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dperry
08-01-2004, 22:20
Not counting towns and those stretches needed to get over/under expressways, are there any significant roadwalks left on the AT?

magic_game03
08-01-2004, 23:48
In all 2175 (there about) miles there does not exist any road walks, of lets say like a mile, that exist in remote areas. Providing for towns and expressways or the such no significant road walks now exist on the Appalachian Trail.

MOWGLI
08-02-2004, 06:55
In all 2175 (there about) miles there does not exist any road walks, of lets say like a mile, that exist in remote areas. Providing for towns and expressways or the such no significant road walks now exist on the Appalachian Trail.

Has the road walk near Gorham, NH been eliminated? That's the one by the Androscoggin River.

grizzlyadam
08-02-2004, 07:43
the roadwalk near hanover was still there in november when i hiked through. i'm guessing it still is now.

The Solemates
08-02-2004, 09:38
I can think of three. The "River Walk" near Kent, CT after you come off of St Johns Ledges is along an unpaved forest service road. The second is the road walk into and out of Hanover, which is well more than a mile, maybe even over 2 miles. The third is another forest service road you follow while going into Machester Center, VT, which you follow for a ways, but it may or may not be called an operable "road."

There are also some others when you cross major highways or towns, etc, that are longer than a mile, but and may not follow one specific road, but a maze of many. Hot Springs, Damascus, and other trail towns. The walk through Duncannon, PA should be counted also. Then there is Boiling Springs, PA too. The list goes on with this type...

Kerosene
08-02-2004, 11:47
There is still a little more than a mile of paved road that the AT uses to cross the Walkill River, east (Trail north) of Unionville, NY on the NJ/NY border. There used to be 20+ miles of road walking through this section but bog bridges, boardwalks, a major bridge and re-routing have turned the Unionville to Vernon section into a very pleasant walk. There are two nice park benches below the Walkill River bridge where you can sit by the river in the shade and eat lunch (and the mosquitos weren't bad at all at the end of June). Unless a large pedestrian bridge is built over the Walkill River at some point I do not see how they will be able to eliminate this road walk.

magic_game03
08-02-2004, 11:49
i think we've hashed out the fact that road walks exist. in times past, as such does exist currently on the International Appalachian Trail (IAT) , the Appalachian Trail did have considerable stretches of road walk, but not now.
As the question states in the post "Not counting towns ..." and major interstate exchanges, no stretches of let's say longer than a mile of paved road exist.

for those of you who don't know the IAT stretches from key west ->springer->katahdin->canada. as an example of a major road walk you have to road walk from key west to key largo and beyond, more than 50 miles on paved road.

Nightwalker
08-02-2004, 12:41
I can think of three...
Hey! Did you guys finish? I've been seeing The Link's coverage of your walk.

Frank

Jack Tarlin
08-02-2004, 14:59
The longest remaining roadwalks (i.e. PAVEMENT) that I can think of are:

*You're on pavement for quite some time in Hot Springs, NC and Damascus, VA

*You're on pavement from when you enter Duncannon, all the way thru town, across the Juniata and Susquehanna Rivers; it's gotta be close to two miles

*You're on pavement from the time you enter Delaware Water Gap, all thru town, and across the Delaware River

*You're on pavement from the bottom of Bear Mountain all the way thru the park there, and then across the Hudson and then for some time thereafter

*There's a good-sized roadwalk in Cheshire, MA, and an even longer one in Dalton, MA.

*You're on pavement from the time you arrive in West Hartford, VT, and then all the way thru town

*You're on pavement from the time you hit Norwich, VT until you leave Hanover, NH. This is probably the longest remaining roadwalk on the Trail.

Krag
08-02-2004, 17:14
There is also the one between North Adams and Williamstown. By the way if a thru-hiker were to hitch a ride or get picked up so as to skip a roadwalk, this in my view would violate no real principle of being a thru-hiker on the A/T.

smokymtnsteve
08-02-2004, 17:17
From the Fontana Hilton turn off too where the trail enters the woods in the smokies...maybe a mile or mile and a half.

