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jmitchell
06-19-2013, 16:43
They did it!

The GET was recently thru-hiked for the first time by Jo Swanson and Bart Houck. Congratulations to them on their historic accomplishment. Hopefully more will follow. This trail run west of the AT, from Alabama to New York.

Is Jo the first female to be the first thru-hiker of any of America's long trails?

http://www.stargazette.com/article/20130618/NEWS01/306180061/Trek-on-Great-Eastern-Trail-ends-in-Steuben-County

http://www.gethiking.net/

http://greateasterntrail.net/

marti038
06-19-2013, 16:45
Congrats.

Out of curiousity, where in Alabama does the trail start?

jmitchell
06-19-2013, 16:48
They did it!

The GET was recently thru-hiked for the first time by Jo Swanson and Bart Houck. Congratulations to them on their historic accomplishment. Hopefully more will follow. This trail run west of the AT, from Alabama to New York.

Is Jo the first female to be the first thru-hiker of any of America's long trails?

http://www.stargazette.com/article/20130618/NEWS01/306180061/Trek-on-Great-Eastern-Trail-ends-in-Steuben-County

http://www.gethiking.net/

http://greateasterntrail.net/

Slo-go'en
06-19-2013, 17:10
Is Jo the first female to be the first thru-hiker of any of America's long trails?



If by long trails you mean ones like the AT, PCT and CDT, there have been many female thru-hikers. And of course, the fastest time to get from Maine to GA via the AT was done by a woman.

Slo-go'en
06-19-2013, 17:19
Humm, acording to the GET web site maps, large chunks of the trail are not yet completed or are still being planned.

jmitchell
06-19-2013, 17:27
Obviously many females have thru-hiked long trails. But has a female ever been the first thru-hiker of a long trail? I was simply curious.

Slo-go'en
06-19-2013, 17:40
Obviously many females have thru-hiked long trails. But has a female ever been the first thru-hiker of a long trail? I was simply curious.

Okay thats a different question. There is no doubt she was the first female to thru-hike this trail. But since she hiked it with a partner, is she the first thru-hiker or the second?

Odd Man Out
06-19-2013, 17:45
Humm, acording to the GET web site maps, large chunks of the trail are not yet completed or are still being planned.

The first recognized thru hike of the AT also occurred when there were a number of road walks. Also the NCT has recorded thru hikes, even though it is in a similar state. It seems to be credited with a thru hike, you hike the trail in the state as it exists at the time, even if it means road walks and detours.

Cookerhiker
06-19-2013, 19:41
It's quite an accomplishment considering they started in winter, had a lot of freezing rain, navigation was a challenge because parts of the trail aren't complete and they had to jump from trail to trail, no "infrastructure" so to speak exists anywhere comparable to the AT, many of the trails they hiked aren't maintained real well (certainly not AT standards). Congrats to them.

Slo-go'en
06-19-2013, 20:39
Indeed, being the first to thru hike a long trail which isn't quite finished and likely not well documented yet is an achivement.

ki0eh
06-23-2013, 09:16
Out of curiousity, where in Alabama does the trail start?

The current thinking is Flagg Mountain (where Someday and HillBilly Bart started) with an eventual second phase connecting to northern terminus of Florida Trail at FL/AL border. See current map http://www.greateasterntrail.net/get_map_large.html

There is nowadays a defined road walk route across central/southern Alabama passing near Selma. Hammock Hanger in her pioneering thru attempt (current section hiking in between doing other hikes) did start at Florida Trail and roadwalked the length of Alabama, but her route was different (through Montgomery) than the current defined roadwalk.

The north end of GET has become more fixed at the junction with Finger Lakes Trail carrying North Country Trail at the Moss Hill lean-to (aka shelter if you approach it from the south :) ) north of Corning, NY. Earlier conceptions of GET had northern termini varying from Lake Champlain to beachfront Rhode Island but those have all been officially abandoned for essentially bureaucratic reasons.

Blue Sky II
06-23-2013, 12:11
Congrats to the hikers and a big time thanks to all who worked to make the trail a reality. The ole bucket list just got longer!

tomsawyer222
05-19-2015, 12:22
if you can get credit for a first thru hike on a trail that is not even 50 percent done then these people are not the first since I am sure many people have walked north to south up and down the east coast for many years before. What really matters is did they do it to get that record? or just to go hiking? keep in mind road walking is way way easier then any mountain trail

10-K
05-19-2015, 17:06
keep in mind road walking is way way easier then any mountain trail

No, it's definitely not.

