hmm.. I resemble that remark..

Interesting that it may be a result of his infection.

I've had people come out with me who have had a bad time, and people who haven't. I'll give you a flip side story just for comparison.

A year and a half ago, recall I had a couple good friends get married on west coast trail. They told everyone about it about 6 months or more beforehand, and I was helping organize the whole thing..

As the event became "public" to our circle of friends, one of my fellow computer nerds expressed that he *really* wanted to go. Now, he's short, and pretty darn large - larger than me even. not in great shape at all.. He also lives in the middle of the flattest part of the USA.

Now, to his credit - we would often at events have a dayhike, he loved to get out, and would come as far as he could but the uphills would kill him - in the past I knew this and would take him with the group on a dayhike, and string my hammock in a nice place when he got tired and let him sack out in it till we got back. I knew he liked the hammock. he just couldn't walk uphill or a lot.

So.. I laid down the law to him. I told him to go to REI and get a pair of vasque breeze XCR's, and two pairs of hiking socks with liners, and he had to start walking - every day - if he did this, and got to where he could walk every day and walk steady for three or four hours without stopping, I would get him down the trail, but he had to do his part. He worried about losing weight, I told him to forget it, and just walk.

I got him to get nylon pants that fit, and appropriate poly underwear and clothing, along with a campmor silnylon tarp. and trekking poles. told him to find a daypack, put it all in it, and keep walking.. he did.

I asked if he was picky about his food - he wasn't. so since I was yoyoing the trail, I told him he would be bringing two food bags, identical, which one was for me (my resupply) and one was for him. He was fine with that. With that stuff, He got my spare Granite Gear Virga, a blue foam, My synthetic exped wallcreeper to use as a quilt, my speer hammock, a stove and canister (he had aquired a pot and spoon). He started the trail with about 26-27 pounds on his back.

He had the time of his life. it was challenging, but he made it and enjoyed himself. He draqgged a little bit on one of the longer days (17 km from tscowais to cribs for the wedding) and for the last 5 km or so of that day kind of had my boot up his butt. however he took it well, and arrived in time for the wedding, and had a great time the rest of the time.

Now yes, any of us who hiked with him had to slow back a bit and get him through the tough stuff, but that's the price you pay. all in all he wasn't *that* slow, and managed a perfectly normal WCT itenerary on west coast trail.

I really think a lot of it is attitude.. he *really wanted* to do this trip, he was committed to it, and he did very very well. - for someone whose first ever backpacking trip was west coast trail!