Lugnut
08-02-2004, 17:39
There's a short one that crosses Watauga Dam and on up the servce road, going north. A total of 1/2 to 3/4 mile. The pavement can be really hot but I saw two eagles flying below the dam so I didn't mind it so much.

max patch
08-02-2004, 18:00
By the way if a thru-hiker were to hitch a ride or get picked up so as to skip a roadwalk, this in my view would violate no real principle of being a thru-hiker on the A/T.

WRONG!!!!!

Jack Tarlin
08-02-2004, 18:19
Krag--

"If a thru-hiker were to hitch a ride or get picked up so as skip a roadwalk..."
or were to hitch a ride or get picked up in order to skip ANY part of the A.T., then they have effectively decided they're not interested in hiking the entire Trail. That's what a thru-hike is.....it's a hike of the entire Trail. If one makes the purposeful, willful, intentional decision that they're going to pick and choose which parts of the Trail they're going to walk, and which ones they'd rather not, that's fine, it's their choice, but the minute they start skipping sections, for whatever reason, then they're no longer thru-hiking.

The fact that parts of the Trail go directly though towns and communities, or the fact that parts of the Trail are paved in no way alters the fact that these are still parts of the A.T., and hikers who honestly want to consider themselves thru-hikers hike it all.......including the roadwalks.

smokymtnsteve
08-02-2004, 18:26
There is also the one between North Adams and Williamstown. By the way if a thru-hiker were to hitch a ride or get picked up so as to skip a roadwalk, this in my view would violate no real principle of being a thru-hiker on the A/T.


it would make you blue blazing ( yellow blazing) real hiker trash..

:welcome to the club!

Krag
08-02-2004, 18:31
I wonder what Earl Shaeffer, the original pioneer of the A/T, would say about this. As Emerson said, "a foolish consistancy is the hobgobblin of little minds." The original purpose of hiking the Appalachian Trail was to hike the Appalachian chain of mountains, such as it was. Yes, the concept evolved, as did the actual trail. Now if I come into Norwich, Vt and an attractive lady just happens to offer to give me a ride to Hanover Coop, thereby skipping the ugly macadam of modern civilization, where's the violation of failing to hike the A/T? HYOH LOL!

Jack Tarlin
08-02-2004, 19:11
Krag--

Re-read my post. You can skip whatever you want whenever you want----that's entirely up to you. But if you want to honestly say you've thru-hiked the A.T., then you don't skip any of it.

As to your quick history of the Trail:

1. It's spelled "Shaffer."
2. While the Trail has "evolved," the concept of thru-hiking has always been
the same thing, and that is to hike the Trail ALL the way thru. It was
never acceptable to cherry-pick which parts you wanted to do and
which you could skip....at least it was never acceptable if you honestly
and genuinely wanted to claim to be a thru-hiker.
3. I like your Emerson quote, even if you mis-spelled "hobgoblin." So here
is something else Ralph Waldo said, and it applies very well to what we're
talking about, which is essentially folks wishing to claim the rewards of
a difficult accomplishment without actually having accomplished it.
Said Emerson in 1844: "The reward of a thing well done, is to have done
it." Or in 1841, in the same set of essays where he talked about
hobgoblins, Emerson said this: "For everything you have missed, you
have gained something else; and for everything you gain, you lose some-
thing." In other words, there are benefits to blue-blazing and to taking
side trails. There might be benefits and gains by skipping parts of the
A.T. ----and anyone is entitled to do so. But as Emerson said, for
everything you gain, you lose something. In this case, if you elect to
skip parts of the Trail on your thru-hike, then what you lose is the right
to call yourself a thru-hiker.

Youngblood
08-02-2004, 19:39
<snip>

You can skip whatever you want whenever you want----that's entirely up to you. But if you want to honestly say you've thru-hiked the A.T., then you don't skip any of it.

<snip>

if you elect to skip parts of the Trail on your thru-hike, then what you lose is the right to call yourself a thru-hiker.


Jack,

As you probably know, we have a difference of opinion on this subject. I have looked several times and couldn't find anything that agrees with your definition on the ATC's website or even Wingfoot's Handbook. Where did you find your definition of a thru-hiker?

