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Jeff
11-06-2013, 09:54
We are introducing something new for 2014…the Appalachian Trail Passport. It is patterned after a similar program for hikers on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Hikers can buy an AT Passport and when staying at hostels and other “hiker friendly” lodgings, ask the proprietor to stamp the Passport. At the end of the journey, you will have collected more than 40 unique stamps, making this a memorable keepsake for years to come. You can find more information at www.ATPassport.com (http://www.ATPassport.com).

msupple
11-06-2013, 10:19
Having just finished the Camino de Santiago I can say that it was quite fun collecting the stamps for the "Passport", and yes. it is a great keepsake. Besides that, it's for a great cause. Cat in the Hat

Sailing_Faith
11-06-2013, 10:40
What a cool idea. I supose one could add the passport stamps for the national parks they travel through as well.

FarmerChef
11-06-2013, 10:44
What a cool idea. I supose one could add the passport stamps for the national parks they travel through as well.

Technically you already can. They have a passport book for National Parks and there are self-stamping stations at every park I've visited. This is a great idea. I can't wait to thru and this will just add to the experience, at least for me.

How are hostel/business owners contacted or encouraged to participate?

Cro-Mag
11-06-2013, 10:56
Really cool idea! I kind of wish I was hiking the trail in 2014! Some great memories were brought back after reading the location list.

tiptoe
11-06-2013, 11:03
Sounds like a nice keepsake, as long as it doesn't weigh too much and it doesn't require visas (just kidding).

FarmerChef
11-06-2013, 12:07
Sounds like a nice keepsake, as long as it doesn't weigh too much and it doesn't require visas (just kidding).

Except that now you don't just carry a small pebble. You need to carry a large rock (say 4 or 5 pounds) to place on the trail in Pennsylvania :D

BrianLe
11-06-2013, 12:33
A fun idea, so long as it doesn't conflict with a HYOH "do the trip that is most meaningful to you" approach. I just hiked the Camino de Santiago (finished in early Oct) and it really isn't an issue there, more of a fun thing, but there are a lot more places to get the credencial stamped than just hostels --- bars, some churches, tourist information centers, etc. But indeed it is required at the end, you show your credencial at the Pilgrim office in Santiago to get a certificate of completion.

A minor quibble. The website says "For more than one thousand years hikers of the Camino de Santiago in Spain acquired a “passport” to document their journey." This is certainly not true. Pilgrims have been hiking the Camino for a long time, with the first known pilgrimage in 950 a.d. But the credencial (pilgrim "passport") dates back to the late 18th century, per this: http://fernandolalanda.blogspot.com/2011/07/historia-de-la-credencial-i-parte-en.html

Austin 2014
11-06-2013, 12:40
Thanks for sharing! Just added it to my Christmas wish list. Would make the perfect stocking stuffer!

rickb
11-06-2013, 12:42
Good grief.

Also good marketing, I suppose.

My guess is that at least one 2014 hiker will elect to stay at the Barn or Hiker's Paradise (for example) rather than splitting a motel room, in order to get a stamp. Or even tip the scales for at least one 2014 hiker towards heading off the trail and into town, rather than tenting it on a rainy day.

For better or worse, today marks the first time in 30 years that I am ready to concede that a thru hike is fundamentally different today than it was when I hiked it. Not because of this new program, but rather all that it represents.

LoufromFWB
11-06-2013, 12:48
I first learned of this 'passport' watching a movie about the Camino de Santiago hike, starring Martin Sheen (I believe). It's definitely an awesome idea, though obviously not everyone will be staying at a hostel (including myself in 2014). Still, one will have 'Centers' to have it stamped, and of course the entire thing may evolve ---such as stamps from grocery stores, etc where one has to resupply; even homeowners along the trail, as well as trail angels, can get into the act somehow! No matter what or how it develops it's going to be be a great keepsake and well worth buying. Looking forward to receiving it! I might add that it even increases my motivation for the hike!!:)

Studlintsean
11-06-2013, 13:23
Just curious, do you have to STAY at the hostels to get the stamp?

forrest!
11-06-2013, 14:32
Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!

Just kidding, really. I wish everyone the best of luck with the whole passport thing...

aficion
11-06-2013, 16:24
Good grief.

Also good marketing, I suppose.

