Thrus and weekenders...

[mdionne]

a THRU HIKE can be done in 6 years at 1 mpd or 24 years at .25 miles per day. This is a consecutive hike either NOBO or SOBO and would be certifiable by ATC. On that note, some "calander year thru hikers" take a week off the trail and return to complete their thru. this means that this 1mpd thru hiker could take a week off and do a quick 7 miles when they got back. Now the line gets really blurred...a weekender could do 7 miles of the trial every weekend which translates to 1mpd does this make the weekender a thru hiker???

[sliderule]

According to the NPS, leaving the trail means you are no longer a thru hiker. Or at least it invalidates a thru hiker permit.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Does the ATC make a distinction between thru-hikers and section hikers who have completed the trail? I thought they were all considered 2000-milers. If so, does it matter how fast or slowly someone hikes the AT? Does it matter how long completing it takes? Except for those seeking to break speed records, does any of this really matter?

[bearbag hanger]

According to the NPS, leaving the trail means you are no longer a thru hiker. Or at least it invalidates a thru hiker permit.

National Park Service? I never heard of nor did I get any sort of thru hiker permit when I did my thru hike in 2004. Did I do something wrong?

[papa john]

Didn't you hike the Smokies?

I've never heard of the thru-hiker status being voided if you left the trail though.

[Blue Jay]

According to the NPS, leaving the trail means you are no longer a thru hiker. Or at least it invalidates a thru hiker permit.

You pulled that one out of your a**. The NPS could care less about the definition of a thru. As for your definition no one else could care less.

[ed bell]

You pulled that one out of your a**. The NPS could care less about the definition of a thru. As for your definition no one else could care less.

I'll bet sombody does.

[sliderule]

You pulled that one out of your a**. The NPS could care less about the definition of a thru. As for your definition no one else could care less.

Blue Jay, your kind post caused me to realize that I should have been a bit more specific in my reply. With regard to the Trail as a whole, you are quite correct, the NPS couldn't care less. However, within the boundries of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there are special provisions in the regulations concerning backcountry permits that apply to thru hikers. For the purpose of backcountry permits, a the NPS does, in fact, have their own definition of "thru hiker." Hikers who don't meet the specifications of that definition are required to make reservations and adhere to a specific itinerary.

It has been a few years since I have been involved in the daily operations of the GSMNP, and it is certainly possible that the rules have changed. But, as a just a few years ago, a thru hiker permit was valid for a maximum of seven days and became void if the hiker left the Appalachian Trail. I specifically recall a conversation that I had with the Chief Ranger regarding the "leaving the trail' provision. It was his belief that that provision had likely never been enforced.

My comments were made in the context of a hypothetical discussion to illustrate that there are many different definitions of "thru hiker" and not to convey, promote or support any particular definition.

[Blue Jay]

Sorry, sliderule. It appears I should not have jumped on you so hard. I just get tired of people trying to place arbitrary and silly rules on Thrus. I misunderstood what you were saying.

[Ridge]

The Gas Stations, if you are driving to the trailheads, will LOVE you for this kind of hiking. They'd probably call you anything you'd like, maybe give you some kind of patch too. Looks like the trailhead is gonna start at the front door with the way the cost of fuel going out the roof

[Cookerhiker]

Maybe different rules for different parks and trails. When I got my John Muir Trail permit for this coming Aug. 30, no one said anything about leaving the trail voiding the permit.