Youngblood

Nightwalker
08-02-2004, 20:01
Jack,

As you probably know, we have a difference of opinion on this subject. I have looked several times and couldn't find anything that agrees with your definition on the ATC's website or even Wingfoot's Handbook. Where did you find your definition of a thru-hiker?

Youngblood

http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hike/thru_hike/after.html

Should shed some light.

Cedar Tree
08-02-2004, 20:20
Seems like I remember quite a long road walk near Vernon, NJ in 2000.
A little dangerous too, cars flew by. Somebody threw a cup of ice at me and screamed "get a job" as they went by. But, I had an absolutely wonder stay at the Church basement in Vernon. I can't remember the Church or the Preacher's name who shuttled me all over, but it was truly a sweet stop, showers, washers/dryer, phones, internet, cable TV, lots of good eats nearby, I even got a haircut by a fine looking woman. Vernon was a very nice stop. Is the Church there still accepting hikers?
CT

One Leg
08-02-2004, 22:07
There's a pretty good walk in Bland, Virginia as well....Probably isn't a mile, but the day I hiked it, it was so hot that it seemed to go on forever.

Kerosene
08-02-2004, 22:52
Seems like I remember quite a long road walk near Vernon, NJ in 2000.They re-routed a long road-walk over the new boardwalk and bridge over the Pochuck River (see http://www.nynjtc.org/pictures/zimmerman/index.html). There is still a 1.25 mile walk across the Walkill River on the "north" side of Pochuck Mountain.

Vernon was a very nice stop. Is the Church there still accepting hikers?
CTYes. On my way to hike the High Point to Warwick Turnpike section last month I did my good deed for the day and shuttled a thru-hiker from the trailhead to the church.

Lugnut
08-02-2004, 23:46
It's kind of interesting when a seemingly innocent , yet legitimate, question turns into a free for all cluster ****** of arguing, opinionating and preaching. There sure must be a lot of tension in the air. Mating season? ;)

Youngblood
08-03-2004, 08:01
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hike/thru_hike/after.html

Should shed some light.

Thanks Frank, but I don't think that clears is up as that is about a "2,000 Miler" definition. If you click on the "Thru-hiker FAQ" link, it will tell you:

"How does ATC define thru-hiking?
We don't. ATC uses the term “2,000-miler” as a matter of tradition and convenience.

ATC defines a “2,000-miler” as anyone who has hiked the entire trail between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Katahdin in Maine. We don't consider issues such as the sequence, direction, speed or whether one carries a pack. We do expect that persons applying for inclusion in our 2,000-miler records have made an honest effort to walk the entire Trail. The complete 2,000-miler definition can be found on our Appalachian Trail 2,000-Miler Application."

Even if you want to stretch this and say that a "2000 Miler" is the same as a "thru-hiker", you have to deal with the phrase "honest effort to walk the entire Trail". There is a difference to me with "honest effort" and the statements that Jack made.

And if I look in Wingfoot's 2003 handbook under his "2,000-Miler Requirements" discussion, the last 2 sentences are as follows: "Is it necessary to be hiking every mile of the AT to be considered a thru-hiker? No, but if you want to be recognized as a 2,000 Miler at the end of your hike, you should have hiked every mile."

So, maybe I'm not just not getting it, but I would like to hear from Jack where he got his definition of what a thru-hiker is. Especially since in my opinion, it is so exclusive that it excludes the vast majority of what I call the thru-hiking community.

Youngblood

max patch
08-03-2004, 09:06
ATC defines a “2,000-miler” as anyone who has hiked the entire trail between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Katahdin in Maine. We don't consider issues such as the sequence, direction, speed or whether one carries a pack. We do expect that persons applying for inclusion in our 2,000-miler records have made an honest effort to walk the entire Trail.

The "honest effort" exclusion allows you to blue blaze a section of the trail if hiking the white blazes would be unsafe...for example the blue blaze trail around Albert Mountain in NC during extreme weather conditions or some of the high water blue blazed alternate routes when hiking the white blazes across a river would be unsafe.