My guess is that at least one 2014 hiker will elect to stay at the Barn or Hiker's Paradise (for example) rather than splitting a motel room, in order to get a stamp. Or even tip the scales for at least one 2014 hiker towards heading off the trail and into town, rather than tenting it on a rainy day.

For better or worse, today marks the first time in 30 years that I am ready to concede that a thru hike is fundamentally different today than it was when I hiked it. Not because of this new program, but rather all that it represents.

So true. What's cool is you can still do a thru hike and actually stay outdoors if you like, and these days, with everybody trekking into town every other day to spend their money, and now get their "passport" stamped, the folks who are likely to enjoy a protracted outdoor experience, will have more solitude and a better selection of campsites. Everybody wins.

FarmerChef
11-06-2013, 16:29
Good point! A thru is still a psychologically demanding hike and I doubt that having a passport will keep more people on the trail any longer than at present. Perhaps more will flock to the start but I'd be willing to bet that somewhere between TN and Virginia the thinning of the herd will still take place, passport or no passport. I, for one, look forward to the extra enjoyment I'll get, though by the time I have enough free time to do a thru it will probably be digital ;)

Paul the Brit
11-06-2013, 23:21
I was hiking through Damascus yesterday and Crazy Larry told me about the passport. He said he will get a stamp and as I understood it from him you didn't have to stay there just visit by, say hi, chat and if your in luck like me get a banana. Then move on.

Jeff
11-07-2013, 12:35
Just curious, do you have to STAY at the hostels to get the stamp?

Good question....that is completely up to the owner/proprietor of the establishment. I imagine most owners will be fine with a hiker just "passing thru" and a few may not.

Grampie
11-07-2013, 13:46
Just something that isn't usefull or needed to do a thru-hike. I think it would be just a pain in the axx for a hostel keeper.

BrianLe
11-07-2013, 14:07
One thing that's different on the Camino (where this system already exists) vs. the AT is that on the Camino you're always walking through towns, from little villages to a few big cities (Pamplona, Burgos, Leon). The average 'pilgrim' walks maybe 20-some kilometers per day. Or less. But you still typically go through two to four towns along the way on an average day, and it's easy to stop in a bar or poke your head into a church if it's open, etc. We didn't tend to visit albergue's or hostels along the way, however, as they tended to clean up and then close down relatively early, except for the ones that served mid-day food.

So if you're having a snack in a bar along the way, you can just ask if they have a pilgrim stamp, and they almost always say "yes" and it's no problem. Ditto any sort of lodgings (whether you stay there or not). Some churches have them. Sometimes they're unattended, so no real hassle for anyone, you just use the stamp, make a donation if there's a box for that and you're inclined, and you're done.

On the AT, you do walk through or close by some towns, but more often you have to hitchhike into towns, and you pass through opportunities "to get stamps" less frequently. Certainly more frequently than on other long trails in the U.S., but still. And sometimes trail towns are a bit spread out. The average thru-hiker can be surprisingly unwilling to walk too far in town on a long Nero or Zero day. So I really don't see a huge amount of traffic through hostels of people not staying there, except perhaps for cases where you pass right by anyway. I.e., I doubt that it would be a particular pain for hostel keepers in general. If it was, they could either put out a subtle sign ("stamps for guests only"), or take advantage of the added traffic to sell stuff perhaps.

Now, if they had stamping stations in shelters along the trail ... but no way would the stamps stay there, intact, with enough ink to make the stamps work. No way. Maybe something more akin to the approach to doing brass rubbings could work, if the underlying bas relief image were unquestionably un-stealable (and un-defaceable) somehow.

Lybarger
11-08-2013, 10:23
Great idea. A buddy showed me his Camino Passport and of course, that triggered story after story from him.

zzzzzz1002003
11-11-2013, 22:03
i like this passport idea. ill be takeing pics along the way and this would be an excelent addition to help my wife and i remember the hike. cool physical object to have and hold onto not just memories. will be worth the $6 for it.

Jeff
11-12-2013, 11:50
AWOL has put a special icon in his AT Guide to identify every location where you can get your AT Passport stamped....another good reason to buy his 2014 edition of The AT Guide.

