On The Fly

In this episode - A Controlled Fall . . . Summer is here; as you hit the hiking trails, let me suggest a technique you might find helpful or at least a challenge to try. I call it the PCF technique "Patrick's Controlled Fall." If you live near any larg e hills, I challenge you to at least try this technique. I stumbled upon this during my adventures wilderness backpacking in the Sierras a few years ago. Of course, this is not for everyone; falling gracefully takes coordination and skill. Me, I'm able to practice the technique when hiking Daley Ranch in Escondido, CA.  During a recent Saturday morning hike, my conversation with Lori went something like this, "This may sound crazy to you, but training for this year's High Sierra trip, I'm going to practice my controlled fall technique to improve my decent pace; on the mountain trails." Her response was, "I'll see you back at the truck." "I'll wait for you at the bottom of the h...