How Many Purists Out There?

[Old Man Joe]

I don't want to turn this into a purist vs non-purist argument. There has been enough discussion about that already. What I'd like to know is how many purists are out there and how old you are. I'm just curious to see if the purists fall into a certain age range. I admit I'm a 58 year old who is a bit "purist anal" about hiking the Trail. Let's use the following criteria to describe purist: Hiked the entire AT without Blue or Yellow Blazing more than 1 mile in total for the entire hike. Any miles hiked because of established detours are acceptable.

[corialice81]

in 2009, 28 female.

But I think there are ALOT more variables to consider than just simply age of human... weather, time, terrain, etc.

[mweinstone]

Your thread will wilt and die as the bagle stales enroute to springer. Thy argument is not well ment nor argued. I will now end this child that should have not,..whith 4 letters and three punctuations



h.y.o.h

[corialice81]

Your thread will wilt and die as the bagle stales enroute to springer. Thy argument is not well ment nor argued. I will now end this child that should have not,..whith 4 letters and three punctuations



h.y.o.h

hilarious.

[jersey joe]

Proud Purist.
Year of hike 2002.
Age during hike 26.

[mweinstone]

heres how mattheskis dream of being a purist ended. it was another failed attempt from springer. mala and me walked a mile on 42. instead of the trail. cause malas a big mouthed blue blazer and my friend so i bent to the pressure. now i frolik free down any damm trail i please never remembering my old stupid self with my stupid rules like i will be a purist. duh. im rotten to the core. why not walk crooked and cheat elevation gain when i want?

[mweinstone]

there it is! an official name spelling wrong. not a typo. may wanna print this and send it to me for an autograph.2 dollars.

[mweinstone]

got to vernon new jersy. quit like a wet wimp. wined even. not. thank you phatchap lwolf willy pirate mala who know and teach life is a spiritual path. and a phisical one second. oh wolf darling. on this eve of my phillys desicrating all other baseball players hopes now and forever of being this great,...i feel love for my smelly dirty homeless hungry begging hikers. just know the foods im eating are in your honor. foods like your favorite foods sept their here in my mouth not yours. suckkas!lol.oxxooxoxxoxoxmatthewski the one and only human being of hudgeness. (big)

[Deadeye]

When I go in 2019 or so, I fully intend to walk from Georgia to Maine. I will follow as many blue blazes as possible, particularly in the Whites. I've already hiked most of the AT in the Whites, and there are many opportunities for other adventures in the side trails that will avoid the crowds and the hut system.

I fully expect that nobody will give a crap what I do.

[mweinstone]

you go girl or guy!

[John B]

I don't want to turn this into a purist vs non-purist argument. There has been enough discussion about that already.. .. Let's use the following criteria to describe purist: Hiked the entire AT without Blue or Yellow Blazing more than 1 mile in total for the entire hike. Any miles hiked because of established detours are acceptable.

So, Joe, if you joined today and this is your first post, how do you know there's been "enough discussion about that already"? Just here to stir the pot a bit?

A whole mile of blue/yellow blazing? Then you're not really a purist, are you?

[garlic08]

Pickle and I white blazed in 2008. I was 51, he was 63. We weren't anal about it, we just wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail, not some variant of it. We saw no reason not to stay on the trail--it's a pretty nice trail after all.

[Cookerhiker]

I'm pretty sure I was a purist. I say it that way because my completion of the AT was over 28 years so I'm relying on memory for the late 70s and 80s. But I hit the white blazes. One time, for example when I missed some white blazes in the Whites by hiking down the Dry River Cutoff from Mizpah by mistake in 1982, I rehiked it 2 years later - this time the correct ways.

So did I miss any white blazes? Wandering around the summit of Max Patch in the fog, I probably did.

Oh but as a section hiker, I may have missed some road crossings. For example, I ended a NOBO section hike on the south side of Wallace Gap and ended another SOBO section on the north side. So maybe I didn't cross the road? My bad!

Age? 29 when I started, 57 (and in much better shape) when I finished.

[Red Hat]

This year there were over 50s like me who blueblazed and there were over 50s who were purists. There were younguns who blueblazed, and yellowblazed, and there were young purists. Don't think it has a thing to do with age. Gotta go with Matty on this one... proud to be blueblazing hiker trash! But I have the utmost respect for anyone who does it his way, whatever that is.

[Old Man Joe]

So, Joe, if you joined today and this is your first post, how do you know there's been "enough discussion about that already"? Just here to stir the pot a bit?

A whole mile of blue/yellow blazing? Then you're not really a purist, are you?

Hi John, I said I was a "bit" purist and tried to qualify that statement with my criterion. Even though I just joined today I have been reading the posts on Whiteblaze for some time. Unfortunately, what I thought was a simple question has gone way beyond that rather quickly. I was expecting to receive responses from "purists" only. All I wanted to find out for my research was if the mindset of how the Trail is hiked varies depending on age. I never postulated that there was a "correct" way to hike the Trail. BTW, stirring the pot keeps the stuff on the bottom from sticking.

[Old Man Joe]

Hi Redhat. I hope I didn't insinuate that only older people (those in my age group) are purists. Just trying to find out if they ("purists") fall into all age groups. And I hope I also didn't insinuate that Blue/Yellow Blazers are "hiker trash". That definitely wasn't my intent.

[emerald]

Just trying to find out if they ("purists") fall into all age groups.

So, by your own reckoning, are you still missing any groups?

[leaftye]

I am a stickler about hiking every bit of the trail in the same direction. The only exceptions are when I get a bit lot due to being inattentive or when obscures the trail or makes it impassable....then I'm okay with walking a slightly different line, but the distance covered is still roughly the same.

[leaftye]

Oh, and I don't slackpack, although I will mail some equipment ahead if I won't need it for a few days.

[Dogwood]

You can take this as you want. I'm not a purist in the sense that I think you define it. I believe we should all HYOH. I don't think anyone should tell anyone else how, where, when, or how far or short to hike. HOWEVER, I am a purist in the sense that hikers should accurately represent what they did hike! If "your hike" meant you did not hike all of the AT don't deceive yourself and others by saying you did. I am a purist in the sense that I expect and want hikers to tell me the truth about what they did hike!