AT Purist Mentality

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#21

Reading this subject I need to ask what exactly is considered “purist”. Our first attempt on 2007 thru hike was a bust and will be trying again in spring 2011. We have done a number of section hikes each year but want to do the complete trail from start to end, we don’t plan on skipping any sections of that we’ve already done. But the question is what is a purist? Seems like a lot of people has an opinion on the subject. To me it’s just hiking the designated trail from start to finish. Now some others have a mentality, do it the same way they did it or your not considered a purist. I mean do I have to carry a 20lb pack and an alcohol stove, stopping only every 4-5 days to resupply and only staying at hostels to do laundry and heading out early the next day, or should I be carrying a 60lb pack with enough supplies so I only need to stop every 2weeks? Maybe it should be how I had to do a forced hike in the military, being combat loaded carrying 120lb of gear covering 25 miles in 16 hrs (not fun). The point is there are so many opinions about what a “purist” is. Isn’t an AT thru hike considered just hiking from start to finish enjoying the experience? The hike is suppose to be fun even thought there are times when it gets difficult, but over all it should be fun. If not why spend all that time and money doing it? We’re not Louis and Clark blazing a new trail across the continent.

Tony

#22

I don’t get your point, but if you are hiking small sections of trail over a number of years why would you care?

Purist wouldn’t even talk to you.

Martin

#23

Here’s a definition I got for a thru hike…

Thru-hiking is the process of hiking a long-distance trail from end to end. The term is most commonly associated with the Appalachian Trail, but is also used for other lengthy trails and long distance hikes, including the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail. Thru-hiking is also called “end-to-end hiking” or “end-to-ending” on some trails, like Vermont’s Long Trail. Section hiking, on the other hand, refers to hiking a complete trail by hiking all of its individual sections, not in continuity or, necessarily, in sequence.
See more at Wikipedia.org…

Stylin

#24

As a long-time section hiker, I must agree with Martin above. I certainly wouldn’t care, or miss anyone who wouldn’t talk to me. :tongue

Lady Di

#25

@Martin, First off please go back and read my entire post before posting a reply.
I stated:

  1. failed thru-hike in 2007.
  2. sectioned hiked past few years.
    and most important (part you must have ignored)…
  3. will be attempting again in 2011 (as in thru-hike) without skipping sections already completeted. Another words we plan on hiking all 2175+/- (depending on trail changes) of the AT trail from start to finish.

Not saying you are, but you pretty much confirm what people with “purist” mentality seemingly say. That is “Your only right if you do it my way” and don’t care or will even will listen (or read) to what your saying, I’m right and thats final.

Which brings me to the question again, what is or considered a Purist?

Tony

#26

Lady Di to answer your question:

A Purist is anyone who is a fundalmentalist about anything on trail.

You can’t argue with fundamentalists, so there is no use.

I knew a purist in 07 on PCT who’s purity wasn’t really concerened about the trail itself. It was about bringing an Egg McMuffin from mile 320ish where there is a McDonalds right off the trail that everyone spends the whole day at, since it’s in a hot stretch of trail, all the way to Canada. he wore it in a little bag around his neck. I thought is was a mushroom at first. It got a little ripe. I think the hiker was Mr. Fusion. Anyone am I right was it Fusion? He did this as a bet for something like $50. I think he made it.

So his purism came through an Egg McMuffin. No one can argue he wasn’t a purist.

Guino

#27

You want a definiton???

Look it up in a dictionary.

navigator

#28

No, Mr. Bones, I do not make the trail miserable for others. I enjoy hiking as well as getting to know other hikers. I do not judge others on how they decide to hike. I think those who judge others are hurting on the inside or feel bad about themselves.

just hikin’

#29

The AT is a retarded trail so there are going to be a lot of retarded people with retarded thinking … the WEST is the BEST … will be forever and ever!

HYOH

#30

I want to start this by saying thank you to the mature thru hikers that have voiced honest, mature opinions about thru-hiking. You are who I aspire to be. I also want to say I have only hiked small sections of the AT and even though I have been backpacking off an on for 18 years I have never backpacked on the AT. I never dreamed of undertaking a 2000+ mile journey until recently when I took those short hikes on the AT. The trail itself inspired me. I am currently planning a hundred mile section hike starting in Georgia in April as a test run for a future thru hike. As thru hikers you should be looked upon as experienced backpackers. Professional woodsmen. Ones that all others look up to and aspire to be. When you spout what some of you have wrote in this topic you do the opposite. I do not want to be apart of an elitest culture. Ones who argue over who carry tents and who do not? What sense is it to get mad at degree. Many have tried to make this point but I think you have missed it. Do you sit around the campfire and agrue over who carried the most weight? Who hiked the outside of all the turns on the trail because it means that you walked further? If you do how sad is that? That is not someone I respect there opinion. As thru hikers you are embassadors of the trail. You should be encouraging others to hike. Not belittling them. How does it benefit you to run down section hikers and day hikers? Did you start out day 1 as a thru hiker? I doubt it. You should have compassion and try to help them out. I know there are jerks out there that won’t listen and do the wrong thing. There always will be. Reading some of your opinions on this post thru hikers aren’t immune from that category. You have to take the higher road. You have to lead by example. Being harsh to others never wins them over. I agree with the ones who have no problem with how people hike. I agree that at least they are out there and trying (and learning). I understand why you are upset when people lie about what they have done. I have read many a post about people who yellow blazed or hitch hiked and lied about it repeatedly. This would upset me too. I can see how you would feel like it diminishes what you and others have done. But why do you have problems with people that flip flop or Section hike it as long as that is the way they tell it? Do they NOT have the right to brag about their accomplishments as you do?

I will summarize with this statement… As a future thru hiker if I run into you on the trail and you tell me you are a thru hiker (past or present) I will have nothing but respect for you (automatically). If you make out like you are privileged because of it or make fun of me for being a section hiker I will lose that respect for you. You have no control over it at that point…

Again, Thank you thru hikers who are mature in your dealings and hiking. Lead the way!

Fa·ce·tious

#31

Is this a high school chat forum? If so, are the purists the in crowd and the others the nerds, geeks and freaks? I am planning on completing a traditional South to North trip. If/when I complete, I will only consider myself different from hikers that skip sections or flip flop for this reason. The sole reason is that my trip, if I complete it, would be more challenging than the other two methods ( based on the 2100+ continuous hike). However, I would not assume I was better than the others. Some people don’t have the 5-7 months to take off, don’t have the 4-6 grand to spend, or suffer an injury while attempting. I have only met one thru hiker, while hiking thru my local REI, (it was a tough hike getting thru the Austin traffic in my Jeep (I did not even have a pack!)), and he was very nice, very forthcoming in advice, and led me to this site. If you or I meet a holier than now thru hiker, tell him/her that you graduate high school years ago and that you prefer to hang out with a more enlightened crowd. Oh, I will train my Lulu to defecate on command for when I run into simple minded purists on the trail (or in life).

Cassidy Villegan

#32

The thru-hiker at REI gave you a bum steer, I’m afraid. TrailForums is NOT the place to hang out with enlightened long distance hikers. To be honest, I’m not sure you’ll have much luck in any forum setting, but maybe give the at-l email list a try instead. It’s certainly better than this outlet, which is full of anonymously posted drivel.

tron