What makes a thru hike?

imported
#41

I just found a book about this at the library. It states the ultimate definition of any word comes from something called “common usage”. Most, if not all but the most hopelessly serious, hikers that start from Springer call themselves “thruhikers”. Therefore a thruhiker is someone who goes to Springer or Katahden and takes one step toward the other. If I called myself a “Nobel Prize Winner” would that in any way diminish the true winners. No, they would just laugh. Loosen up Virginian, try a “nonpure” AT hike, it’s A LOT more fun. Not everything has to be an accomplishment.

Blue Jay

#42

I was a purist, but now that I have accomplished my goal of hiking the entire trail, I can relax and enjoy more. Ill be down at Springer next week hiking north for 2 weeks. I know im definetely taking the road around tesnatee gap as opposed to goin straight up and over past whitley gap shelter trail, only to come back down to the same road in another gap. That was a tough one going up.

Chef

#43

Hey Blue Jay, I might try a “nonpure” hike next time. And I am very laid back. Ask anyone I hiked with last year. The ax Im grinding is the phrase"hike your own hike". If your atitude is that not everything needs to be acomplished then thats fine. But all Im saying is ,if you didnt accomplish the complete trail because of blue blazes,yellow blazes,time restrictions or just missed sections because you were “hiking you own hike”. Then dont claim that you hiked the whole trail.
When I first thought of doing the AT, I wasnt even aware that people missed section and blue blazed,but then still made the thru hike claim. No wonder the numbers are so high. If I had started my hike with the attitude that not everything needs to be accomplished,then I probably wouldnt have started the hike at all. I mean that was the point,right? To do a complete hike.Well at least for me it was.
If this hike your own hike thing is so great then ,how come I didnt see any yellow blazers or blue blazers proudly telling of their skipping sections when they were talking to people on the street last year. They would say with their heads held high" Im hiking the AT this year" But I never heard one of them say"But I did skip Vermont."

Virginian

#44

Virginian is right, I read the list of 2002 thru hikers and I know for a fact some of them skipped states. We made it a point if we walked into the shelter on one trail we walked out that same trail. We didn’t say anything to those that didn’t, it was their hike. But I’m like Virginian, if you didn’t see all the white blazes, you don’t mail in the sheet. But… I’m all for people hiking their hike. There was a hiker that you would see on the trail, on the road, in a truck, cab, on the Today Show (with an AT sign) and nobody enjoyed their hike more than he did. We hiked with him off and on for 6 months and never knew when or where he would pop up, it was his hike. It was not for us, but more power to him. Just go hike. “Lord if you can pick my feet up one more time, I’ll figure out how to put them back down.” prayer on Hostel wall in GA.

Papa Smurf

#45

How could anyone skip Vermont?!? It was one of my favorite States :smiley:

So much, in fact, that I went back and hiked the entire Long Trail the next year.

-Hungry Howie & The New Sushi

Hungry Howie

#46

I would say the Virginian is pretty laid back. I know I gave my opinion earlier but what I really didn’t like last year was some slackers behaving toward me as if I was doing something I didn’t need to do. Or someone bragging about the miles they made when I know they yellowed blazed or slacked it. I did let that stuff get to me last year and I am sorry I let it. I should have never allowed myself to question what I was doing because in reality that is what I was doing by being bothered by such stuff. But I was so disappointed when I got on the trail last year and discovered what really goes on out there. I never expected it. I just assumed everyone was doing what I was. But I would advice someone to hike their hike in whatever matter they feel they should. Just please don’t label me as a purist in a way that makes it seem like a dirty word. And if anyone wants to slack or yellow blaze, I really don’t care. I know last year I hiked at times with a young lady they freely admitted in the registers when she yellow blazed. I enjoyed hiking with her because she was honest about what she was doing. For me it is all a question of character and integrity. Within our society the strength of those traits can be so lacking anymore. But last year I met some amazing people within those traits and otherwise. Hike your own hike while respecting those that have come before you. Everyone that has every finished or started the AT hikes with you in their hearts, just remember that. And it is no matter as to how they did it.

