View Full Version : Thru hike question
rdaviskiwi
09-23-2011, 07:59
I know I am splitting hairs here but here goes
I am planning a thru hike march 29,2012. I am taking a week off in October to do a week on the trail from the approach to Helen, ga.
Is it appropriate to start in march where I leave off in October and still be considered a thru hike.
IrishBASTARD
09-23-2011, 08:35
NO its not a Thru hiker...does NOT start and walk away. Regardless you will be considered a section hiker...sorry but thru Hikers are just that doing it once A-Z. If we considered people who jumped off the trail and back on...my Father would be a thru hiker forty four years after leaving the trail. Its just not done if anyone says its ok...their wrong. Section hiking is just that you do a section and leave...thru hiking is start to finish in one trip.
NO its not a Thru hiker...does NOT start and walk away. Regardless you will be considered a section hiker...sorry but thru Hikers are just that doing it once A-Z. If we considered people who jumped off the trail and back on...my Father would be a thru hiker forty four years after leaving the trail. Its just not done if anyone says its ok...their wrong. Section hiking is just that you do a section and leave...thru hiking is start to finish in one trip.First, the ATC makes no distinction between a section hiker and a thru hiker for purposes of accounting for those who have obtained 2000 miler status. Therefore, the "title" of thru hiker or section hiker is only for the OP's own conscience. Hence, if the OP considers it to be a thru hike, then it is. If not, then it's not. In all honesty, who gives a crap what others think? A 2000 miler is a 2000 miler, regardless of how long it took to do the trail.
IrishBASTARD
09-23-2011, 08:49
However ATC may be the power behind the AT it is not the only grouping power out there...without the Hikers ATC would not exist in its form. Thru hikers do it A-Z and section hikers sections at a time...thats it nothing more or less. Its a true challange for people to thru hike...both mentally physically as well as monetery wise. Section hiking is hard be it depending on how long your on the trail...and miles covered. Thru hiking is a mental challange that requires alot of mental strength...its lonely from what I have heard...few o's less you shutdown and walk away. Thats why I am trying to do my thru and finishing in one time...to say for myself "I DID A THRU OF THE AT". One never knows the situations of others all I know is I am going to give it a try...and wish your section hike all the luck as well.
Fog Horn
09-23-2011, 08:51
For me personally I would want all my miles in the same year in order for me not to count it as section hiking in my own head, but with your dates you'll have it all in a fiscal year, so maybe? Its up to you, really. The ATC gives you the title of a 2000 miler regardless if it takes you four months or forty years.
I don't imagine anyone is going to ask you for your exact dates either. I mean, they'll say "how long did that take you?!" but you could just add the two totals together I guess.
IrishBASTARD
09-23-2011, 09:02
The problem with Fog horn is it does matter four months or forty years...the A.T is ever changing it rises and falls like a great ocean. When my Father had hiked it times were differnt than now...packs and overall gear. You can say you thru hiked but lets me blunt...you would be lying to yourself. In all honesty why even take that week off...try to finish it and have fun.
In all honesty why even take that week off...try to finish it and have fun.There are lots of reasons one may need to take a week off the trail. Injury, death in the family, a wedding and the list goes on and on.
4eyedbuzzard
09-23-2011, 09:10
The only people that really care whether you do it 2000 miles all at once, or 100 miles at a time - or never at all - just don't have enough important things to worry about.
ekeverette
09-23-2011, 09:11
i go along with fog horn. it's your hike. i'm going to try to go from point a to z. hope i make it. i hope you make it to, good luck!
IrishBASTARD
09-23-2011, 09:13
Also the question was would he be considered a thru hiker...ATC aside since they only see 2,000+ Milers doesnt come to bare. Since they only see the finished product...not the labeling of the hikers as such thru or section. Not if he would finish in a year or four months etc...but if he left the trail and came back later. Once your out of the green tunnel...your labeled again as being a section hiker. "End to End" means just that...you finish at one end of the A.T and start at another. Section is you leave the trail and restart at a later date. ODD Buzzard because alot of people have the trail to worry about...and being mislabeled so its a large concern for many.
Once your out of the green tunnel...your labeled again as being a section hiker. Really, who gives a crap about labels? Except maybe you. :rolleyes: A hiker is a hiker is a hiker.
max patch
09-23-2011, 09:25
Words have meanings which is why we have dictionaries.
