Kick Off. He had NO IDEA that there was such a gathering, that hundreds did the trail annually, and that he is revered as the guy who inspired it all. He was TOTALLY BLOWN AWAY by the entire weekend. I am reminded of the film "The Gods must be Crazy", with Ryback throwing the Coke bottle.

He was actually camped in my campsite, and I had a chance to talk with him. I found him humble, gracious, and giving of his time. He participated in a panel on the evolution of gear, and gave the keynote talk---a slideshow of his trip.

A short newpaper article about the Kick Off:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080427-9999-1m27trail.html

By the way, the mountaineering skills talk that they reference, was the one that I gave. I was also involved in the recycling program for the weekend, as well as cooking on Sunday morning (at 4am!)

My daughter lives in Agua Dulce and works at the pizza restaurant there and told me last week that a few thru hikers have been coming through town already. As in years past the stream of hikers picks up dramatically during the May period.

I sometimes run into these hikers when I do some trail running in Agua Dulce and the Vasquez Rocks County park area.It's alway a great site...... a rite of spring in town with a couple large banners over the local supermarket. A lot of the hikers spend a day in Agua Dulce at "Saufley’s at Hiker Heaven in Agua Dulce."

You gotta love those thru hikers....

paul

I can't wait to start next Friday. I'll be in the back of the herd with all the other college students I suppose.

Ken, you're going to cringe at this question, but you're probably the guy to ask. I'll have my ice axe shipped to Kennedy Meadows. I've read up on how to use it, watched videos, and even practiced the motions, but I've still never used it. Do you know of anywhere between KM and Whitney to practice on a nice snowy slope with run out and some hope of avoid hitting rocks?

What a great story, Ken. Eric Ryback sounds like a remarkable person.

Good for you on the mountaineering skills talk and cooking breakfast at 4:00 am!!! It's one thing to get up ridiculously early for a hike or climb but to make breakfast for a huge group of hikers...I commend you!

MC


Good luck TwoFortyJeff!!!

Hi Jeff - I can tell you that the snow is melting fast. By the time you reach KM expect some dry hot days. You will see lots of "trail angels" along the way for updates - but I would expect snows to be mostly melted out(at least 1 month away?) before you reach the Olancha and possibly even the Cottonwood Pass areas. The good news is that plenty of steps should be kicked in Forester by then.

Ken - thank for posting this. I am always on the lookout for through hikers needing rides to and from trails. You never know when unexpected supplies may be needed. If you see my friend "Meadow Ed" - tell him I said hi

My son and I hiked Mt. San Jacinto via the Deer Springs Trail on Friday May 12, 2006. We saw 13 other hikers, 11 of them were PCTers, many of which had low cut trail runners on and had lots of snowpacked trails to negotiate. The town of Idyllwild goes all out for the PCTers, hanging a larger banner above the main drag through down(only)town, and offering special rates in the motels. One of these days,,,,,,,,,steve

I hate to be a wet blanket but in all fairness there is some doubt to Eric's claim of completing the entire PCT in 1970. From Wikpedia:

"The trail may have been first thru-hiked in 1970 by 18-year-old Eric Ryback. Wilderness Press, the publisher of Ryback's 1971 book The High Adventure of Eric Ryback, later claimed that Ryback had "cheated" by accepting rides for part of the distance. Ryback sued for $3 million, but dropped the suit when the publisher produced statements from people claiming to have given Ryback a ride. The truth of Ryback's claim is still debated.

The first person confirmed to have thru-hiked the entire PCT, as well as the first person to hike from south to north, was Richard Watson, who completed the trail on September 1, 1972.[citation needed] The first woman was Mary Carstens, who completed the journey later in 1972 accompanied by Jeff Smukler."

I'm not going to say he did or he didn't. I wasn't there. But there are many who question his authenticity.

Jeff, can't really say about the snowslope, due to the heavy melting that has already occurred, and is likely to continue.

In my talk, I said that this year, it did not appear that an axe was absolutely neccessary, but more of a convenience to extend the travel day. I suspect that you will find snow almost exclusively on the north side of the high passes, and you will have compacted trails through it by that time.

Tom, worked next to Meadow Ed most of the weekend, and he gave me a book, which he'll remember the next time you talk to him. It was a gracious thing of him to do.
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Well, the Ryback controversy will probably never die. Your reference did not go into details, but when I've looked, many of the objections had to do with his implausible mileage---22 miles/day. I remember that Ray Jardine and his wife averaged 29.
What there can be no doubt about, is that Ryback's book inspired countless thousands to do this trail.

Either everyone was being very polite, or no one cared at Eric's talk on Saturday. There's saying in the long distance hiking community, HYOH (Hike Your Own Hike). What Eric did was groundbreaking. Many hikers today take rides a short distance, or take an alternate route. There are purists who scoff at that. Who cares?

Eric is a very unpretentious person, who did his hike only for himself, not intending to write a book until pushed by a publisher and his parents. After the controversy, he has kept rather quiet about the trip for over 30 years. Remember, he was only 18 when he did this hike. It was a very personal hike for him, and hearing him tell it, it still is. He was overwhelmed by the PCT community, and we may see more of him in the future.

As for the controversy, no one asked, and all he said was there were a "misunderstanding". As for many of us, we were thrilled to meet the person who inspired so many to think about thruhiking the PCT.

Speaking of PCT, I compile a list of water sources and their conditions along the trail from Mexico to Kennedy Meadows (south) at http://pct.4jeffrey.net. There's info there on how to send me updates as well. Thanks!

AsABat