Walking on the road, carrying a pack kills your feet, ankles, shoulders and back. Long road walks are killer.

Just Bill
05-19-2015, 21:01
if you can get credit for a first thru hike on a trail that is not even 50 percent done then these people are not the first since I am sure many people have walked north to south up and down the east coast for many years before. What really matters is did they do it to get that record? or just to go hiking? keep in mind road walking is way way easier then any mountain trail

If I recollect correct- not that long ago The Trail Show interviewed them as part of a trail of the month segment.
Matter of speculation- this is the episode- http://thetrailshow.com/the-trail-show-31-the-get/

SonrisaJo
05-19-2015, 21:15
if you can get credit for a first thru hike on a trail that is not even 50 percent done then these people are not the first since I am sure many people have walked north to south up and down the east coast for many years before. What really matters is did they do it to get that record? or just to go hiking? keep in mind road walking is way way easier then any mountain trail

First, the GET is about 75% complete and is, in fact, more complete than the Appalachian Trail was when Earl Shaffer hiked it. True, the GET has a long way to go before it is deemed 100% finished - is any trail ever 100% finished? Even the AT is going through re-routing. This is a young trail and, while challenging, can be thru-hiked enjoyably.

Secondly, both Bart and I are active members on the biggest gap of the GET - southern West Virginia. Prior to hiking the GET, I spent a year as a full-time volunteer working to make the GET a reality in that area. Bart and I hiked the trail to promote it (primarily in southern West Virginia, but in every state) and to have an adventure together. I estimate that we invested the equivalent of 3-4 weeks doing interviews and presentations along the way. Was it cool to be first? Sure, but making connections in the communities we went through was even cooler. (For the record, we weren't the first to attempt the trail - that was Hammock Hanger, who attempted it back when the GET was even younger and wilder - it came a long way between her hike and ours.)

Thirdly, I will back up 10-K's assessment: roadwalking is very difficult. A different kind of difficulty, but very challenging and not to be underestimated, although they have some perks. More about roadwalking on the GET can be found here: http://www.gethiking.net/2014/05/roadwalking-on-great-eastern-trail.html

Redrowen
05-19-2015, 22:19
If it was 1942 and found myself in Bataan then maybe I would find long road hikes being a killer. I find long road hikes have fewer hazards and are much easier on the body than being in the mountains especially during inclement weather. It’s not the “killer” you say it is.

Sarcasm the elf
05-19-2015, 23:02
No, it's definitely not.

Walking on the road, carrying a pack kills your feet, ankles, shoulders and back. Long road walks are killer.

I'm with you on that! Don't forget the extra sun exposure roadwalking compared to the green tunnel. Plus walking on narrow/nonexistant road shoulders as high speed traffic whizzes by is a lot more dangerous than an average section of trail.

nsherry61
05-20-2015, 00:18
I find, in fact I did, just last week, walk several miles of trail to avoid having to hike along a road. Easy or not, I think road hiking sucks and is therefore much harder for me than hiking a trail. . . So how is the misery of having to road hike relavent to this accomplishment?

Tennessee Viking
05-20-2015, 07:37
Congrats.

Out of curiousity, where in Alabama does the trail start?
From the Florida Trail, it goes on country roads to the Alambama Pinhoti then jumps off the Geogria Pinhoti south of Chattanooga.

Mags
05-20-2015, 11:31
if you can get credit for a first thru hike on a trail that is not even 50 percent done then these people are not the first since I am sure many people have walked north to south up and down the east coast for many years before. What really matters is did they do it to get that record? or just to go hiking? keep in mind road walking is way way easier then any mountain trail

Having spoken to Jo Swanson, I can assure you she did not do it just to get a record. She enjoyed the experience of walking a route that is not finished and less crowded than the AT. The GET really highlights some of the beautiful parts of PA from what I understand. Parts that the AT misses.

As for road walking..it is killer on the body. Try to avoid it if you can.

ki0eh
05-20-2015, 18:50
The GET really highlights some of the beautiful parts of PA from what I understand. Parts that the AT misses.