A "thru hike" does not have a 5 month gap. You are doing 2 long section hikes. I hope you enjoy both of them.
rdaviskiwi,
If you hike for a week in Georgia this autumn and then stop and resume your hike next March.. you are not a thru hiker. You can still get ATC recognition for hiking the 2000+ mile AT. By definition a through hiker is one who hikes the entire trail in one hiking season (one calendar year). You just won't be a thru hiker.
No one is going to care where you started. If you stay with it long enough you can consider yourself whatever you want.
I first tryed to thru in 2000. Got to Fontana Dam and had to leave the trail with a bad stress fracture. Came back in 2001 to finish my hike. When folks asked, very few did, if I was a thru-hiker I would answer, "I'm just walking North." The other folks you meet won't care, they will consider you one of them and that will be a Thru-Hiker.
Mr. BuffaloMan
09-23-2011, 10:42
What difference does it make how many zeros a person takes. If you hike the entire trail in one year, I would consider you a thru hiker. Flip-flop, NOBO, SOBO, it doesn't matter. I took 28 zeros and I know hikers who took more than that and we were all thru hikers.
max patch
09-23-2011, 11:04
A zero day or two in town is a he77 of a lot different than a 150 day break.
Tennessee Viking
09-23-2011, 11:05
I say "Hike your own hike."
I have met plenty of people that start in November. Hike until Christmas time then come back in January or February. They usually want to put in some miles before the fall colors are gone, avoid snowy weather, or jump ahead of the crowd.I would classify them still as thru-hiker.
If there was a true strict code of being a thru hiker, anyone who jumps off the trail to go back home or take time off their hike (a week or month) but still completes the trail, even though its in the same year, is a section hiker. A thru-hike in this strict regard would be a single continuous trek. So Flip-Floppers would be section hikers too.
Then again in this strict regard, if you complete your hike by next October, you have thru-hiked the trail within one calendar years time.
Hike your own hike! I would certainly call myself a thru hiker if I were you.
More importantly, you shouldn't feel the need to check with others if you are doing it the "right" way or not.
IrishBASTARD
09-23-2011, 13:10
I have said if you go home or leave the trail...your a section hiker. You cannot leave and come back at a whim...its just not right. If you want to lie to yourself FINE so be it...problem is people aka thru hikers break their backs. Should be shown the respect given to them...doing it at one long take. They drop everything to experience life...be in leave their job family friends behind to adventure. A section hiker does that for a short period of time...I will gladly call my self a thru hiker if and hopefully when I finish it. No disrespect to anyone but labels are there for people to understand...a thru is a thru throughtout http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thru-hiking
tat44too
09-23-2011, 13:26
I have said if you go home or leave the trail...your a section hiker. You cannot leave and come back at a whim...its just not right. If you want to lie to yourself FINE so be it...problem is people aka thru hikers break their backs. Should be shown the respect given to them...doing it at one long take. They drop everything to experience life...be in leave their job family friends behind to adventure. A section hiker does that for a short period of time...I will gladly call my self a thru hiker if and hopefully when I finish it. No disrespect to anyone but labels are there for people to understand...a thru is a thru throughtout http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thru-hiking+1 I agree 100%
I have said if you go home or leave the trail...your a section hiker. You cannot leave and come back at a whim...its just not right. If you want to lie to yourself FINE so be it...problem is people aka thru hikers break their backs. Should be shown the respect given to them...doing it at one long take. They drop everything to experience life...be in leave their job family friends behind to adventure. A section hiker does that for a short period of time...I will gladly call my self a thru hiker if and hopefully when I finish it. No disrespect to anyone but labels are there for people to understand...a thru is a thru throughtout http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thru-hiking I guess you aren't going to be happy here until everybody takes your opinion a gospel. Too bad. Only 15 posts and you have people stirred up. You'll fit right in!
IrishBASTARD
09-23-2011, 13:35
Joyce,
Sorry but no reason to be rude let alone ignorant...of the fact Thru hiking is a factual thing. I have no respect for liars of any kind...people who talk or walk a big game is one thing. Put your boots on and hike thru A.T in one year and I am happy for anyone...lie about it and skip out and back on later its a LIE. More people need to UNDERSTAND sectioning is nothing compared to thruing AT or any trail. I guess with old age wisdom doesnt come in part...
Feral Bill
09-23-2011, 13:35
If it really matters to you, there are other trails for a shakedown hike.
Whitewater2012
09-23-2011, 13:47
I have said if you go home or leave the trail...your a section hiker.
In your mind has anyone ever completed a true Thru-Hike? Remember...going into town is leaving the TRAIL. I read many journals where people take some pretty long breaks for different reason. To me...if a hiker completes the trail in a reasonable time period and in some sequence...first they have my FULL RESPECT and they have earned the right to call them self's what ever they want too! It also appears to me that most hikers get this right!
