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View Full Version : What is your preferred type of hike?



Lyle
10-23-2007, 11:34
Was out doing a loop hike this past weekend, and one of the things I considered out there was why, for me, loop hikes were less fulfilling than a linear hike. I was just wondering how others felt.

Lone Wolf
10-23-2007, 11:36
walkin' is walkin' to me

Alligator
10-23-2007, 11:45
I prefer not to go there and back on the same section of trail myself. Loops are ok.

rafe
10-23-2007, 11:49
There was a long while when I was still trying to piece together the AT... for that, linear hikes were the thing. But for simplicity, convenience, and a few other reasons, I prefer loop hikes.

Lilred
10-23-2007, 11:50
Doesn't matter to me. Just getting out in the woods for a time is my goal.

Mags
10-23-2007, 11:54
Anytime in the woods is OK by me.

Tin Man
10-23-2007, 11:56
Loops or linear work best for me...so many trails, so little time.

Frolicking Dinosaurs
10-23-2007, 11:57
Recovering type A Dino still likes to hike from point A to B for the sense of accomplishment. However, most hikes are loops and in / out these days.

Footslogger
10-23-2007, 11:58
I'm with Mags on this one. Out west many of our hikes involve rather long drives to the trailhead and depending on the time available and terrain they end up "modified" out-and-backs. By modified I mean that we attempt to return along the same corridor but not in the same footprints.

'Slogger

Skyline
10-23-2007, 12:00
It's all good.

woodsy
10-23-2007, 18:55
It's all good.
Gotta agree with many here
As long as the silence is deafening, i'm happy.
Some hikes are backtrackers(usually look different in opposite direction)
some hikes are loops(requiring gravel road walks to get back to the rig)
Whatever it takes to get out there is my motto:)

wrongway_08
10-23-2007, 19:24
I just like to get out, but prefer not to resee the same trail within the same hike.

dixicritter
10-23-2007, 19:42
Matters not to me one way or the other as long as we have a good time as a family. (I don't do solo hikes at the moment.)

Two Speed
10-23-2007, 19:49
Sly hit the nail on the head the first time. It's all good.

SGT Rock
10-23-2007, 19:50
All types of hikes have their place and their rewards.

Pennsylvania Rose
10-23-2007, 19:53
Doesn't matter to me as long as we're outside. Although, I really don't like out and back hikes.

shelterbuilder
10-23-2007, 19:56
I prefer NOT to purchase the same real estate twice; that having been said, most of my trips have been out and back, because I've always had trouble getting a shuttle or a dependable partner.:(

rafe
10-23-2007, 20:02
I prefer NOT to purchase the same real estate twice; that having been said, most of my trips have been out and back, because I've always had trouble getting a shuttle or a dependable partner.:(

A bicycle helps. You do the trip twice: once by foot, on the trail, and again, in the opposite direction, on roads, by bike. I've covered hundreds of miles of AT in this manner.

shelterbuilder
10-23-2007, 20:05
A bicycle helps. You do the trip twice: once by foot, on the trail, and again, in the opposite direction, on roads, by bike. I've covered hundreds of miles of AT in this manner.

I actually did that the year that I hiked Mass...I had to - my "dependable hiking partner" cancelled out minutes (literally) before we were scheduled to leave Pa. It was the only way I could salvage the trip!

Ridgerunner50
10-24-2007, 20:27
Locally, it doesn't matter to me, especially on day hikes. Alot of times you are restricted by what is available to hike. If I am planning a weekender or more, I like to do a loop. I will scour the topo maps and create a loop that works for our group depending on hiking experience. The challenge is to find a loop that takes in as many extra's as possible such as waterfalls, firetowers, etc. But really, like said previously, It's all good! ";)

nitewalker
10-24-2007, 20:40
i like to do just about any type of hike. lately i have been trying to finish all the different trails in the white mtns of new hampshire. a quick guess i would say im 75% done. most of these hikes are 2 to 4 day hikes with numerous dayhikes tucked in and around the longer hikes...but all is good


seeing how i have never thruhiked im sure it would be the time of my life if i did it..oh i will thruhike someday and i belive it will be sooner than later...i am off on one of my excursions either tomorrow or friday....i see damascuss is going to have good weather next week.


peace out, nitewalker

BlackCloud
10-25-2007, 09:19
A slight downhill or uphill is preferred......

dessertrat
10-25-2007, 09:31
But the "same trail" is not always the same going the other way.

Toolshed
10-25-2007, 09:35
Having done much of the AT PA as in and outs, and the loop trails in Northern PA many times over (STS, BFT, OLP, QT, Morrison-Rimrock...) , I prefer a loop. I like to hike alone at times and not screw around with a car shuttle or have to depend on a ride. I simply don't care for turning around and retracing my steps - I always wonder what's just ahead.....

Tin Man
10-25-2007, 10:59
If someone were to connect the terminuses of the AT with the terminuses of the CDT, we could do both a thru-hike and a loop hike. ;)

Lyle
10-25-2007, 11:25
North Country Trail is attempting that at the northern end, as long as the state of Vermont and the ATC reverse their positions of opposition to the idea (moving in that direction the last few years).

The NCTA board has passed a resolution expressing support of extending the NCT at both ends to connect to the ATin the east, the CDT in the west, and thus to the Pacific Northwest Trail which will also then connect to the PCT. Creating a backbone for a true trail system. The resolution was proposed by the National Park Service, so they are in support also. A lot of work left to do, but exciting possibilities. Especially with the proposed Great Eastern Trail also connecting to the AT in the south and the NCT in the north, creating yet another long-distance loop. Also, with the ADT another possibility, one could conceivably hike all over the country without ever having to use an auto or train. :-)

Mags
10-25-2007, 11:27
If someone were to connect the terminuses of the AT with the terminuses of the CDT, we could do both a thru-hike and a loop hike. ;)

Check out:
http://www.andrewskurka.com/C2C/index.php

He is now connecting the CDT and the PCT with his great western loop hike.

Nice guy.

jrwiesz
10-26-2007, 01:22
As long as one ends at "Home", it's always a loop.:D

Rift Zone
11-02-2007, 13:44
walkin' is walkin' to meI second that. Being in the woods is the point... How you do it is secondary. Having said that, I have no preference for a one-way vs. a round trip... But if i do a round trip i like to loop it, maximize the scenery. (i didn't vote)

Dakota Dan
11-02-2007, 13:54
With gasoline going for 75c a Quart you should have had an option to start you hike from home. Well, I guess it could be counted as a Loop Hike.

faarside
11-02-2007, 14:13
As long as the silence is deafening, i'm happy.

I'll agree with that!
... It's all good, and I can't seem to get enough of that good thing!

Cookerhiker
11-02-2007, 20:20
It's all good.


Sly hit the nail on the head the first time. It's all good.

That was Skyline.

And I agree - I've done them all including using my bicycle before a linear hike and hiking back to the car.