“The really beautiful Appalachian ranges in Pennsylvania – Nittany and Jacks and Tussey – stand to the north and west. For various practical and historical reasons, the AT goes nowhere near them.” – Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods

tomsawyer222
05-21-2015, 08:07
The GET is only considered 75 % complete because it uses other trails that already existed before it was even thought of. The Allegheny and Tuscarora trail are other trails but are part of it. This trail went from nothing to 50 % overnight just cause they used existing infrastructure. the AT when Shaffer hiked it was built out of dirt roads and nothing in most places and especially now the AT is almost wholly its own path. When I talk about how completed the GET is I mean the parts that are just GET not the other trails they have appropriated.

As to road walking I thru-hiked the MST that's near 400 miles of road walk and it is much easier for the same reason the PCT is easier than the AT. Roads have a consistent grade and smooth surface to walk. you can travel much faster on road and much farther. it has unique challenges like cars but it does not have to be unshaded. There is a couple hundred of miles of unshaded trail on the PCT and CDT. Road walking is deemed hard on the body cause you walk faster and farther then in the hills. If mountain paths were easier then we would drive cars on rocks and roots not pavement.

I take nothing away from someone walking a trail or series of trails its a great thing. But trails that are not completed cannot have a record on them. It makes it an unfair comparison between current and future hikers. I also worry about trails that are created in the manor that the GET is being made by taking other trails and replacing them with this bigger entity. It created problems when the AT marched thru the whites and took the trails up there as the AT and they resist that to this day saying that their trails came first. If a trails is already there why not build more trail elsewhere? The AT gave us 2000 miles of new trail to hike the GET will not come close to this, I want more trail not just renamed trails.

ki0eh
05-21-2015, 09:20
The GET is only considered 75 % complete because it uses other trails that already existed before it was even thought of. The Allegheny and Tuscarora trail are other trails but are part of it. This trail went from nothing to 50 % overnight just cause they used existing infrastructure. the AT when Shaffer hiked it was built out of dirt roads and nothing in most places and especially now the AT is almost wholly its own path. When I talk about how completed the GET is I mean the parts that are just GET not the other trails they have appropriated.

As to road walking I thru-hiked the MST that's near 400 miles of road walk and it is much easier for the same reason the PCT is easier than the AT. Roads have a consistent grade and smooth surface to walk. you can travel much faster on road and much farther. it has unique challenges like cars but it does not have to be unshaded. There is a couple hundred of miles of unshaded trail on the PCT and CDT. Road walking is deemed hard on the body cause you walk faster and farther then in the hills. If mountain paths were easier then we would drive cars on rocks and roots not pavement.

I take nothing away from someone walking a trail or series of trails its a great thing. But trails that are not completed cannot have a record on them. It makes it an unfair comparison between current and future hikers. I also worry about trails that are created in the manor that the GET is being made by taking other trails and replacing them with this bigger entity. It created problems when the AT marched thru the whites and took the trails up there as the AT and they resist that to this day saying that their trails came first. If a trails is already there why not build more trail elsewhere? The AT gave us 2000 miles of new trail to hike the GET will not come close to this, I want more trail not just renamed trails.

The GET Association membership is only the trail groups (individual memberships have been authorized, but has not yet been implemented, pending someone volunteering to be the membership secretary) - there's not new GET that's not part of a local group's trail, whether it was a pre-existing, extended, or new trail in a gap. That's why there are no GET-wide maps and guides, you drill down to the member clubs to get the hikable info (which is inevitably inconsistent). The power relationship, explicitly, is inverted compared to the A.T., so it is an alternative in that respect as well.

Accordingly the statement "When I talk about how completed the GET is I mean the parts that are just GET not the other trails they have appropriated." is, literally, meaningless, standing at 0%. Which is not to say there hasn't been trail worked on by the member groups since the advent of the GET idea, as there have been numerous extensions and relocations. But those are part of the individual trails just as they are of GET.