Sarcasm the elf
09-23-2011, 13:48
To address the origional poster. The fact that you thought enough of the question to ask it here suggests to me that the thru hiker label means a lot to you. If that's the case then it's probably worth it to you to add the extra week onto your journey to re-hike your shakedown section. (personally I think the labels are nonsense, but it's all really a personal decision)
Joyce,
Sorry but no reason to be rude let alone ignorant...of the fact Thru hiking is a factual thing. I have no respect for liars of any kind...people who talk or walk a big game is one thing. Put your boots on and hike thru A.T in one year and I am happy for anyone...lie about it and skip out and back on later its a LIE. More people need to UNDERSTAND sectioning is nothing compared to thruing AT or any trail. I guess with old age wisdom doesnt come in part... Like I said.......:D
Really, who gives a crap about labels? Except maybe you. :rolleyes: A hiker is a hiker is a hiker.
Hey get off Irishbastards case. RDaviskiwi asked a question, and IB answered it truthfully. BTW if you go to the ATC website, they do define thru hiking, "A thru-hiker is a hiker or backpacker who has completed or is attempting to walk the entire Appalachian Trail in one uninterrupted journey"
The ATC use to label Flipflops as an alternative to a thru hike on their website.
I guess where the confusion comes in is the ATC does not give special recognition to thru hikers. Everybody that completes the trail, however, gets the same 2,000 mile certificate. But that doesn't mean the ATC does not distinguish the two.
That said, just because Irishbastard, Max Patch, myself, and others want to distinguish the two, does not mean that we want to tell others how to hike. We don't care, we just don't like smoke blown at us.
RWheeler
09-23-2011, 15:48
It's your hike. It's up to you if you'd consider that thru-hiking or not.
Although, I know for me personally, I'm only considering myself a thru-hiker if I do Springer to Katahdin (or in a future re-visit, perhaps Katahdin to Springer). I have a family wedding (in which I'm the best man, to my mix of pride and displeasure) in April, so I figured the best bet for me personally, would be to just hit the trail after that. I should still have plenty of time to reach Katahdin following a late-April start. If I started hiking in March, then left the trail for the wedding, and returned to finish it, for me personally, I'd consider it a section hike, due to the mental nature of separating myself from the trail for something more than zero days.
For me, this is much more a mental challenge, so that's what I'm focusing on to qualify my labels.
rdaviskiwi
09-23-2011, 16:18
Thanks for everyone's response.
I was just wanting a general opinion
About the definition of a thru hike.
I'm not into labels and I do what I think it right and tend to error on the side of caution even if it not in my best interest. I think I agree with the response that if I was asking the question then I just need to start from springer in march.
I will still do the week long trip to Helen, ga. Then start back at springer in march. Thanks again, "Git Bear".
Enjoy the banter also. Haha
rdaviskiwi
09-23-2011, 19:52
Irishbastard, Sounds like you are scolding me for the simple question I ask, it was was question I was just unsure about, as far as a starting point. I just didnt want to mess up my original plan of doing a thru hike by making a technical error. It really doesn't matter to me what people label me as, wether a thru or a section, but it matter to me that I achieve the goal I set for myself, and at this time I plan to do a thru. Thank you for the information and clarification and I will be more careful with my questions next time so not to offend anyone.... Git Bear
rdaviskiwi
09-23-2011, 19:54
Thank you for your polite reply and you are correct that it will be worth it to start from springer... Git Bear
MuddyWaters
09-23-2011, 20:14
A thru hiker is normally considered to be a person who hikes the trail in a single calendar year.
Since EVERY hiker leaves the trail, visits towns, takes zero days in town, stays in hotels, hostels, or other off-trail locations, rides in cars to and from those places, even if only to restock on food, eats at restaurants, etc....
By IrishBASTARD's own definition there is no such thing as a thru hiker. Its a myth.
There is no difference between going into town for 1 night, or 30 nights. Or 100 nights if you can still finish the trail in a year. Thats why that is the definition.
MuddyWaters
09-23-2011, 20:19
A thru hiker is just a section hiker that hikes their sections closer together. Period. You MUST hike the trail by hiking sections between resupply points.
Accepting the aid and help of others, Ii.e. hitchiking, slackpacking, etc, makes it a SUPPORTED hike. IE you didnt do it on your own. Same with accepting trail magic from others.
The lines get really blurry dont they.?
