Hypothetical question

[Venchka]

Suppose a person planned and completed a thru-hike without mentioning the hike anywhere on the Internet.
Did the thru-hike really happen? Is the hiker sane?

Wayne


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[Sarcasm the elf]

Earl Schaffer did just that and he was debatably crazy...

[Lone Wolf]

Suppose a person planned and completed a thru-hike without mentioning the hike anywhere on the Internet.
Did the thru-hike really happen? Is the hiker sane?

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

yes and yes. i know quite a few that have multiple AT hikes. they don't talk about it to most and have no patches or certificates to prove it. they're just walkers

[Tuckahoe]

If said hiker never mentioned their planning do you think they actually cared what anyone else thought?

[Venchka]

If said hiker never mentioned their planning do you think they actually cared what anyone else thought?

Or...
The Hiker had the skills to research the project on their own. An undertaking that seems to be a lost art today.

Wayne



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[Slo-go'en]

I would guess the number of hikers today who don't have a Facebook account and don't say something about their hike on FB is a vanishingly small number these days. And that small number are definitely insane when judged by current social norms.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Well, lots of people thru-hiked before the www became of age in the 90's. A few wrote books, some had local news articles written, but most did it pretty anonymously. They researched it the old fashioned way - they likely read a book or two on the subject, maybe bought a data book and/or trail guides, and set off and hiked. Chances are if you hiked in the 70's or even early 80's you probably DIDN'T mention it to a lot of people, because they would have all deemed you nuts.

[Tuckahoe]

Or...
The Hiker had the skills to research the project on their own. An undertaking that seems to be a lost art today.

Wayne



Sent from somewhere around here.

So how is asking a question online mean that there's a lack of skill in the research department?

[Venchka]

An Incognito/Invisible designation could be attached to such thru-hikes. However, anyone earning the description wouldn't want to be recognized.

I'll never complete a thru-hike of any significance, but if I did, I would like to do it with minimal fanfare and self promotion.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

[tiptoe]

yes and yes.

[Spacelord]

Suppose a person planned and completed a thru-hike without mentioning the hike anywhere on the Internet.
Did the thru-hike really happen? Is the hiker sane?

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.
All the time. I know a guy who refuses to sign registers because he thinks they can be used to track him.

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[4eyedbuzzard]

All the time. I know a guy who refuses to sign registers because he thinks they can be used to track him.

Sent from my LG-V495 using TapatalkWell, the purpose of the registers to a great degree was to be able to be tracked. If someone needed to be located on the trail, you could get an idea of where they had been and had not yet been. Then you could leave a note for them at a shelter or road crossing sign. They also provided info (as they still do) for other hikers on water source info, trail problems/relocations, etc. Of course, this was back in antiquity, before cell phones, the internet, and such. ;)

[rafe]

I don't think there was much of a functional Internet in the USA until, what? mid 1990s? I remember chatting with other hikers on USENET and listservs (eg. AT-L) back about then. Social networks and blogs were another 10 years or so after that, like around 2005? Just guessing about about the dates. Some of us learned from friends, books and trial & error, at least initially. Still do.

[Venchka]

All the time. I know a guy who refuses to sign registers because he thinks they can be used to track him.

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LOL!

Wayne


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[shakey_snake]

What's the internet?

[Dogwood]

"Suppose a person planned and completed a thru-hike without mentioning the hike anywhere on the Internet."

Hmmm?

I'll suppose quite a few have. ;) There's more than one out there. :D Not everyone announces some or all of their thrus. :cool:


"Did the thru-hike really happen? Is the hiker sane?..."

Insane questions? :-?

[shelterbuilder]

Tell your friend that he can sign all of the registers and not worry about being tracked that way. I've tried tracking people this way a number of times (pre-internet)...very difficult. Besides, if he's not wearing his aluminum foil hat, they've already got a fix on him!!
All the time. I know a guy who refuses to sign registers because he thinks they can be used to track him.

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[ChrisJackson]

Chock-full of insane folk ;)

3280332804

[Traveler]

The hiker will have the same experience as the tree that falls and the internet is not there to see it.

[shelterbuilder]

At the risk of being deleted for "inappropriate content", it's like wetting your pants in a dark suit -- you get a nice, warm feeling, but nobody notices!