And, also to be clear, I take it that the statement "As to road walking I thru-hiked the MST that's near 400 miles of road walk" refers to the North Carolina Mountains-to-Sea Trail, not to the Pennsylvania Mid State Trail that is the longest single extant component of the GET. That description certainly doesn't fit PA's MST.

tomsawyer222
05-21-2015, 10:49
yes MST IS mountains to sea trail. So the GET is only an idea it doesnt really exist

SonrisaJo
05-21-2015, 10:55
The GET is only considered 75 % complete because it uses other trails that already existed before it was even thought of. The Allegheny and Tuscarora trail are other trails but are part of it. This trail went from nothing to 50 % overnight just cause they used existing infrastructure. the AT when Shaffer hiked it was built out of dirt roads and nothing in most places and especially now the AT is almost wholly its own path. When I talk about how completed the GET is I mean the parts that are just GET not the other trails they have appropriated.

As to road walking I thru-hiked the MST that's near 400 miles of road walk and it is much easier for the same reason the PCT is easier than the AT. Roads have a consistent grade and smooth surface to walk. you can travel much faster on road and much farther. it has unique challenges like cars but it does not have to be unshaded. There is a couple hundred of miles of unshaded trail on the PCT and CDT. Road walking is deemed hard on the body cause you walk faster and farther then in the hills. If mountain paths were easier then we would drive cars on rocks and roots not pavement.

I take nothing away from someone walking a trail or series of trails its a great thing. But trails that are not completed cannot have a record on them. It makes it an unfair comparison between current and future hikers. I also worry about trails that are created in the manor that the GET is being made by taking other trails and replacing them with this bigger entity. It created problems when the AT marched thru the whites and took the trails up there as the AT and they resist that to this day saying that their trails came first. If a trails is already there why not build more trail elsewhere? The AT gave us 2000 miles of new trail to hike the GET will not come close to this, I want more trail not just renamed trails.

You thru-hiked the Mountains to Sea Trail, which makes this discussion much more interesting. :)

The GET is more complete than the Mountains to Sea Trail - both by trail miles on the ground and percent of trail completed, yet trails that aren't complete cannot have a record of hikers on them? You also reference Earl Shaffer, who hiked ages before the AT was complete. You either have to accept that people thru-hike trails prior to their "completion," or not. Earl did, and you clearly consider yourself a thru-hiker. (And I think that's a good thing!)

You also take issue with using existing infrastructure to create a long-distance hiking opportunity. The Mountains to Sea Trail has been created in part by routing it on existing trails because that is how trails begin. From the Mountains To Sea FAQ Page: "Trail planners began by making use of existing trails on public lands and connected them to key natural features across North Carolina." The routes of the Mountains to Sea Trail that I hiked through the Smokies and the Pisgah National Forest pre-dated the Mountains to Sea Trail and didn't put any new trail into the world. Certainly new trail has been created for the Mountains to Sea Trail, same as the GET, yet you say you thru-hiked one but the other doesn't count. Stay away from the North Country Trail, Bigfoot Trail, Continental Divide Trail, etc., if using existing trails to create a longer route is a dealbreaker for you.

One thing I love about the GET is how it does not have total cohesion and I would guess it never will: trails like the Pinhoti, Pine Mountain, and Mid State retain their previous blazing techniques and character. The GET isn't taking over, it's strengthening these trails- being part of the GET is a feather in their cap. My section of trail didn't exist pre-GET, so southern West Virginia is pretty grateful to be part of it.

You want more trail; I want more trail. The GET is a great bet to someday channel some traffic off the AT. I'm working to make it happen. If you want more trail, awesome - what are you doing to make it a reality?

rocketsocks
05-21-2015, 11:14
I proudly walk the white line.

kf1wv
05-21-2015, 11:25
I proudly walk the white line.

+1 to that.

rocketsocks
05-21-2015, 11:25
I proudly walk the white line.should also add that if you plan on road walkin' get a good pair a shoes, sandals and minimalist ain't gonna cut it and will likely leave ya with some issues.

full conditions
05-21-2015, 11:51
Historically speaking, there were also large chunks of trail down south that already existed that were incorporated into the AT like the old "state line trail" between Devil Fork Gap and Hot Springs. And this was done without any "problems". Not to mention, when the AT was officially dedicated and declared open, it contained long segments of road walking. And, when they created the PCT, it incorporated the old California Hiking and Riding Trail down south, the Muir Trail in the Sierras, and the Cascade Crest Trail up north. Lots of existing trail turned into a longer trail - all without significant issues.