People in glass houses shouldnt throw stones.
stranger
09-24-2011, 07:38
Feel free to ignore IrishBastard...it looks like he's been around for 10 minutes or so anyhow. The term 'thru-hiker' is not an official term, it's hiker slang for someone who hikes terminus to terminus in one continuous trip. How you define continuous is up to you, no one else.
In my opinion if you were to hike from Helen to Katahdin in a single, continuous trip, I would feel comfortable stating that you thru-hiked the AT. I think calling a 2100 mile hike a 'section-hike' is a bit silly really and not even remotely acknowledging the massive achievement that has been accomplished.
However, technically...NO, you would not be a thru-hiker...simply because you didn't hike terminus to terminus in one single trip. But honestly, no one (on the trail) is going to care. The thing about hiking is that after it's all over, down the road when you look back and reflect, there aren't these pedantic debates on this, that, etc...it's about being out there, walking the trail - that's what matters. No one is going to give a rats ass about the trail once you are off it, you learn this quickly. The trail is a big deal for us, but for everyone else, it's a non-event.
Hiking is for the person doing it, in whatever way they decide to hike the trail. It's their expereince forever and no one can take it away, that's the beauty of hiking, it's with you forever.
Also, there is nothing wrong with re-hiking sections, I've hiked Georgia three times, I've hiked the southern third of the trail twice, parts of the mid-atlantic twice, etc...You can use the week in October to do some preparation for the real thing. Or like others have mentioned, do another trail as a shakedown.
Have a great time!
IrishBASTARD
09-24-2011, 08:11
rdaviskiwi,
If you hike for a week in Georgia this autumn and then stop and resume your hike next March.. you are not a thru hiker. You can still get ATC recognition for hiking the 2000+ mile AT. By definition a through hiker is one who hikes the entire trail in one hiking season (one calendar year). You just won't be a thru hiker.
David is a noonb as well? I think not hes a thru-hiker Whethere someone is here for ten mins or ten years...is not a matter. Your utter disregard and disrespect is paramount to ignorance and stupidity. A thur is a thru...whether its slang or not.
IrishBASTARD
09-24-2011, 08:16
He asked a ? concerning if he can call himself a thru...I have said time and again if he wants to lie then yes he can. People along the trail do care if he calls himself a thru...those are thur's themselves who work hard. Stopping and starting at a later date to call yourself a thru hiker is bs and a lie. I have no respect for anyone who cannot finish and start the trail SOBO OR NOBO...and still call themselves a thru. Regardless if its ten miles or one hundred miles from the start...your not a thru your a section hike CASE CLOSED.
Chaco Taco
09-24-2011, 09:31
Honestly, just go out and hike and dont worry about the labels. If its that important to you to do a thru hike, do it. If you end up sectioning, so be it. People on the trail really dont care who or what you are , section or thru. It really does not matter what other people think about YOUR hike. I hate using "that phrase" but it has some truth. There are tons of people that call themselves a thruhiker that havent done EVERY single inch of the trail becasue of various reasons, trail closures, whatever. This debate comes up every year and there is always someone that wants to be a purist and tell you what you are or arent. In the end, it really has no bearing on anything what so ever.
Chaco Taco
09-24-2011, 09:33
I know I am splitting hairs here but here goes
I am planning a thru hike march 29,2012. I am taking a week off in October to do a week on the trail from the approach to Helen, ga.
Is it appropriate to start in march where I leave off in October and still be considered a thru hike.
Dont worry about what anyone else says here. If you go do part of the trail and hike to Maine in 2021, you thruhiked the trail. Dont sweat it.
stranger
09-24-2011, 10:02
[QUOTE=IrishBASTARD;1203322]He asked a ? concerning if he can call himself a thru...I have said time and again if he wants to lie then yes he can. People along the trail do care if he calls himself a thru...those are thur's themselves who work hard. Stopping and starting at a later date to call yourself a thru hiker is bs and a lie. I have no respect for anyone who cannot finish and start the trail SOBO OR NOBO...and still call themselves a thru. Regardless if its ten miles or one hundred miles from the start...your not a thru your a section hike CASE CLOSED.[/QUOTE
You're funny bro...very entertaining
atmilkman
09-24-2011, 13:31
Would a leapfrog within the same year with minimal time in between points of exit and points of return with no loss of mileage for example restarting at the exact same point of leaving be considered a thru-hike?
Stir Fry
09-24-2011, 16:40
How about this. You start South Bound In July. Finish In January Are you a Thru Hiker. Not the same calander year. as some said.
max patch
09-24-2011, 17:32
How about this. You start South Bound In July. Finish In January Are you a Thru Hiker. Not the same calander year. as some said.
