What makes a thru hike?

imported
#1

Hike your own hike, and all that. But still, as I am considering what most would call an unconventional thru-hike, I wonder if I could call myself one, or if I’m ‘only’ a 2000 miler.

Here’s the scoop. I’m going to go southbound in late August/early September - from Maine - and the weather I could run into in the Whites - assuming I make it that far - has me worried.

So what I thought of to do is hike a huge section, from Gorham to Caratunk, then at a later date Caratunk to Abol. Anyhow, I would pretty much start the remainder of the southbound hike from Gorham, enabling me a chance at somewhat decent weather in the Whites.

But is this a thru-hike? I mean, as long as I don’t blue-blaze, yellow-blaze, aqua-blaze or superduper-blaze (???) . . . and I show up at Springer some months later, would you call this a thru-hike?

For me, what I call a thru-hike is if you walk the entire AT within one calendar year - rainbow-blazing (i.e. skipping) notwithstanding - then that’s a thru-hike.

Right?

Kineo Kid

#2

I forgot to mention one thing :eek:

There would be a gap of a few months between these section-hikes and the final push south from Gorham.

Does that still make me a thruhiker?

Kineo Kid

#3

From what i understand through my research on the trail, as long as you complete the 2000+ miles, with your starting date and ending date within one year of each other, then you have “thru-hiked.” But, what’s in a name, anyway?

C-Giddy

#4

If you’re attempting to do the whole trail, you’re a thruhiker while you’re hiking. If you’re hiking sections over multiple years intending to do the whole trail, you’re a section hiker. After you’ve done it, no matter what the time frame, you’re a 2000 miler.
For what it’s worth, the Ranger at Baxter says only 80% of the ‘thruhikers’ take the ATC 2000 miler application when offered it.
Have a great _____ hike, Kineo!:O)

TJ

#5

Well, for those that know me, know that I am not a purist. I did all the above blazes except aqua blaze and then only because I missed the “Highlanders” and Lemmondrop to do it. I also had a broken toe at the James River, Lyme Disease in Vernon, New Jersy and Giardia in Monson, Maine. Hike your own hike and call yourself what you want.

Farther

#6

Hike your own hike is ok to do. But dont call youself what ever you want. It takes hitting every white blaze to do it right in my opinion. Anything else is just that…anything else. Our society has formed this opinion that if you cant do it or dont want to do it ,well then thats ok! Well, thats why were such a wasteful,fat bunch of slackasses in this country. And its not ok. Weve learned to settle for the easy way out! My opinion “White Blaze -Pack on Back” if its worth doing, its worth doing right!!!

Virginian

#7

Before y’all tackle this one did you ever come to a consensus on the weight of water? hmmm?

F. A. wHole

#8

You’re right, we are going to tackle this like the weight of water. My two cents worth, I agree with the Virginian. That is if you consider an AT thru-hike as a long distance endurance type hike. If you do anything other than carrying a backpack the length of the trail is not truly long distance hiking in the classical sense. And as far as long distance hiking, I realize long distance can be defined as a weeks hike to many months, maybe less than week by some. But in calling your hike a thru-hike it is implying you hiked through from point A to point B or a long distance hike by definition within a calendar year. So if your hike is not a continuous long distance endurance type hike, can it be called a thru-hike? Really who gives a rat’s #$%. I started last year in GA in February, stopped for two weeks in NC a few miles off trail for a dislocated shoulder, started back up from where I left the trail and finished in ME in October. I carried my backpack the entire distance and hiked in one direction in doing it. That is my thru-hike. I defined it to be that before I started. I didn’t plan the dislocation however. My point though is that was MY thru-hike. Before you start your hike you should define the hike you are going to do. If you stay to what you decided then you accomplished a personal goal. If you don’t it is your personal guilt or lack there of that you deal with. Since there is no defined criteria for a thru-hike other than a calendar year, a claim to have did a thru-hike is no more than hiking the length of the AT in a single year. So the personal feat of what I did last year is not recognized by some hikers and I do not need it to be. I did the hike for me. I did however have problems last year with all of the slackpacking that went on. I personally think people are depriving themselves of the satisfaction of a classical thru-hike. But that is my opinion however and not an attempted definition of a modern thru-hike. Just don’t deprive yourself of reaching the goals you set before your hike.

Two Scoops

#9

This thread is bringing to mind my concerns about the AT. (I’m “only” a section hiker so I don’t have the thru-hiker experience)

In the back of my mind a nagging little worry keeps wanting to pop up about whether the AT is losing what made it so special.

I’ve seen a lot of photos in the logs showing the shelters full of happy hikers, of ‘trail-angels’ supplying delicacies and chauffer services, logs talking about motel layovers and the nice restaurants they’ve found, and the great advantages of slack-packing.

I really have to agree with the Virginian about what truly qualifies as an AT Thru-Hike. This isn’t to say there’s anything wrong with what I’ve been seeing, it’s just that it’s not what you’d consider “real”.

Mt. Everest now practically has shuttle services to the summit and I suspect actually disappoints many of those who go there looking for the “real” experience of conquering Mt. Everest.

I’m just a little worried that the AT is no longer conquered, just merely travelled.

Go Virginian! When I finally finish section hiking the AT, I’ll call myself a 2000 miler but I won’t think I’ve conquered anything, just merely enjoyed the scenery and the experiences of many week-long hikes.

Too-Dang

#10

Let me get this straight. You miss one White Blaze for whatever reason or slack pack for one step you are not a thruhiker to an extreme minority of tight asses. Ok, I can believe that.

