thru hike definition
Does a thru have to be done in a calendar year or one year from the start date to qualify?
NO a Thru can be done over a period of several years, you still be a 2,000 miler it doesn't matter if you do it in one or several years.
Going back to "Crazy Earl Shaffer" who was the guy who set the standard that has been passed down to us as a "Thru-hike", is to start at one end and keep going all the way to the other. Ten years ago if you asked that same question they would tell you that you would do it all in the same hiking season or year. Today the term has evolved to include as the previous post says.
thru hike is done in one year. you can still get 2000 mile status if you do it over a number of years.
There is no official definition of the term Thru hike, nor is there any governing body that keeps track.
The ATC does give out their "2000 miler" patch to people who have hiked the entire trail, but they don't make any distinction between people that hiked the trail in one year, or people who hiked the trail in sections over a number of years. The award is also given out on the honor system.
Edit: That said, I personally wouldn't claim to have thru hiked unless I hiked the whole trail in one season.
Last edited by Sarcasm the elf; 06-11-2013 at 09:47.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
By its definition “Thru” is a variant of the word “Through” and according to the dictionary it is a function word that indicates an entire period of time, to indicate movement within a large expanse, from the beginning to the end, during exposure to a specified set of conditions to completion. This is from Webster’s online dictionary. My Thru hike met all of these conditions in a single season uninterrupted. I believe as society we are continuously making it easier to award peoples achievements by lowering standards. My children get trophies just for being part of a team. It is a joke. A Thru-Hike was intended to be done continuously as E.S did. That is the appeal of it. However, if one feels the need to redefine the definition to meet their individual needs and wants and by-pass the pinnacle of Maslow’s Hierarchy of the AT then have at it for self-gratification. HYOH and reward the meritocracy of the achievements earned.
While I agree with this...
I have to say that I'm disappointed that one would think completing the AT in sections is a "lower standard".Originally Posted by snifur
By the way, Maslow was a little "cray, cray" if you look beyond his famous pyramid.
To allcon, i am not saying that completing the AT in sections is a lower standard. please do not turn this into a WB challenge of ignorance. We each are limited by our own abilities. I admire all those that have dreamed of hiking and completing the AT with their unique individual challenges. section hiking the entire AT is a significant achievement. however, i personally believe that a through hike is continuous. on my hike i met many great people with difficulties that far exceeded mine. their will and determination was no less impressive than one who attempts a record.
I don't think anyone is redefining anything. A thru hike is a thru hike and a section hike is a section hike... But both are eligible for the 2,000 miler patch after completion.
Well said MDS12!
A thru hike does not have to be done in a calendar year, just under 365 days from start to finish.
Good, because it has taken me 43 years to get 500 miles in......and 250 of them have came in the last 18 months!, and my kind-of goal is to finish it by '17......................................60!
I can put that patch on my old scout jacket!!!
Last edited by coach lou; 06-11-2013 at 10:47.
Good, because it has taken me 43 years to get 500 miles in......and 250 of them have came in the last 18 months!
I can put that patch on my old scout jacket!!!
Here, here Coach. My son's patch is going on his cub scout patch vest next year (Lord, willing).
I agree with MDSection12 and Snifur. To me, it's not a question of better/worse, tougher/easier, greater/lesser. It's a question of terminology so we name different things consistently and so that they have meaning. To me a "thru hike" is a continuous hike of the entire trail within 365 calendar days, done in sections, flip-flop or all one direction.
I am a section hiker and dream of doing a thru hike one day. To me, they are completely different experiences and I look forward to having BOTH. But I wouldn't equate section hiking with thru hiking from a terminology standpoint.
The 2,000 miler award is a separate recognition of completing the trail (the trail, not roads, rivers, etc.) and is awarded by the ATC as per their standards. There should be no debate on what a 2,000 miler award means. My two cents...ok more like 50 cents
2,000 miler. Still keepin' on keepin' on.
I section hiked the AT over 9 years. I absolutely did NOT thru hike it. Section hikers get to cherry pick their sections and timing of their hikes. They also do not experience thru hiker hunger.
Pain is a by-product of a good time.
Personally, I think the ATC made a mistake coming up with a 2,000-miler certificate and badge. However, I guess you can't undo these things, so I'd like to see them come up with a thru-hiker certificate and badge, just so this issue never dies; it's kind of entertaining to watch.
Depends on how big the section is - after a 500 mile section, I definately have thru hiker hunger - say, if your not going to finish that, I'll eat it...
To say you DID a thru hike, you need to have completed the trail in one go. Since a typical thru will last 4 to 6 months, allowing a full year from start to finish allows for some significant time off.
Of course, if you start out at Springer (or Katahdin) with the possible intention of going all the way, your called a thru hiker even though you probably won't be.
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Words should and do have meaning. My understanding is that the meaning of the term 'thru-hike' is completely hiking a long distance trail in a continuous fashion. Specifically for the AT I take this to mean hiking every mile, in whatever sequence within one year (not necessarily a calendar year). Lots of South bounders start in one calendar year, but finish in another, and are considered thru-hikers. Reasonable breaks, visits home, slack packing and so on are generally considered acceptable.
Calling an incomplete hike (yellow blazing, blue blazing, etc) or a section hike that took more than a year a thru-hike is I think a dishonest use of the term.
So if one hikes the entire trail in a continuous fashion, but only averaging ~5 miles per day, which would take longer than a year. What would we call that.
a really long hike.So if one hikes the entire trail in a continuous fashion, but only averaging ~5 miles per day, which would take longer than a year. What would we call that.
That said, it's still a valid question PF. What about "thru hiking" the international AT. That might take longer than a year. I'm thinking of rescinding my "within 365 days" limitation. It just must be contiguous. Now to debate what a "reasonable" break from the trail might be...
2,000 miler. Still keepin' on keepin' on.
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