Yes..........
hikerboy57
09-24-2011, 18:01
who cares?Its not a race and there are no gold medals.Im a section hiker, and proud of it!! next year Im hoping to section 1200+ miles, and If I complete springer to DWG, Ill be very happy about it, and will look to complete the balance of the trail in 2013. Are you going for some trophy or are you going for the experience?enjoy the journey.
when you reach the destination IMHO is a moot point.
thru hiker is just a label,and as a card carrying nonconformist, I have an aversion to labels(label me a label hater).
Blissful
09-24-2011, 19:04
Go take your hike in October then jump on where you left off unless you really want to do the same section all over again.
Problem solved.
So, Irish Bastard, say that I'm heading north and I make to Mass, and hear that my father died. Of course, because I'm human like everyone else on this thread, I go home to the funeral, to grieve, to take time off. According to you I'm no longer a thru-hiker? I have to start over?
NO its not a Thru hiker...does NOT start and walk away. Regardless you will be considered a section hiker...sorry but thru Hikers are just that doing it once A-Z. If we considered people who jumped off the trail and back on...my Father would be a thru hiker forty four years after leaving the trail. Its just not done if anyone says its ok...their wrong. Section hiking is just that you do a section and leave...thru hiking is start to finish in one trip.
If a thru-hiker is one that starts and does not leave the trail then how many true thru-hikers are out there. How many AT hikers have went NOBO or SOBO without spending a night at a hostel or hotel. If you can be considered at thru-hiker after spending several nights and having "0" days then when do you draw the line? When is it considered a section hike; one night off trail, two, three nights off trail or is it when a hiker goes home and returns is it a section?
Really it does not matter to me, just wondering.
XCskiNYC
09-24-2011, 20:49
I would consider you a thru hiker. Helen is only 50 miles from Springer. So in less then a year you'll have done a 50-mile section and then the entire circa 2,130 miles remaining. To me the challenge of thru-hiking is the challenge of keeping going for somewhere around 150 to 180 days of mostly very difficult hiking. Taking off a week of this time doesn't appreciably lessen the challenge.
Of course the ATC lumps everybody, whether purist white blazers who've done every single inch or part-time weekend warriors who take 20 years to get done and blue-blaze half of it. They're all 2000-milers in the eyes of ATC. But you asked how it would be considered. Some take a very strict view on it but to me it's not all about doing all of the exact trail. There are detours and the overall length changes every year anyway so, to my way of thinking, it's not in the spirit of the trail to be so precise about it.
That's my take on it but what about your view? Will it bother you that you didn't do the first miles together with the other 2,130? Since the ATC clearly views somebody who has done 2,130 in one shot as belonging to those who have completed the trail, the only remaining opinion that matters is your own.
I know I am splitting hairs here but here goes
I am planning a thru hike march 29,2012. I am taking a week off in October to do a week on the trail from the approach to Helen, ga.
Is it appropriate to start in march where I leave off in October and still be considered a thru hike.If I was going to do that then personally I would begin again in March at Springer Mountain and consider the 1 week hike on the trail in October of this year as a warm up and to test out some gear. You will most likely be asked by other hikers once your thru-hike is underway wether or not you are out there thru-hiking. When you answer that you are, they will most likely ask where you started from. Now this may not matter to you, but if you say you started from the point you left the trail back in October, then you will probably hear that it would have been better to have started "fresh" from Springer Mountain again:D. But this is something that will only matter to you, and if it will matter to you at all only you yourself will know:-?.
atmilkman
09-24-2011, 20:58
What about all the thru's that had to reroute this year because of Irene, are they now just "section hikers"?
CrumbSnatcher
09-24-2011, 21:11
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So, Irish Bastard, say that I'm heading north and I make to Mass, and hear that my father died. Of course, because I'm human like everyone else on this thread, I go home to the funeral, to grieve, to take time off. According to you I'm no longer a thru-hiker? I have to start over?This is ridiculous. If this happened and you went home to grieve for a week or two, and then returned to the point on the trail where you left it and continued on, then you of course are still a thru-hiker. In my opinion, as long as you are making a "determined" effort to complete the entire trail in one years time, then you are a thru-hiker. Lots of thru-hikers get off the trail due to injury, sickness, fatigue, necessity due to family needs or business, etc...they return in a week or two to the point where they left the trail and they carry on. A buzzer doesn't sound in the background and someone says "Sorry!, you left the trail so now you are only a sectioner!:D" People leave for all kinds of reasons, only to return within a few weeks or so to carry on. I mean I guess you could even take a few months off, as long as you return to the point where you left off and complete the trail in 1 years time of beginning it. There was a thru-hiker in 2010 I believe, who became ill with giardia or something while I believe he was in N.Y. State having hiked from Georgia. He had travelled from the West Coast to hike the trail. He left the trail at that point and flew all the way home to get better. After a short period of time, he flew all the way back to where he had left the trail, and went on to finish his thru-hike. He thru-hiked the trail. Just because he left for some time does not void his thru-hike. As long as you go end to end without skipping any points on the trail unless due to those areas being officially closed and rerouted, and you complete the hike in 1 years time, then you have successfully thru-hiked the trail.