Mags
05-21-2015, 13:16
T Roads have a consistent grade and smooth surface to walk. you can travel much faster on road and much farther. i.

My experiences are different. So I am not going to take your statement as Truth. ;)


But trails that are not completed cannot have a record on them..


Acknowledging the first person to walk a route is not a record per se, just an acknowledgement. Otherwise you start getting into pedantic territory. Otherwise the Arizona Trail folks, the CTF, the ATC, etc are just blowing hot air about the acknowledged pioneers of these trails.

As for creating trails out of nothing, that's definitely more an East Coast style way of thinking. Out west, there are many routes that are frankly comprised of existing trails, jeep roads and even cross country.

As one short, bald guy from the northeast once said "It's the future of thru-hiking!"


yes MST IS mountains to sea trail. So the GET is only an idea it doesnt really exist

Said out of limited hiking experience? :)

Just to make things fun..there are TWO GETs...that apparently really don't exist. :D

http://www.simblissity.net/get/

tomsawyer222
05-21-2015, 13:39
Historically speaking, there were also large chunks of trail down south that already existed that were incorporated into the AT like the old "state line trail" between Devil Fork Gap and Hot Springs. And this was done without any "problems". Not to mention, when the AT was officially dedicated and declared open, it contained long segments of road walking. And, when they created the PCT, it incorporated the old California Hiking and Riding Trail down south, the Muir Trail in the Sierras, and the Cascade Crest Trail up north. Lots of existing trail turned into a longer trail - all without significant issues.

The southern AT had alot of problems as land and previous things were taken from previous owners and controllers.

ki0eh
05-21-2015, 13:56
Just to make things fun..there are TWO GETs...that apparently really don't exist. :D

http://www.simblissity.net/get/

For most PA hikers "GET" is http://www.pahikes.com/trails/golden-eagle-trail/119-golden-eagle-trail-best-day-hike-in-pennsylvania - although that one might even exist. ;)

ki0eh
05-21-2015, 13:59
Even in PA there were questions about which pre-existing trails would become the A.T. and institutional drama. Check out the "prehistory" heading on http://www.satc-hike.org/history.html

full conditions
05-21-2015, 14:23
The southern AT had alot of problems as land and previous things were taken from previous owners and controllers.
Yeah, but that wasn't your original claim was it? You stated that the AT was built nearly entirely of newly constructed trail and that in those places up north (like the White Mountains) where existing trails were converted to become part of the AT there were significant problems in converting those existing trails into the AT system. I didn't challenge that claim as it seemed pretty trivial (as in: "who cares whose name goes on top of the trail sign?"). Now you've switched arguments and are saying that there were "a lot of problems" down south too as "land and previous things (whatever that means) were taken away from previous owners" (which, by the way runs counter to your claim that the vast majority of the AT was newly constructed trail) . So now, are you saying that because parts of the AT were carved out of existing trail that the AT lacks legitimacy as a long distance trail? Also, do you have any evidence that there were "a lot of problems down south"? or is this just an assertion? I'm definitely confused.

tomsawyer222
05-21-2015, 17:23
Your correct full conditions it was my original statement but my intent was never that pieced trails are not legitiment. Only that you cannot have a record such as first or fastest on antrail that is not completed right now i could go speed hike the mst and they could add 300 miles to it next year therefore i hold the record and you can never beat it cause your trail is much longer that is my only assertion On that. and this is my only real care about anything in this thread the rest is just responses

As to problems with land handling during the creation of the AT especially in the south you should check the history on that and how lots of the national forests there were created thru sizure of land by the government thru the tennessee valley authority. It created a lot of unhappiness.The at did use existing trail but as of now i bet those other trails are long gone except the ones up north which is why i used that as an example. As to the western trails having no problems i think you will find that they had large opposition from ranchers and farmers of course it looks like a smooth transition years later. I am not switching claims i am trying to respond to multiple parties about different things which is difficult. The AT may have used existing trails in some places but it was no where near 75 percent other trails Like the GET is. I dont understand the need for the GET over all when that energy could be directed into maintaining the existing trails that dont have enough support.

I did not mean MST is the mountains to sea trail as thats the only MST just that it was the one i was refering too.