Tim Rich
08-03-2004, 09:09
Greetings,

Other than the pounding my feet take on a roadwalk, I enjoy them. The roadwalks give you a sense of the communities that help make the AT what it is. Even walks into town off the AT when I didn't/couldn't hitch ended up being good experiences. When we went into Stratton this time, I chuckled at a sign in front of a house "Pies by chance or by order". On the other side of things, I do remember the road walk we had on the AT in TN in the area of the infamous fish hooks and fishing line. We walked that in 89 or 90, not long after the incident. Between the dogs and signs, I felt distinctly unwelcome.

Regarding the 2,000 miler designation, the following text is from the 2,000 miler application form:

"ATC recognizes anyone who reports completion of the entire Trail as a “2,000-Miler.” The term "2,000-Miler" is a matter of tradition and convenience, based upon the original estimated length of the Trail. Conference policy is to operate on the honor system, assuming that those who apply for 2,000-Miler status have hiked all of the A.T. between Katahdin and Springer, not just 2,000 miles of it. In the event of an emergency, such as a flood, a forest fire, or an impending storm on an exposed high elevation stretch, blue-blazed trails or officially required roadwalks are considered viable substitutes for the white-blazed route. Issues of sequence, direction, speed, length of time, or whether one carries a pack or not are not considered. ATC assumes that those who apply have made an honest effort to walk the entire Trail, even if they did not actually walk past every white blaze. Please respect those standards! It is essential to the continuation of ATC’s practice of recognizing the true achievements of end-to-end hikers."

This definition is plain and, quite frankly, it's the only one that matters. Based on the definition, I agree that many thruhikers would be excluded from 2,000 miler designation. A hiker who skips sections to keep up with friends, for example, wouldn't be making an honest effort to walk the entire trail, just an honest effort to keep up with their friends.

Take Care,

Tim

Youngblood
08-03-2004, 09:15
The "honest effort" exclusion allows you to blue blaze a section of the trail if hiking the white blazes would be unsafe...for example the blue blaze trail around Albert Mountain in NC during extreme weather conditions or some of the high water blue blazed alternate routes when hiking the white blazes across a river would be unsafe.

Max, thanks for the reply. Do you feel that the phrase "thru-hiker" is interchangeable with the phrase "2,000 Miler"?

smokymtnsteve
08-03-2004, 09:18
Max, thanks for the reply. Do you feel that the phrase "thru-hiker" is interchangeable with the phrase "2,000 Miler"?


OCD is interchangable with purist thruhiker :D

max patch
08-03-2004, 09:38
Max, thanks for the reply. Do you feel that the phrase "thru-hiker" is interchangeable with the phrase "2,000 Miler"?

A thru-hike is a continuous journey from GA to ME or vice versa whereas a 2,000 miler can be accomplished over many separate trips during a lifetime.

Youngblood
08-03-2004, 14:27
A thru-hike is a continuous journey from GA to ME or vice versa whereas a 2,000 miler can be accomplished over many separate trips during a lifetime.

Good, we agree that the phrase “thru-hiker” is not interchangeable with the phrase “2,000 Miler”. I believe that the ATC and Wingfoot also agree that these terms are not interchangeable.

Now, why you may ask is this of any consequence? Well, look at what the ATC says and doesn’t say. They have a definition for the phrase “2,000 Miler” which was posted previously on this thread. What did they say about the phrase “thru-hiker”? Well, they DID NOT SAY that a “thru-hiker” was a “2,000 Miler” that completed the AT in one continuous journey. They DID NOT SAY that a “thru-hiker” was someone who hiked the AT in its entirety or that an honest “thru-hiker” passed every white blaze. The ATC deliberately chose not to define the phrase “thru-hiker” even thought they use the term quite often. Why did they choose not to define it? I don’t know, but it would have been very easy for them to do so.

Wingfoot, in his 2003 Thru-Hikers Handbook had something to say about this. I mentioned it earlier on this thread but I am repeating it again because of its relevance. On page 4, under his "2,000-Miler Requirements" discussion, the last 2 sentences are as follows: "Is it necessary to be hiking every mile of the AT to be considered a thru-hiker? No, but if you want to be recognized as a 2,000 Miler at the end of your hike, you should have hiked every mile." That sounds pretty convincingly to me that he is saying that in his opinion you can complete a thru-hike and not be a 2,000 Miler.