Blue Jay

#11

Is that the orginal white blazes or the new ones? The route for the AT has changed a few times over the years and the blazes have moved some for the better and some for unknown reasons only the trail maintainers understand.
The walk was 2165 miles in 1999 but a few miles have been added since then. Do you have to go back and make up the miles? What if there is a forest fire and you miss a piece of the trail because it’s closed?
I am not a purist and think those who are often miss the spirit of the trail. I do think you should walk the trail and that taking long yellow blazes then your not really in for the trail experience. I know people who missed a few hunderd miles by yellow blazing.

C-giddy has it right your a thru-hiker if your hike the trail in one calender year. So kineo kid your plan works just fine.

Darth Pacman

#12

You’re right Too Dang. Todays AT “thru-hike” is a very easy thing to do. Too many people, hostels, shelters, shuttlers, so-called “trail angels”, hiker feeds, etc. All one needs these days is a bunch of cash. The actual trail has been tamed too. Lots of switchbacks now. They say 1 in 10 makes it to Katahdin. Of those that make it, 1 in 10 of those folks actually hiked all the white blazes and carried a pack the whole way. Slackpacking is for weenies.

joe

#13

Are you there for a title, or to spend time hiking in the woods? If the former, then the nits count, if the latter, they don’t count at all. Do you want to explore a beautiful part of the country or feel superior to other hikers? If you want to enjoy several months in the woods, then do what you want, with pack or without, northbound, southbound or patchwork, white blazes or blue blazes – just enjoy the hike. Enjoy nature, the views, the people and hike your own hike. If you want the sense of superiority that the purists require in order to feel that their hike had meaning, then pack an 80 lb pack, kiss every blaze, and look down your nose at the rest of us who like light packs and scenic detours. Only you know why you are there.

Spirit Walker

#14

Judging from some of these post hiking the AT is some kind of competitive event. In '98 I remember a conversation between a “thru hiker” and his career Army Special Forces father. The father said that he envied his son for being on the Trail with no rules and responsibility for only himself. The son laughed and said if only his father knew of all the “rules.”

I hiked the Trail because I wanted to spend an extended period of time backpacking and with my daughter Lemmondrop. After almost seven months on the Trail, that I accomplished. Although with a broken toe, lyme disease and garidia it about killed me. I didn’t find the AT a “very easy thing to do.”

I often wonder why people get so upset when they can’t control others. by some definitions I was a “thru hiker” only while I was walking the Trail from GA to ME. When I got to ME and off the Trail, I was no longer a “thru hiker”.

Farther

#15

Last year a SOBO rode a horse from the stables of Skyland to Big Meadows. When the purists found out about it they were sooo upset two of them actually had heart attacks. Fortunately there were some slack packers there that packed them out.:mad

Blue Jay

#16

It didn’t take long for personal attacks to start, I’m not overly surprised.

The topic of this thread was a simple question and we should be able to give our own simple answers with being attacked.

I’d be interested in hearing some actual answers to the question from those who get upset at this question.

As I said in my first posting:
“I really have to agree with the Virginian about what truly qualifies as an AT Thru-Hike. This isn’t to say there’s anything wrong with what I’ve been seeing, it’s just that it’s not what you’d consider ‘real’”.

Too-Dang

#17

I sectioned hiked the AT, many areas were repeats. I am a 2000 miler, unfortunately I cant call myself a thru hiker though. I made it to Duncannon in 78, year after I graduated Hs. Came down W/ giardia.Either way I beleive and uphold you have to do it allover them white ones. A silly trait I have is doing new sections as they get re-routed now. So I can say I have still done it all. HA!

HIKER777

#18

What I consider real is only real to me. I would NEVER place my criteria on someone else. I never slackpack, not because of some rule I place on myself, but because I actually like hauling the pack. On my first thruhike I tried to hit every blaze. After I section hiked it again I found that I had missed quite a few. The fact that Kineo Kid had to ask the original question means that he had already experienced the pressure of having to conform to some type of rule system. I cannot tell you how many people I have met over the years who have been damaged by this type of thinking. I met a Army Sargent who was actually crying outside the Bakery in NJ, just south of High Point. He told me his Mother had died. I offered my condolences and he said that is not why he was crying. He said that his thruhike was over because he was slow (Purple Heart) and would miss the year deadline by a few weeks. The world puts more than enough rules on us already, we don’t need (I don’t know how else to put it) tight asses heaping theirs onto our backs.

Blue Jay

#19

One more thing. I strongly believe the Purest Philosophy to be a personal attack not only on me but the thousands of THRUHIKERS who are not pure.

Blue Jay

#20

I thru hiked in '83 along with two friends who I grew up with at summer camp in Black Mtn, NC. Being young bucks (and not knowing any better) we pretty much blazed up the trail with a few town stops, a few zero days, and lots of mail drops. In fact, we didn’t even bother checking in at Harper’s Ferry because we got in on a Sunday night and left early Monday morning.

Am I a former thru hiker? Damn straight I am. Do I have a patch to prove it? Only because one of my hiking friends decided a few years later to contact the ATC to let them know we had done it. It hangs on my wall. If someone notices and asks about it, I’ll gladly relive that wonderful summer.

My hike was my own and I am a better person to this day because of it. If you desire to hike the AT or any other trail, do it because you want to find out something, be it nature or yourself, and don’t worry about labels. God knows there’s enough of that crap in daily life, leave it when you go hiking.

Tim