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Got called out for my 'fastest time' obsession on the PCT
A buddy I hiked with in Oregon last summer told me I was missing the point, that I was treating the trail like a race to finish instead of a place to be. He said I was blowing past side trails to hot springs and skipping viewpoints just to hit my daily 25 mile goal. I changed my plan after that, cutting my daily target to 18 miles. The next week I took a half day at Big Lake Youth Camp just to hang out, and it was the best part of the whole trip. Now I plan routes with built-in 'zero effort' days just to explore. Anyone else get too focused on the numbers and have to reset?
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kellylopez5mo ago
Man, that reminds me of the year I was so set on bagging every 14er in Colorado that I barely looked up from my feet. My buddy finally asked if I knew what color the sky was that day. Kinda blew my mind. How do you even pick which side trail to check out first now?
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patricia3854mo ago
@amy53 probably had the same wake up call when her watch battery died mid race. So was your buddy basically trying to save you from becoming a hiking robot, or was he just jealous you were outpacing him on those peaks?
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