Interesting topic, ppine! I'll ignore the comment about women except to say that while growing up in the western US, I met a lot of really strong women, still taking care of ranch chores and riding long hours in all kinds of weather in their 70's and 80's. One of them (our landlady) remembered as a child going with her mother to take baked goods to Butch Cassidy and his gang. (Confirmed by reputable historians, BTW.)

I grew up going on backpacking and horsepacking adventures with my parents (some rather foolhardy considering their lack of experience at the time), and they encouraged me to "be a good sport" and not complain. We were in a lot of tough spots weather-wise at high altitudes in the Rockies, and I learned to laugh and joke about them as well as learning the skills to cope with the adverse conditions. That was back in the 1940's and 50's.

Forward to the first overnight backpack five years ago with my grandson JP, age six at the time. We hiked in about a mile and found a lovely stream to sit beside and eat our lunch. All of a sudden, this big yellow jacket shows up and starts buzzing around JP. I told him not to bat at it or it would sting. Well, that wasp kept buzzing around his head for several minutes (seemed like several hours!) and JP sat there like a statue until the critter finally went away. Did I ever praise him for being so brave!

I recently read an article by Francis Tapon about the characteristics of those who manage to complete the long trails (PCT, CDT and AT). While prior conditioning, light packs, avoiding injury and having enough money were important, the one characteristic that stood out was the will to finish!


Edited by OregonMouse (10/13/11 11:11 PM)
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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey