Off days & Thru’s

[Douglas McCoy]

OK, So I have a goal of doing the PCT and or the CDT (both will be south bounders)within the next 4-5 years (after grad school and a few years of working. My question is this. I observe a Sabbath and for me that means not "working" and such from sun down to sun one day a week. For me that means obstaining from things I do six days a week. For instance I do not deal with anything backpacking/bicycling related on my Sabbaths (unless I am out BPing, but that is a different issue for a different time) So If I am to do this, the thru-hike trip would be my "job." (because I do it six days a week). For expample I would stop hiking from sun down Friday to sun down Saturday (24 hrs) and then begin hiking the following Sunday morning. With this type of schedual, that is about a negative 20-30+ miles a week I would no be able to do. Span that over 5 months it equates out to about 400-600+ miles in the "hole" which just made the hike 20 or so days longer than "normal." Will this compromise me for weather situations or would I be safe (snow, water sources etc)? Would this also throw off my arrival at trail towns for re-supply? I would actually like to arive at a trail town on the afternoon of the start of Sabbath and get whatever things I need to get done, done. Then relax for the next 24 hours and head back out the following morning. I am convicted on this issue I would actaully scrap the thru hike and continue to piece meal the PCT like I have been doing and then start on the CDT, and not compromise my convictions.

Thanks in advance

[Thomas Knighton]

I've never hiked the PCT, so take this with a grain of salt, but my thinking is that, if you plan for 6 days hiking then one zero day, and and adjust your start date accordingly, then you should be fine weather wise. However, you add on something like a month or so to the trip.

As for towns every six days, you'd have to consult a guide book for that one.

Tom

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Douglas

> I observe a Sabbath and for me that means not "working" and such from sun down to sun one day a week. For me that means obstaining from things I do six days a week. For instance I do not deal with anything backpacking/bicycling related on my Sabbaths (unless I am out BPing, but that is a different issue for a different time) So If I am to do this, the thru-hike trip would be my "job." (because I do it six days a week).

I have no idea about the rules here, but I wonder: have you checked with your Rabbi about whether the hike really counts as a 'job'? Just wondering.

Cheers

[Joseph Jacaruso]

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[Brett .]

You are worried that God would think negatively on you for hiking through his creation on Sundays? I think he is more upset about the loggers and strip miners destroying things 7 days a week. I say hike- you have a chance most of us will never have.

[Brett .]

You are worried that God would think negatively on you for hiking through his creation on Sundays? I think he is more upset about the loggers and strip miners destroying things 7 days a week. I say hike- you have a chance most of us will never have. But maybe you can get the verbal OK from your pastor/religious official before doing the hike; that should put you more at ease.
I dont speak with any deep religious knowledge except that gained from 4 years of Catholic high school..!

[Douglas McCoy]

"I have no idea about the rules here, but I wonder: have you checked with your Rabbi about whether the hike really counts as a 'job'? Just wondering."

"But maybe you can get the verbal OK from your pastor/religious official before doing the hike; that should put you more at ease."

I am not Jewish, there are many other "Sabbath" keepers that are of different religious beliefs and or just feel that they should have a Sabbath.

It is my personal belief system and conviction. Consulting "man" will do no good. We are to seek out our own understandings and not rely wholy on what "man" has to say. Just look what happened to Jim Jones and the gang. Also your right I should not look at the hike as a job. What I ment to say was I would be doing it six days a week and therfore feel as if I should take a Sabbath from it. Sabbaths (for me) are ment to take a break from what is done all week long and to re-connect.

"You are worried that God would think negatively on you for hiking through his creation on Sundays?"

Again this is a conviction and value system for me.

"I also think of the entire experience of being out in God's creation as spiritual."

Exacttly, this is one of the main reasons I do hike. To re charge and re connect.

*****This post was not ment to start a religious debate or talk about ideologies. It was to gain technical insight and planning from a backpacking community who share some of the same philosophies on hiking style and treatise as I do.

So thank you to Thomas Knighton the one person who actually has answered the question according to its context. I do apreciate all of your thoughts on the matter but feel that if we were to discuss the philisophical end of it, it should go under the "chaff" section of the forum.

So let us keep it based on technical criteria and not philosophical, thus diffusing a potential heated discussion of rights and wrong or where ever it may lead.*****

So please keep the comments coming, just keep it technical. Thanks.

Maybe I should re word it "I am planning on doing a thru hike of the PCT or CDT, both will be done north to south. I plan on taking a zero day every week. How will this effect my ending of the hike VS winter weather threats, water sourcing, etc. Also I would like to be able to take my zero days in a trail town, would this be possible as well. Your advise is greatly needed and welcomed."