MuddyWaters
09-24-2011, 23:10
I dont think anyone would dispute that it is more difficult to hike the trail in a shorter period of time. And honestly, most probably equate a thru hike to be a single hiking season , which for nobo is ~Mar-Oct. , a 7 mo period basically which allows for minor time off trail in towns to rejuvenate, but not major time off.
But that said, there are no hard and fast "rules", nor any reason for them. It is all woefully irrelevant.
Some "thru hikers" do have an inflated idea of their importance, as if they are on a noble journey. Though difficult, they do need to remember that a 73 yr old grandmother did do it too with a shower curtain and arm blanket and laundry bag. So did a blind man, and countless others before them. And most especially, the rest of the world couldnt care less. To some, they are just unemployed bums.
Chaco Taco
09-25-2011, 12:04
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Im with ya on this one. Why even bother
hikerboy57
09-25-2011, 12:23
so if i finish the trail in 365 days taking 4 or 5 months off for greiving/injuries, im a thru hiker, but if it takes me 366 im not?
what we have here is a failure to communicate.on a related note, if you go ultralight, and are only carrying 15 lbs, can you call yourself a backpacker?
This is ridiculous. If this happened and you went home to grieve for a week or two, and then returned to the point on the trail where you left it and continued on, then you of course are still a thru-hiker. In my opinion, as long as you are making a "determined" effort to complete the entire trail in one years time, then you are a thru-hiker. Lots of thru-hikers get off the trail due to injury, sickness, fatigue, necessity due to family needs or business, etc...they return in a week or two to the point where they left the trail and they carry on. A buzzer doesn't sound in the background and someone says "Sorry!, you left the trail so now you are only a sectioner!:D" People leave for all kinds of reasons, only to return within a few weeks or so to carry on. I mean I guess you could even take a few months off, as long as you return to the point where you left off and complete the trail in 1 years time of beginning it. There was a thru-hiker in 2010 I believe, who became ill with giardia or something while I believe he was in N.Y. State having hiked from Georgia. He had travelled from the West Coast to hike the trail. He left the trail at that point and flew all the way home to get better. After a short period of time, he flew all the way back to where he had left the trail, and went on to finish his thru-hike. He thru-hiked the trail. Just because he left for some time does not void his thru-hike. As long as you go end to end without skipping any points on the trail unless due to those areas being officially closed and rerouted, and you complete the hike in 1 years time, then you have successfully thru-hiked the trail.
I know that I would still be considered a thru-hiker. I'm just trying to make Irish Bastard realize how ridiculous he sounds. :rolleyes:
I agree this is idiotic
Im with ya on this one. Why even bother
hikerboy57
09-25-2011, 13:24
If a tree falls in the forest and noone witnessees it, did it fall?
If you complete a thru hike in a single calendar year, but noone knew, did you do it?
Pedaling Fool
09-25-2011, 13:25
I know I am splitting hairs here but here goes
I am planning a thru hike march 29,2012. I am taking a week off in October to do a week on the trail from the approach to Helen, ga.
Is it appropriate to start in march where I leave off in October and still be considered a thru hike.
There is no such thing as a thru-hike; at least a well-defined thing. So yes you can call it a thru-hike, or not, it's up to you. It's not like you get a prize for a thru-hike
hikerboy57
09-25-2011, 13:32
what? No prizes? forget it!
fireneck
09-25-2011, 13:34
who cares?Its not a race and there are no gold medals.
Get one if you thru hike the PCT!
13961
hikerboy57
09-25-2011, 13:44
Get one if you thru hike the PCT!
13961 I hate to ask, but what are the rules for a successful PCT thruhike?
Sarcasm the elf
09-25-2011, 14:12
Get one if you thru hike the PCT! 13961Wait, did someone get first place on the PCT?