Two Scoops

#47

Sorry, I tried not to let all those things bother me either , but they did. I guess we all have our demons. Hey,Two Scoops, I know that yellow blazer you are refering to, and if you read the completion list. That persons name was on it along with some others. And your right it is a question of integrity and character. But I think those traits only pertain to us Republicans. I put that in there so I could give all these Liberals something to write back about. But of coarse if they really are Liberals they wont even respond. You know respecting my right to an opinion and all. Oops! Did I say that outloud!

Virginian

#48

Virginian you ain’t right. I did notice the names on the list to include the woman in question.

Two Scoops

#49

Of coarse (sic) us liberals respect your right to an opinion. But you don’t have to be a jerk about it. Unfortunately that seems to be what it means to be a Republican these days.

If you want to perpetuate stereotypes I’m sure Rush Limbaugh would be happy to hear from you. I don’t think this is the right place for gratuitous insults.

nycman50

#50

Some questions I don’t stoop to reply to…but why do some people seemed to be so concerned over liberal vs. conservatism and other irrelavant issues? We’re talking about (Or supposed to be) the definition of the terms Section-Hiker, Thru-Hiker, and 2,000-Miler as asked sooooooo many posts ago by Kineo Kid. Instead of getting a straight answer (which is easy enough to give by doing a little research over at the ATC’s website) most of the posters do nothing but give arbitrary opinions about how they dislike “purists” or “_______blazers” or how you should uphold your integrity and respect the honor system by not calling yourself something your not, or how I’m “this” or “that”. Isn’t most of this a bit irrelavant, not to mention the labeling people as Conservative or Liberal? You people are making me remember why I went into seclusion from online forums. These are supposed to be places where people can come to get answers from around the board…not bombarded by erroneous political frustration.

I remember being on the trail and nobody cared about anything more than being in harmony with the environment around them and having the best times that they could with the time they were given. I remember being on the trail where the biggest concern was whether you should trade 2 snickers bars for an iced Cliff bar. I remember being on the trail when none of this bonafide hiking-politics crap mattered to anyone (because it really didn’t…not until you got off the trail and had nothing better to bicker about).

But it would seem that those days are gone. I can’t wait to leave it all behind and go hike in the woods again…because that’s all it really is…just hiking. One foot in front of the other.

-Howie

Hungry Howie

#51

I propose a new classification. The only way one can be sure to do the whole thing, not missing any white blazes, pack on back might be to do a “ThoroughThruHike”. I propose ThoroughThruHiking shall be the standard,and it means first going NOBO, then returning SOBO, all in a one year period, and logging in at each white blaze. ThoroughThruHikers could take a pic, “pack on back” by said white blaze, a committee of review could be established, and we could ask some hall monitor types to go over each pic. A numbering system for blazes would help. To establish this standard, consider sending donations through pay pal at ThoroughThruHike.org. Do you have what it takes to join the few, proud ThoroughThruHikers?

But there could still be harder levels as well, you know, for purists.

AT Satyrical '69er

#52

maybe you shouldn’t make smart-ass remarks about “President Shrub”, howie. Your hatred for the sitting president has nothing to do with the topic either. get off your high horse.

joe

#53

why do we need a new definition when the ATC already defines it. As howie quoted so eloquently.

Earl Schaffer was asked on his last hike, in which he slacked almost the whole thing, had his own personal sherpas that carried his weight when he couldnt. He was asked what do you think about blue blazers and yellow blazers. He said , I dont really care one way or the other, but if you didnt hike the whole AT, then dont lie about later.

Thats all im asking, if you missed a hundred miles in PA or skipped VT or the Whites or whatever, have the Intestinal Sack, to admit it. Dont run around telling people you hiked the entire AT, tell them I walked from GA to ME but I got in a car and skipped NJ.

One of the tougher sections is the 18 mile rollercoaster that leads into West Virginia. If you Aqua blazed from front royal, you miss this section. I got to Harpers and of course people were talking about it. In 2000 the maintainers actually had a sign at the beginning of this stretch taunting hikers about what was to come. People who Aqua blazed were taking credit for hiking the rollercoater, when they didnt even see it.

It is the constitutionally given right for any American to criticize its government. Sometimes the Republicans and democrats forget this.

chef

#54

I’ve hiked that section many times and still couldn’t find the tough part. Obviously the maintainers in that section never hiked southern Maine.

L Wolf

#55

I think this topic belongs on another website.

Tim