How Far Hiking to be Considered a LASH?

[ldsailor]

I consider myself a LASH'er (Long A-- Section Hike'r). My hikes have been on the AT at 325, 207 and 491 miles. I made it to Harper's Ferry in June and intend to go back there and do another 250 miles NOBO in September. I've never seen anything about what constitutes a LASH in any of the forums. To my way of thinking, If I do at least 200 miles, that's a LASH. Maybe you have a different number, or perhaps you consider the amount of time hiking to be the measure of a LASH.

Just curious about what some other hikers think qualifies as a LASH.

[One Half]

I think if you are hiking longer than the "average" vacation. So, more than a week (but not just 8 days). Maybe 10 days would be a LASH. Definitely over 2 weeks would be a LASH in my mind.

[Slo-go'en]

I figure a month, how ever far that gets you. By that time you feel like a thru hiker, but are ready to go home.

[ldsailor]

I figure a month, how ever far that gets you. By that time you feel like a thru hiker, but are ready to go home.

I wish this forum had a "Like" button.

[MuddyWaters]

Id say about 300 miles

Which is MY low end definition for a medium length hike
Anything less is SHORT to me, about two weeks basically, which aint long at all. Barely enough time to get in groove.

YMMV

Might take some people a month to do 200, thats long for them...

Different for everyone. Labels are stupid.

Some call 40 miles a section hike...that seems short to me, more like an overnight trip.

[rafe]

I believe the "LA" in "LASH" is meant to be ambiguous.

[dervari]

Who cares? We're all hikers. No one needs labels to segregate us. That's what is wrong with this country today.

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[soumodeler]

I believe the "LA" in "LASH" is meant to be ambiguous.

Agreed. My personal definition would be more than 9 days (a week off of work with the weekends at each end) but I may hike twice as far or half a much as another hiker in that same time who may or may not consider their hike a LASH.

To me a section hike is a 3 day weekend to a week.

Just go hiking and forget the labels

[rafe]

If you're a working stiff and you use a significant chunk of your yearly vacation time for a long hike on the AT... that, to me, fits the definition.

[Tipi Walter]

Who cares? We're all hikers. No one needs labels to segregate us. That's what is wrong with this country today.

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Labeling people seems the least of our problems--I'd say overpopulation, habitat loss, and urbanization of our backcountry is worse, at least for backpackers and forum members who value forest lands and wilderness.

Agreed. My personal definition would be more than 9 days (a week off of work with the weekends at each end) but I may hike twice as far or half a much as another hiker in that same time who may or may not consider their hike a LASH.

To me a section hike is a 3 day weekend to a week.

Just go hiking and forget the labels

All of my trips are longer than 9 days so I'm definitely LASHed---whip lashed.

And for those of you who go out for 20+ days without resupply you are now part of the CRAPS movement---Carrying Ridiculous Amounts of Personal S---.

[dervari]

Labeling people seems the least of our problems--I'd say overpopulation, habitat loss, and urbanization of our backcountry is worse, at least for backpackers and forum members who value forest lands and wilderness.



All of my trips are longer than 9 days so I'm definitely LASHed---whip lashed.

And for those of you who go out for 20+ days without resupply you are now part of the CRAPS movement---Carrying Ridiculous Amounts of Personal S---.

Well, this topic IS related to labeling hikers, not the other things you mentioned.

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[rocketsocks]

Well, this topic IS related to labeling hikers, not the other things you mentioned.

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actually it's about labeling the hike.

[rocketsocks]

I consider myself a LASH'er (Long A-- Section Hike'r). My hikes have been on the AT at 325, 207 and 491 miles. I made it to Harper's Ferry in June and intend to go back there and do another 250 miles NOBO in September. I've never seen anything about what constitutes a LASH in any of the forums. To my way of thinking, If I do at least 200 miles, that's a LASH. Maybe you have a different number, or perhaps you consider the amount of time hiking to be the measure of a LASH.

Just curious about what some other hikers think qualifies as a LASH.

Ab unusual length not normally done and longer than its breath. So different for each hiker.

[ARambler]

I think needing to know the minimum requirements for a LASH, shows you are not there. A LASH should make you a peer of the thru hikers you meet. I'm not sure you are a LASHer on the second day of a 3 month hike.
Hiker hunger (physical fitness) kicks in after about 3 weeks, so I think a month (500 miles?) is near minimum. This is also, the maximum for most vacations, held mail, time between bills, and other logistical issues.
If it takes more than 4 LASH hikes to complete the AT, that sounds more like a section hike style. Not sure of the difference between a LASH hike and a Chunk hike, but maybe a LASH should be longer, and a Chunk more focused on a way and commitment to section hike.

My minimum section hike is one foot in front of the other. I have done very short sections to fill in gaps. The Clarks Ferry Bridge is my shortest.

[Another Kevin]

I'm a LASHer - Lazy-Arse Section Hiker.

[dzierzak]

I'm a LASHer - Lazy-Arse Section Hiker.

I resemble that remark

[Starchild]

While I don't know of a distance needed I'd say it's part of a lifestyle change where the trail becomes ones reality instead of a escape from ones reality. Ones body adapts to the trail and one gets their trail legs and distances increase and hiker hunger is ever present. That is to me where a hike becomes a long ass hike. It being a section hike is secondary.


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[Just Bill]

Seeing as HikerBoy... one of those who popularized the term... is unable to figure out if he is Mike, Andy, HB, or what to call himself.

It seems reasonable to assume that LASH can mean whatever you want. Though generally speaking it was a tongue in cheek response to folks who put too much emphasis on 'thru-hiking'.

Who has done more?
I thru-hike the river to river trail, or the long trail. You section hike virginia.
The R2R is a scant 160 miles, the LT is 273. Just because Virginia is "only" a 1/4 of the AT doesn't mean it's not a 500 mile hike.

By mileage, many section hikes are longer than many thru's.
By time, I tend to agree that much beyond a 10 day (week off work with a weekend on each end) is more than a typical vacation hike.

I do agree with SLO... it takes a good week or more to really feel settled into it and a month gives you enough time to enjoy having settled in.
In that sense I agree with StarChild... a vacation is a nice escape... getting out for enough time to really settle in is a bit deeper experience if you care to differentiate a LASH in some way.

Miles are so not important. Course neither is this topic... but there is a difference and nothing wrong with talking bout it.

IF there is a type of hike to be admired worthy of discussion. My hat and respect go to the lifetime 2000 milers.
The worst week on the trail is always the first. The most expensive day is getting there or leaving. The hardest thing is going home just when you settled in. Knowing you could go on but that you can't.
Doing that year after year, with your precious week of vacation time, quietly grinding away year after year over decades... through all of live's obstacles.

I find that one of the most admiral ways one can claim to have gotten from point A to point B.

[LittleRock]

By my definition a LASH is any hike that takes longer than 2 weeks, or the maximum amount of time that us "normal folks" are usually able to take off from work at a time. Distance-wise, let's call it 200 miles or more.

[George]

IMO - what is significant is to hike long enough to what I call "get up to speed" - others may mean the same thing when they say "trail legs"

either way what you are experiencing, (after the break in period) is similar to a longer hike for daily miles, resupply and community

everyone would have a different distance/ time to "get up to speed" mine is about 2 weeks as I do no training before a hike

after 2 weeks for me, if there are "through hikers" on the trail, I pace with the same people for the rest of my hike (essentially hitting a "plateau" similar to a longer time /distance hike)

so in brief to me a LASH is long enough for the individual to hit their own "plateau"