Why is all this relevant, because there is an ongoing disagreement on what constitutes a “thru-hike”. Some folks insist that the definition is hike the AT in its entirety in a one continuous journey. I think that is too restrictive for a recreational activity that takes many months, on and off the trail, in all kinds of conditions to complete. If in your opinion, you are making an honest and reasonable effort to hike from one end of the trail to the other, then, in my opinion you are thru-hiking the trail. It is recreational activity, a journey to be enjoyed, not a competition where you have to worry every day that you might break someone’s rule that disqualifies you from calling yourself a thru-hiker.

Now, my original question on this thread was to Jack and was where did he find his definition of a thru-hiker? I think it is a reasonable question.

Youngblood

max patch
08-03-2004, 15:22
In addition to the information you provided above, WF also states in his glossary of trail terms:

"Thru-hiker is traditionally a person who is attempting to become a 2,000 Miler in a single, continuous journey by putting on a backpack, leaving from one terminus of the Trail, and hiking essentially unassisted to the other terminus."

and

"Thru-hiking is the act of attempting to become a 2,000 Miler in a continuous journey."

My definition of a thru-hike is consistent with the definitions stated above.

max patch
08-03-2004, 15:55
Back to roadwalks...

Dont' forget about the "dreaded but fondly remembered" Cumberland Valley Roadwalk which was a 20 odd mile roadwalk in Pennsylvania. An unforgettable experience for those who have done it.

Lone Wolf
08-03-2004, 15:55
Slackpacking invalidates a thru-hike.

Youngblood
08-03-2004, 16:50
Max, again thanks for the response. After I found Wingfoots comments on the 2,000 Miler Requirements discussion I didn't think to look any further in the Handbook, I thought I had found what I was looking for. Looks to me to be some inconsistancy in what he is saying. Could be anywhere between not hiking every mile to hiking every mile to backpacking every mile... guess it could anything you wanted it to be. By the way, what is your definition?

Youngblood

Tim Rich
08-03-2004, 17:08
Max, again thanks for the response. After I found Wingfoots comments on the 2,000 Miler Requirements discussion I didn't think to look any further in the Handbook, I thought I had found what I was looking for. Looks to me to be some inconsistancy in what he is saying. Could be anywhere between not hiking every mile to hiking every mile to backpacking every mile... guess it could anything you wanted it to be. By the way, what is your definition?

Youngblood

I think that it's easy to get caught up in definitions that don't matter, from sources that aren't authoritative. There's only one real definition and that's of a 2,000 miler - the requirements for a certificate from the governing body of the AT. A hiker at Springer, Hot Springs, Damascus and so on is called a thruhiker because they are attempting to hike it all, not because they've always done so.

Take Care,

Tim

rickb
08-03-2004, 18:13
Apart from definitions,there is something neat about walking all the way from Maine to Georgia. Isn't there?

The Cumberland Valley Road Walk was a highlight of my hike, BTW.

Rick B

Youngblood
08-03-2004, 18:21
Rick & Tim,

I agree! Thanks for pointing that out.

Youngblood

Kerosene
08-03-2004, 19:47
I took my future wife-to-be on her first (and last) backpacking trip the summer after we graduated from college in June 1979. We started in Duncannon headed for Harpers Ferry and started the road walk on Day 2. Our hiking paces and fitness level were quite a ways apart. She started to tire after only 6 miles, but we walked another 4 miles where we tented under the Burgmeier Bridge next to the river.

The next day was warm and muggy, but we only had to do 11 miles to get to Campbell's Spring Campground. Probably not the best way to introduce someone to backpacking.

Interesting story: I was planning to propose to her sometime during the hike and actually carried her engagement ring with me, but somehow popping the question when we were hot, sweaty and tired never seemed ideal.

Jack Tarlin
08-03-2004, 21:14
Youngblood---

Sorry you had to ask 3 times, but I only just now saw your question.

