15 year old girl youngest ever to complete an AT thru hike
http://bangordailynews.com/2013/10/0...at-thru-hiker/
I think this is way cool!!! Give this a read and share your thoughts!!!
Originally Posted by DavidNH
I am am pretty sure she will be giving a talk or workshop at the upcoming ALDHA gathering in Williamstown, MA.
Dubious claim. Her mom met her at road crossings if I recall correctly. It cheapens the claim to "solo", although she might have walked trail without a permanent companion. No one is really alone on the trail anyway, so it doesn't have any real significance. Kudos to her though.
Hmm re-read the article having just read Muddywater's post. an here's a section I hadn't read at first:
Though her parents never hike with her, they follow her with the family camper, the “Chip Mobile,” which is decorated by the trail names of hikers Neva has met on her journey. Using a Spot GPS Tracker, Neva can communicate her progress to a website watched by her parents, who are on standby for emergencies.
So it's a great adventure and a physical accomplishment. BUT 1) she had no financial concerns at was never really at any risk. Mom and Dad were always in contact, had gps tracking, and followed her in the family camper. Geez! so we should call it for what it is: This is NOT a solo trip. I also wonder if a 15 year old might in someways be less at risk than a 30 or 40 year olds as the fellow hikers would be looking out for her to an extent that they wouldn't for adults.
Chipmunk walked the whole trail. She kept food and shelter. No slackpacking for her. Why would where she slept change the accomplishment? It seems there are plenty of folks that hike from hostel to hostel on a thru. Her having civilized accommodations is a bonus for her.
Supported or unsupported is relative but when nights spent on the trail are the exception.......
Far more important is the fact that she's a super kid and a great ambassador.
Want more info....
How long did it take her?
Takes most people longer than a summer break...from school.
Is she home schooled?
Still very neat that a young girl (or boy) would even attempt such a feat.
Sad how some can attempt to diminish what she did. I can't remember what I was doing at 15, but it sure wasn't hiking from Georgia to Maine. Unlike 99.99% of our culture, she got off the couch and into the woods. Good for her!
If my parents would pay for my trip and meet me at road crossings today, I'd jump at the offer, ... and I'm in my 60s! Now, try to piss on that if it makes you feel superior.
Rain Man
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[I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35
[url]www.MeetUp.com/NashvilleBackpacker[/url]
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It's really difficult to support a claim that you solo hiked a trail while surrounded by millions of other people who are using that trail on an annual basis. I guess I could say that I solo drove to work today, but there were thousands of other people on I-95 when I did it.
This topic comes up in mountaineering quite a bit too. Only one man (Messner) is credited with climbing Everest solo because everyone else is just walking up a trail that was packed down by many others.
To be solo, you truely have to be alone. I would say that walking on any blazed trail does not qualify.
STILL, really cool that a 15 year old finished a thru hike.
I agree.. it is a great accomplishment and I don't in anyway intend to diminish that. No slackpacking either.. I met a bunch of slack packers on my thru. it is also quite true that it is hard to truly solo hike the AT with all the people around. Chipmunk did however have her parents following her up the trail in the "chipmobile" I think it was called. So it helps that one has always a warm dray place to sleep, doesn't have to contend with the isolation and loneliness for very long.. wait.. what isolation? this is the AT! I learned fast how crowded the trail can be.. till one gets far enough north that the crowds thin out and one almost seeks to get away from the hoards.
But at the end of the day.. it's a 15 year old girl and how many if any girls that age would even think of doing an adventure like this.
So I come back to my original comment... Way Cool!!
Another great story made possible by fossil fuel...and a few other things....
I'll bet there's about 99.99% of hikers that would also jump at that chance, and I'll bet about 99.99% of those would call it a thru-hike too.
"Hiking is as close to God as you can get without going to Church." - BobbyJo Sargent aka milkman Sometimes it's nice to take a long walk in THE FOG.
If she walked it, it is a through.
My question was why she was not in school.
As a parent of two little ones I am concerned that her parents blew off schooling resulting their child being held back.
I want details on how THEY accomplished this GREAT feat.
Article said she had been home schooled....
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Missed that! Oops. Another home schooled outcast that cannot deal! Great!
this whole fastest, youngest, oldest, slowest record BS is out of control. i got the record for quitting 2 years in a row in gorham, n.h. whoopee! this young lady by her own admission is putting notches in her belt
Explain, please.
sure.. Have been associated with close to fifty home schooled children, some slow, some smart, some with freaky parents and most of the children have turned out socially inept.
Some bitter people here. Smh.. wow. Anything to knock another human being down a peg or two. If you wouldn't say it too the girl, don't say it here.
She has accomplished what many of these cyber hikers haven't and the only way they can feel good about themselves is to ridicule her, be it on her achievement, education, parenting.... just name it.....
Lonehiker (MRT '22)
This
This too
Yep...and this
...ta hell is wrong with you folks?
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