View Full Version : Urban Thru-hiking
flemdawg1
08-05-2014, 16:29
How dare they stael our title for some smog-choked trek thru concrete jungles :-D
https://www.yahoo.com/travel/urban-hiking-the-stairmaster-of-the-city-93797693957.html
rocketsocks
08-05-2014, 17:51
One of the founders of this activity is Dan Koeppel, Author of the book "Banana"
http://www.amazon.com/Banana-Fate-Fruit-Changed-World/dp/0452290082/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407275401&sr=1-1&keywords=banana+by+dan+koeppel
Got a parking garage across the street from me. Seven stories, so six flights of stairs. Each flight is 10 feet, so climbing the stairs from bottom to top is 60 feet. There are stairs in the four corners, so a loop gets me up and down 240 feet. Four loops 960 feet. The thing is there are probably a bunch of little 60 foot up and downs on a flat section of trail. The stairs are all nice and even. It's just not as hard as hiking in the woods.
rocketsocks
08-05-2014, 19:57
Got a parking garage across the street from me. Seven stories, so six flights of stairs. Each flight is 10 feet, so climbing the stairs from bottom to top is 60 feet. There are stairs in the four corners, so a loop gets me up and down 240 feet. Four loops 960 feet. The thing is there are probably a bunch of little 60 foot up and downs on a flat section of trail. The stairs are all nice and even. It's just not as hard as hiking in the woods.
Well...you'd think so, apparently thar's some rules to foller...
http://bigparadela.tumblr.com/faq
rocketsocks
08-05-2014, 19:59
Well...you'd think so, apparently thar's some rules to foller...
http://bigparadela.tumblr.com/faq
Oops...THE RULES
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/363723/BPLA%202013/Big%20Parade%20Code%20of%20Civility.pdf
Glad to see Yahoo picked this up!
Don't be so quick to bristle over and dismiss this idea. There are several excellent messages and opportunities being expressed here!
Although Mrs Elizabeth Thomas, who is no stranger to long distance back country backpacking, I applaud her, and others who are like minded, for having the wherewithall to recognize that urban hikes like these can have their place even among the backpacking community. But, more importantly she recognizes, as she stated, “The urban hiking movement is all about revitalizing pedestrian life in the big cities. We want to get the word out there that people can incorporate these amazing staircases into their daily life, whether it’s for exploring or fitness or just commuting.” That's more than a concept. It's an available ready to use resource sometimes in our own backyards.
With the current overall lack of health in the U.S. due to lifestyle choices, high cost of and other consequences of motorized vehicle traffic(gridlock, air/noise/light/landfill pollution, paved over countrysides, etc), and an increasing disconnect from Nature, particularly among younger generations here's an idea that can benefit a great number of individuals. It doesn't take any money and all ages, including younger people, can engage in walks/hikes like this. It could be viewed as an opportunity for attracting people, especially younger inner city low income people, to walking, hiking, and backpacking! The benefits and opportunities are enormous. :banana
Elizabeth Thomas' 200 mile 6 day "Urban Thru-hike" was articled in several publications including Backpacker
http://www.eathomas.com/2013/05/07/walking-the-worlds-first-urban-thru-hike/
Got a parking garage across the street from me. Seven stories, so six flights of stairs. Each flight is 10 feet, so climbing the stairs from bottom to top is 60 feet. There are stairs in the four corners, so a loop gets me up and down 240 feet. Four loops 960 feet. The thing is there are probably a bunch of little 60 foot up and downs on a flat section of trail. The stairs are all nice and even. It's just not as hard as hiking in the woods.
I work in a six story building, five flights of stairs, plus a couple more if you go down to the underground parking. I wear those steps out every chance I get - first thing in the morning, going out at lunch, leaving at the end of the day and getting away from the desk when my blood pressure rises. It's a good tool that doesn't cost anything.
A fun tool for this kind of thing is Google pedometer (http://www.mappedometer.com/)