You asked where I got my "definition" of thru-hiking. Well, first off, it's not a quote from any organization or manual. It is instead a universally acknowledged definition, and one that has been around for decades.

From the very first instances when people spoke or wrote about thru-hiking, it was clear and obvious what people meant by the term: A thru-hike was universally held to be a complete hike of the entire Appalachian Trail in one continuous journey, all in one year. Please note the words "complete" and "entire".

I have NEVER, and I mean NEVER heard a thru-hike described thusly: "A thru-hike is an extended journey on the Appalachian Trail where one can hike the parts one wishes to and skip the parts that one finds inconvenient."

For decades now, a thru-hike has been universally described as a hike of the entire Trail; a "thru-hiker" was therefore one who had in fact accomplished this (Tho the term "thru-hiker" is also used to describe one in the process of attempting to thru-hike, tho the phrase "prospective thru-hiker" would probably be more accurate).

This "definition" or description has been in use now for more years than I can remember, but the point is this: From the earliest days, the phrase "thru-hiker" was ALWAYS used to describe a hiker who had hiked, or who was in the process of hiking the Trail IN ITS ENTIRETY. Only in recent years have people altered the definition so it means anything less.

There are folks who feel that all they need do is walk from Georgia to Maine to qualify as a thru-hiker. There are folks who feel that as long as they stay in "the Trail corridor" it still is a thru-hike. There are folks who feel they can skip bits here and there for any reason they choose and still call their trip a thru-hike. There are those who feel they can hike parallel trails; side trails; the old and discontinued parts of the A.T; or even roadways, and still call
their trip a "thru-hike." There are those who feel they can skip the sections they've previously hiked and call their journey a thru-hike.

It is only in recent years that people have used these alternate descriptions and definitions....in the old days, this would've been scoffed at. There are many who would wish it otherwise, Youngblood, but from the earliest days of the phenomena of the A.T. thru-hike, it was universally understood and acknowledged that a thru-hike involved hiking the Trail in its entirety.

The key word, which some folks seem to have all sorts of trouble with, is "entirety." "Entirety" doesn't mean "most of." It doesn't mean "nearly all of." It doesn't mean "vast parts of." And it sure in hell doesn't mean "the parts I wanted to hike minus the other sections I didn't wanna deal with."

One last time: A thru-hike has NEVER (at least never seriously) been described as "A journey encompassing most of the Appalachian Trail." It has always meant a journey that encompassed ALL of it, and people who wish to suggest otherwise are not only denying tradition, they are denying history and fact. From the earliest days, it was universally understood that if one wished to describe themselves as a thruhiker, then it was expected that they'd actually hiked the entire Trail.

It is evident that there are those who don't care for this fact, but that doesn't alter the truth of it. The phrase "thru-hike" always meant the same thing: It meant you'd hiked the Trail ALL the way thru.

Lone Wolf
08-03-2004, 21:30
I concur with Jack. I don't claim a true thru-hike. No patches or certificates. I applaud those that stick to it.

celt
08-03-2004, 21:35
Seems like I remember quite a long road walk near Vernon, NJ in 2000.
A little dangerous too, cars flew by. Somebody threw a cup of ice at me and screamed "get a job" as they went by.

Dangerous indeed... In 1999 I hiked past the aftermath of a car accident on this roadwalk. One car was upside down and another was on top of the guardrail.

In response to an early question in this thread: There is still a road walk near Gorham NH along route 2 and then across the Androscoggin River. Its more than half a mile long.

max patch
08-04-2004, 08:20
Youngblood,

Yesterday you asked me for my definition of a thru-hike. I agree totally with what Baltimore Jack just wrote.

Youngblood
08-04-2004, 08:36
Jack,

Thanks for the explanation, it is a well thought out response. When I first asked the question to you, other people responded with their opinions and/or answers. While I felt obligiated to response to them, what I wanted to hear was your response and that is what I was trying to get across when I repeated that the question was to you. You do realize that since it is not written down with specific details by some definitive organization such as the ATC, that it lends itself to individual interpetations on particular details. And that a diverse group of people will have a variety of interpetations on some of these details. Sometimes we get so caught up in disagreements about what amounts to very small details that we forget that we agree on the main issues. It is important not to lose sight of that because sometimes compromise works in everyones best interest.