Tht is the beauty of the pct ..there r no rules ..folks go a variety of ways and no1 rarely cares
hikerboy57
09-25-2011, 14:50
what? no rules?just prizes? my start date is april 1st!!
Chaco Taco
09-25-2011, 14:52
Get one if you thru hike the PCT!
13961
You get that if you WIN the PCT
Mr. BuffaloMan
09-25-2011, 15:06
Would a leapfrog within the same year with minimal time in between points of exit and points of return with no loss of mileage for example restarting at the exact same point of leaving be considered a thru-hike?Yes. Yes it would.
Wonder how many of you who are setting the definition of a thru-hiker actually have thru-hiked?
WingedMonkey
09-25-2011, 16:33
Wonder how many of you who are setting the definition of a thru-hiker actually have thru-hiked?
That seems to be a very good question.
I'm currently thru-hiking but I'm at home right now. I skipped MD to hike it later with my 15 yo son. We're doing it on weekends and to finish in Harpers Ferry with him walking with me. This is how I wanted my thru-hike to end, with my son, and since we're from MD this was the most practical way to do it. The rest of my family will cheer me on as I cross the bridge into HF. When I'm done I will have covered every inch of trail from Springer to Katahdin this year. Not that it matters much to me what anyone thinks but I consider myself a thru-hiker, class of 2011.
wornoutboots
09-25-2011, 17:04
I'm currently thru-hiking but I'm at home right now. I skipped MD to hike it later with my 15 yo son. We're doing it on weekends and to finish in Harpers Ferry with him walking with me. This is how I wanted my thru-hike to end, with my son, and since we're from MD this was the most practical way to do it. The rest of my family will cheer me on as I cross the bridge into HF. When I'm done I will have covered every inch of trail from Springer to Katahdin this year. Not that it matters much to me what anyone thinks but I consider myself a thru-hiker, class of 2011.
Congratzzz on your thru-Hike!!!!! Great idea of ending with the Family!
As long as you do in in one hiking season, it all counts. Some thru hikers flip flop, not a problem.
Slo-go'en
09-25-2011, 20:36
Your not a thru-hiker until you finish the trail. Then you can say "I thru-hiked the AT". Up till then, your a wanabe thru-hiker. Even though I've have hiked at least 4K miles on the AT, I'm still a wanabe. When someone asks if I'm thru-hiking, I say "no, I'm not through yet".
rdaviskiwi
09-25-2011, 20:50
very well put Stranger, thanks
Chaco Taco
09-26-2011, 06:11
I'm currently thru-hiking but I'm at home right now. I skipped MD to hike it later with my 15 yo son. We're doing it on weekends and to finish in Harpers Ferry with him walking with me. This is how I wanted my thru-hike to end, with my son, and since we're from MD this was the most practical way to do it. The rest of my family will cheer me on as I cross the bridge into HF. When I'm done I will have covered every inch of trail from Springer to Katahdin this year. Not that it matters much to me what anyone thinks but I consider myself a thru-hiker, class of 2011.
Nice way to finish!!
4eyedbuzzard
09-26-2011, 10:24
because alot of people have the trail to worry about...and being mislabeled so its a large concern for many.Last time I checked hiking hadn't yet been ruined by turning it into a competitive, regulated, sport. I guess I just don't get why people get so worked up about setting rules, definitions, boundries, etc regarding walking through the woods and sleeping in a tent. Or a hammock. Or shelter. With poles, or water filters, or dogs. Oh well.
Chaco Taco
09-26-2011, 10:29
Last time I checked hiking hadn't yet been ruined by turning it into a competitive, regulated, sport. I guess I just don't get why people get so worked up about setting rules, definitions, boundries, etc regarding walking through the woods and sleeping in a tent. Or a hammock. Or shelter. With poles, or water filters, or dogs. Oh well.
Agreed, who really cares. Just enjoy it
There will NEVER be a universally agreed upon definition of "thru-hiker." The important thing is to set a goal for yourself about what YOU want to achieve and then dedicate yourself to achieving it. If that includes starting where you left off, go for it. If it includes re-hiking that section, go for it.
When I set out at Springer, my goal was to walk every step of the trail in order from south to north without slack packing, without blue blazing, and without "going home". Meanwhile, I had friends that blue blazed, friends that skipped sections, friends that slack packed down mountains going south to avoid substantial climbs, friends that went home for a week, friends that went to D.C. and New York for four days, etc. I also had friends that refused to stay in shelters because it was "against the spirit of the outdoors" and friends that refused to use hiking poles like I did because they wanted to complete the trail "on the strength of their own two feet". In my opinion, we were all thru-hikers because we all shared in the great journey and the experience of living on the trail for five to six months - in the end, I think that is what being a thru-hiker is all about. All I am concerned with is that I set a personal goal for myself and achieved it. As others have said, the trail should not be about competing with your fellow man, it should be about YOU.