I know there are multiple GET As well. To me the GET seems like a bid to unite all these smaller trails in an atempt to get federal NST designation which brings money with it.i only have a problem with this because of how i feel trail clubs should be set up its not anything against the GET.



mags. I am sorry that my hiking resume does not rate having an opinion on this subject. I will not justify where and how much experience i have for any discussion.

SonrisaJo
05-21-2015, 18:20
Your correct full conditions it was my original statement but my intent was never that pieced trails are not legitiment. Only that you cannot have a record such as first or fastest on antrail that is not completed

Have you read any of my responses about the trails that are currently being hiked today (CDT, NC-MST, etc) that are incomplete? Shall none of their end-to-end hikers be considered legitimate because the trails are not 100% complete? I bet there are some Triple Crowners who would be unhappy with that assessment.
Perhaps you could also refer back to Mags' comment about inaugural hikes not being a "record."



To me the GET seems like a bid to unite all these smaller trails in an atempt to get federal NST designation which brings money with it.i only have a problem with this because of how i feel trail clubs should be set up its not anything against the GET.

You have no reason to believe that the GET is seeking or will ever seek National Scenic Trail designation. Nor that if sought, it would be awarded. This is empty conjecture.


I dont understand the need for the GET over all when that energy could be directed into maintaining the existing trails that dont have enough support.
. . .what do you think the GET is doing, if not drumming up support for existing trails? When you volunteer on the GET, you are volunteering on its host trail. All the energy going into the GET is going straight into its host trails.

As for not understanding the need for the GET, check the crowds on the Appalachian Trail and the explosion of hiking popularity. Simply, the AT (and PCT) are being over-loved and the growth is unsustainable (My own experience: http://www.gethiking.net/2015/03/trail-overlove.html). We need to find ways to educate hikers and divert traffic. More than any other long-distance trail in the east, the GET has the potential to help relieve pressure from the AT. If you love the AT, the GET is a logical trail to support.

BenOnAdventures
05-21-2015, 18:56
Wow that is so awesome!!!

Mags
05-21-2015, 19:36
mags. I am sorry that my hiking resume does not rate having an opinion on this subject. I will not justify where and how much experience i have for any discussion.

Oy vey...

I just said my experiences are different. And they are. :)

Feel free to express any opinion...does not mean I have to agree with you nor can I express my opposite opinion. And I can also say, in my opinion, your knowledge base sounds limited based on your assertions.

No different than any other discussion be it my day job (IT), my first love (history) or the outdoors.

I trust the mechanic who has done 20 timing belt repairs vs the guy who just bought a Chilton manual. Both can have opinions... some are just speaking from a tad more experience. And usually sound it, too. ;)

Having said..of course..express an opinion.

Just never mistake your opinion, or mine for that matter, for fact. And be prepared for people to question your opinions, too.


You have no reason to believe that the GET is seeking or will ever seek National Scenic Trail designation. Nor that if sought, it would be awarded. This is empty conjecture.

.

Indeed. That is what most new routes are doing. They Hayduke Trail, for example, was made a loose route because the originators ran into too much red tape to make an official trail.

All kidding aside, I suspect we'll see more of those type of routes going forward.


Now, the REAL question..is the Andrew Sisters Trail really a trail !!?!?!?! ;)

full conditions
05-21-2015, 19:47
Your correct full conditions it was my original statement but my intent was never that pieced trails are not legitiment. Only that you cannot have a record such as first or fastest on antrail that is not completed right now i could go speed hike the mst and they could add 300 miles to it next year therefore i hold the record and you can never beat it cause your trail is much longer that is my only assertion On that. and this is my only real care about anything in this thread the rest is just responses

As to problems with land handling during the creation of the AT especially in the south you should check the history on that and how lots of the national forests there were created thru sizure of land by the government thru the tennessee valley authority. It created a lot of unhappiness.The at did use existing trail but as of now i bet those other trails are long gone except the ones up north which is why i used that as an example. As to the western trails having no problems i think you will find that they had large opposition from ranchers and farmers of course it looks like a smooth transition years later. I am not switching claims i am trying to respond to multiple parties about different things which is difficult. The AT may have used existing trails in some places but it was no where near 75 percent other trails Like the GET is. I dont understand the need for the GET over all when that energy could be directed into maintaining the existing trails that dont have enough support.

