[at-l] Pack weights of yesteryear

[Linda Benschop]

Rafe,

I read both books several years ago and I think it is time for me to 
read them again.  I remember how much I enjoyed Dorothy Laker's 
section.  Earl was really "smitten" with her, you know.  They hiked 
together for a while but not sure what year/s.  I tried hard to locate 
her when we were in Florida.  I even contacted Wingfoot as he usually 
knows what happened to the oldtimers.  She had her phone number listed 
in the Tampa phone book several years ago.  I also read that she had 
done a 5 mile run.  Then she just seemed to disappear.  I would love to 
meet her if she is still alive.  But nobody seems to know.

Hugs, Hummingbird

Raphael Bustin wrote:
> At 08:18 AM 9/28/2006 -0400, Hummingbird wrote:
>
>   
>> Earl told me that Granny Gatewood didn't carry any food, that she just 
>> knocked on doors and asked for food.  That really upset Earl.
>> I don't have the Rodale books, but was wondering how much weight Dorothy 
>> Lake carried.
>>     
>
>
> Dorothy Laker did three AT hikes.  Two "thrus" ('57, '64)
> and a 3rd pass in sections from '62-'72.
>
> In my skimming of the diaries I didn't find any mention
> of pack weight in Dorothy's 200+ pages... but I'll have
> another look tonight, maybe.
>
>   











> It's not like there's a standard format for the diaries.
> FWIW, Granny's story is only 10 pages long and
> written by an anonymous author.  She failed
> miserably in her first try...
>
> By contrast, Roland Mueser's study of the AT class
> of '89 was based on a standard questionnaire,
> filled out by around 150 finishers.  A really solid
> source of info -- on one specific year.
>
> I'm ready to believe that there was some sort of
> "peak" in pack weights in the late-80s/early-90s
> era -- and that there's been a sensible backlash
> against that.  I'm going to blame Ed Garvey.
> Ahhh, I feel much better now.
>
> I'd guess that the standard deviation among
> "smart" hikers is smaller now, because of better
> info-sharing.  The range and variation among
> the "Rodale" hikers is huge.
>
>
>
> rafe b
> aka terrapin
>
>
>