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  1. #1

    Default Great Eastern Trail is thru-hiked!

    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/2...Steuben-County

    http://www.gethiking.net/

    http://greateasterntrail.net/

  2. #2
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    Congrats.

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

  3. #3

    Default Great Eastern Trail is thru-hiked!

    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/2...Steuben-County

    http://www.gethiking.net/

    http://greateasterntrail.net/

  4. #4

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    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.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  5. #5

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    Humm, acording to the GET web site maps, large chunks of the trail are not yet completed or are still being planned.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  6. #6

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    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.

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by jmitchell View Post
    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?
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  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Slo-go'en View Post
    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.

  9. #9

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    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.

  10. #10

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    Indeed, being the first to thru hike a long trail which isn't quite finished and likely not well documented yet is an achivement.
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  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by marti038 View Post
    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.

  12. #12

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    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!

  13. #13

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    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

  14. #14
    PCT, Sheltowee, Pinhoti, LT , BMT, AT, SHT, CDT, TRT 10-K's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tomsawyer222 View Post
    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.

  15. #15
    Registered User Just Bill's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tomsawyer222 View Post
    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/

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by tomsawyer222 View Post
    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/roa...ern-trail.html

  17. #17
    Registered User Redrowen's Avatar
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    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.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by 10-K View Post
    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.
    Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.

  19. #19
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    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?

  20. #20
    Registered User Tennessee Viking's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by marti038 View Post
    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.
    ''Tennessee Viking'
    Mountains to Sea Trail Hiker & Maintainer
    Former TEHCC (AT) Maintainer

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