I did not mean MST is the mountains to sea trail as thats the only MST just that it was the one i was refering too.

I know there are multiple GET As well. To me the GET seems like a bid to unite all these smaller trails in an atempt to get federal NST designation which brings money with it.i only have a problem with this because of how i feel trail clubs should be set up its not anything against the GET.



mags. I am sorry that my hiking resume does not rate having an opinion on this subject. I will not justify where and how much experience i have for any discussion.
Do you have any evidence that the folks at NET are manoeuvering for NST status or is this just another assertion without evidence?

Sarcasm the elf
05-21-2015, 19:54
No different than any other discussion be it my day job (IT), my first love (history) or the outdoors.



Slightly off topic, but speaking of IT and hiking is there any hiker slang that is a the equivalent of the term PEBCAK?

full conditions
05-21-2015, 19:56
Your correct full conditions it was my original statement but my intent was never that pieced trails are not legitiment. Only that you cannot have a record such as first or fastest on antrail that is not completed right now i could go speed hike the mst and they could add 300 miles to it next year therefore i hold the record and you can never beat it cause your trail is much longer that is my only assertion On that. and this is my only real care about anything in this thread the rest is just responses

As to problems with land handling during the creation of the AT especially in the south you should check the history on that and how lots of the national forests there were created thru sizure of land by the government thru the tennessee valley authority. It created a lot of unhappiness.The at did use existing trail but as of now i bet those other trails are long gone except the ones up north which is why i used that as an example. As to the western trails having no problems i think you will find that they had large opposition from ranchers and farmers of course it looks like a smooth transition years later. I am not switching claims i am trying to respond to multiple parties about different things which is difficult. The AT may have used existing trails in some places but it was no where near 75 percent other trails Like the GET is. I dont understand the need for the GET over all when that energy could be directed into maintaining the existing trails that dont have enough support.

I did not mean MST is the mountains to sea trail as thats the only MST just that it was the one i was refering too.

I know there are multiple GET As well. To me the GET seems like a bid to unite all these smaller trails in an atempt to get federal NST designation which brings money with it.i only have a problem with this because of how i feel trail clubs should be set up its not anything against the GET.



mags. I am sorry that my hiking resume does not rate having an opinion on this subject. I will not justify where and how much experience i have for any discussion.
Are you really conflating the creation of national forests in the south with the creation of the AT? That's just too silly to respond to. And, did you truly want me to do your research for you? Sigh....so here's how it works - you make an assertion you back your claim with evidence not with more assertions.

Mags
05-21-2015, 20:13
Slightly off topic, but speaking of IT and hiking is there any hiker slang that is a the equivalent of the term PEBCAK?

Hmmm..not that I know of..but I know of hikers who could could fit a new acronym: PEBSAP (shoes and pack!)

ki0eh
05-21-2015, 21:13
To me the GET seems like a bid to unite all these smaller trails in an atempt to get federal NST designation which brings money with it.i only have a problem with this because of how i feel trail clubs should be set up its not anything against the GET.


That's actually been specifically decided against as a course of action for the GET. Not least because in this part of this century at least, gov't resources are going to be insufficient to deal with the associated b$ level and fear of black helicopters, so to speak. I suppose it's now an experiment to see how a minimal association of shoestring associations does at creating a nine-state pathway by enhancing linkages between its members, and validating each's attempts to keep going. No longer do I hear serious talk of abandoning the southern six sections of Mid State Trail, dissolving the Standing Stone Trail Club, etc.

SonrisaJo
05-21-2015, 21:26
No longer do I hear serious talk of abandoning the southern six sections of Mid State Trail, dissolving the Standing Stone Trail Club, etc.

Well yeah. We need the rocks in those six sections! The Standing Stone Trail tries, but it has yet to achieve the rockiness of the southern Mid State Trail. Needs more people piling rocks on it. ;)

ki0eh
05-21-2015, 21:27
Another thought: fewer people have hiked the entire GET than have walked on the surface of the Moon!

Just Bill
05-21-2015, 22:01
Hey Jo!
Enjoyed your account on the trail show.

What a thrilling discussion in this thread, I just had to chime in with a critical point-

THANK YOU FOR ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING YOU ARE DOING!
:clap :clap :clap