Thanks again Jack,
Youngblood

orangebug
08-04-2004, 09:00
... You do realize that since it is not written down with specific details by some definitive organization such as the ATC, that it lends itself to individual interpetations on particular details. And that a diverse group of people will have a variety of interpetations on some of these details. Sometimes we get so caught up in disagreements about what amounts to very small details that we forget that we agree on the main issues....
It is also important to remember that this definition appears more important to us as a subset of hikers than it is to Flatlanders.

If I ever manage to do a thru hike or complete my sections, I'll be happy to announce that I've hiked the AT. I don't expect that anyone will ask about roadwalks, hitch hiking, blue blazing, shuttles, slackpacking or any of those seemingly vital insults to dogmatic purism. I don't really expect anyone to care, other than a hand full of hikers. I expect that I will have experiences for each of the 2167 miles that surpass any concern over exactly how I dealt with the blue blazes in and out of old Gooch Gap shelter.

I enjoy spreading the news of hiking to others, especially younger generations. The last thing I would do is introduce them to the pettiness of these arguements.

BTW, I didn't backtrack out of Gooch Gap Shelter. I still plan to request a 2000 miler patch if I ever make it to Katahdin. If that matters to you, enjoy your priviledged life. :rolleyes:

Bill...

Mags
08-04-2004, 11:26
Seems like I remember quite a long road walk near Vernon, NJ in 2000.
A little dangerous too, cars flew by. Somebody threw a cup of ice at me and screamed "get a job" as they went by. But, I had an absolutely wonder stay at the Church basement in Vernon.
CT
Ah! The joys of the Northeast. :) The home of the most er, straightforward people in the US. (A refugee from that region myself).

On Bear Mtn, New York remember feeling like I was truly back home when I saw all the gold jewlery and Camaros from nearby areas (kid you not!)

In all seriousness, it is amazing in areas near trails how many of the locals do NOT know about the nearby trail and assume that the people walking along who are filthy, sometimes bearded and wearing a pack are homeless.

dperry
08-04-2004, 22:30
Had I known that I was going to ignite another "what is the definition of a thru-hike" argument, I might have reconsidered starting this thread.

Anyway, let's sum up. Excluding towns and expressways, we have:

--the part along the Androscoggin near Gorham
--the forest roads in CT and VT that Solemates mentioned (I'm not really sure I had forest roads in mind, but since I didn't say that, that's OK)
--the Walkill River crossing
--Bear Mountain area
--arguably the one going between North Adams and Williamstown (not having been in that area in a long time, I don't remember whether I would consider that area a "town" or not)
--the Fontana Dam area (again, haven't been there and therefore don't know if I would call that a town or not)
--Wautauga Dam
--possibly Bland, VA area (isn't that where the trail crosses I-77, though?)

So, there's actually quite a few more that I thought. I would'nt have figured that there was more than one or two.

smokymtnsteve
08-04-2004, 22:38
Fontana Dam is not in town..fontana dam it self is three miles or so to the resort village...there is a visitor center at the dam right down the road (trail)from the fontana hilton, there is a public shower there, but the snack bar is never open when i hike, It a real nice little paved "road to nowhere" but not the big "road to nowhere" that has been in the news lately.

Nothing on that road, you may not even see a car after crossing the dam.

Skyline
08-04-2004, 23:59
Amen to everything Jack wrote in this thread. A very convincing advocacy for being honest.

One other thing a thru-hiker, and/or a 2,000-miler, is not able to do to legitimately claim they hiked the entire A.T. is the Shenandoah River aqua-blaze. Every year I meet folks who've convinced themselves that floating from Luray to the West Virginia state line, many miles away from the trail where there is no white blaze in sight the whole way, counts as if they hiked the A.T. It may be a fantastic experience, but it's not hiking the A.T. and it disqualifies anyone substituting the river for the trail from legitimately applying to ATC for the certificate, patch, and published recognition.