That being said, while I am aware that the ATC does not distinguish between 2,000 milers, I cannot agree with the people on here that claim that section hiking and thru-hiking are essentially the same thing. Shorter hikes and long-distance hikes are two fundamentally different experiences, even if section hikers and thru-hikers walk all the same miles, see the same sights, experience the same weather, and meet the same people. Spending a week or two on the trail at a time is nothing like living on the trail for five months. Consider this: is walking up one flight of stairs once a day for five years equivalent to running up the stairs of the Empire State Building? Is visiting a foreign country once a year for fifty-two years an equivalent experience to living in a foreign country for a year?
Acknowledging that thru-hikes and section hikes are fundamentally different does not taking anything away from section hikers. Completing the trail by any means is a significant accomplishment, but I think a section-hike and a thru-hike are two DIFFERENT accomplishments, each with its pros and cons and each with its own fair share of difficulties.
rdaviskiwi
10-13-2011, 18:05
I have decided to start at springer and go from their. For me personally I want to be true to myself and the trail. I am not saying that I'm a purist but I seem to be pretty close in my personal life and I am sure I will be close in trail life. Thanks to everyone for commenting. I always can expect good information here. "Git Bear"
Badger2011
10-25-2011, 15:29
It really is in the eye of the beholder as to what a "thru-hike" is. In my personal opinion, that should be completed in one calendar year. But that's just that, my personal opinion.
If you ask fellow thru-hikers, I think they would most likely agree with this assessment.
In 2010, there was an Australian thru-hiker by the name of GipCGirl who broke her arm within the first month on the trail. She took 6 months off to the bone heal and then started back up from where she left off. She eventually had to get off the trail in the Whites because her visa was expiring.
in 2011, she came back to re-attempt her "thru-hike". She started at Springer, not where she left off.
I think this is the common perception amongst thru-hikers.
And she finished this year!
Think of a thru-hike like a college class - yes you can skip a few days (like as in a zero at a hostel) or even go home for a weekend maybe, but you stay with "your class" walking with the season -not getting "held back" to continue the analogy - you'll appreciate it more that way. I do also think that a flip-flop is a legit thru hike (for someone with seasonal issues, or whatever) certainly, they leave the trail for travel so it also sort of comes down to where you draw the line ethically - but I think that taking months off (even in the same year) while surely making you a 2000 miler, doesn't really cut it as a thru-hiker. Besides, you are talking about a relatively short section - just re-hike it, you'll have fun and be happier in the end.
Firefighter503
11-09-2011, 18:56
It really is in the eye of the beholder as to what a "thru-hike" is. In my personal opinion, that should be completed in one calendar year. But that's just that, my personal opinion.
If you ask fellow thru-hikers, I think they would most likely agree with this assessment.
In 2010, there was an Australian thru-hiker by the name of GipCGirl who broke her arm within the first month on the trail. She took 6 months off to the bone heal and then started back up from where she left off. She eventually had to get off the trail in the Whites because her visa was expiring.
in 2011, she came back to re-attempt her "thru-hike". She started at Springer, not where she left off.
I think this is the common perception amongst thru-hikers.
I thought she had broken her leg last year, not her arm. Maybe I am mistaken. Anyhow, glad to hear she finished this year. I enjoyed hiking with her off and on for the first month or so.
However ATC may be the power behind the AT it is not the only grouping power out there...
There IS the High Holy Council of hiking, of course.http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?37459-How-to-be-a-real-hiker-OR-How-to-avoid-being-a-pack-sniffer
Now, when I have a beer post hike, I am through hiking.
But may be a different definition....
victory12
11-13-2011, 21:56
There are lots of reasons one may need to take a week off the trail. Injury, death in the family, a wedding and the list goes on and on.
The only people that really care whether you do it 2000 miles all at once, or 100 miles at a time - or never at all - just don't have enough important things to worry about.
Creek Dancer
11-21-2011, 17:51
There are lots of reasons one may need to take a week off the trail. Injury, death in the family, a wedding and the list goes on and on.
I agree. Taking a week off does not blow your thru hike. Thrus often take off the week of Trail Days, get back on the trail, and still consider themselves thru-hikers.
Can we just keep getting IB riled up? not gonna lie i skipped through half of these posts just to read his posts! Histerical! never seen someone get so worked up about their leisure time!