George
11-12-2013, 14:10
by virginia few will still be carrying this - in 2 years the places with stamps will not be able to find them

Mosquito Bait
11-21-2013, 16:29
I think this is awesome. I love keepsakes and this would be a cool way to have one that doesn't take up much space or weight. :)

RED-DOG
11-22-2013, 12:32
My 2000 miler patches and Completion Certificates are my AT Keepsakes, are you trying to replace this tradition with this new pasport thingy?

jj2044
11-22-2013, 12:37
My 2000 miler patches and Completion Certificates are my AT Keepsakes, are you trying to replace this tradition with this new pasport thingy? Who would of guessed, Red-dog cant figure it out.

yaduck9
11-22-2013, 12:57
[QUOTE=RED-DOG;1819750]My 2000 miler patches and Completion Certificates are my AT Keepsakes, are you trying to replace this tradition with this new pasport thingy?[/QUOTE


good day to speculate on a conspiracy

michaelosborne
11-22-2013, 15:01
It's a cool idea, I just don't think I would bother with it. If I had one I would want to fill it up and it would seem like a hassle trying to go to each or most places to get a stamp.

jimmyjam
11-22-2013, 18:00
I think it is a great idea. I have the national parks passport. I wonder what the AT passport weighs.

hikerboy57
11-22-2013, 18:09
My 2000 miler patches and Completion Certificates are my AT Keepsakes, are you trying to replace this tradition with this new pasport thingy? only if you want to be one of the cool kids

Osiris
11-22-2013, 22:10
My 2000 miler patches and Completion Certificates are my AT Keepsakes, are you trying to replace this tradition with this new pasport thingy?

I would argue that while the patch and Certificate do act at keepsakes the Passport does more to pull your memory to certain locations which will cause you to remember more specific details of those locations and the events that took place there. I have recently been going over my own trail journals and photos from my short time on the trail and, I must say, I had forgotten a lot and I hiked earlier this year. I imagine without those tools to refresh my memory in a few years a lot of my experiences and details would be lost to time.

The passport is just another way to help you remember where you have been and what you saw. The patch and the cert will only do so much. Plus, at $6 the passport is almost free and to top it off the proceeds go to the A.T.C. so I personally feel it is money well spent either way.

Jeff
12-19-2013, 12:02
We have had a great response to the rollout of AT Passport program. Thanks for the outstanding support from the Class of 2014.

Paul the Brit
12-19-2013, 16:45
Got mine. Will be a keepsake and as stated it supports the ATC.

Jeff
12-20-2013, 16:39
We have added several shuttle providers in the south and a few trail angels along the trail as stamping locations.

Turk6177
12-20-2013, 17:01
Too bad you can't leave a unique stamp at every shelter. I m sure someone would burn it or steal it.

Paul the Brit
12-20-2013, 17:33
I am hoping to try get the national park stamps on the way. Worth asking!

elray
01-22-2014, 12:37
Just curious, do you have to STAY at the hostels to get the stamp?

No, but as a courtesy it's suggested that hikers only stamp at the hostels that they are patronizing.

elray
01-22-2014, 12:48
I ordered ours when I ordered the new AT Guide, great idea! 25664

Son Driven
01-22-2014, 13:29
What material would absorb ink and hold up the best? I was thinking perhaps Tyvek? Any thoughts.

takethisbread
01-22-2014, 15:25
looks great! kinda like the camino


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DocMahns
01-28-2014, 22:58
Awesome idea, will be picking up a passport!

PS-- I notice there's a sticker on your page for sale; "2,185.9 GA-ME 2013". Will you have a 2014 one for SOBO hikers; ME-GA 2014?

AT Trail Magic
01-29-2014, 20:45
Thank you to Jeff Kaussig for making my stamp: AT Trail Magic. Can't wait to stamp a thruhiker from the Class of '14.

Gus9890
02-06-2014, 10:56
Wow, that's an awesome idea! I'm definitely getting on for my hike!

Jess Blank
02-11-2014, 11:44
This seems fun! I've always just stamped my sketchbook at national parks tho. Can I get stamps at places I stay without buying the 'official passport'?

Grampie
02-11-2014, 14:05
Will all the yellow blazers and section skippers be able to mail their passports to get stamped. It won't fair if they don't allow this.

BobTheBuilder
02-18-2014, 10:59
Wait - I have been section hiking since 2006. Does this mean I need to go back and hike the previous 800 miles all over again just to get the stamps? Well, crap. I'm never gonna get this thing completed.