[Shawn Basil]

If you have a set day each week, it can be difficult, but it IS doable. The AT would be MUCH easier to achieve this sort of schedule since there are more town stops. Circuit Rider, a minister I knew from my 99 thru-hike always arranged either a Sunday church visit or a Wednesday night service each week, sometimes both.

From a technical viewpoint, it is doable if you plan carefully. When you factor in town stops, you will likely wind up only slightly "in the hole" by observing a sabbath. Many hikers manage a town stop a week in many parts of the AT and PCT. You may have to pour on some mileage or lolligag in certain sections, but it is often doable. If not, find a campsite near a truly stunning vista or comfortable water source and enjoy yourself.

As for the trail being "work", my experience says you have the right approach. It really does become a routine where you "earn" miles instead of money. Those who said, "I'm only out here as long as it's fun," rarely completed a thru-hike. You need a deeper drive to keep you going when times are tough. Of course, it's nice to have a "job" you love most of the time.

[Matt Brodhead]

So if I'm getting this straight, on your Sabbath you don't do things your normally do the other 6 days. So if that's the case, save your Sabbath for writing that Great American Novel you've always planned on writing :-p

Brainstorm and come up with some crazy innovative idea/goal to accomplish during your "down time". If I had a free day once every week, I'd be able to follow through with all of the crazy ideas I get…

[Anitra Kass]

I think it could be done but you will probably have to do a lot of planning which many people do anyway. I would caution you to really pour over the High Sierra section of the PCT because that might be a section where you might have problem getting to a town but an on trail zero could be cool.

Another thing to think about is the PO…if you take a day to reconnect you probably aren't going to be going to the PO so that means that you only have 5 possible days each week to pick up any maildrops you might send yourself.

Positively, by knowing that you have a day built in each week for rest you might be able to push miles the other days (if you like to do that stuff) and feel recovered and refreshed after your respite.

Another thing that could help is if you can minimize your time in trail towns when you are not spending Shabat in one of them but I like trail towns so that wouldn't be part of my hike but maybe you'd rather minimize it.

I think the key thing is…it's your hike so plan it and give it a go. See how far you get…it would be easy to turn it into a long section if time starts to run short. Good luck, Happy Trails and Shabat Shalom!
NITRO

[Douglas McCoy]

I think what I will do is just hike like I normally would/plan on doing, and if I hit a trail town on rest day then great I f I don;t and it is by a lake or on the trail or what eve, no worries there either.
I am a very detailed and thought out person, so planning and researching will not be the problem. And of course once I am finally get out there then I will really get a good idea of what is do-able or not so do-able. My hiking style is pretty much from sun up, to about an hour till sun down which gives me enough time to set up and bed down. If I am allowed more time on my hands say then a couple of hours of sunlight I go stir crazy and get bored real fast. During the summer months this equates to about 30-40mi a day. I guess I will just have to see how it goes.

[George Matthews]

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[Vick Hines]

On one AT hike, I observed two young Orthodox women who kept kosher and also kept the Sabbath. Keeping kosher in the South was a real challenge, of course. They kept the Sabbath by taking non-cook food for an extra day if it would fall between towns, and simply camped every Saturday, making sure, of course that they were at a suitable site with water, etc. before sundown on Friday. It worked for them.

[Einstein X]

Being religious or not, if you go hiking for five months on end I think it's good practice to take a resting day once a week. And I think your body would agree.

But if the rest day will result in weekly 24 (rounded off for calculus reason) mile holes, than can't you hike an additional four miles everyday? If not maybe you can do two more miles everyday, that will decrease your gaps.

Eins

[Sam Haraldson]

I took four rest days out of my 61 day thru hike and felt after the fact that I could have gotten away with three. I had a couple low mileage days however (8 – 11 miles) which equate to letting your body rest as well.

This all being said is of course a bit off topic and if one's religion requests taking a day off every week I'd do as the individuals described above and find some no-cook food, a nice creek or lake and catch up on your meditating for a day.

[Chad Ellertson]

I think that with a rest day it would be possible to add some mileage to each of your days. Sometimes when you hike for so long in a day, its hard to get some of the things done you want too. If I had a down day I'd fish, or write, or just sleep. No cook would be good for those days, but rest would work well for revamping your system. I don't think it would add up too much, if you could add mileage, but if its not feasible to do that, add some time on to schedule at the beginning and the end.

I can get a dispensation for Mass, but I like heading out once a week to go, so I understand the need to reconnect spiritually.

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