Can of Worms

[wornoutboots]

Is it just me or are more & more thru-hiker slack packing & staying in hotels, hostels or with trail friends than they are sleeping in the woods?? I thought the main part of going to the wilderness was to experience the wilderness?? Strange??

[Ewker]

yeah you may have opened it up.....time to get some popcorn

[Storm]

If I were given the choice I would stay in a motel/hotel every night if I could afford it. I love hiking but don't really enjoy camping all that much. To each his own.

[The Cleaner]

I call em' Hostel Hoppers......

[The Cleaner]

IMO many newer hikers with less outdoor experience do not know now to get comfortable in the woods. Bugs, shelter mice, bad weather all can send some straight to the nearest town or other civilized shelter. A real thru hiker limits town stays and spends most of his day hiking then camping.....popcorn ready yet?....

[Mags]

Does it really matter? As long as the person is enjoying their hike, and not have an effect on yours, it is all good. Right?

[tiptoe]

Yes, there seems to be tons of slackpacking going on these days. One of the things I've really loved about section hiking, especially now that I'm retired, is not having to focus on miles per day. Generally my hiking is linear and with my full pack on my back and at a leisurely (many would call it slow) pace. If I can stay in a hostel or hotel once per week and combine that with a big breakfast and a resupply that's plenty for me. Experiencing the wilderness is a big part of why I hike, too. But to each his/her own, I guess. Can of worms, for sure.

[Ender]

Does it really matter? As long as the person is enjoying their hike, and not have an effect on yours, it is all good. Right?

Exactly this. There is no right or wrong way to hike the trail, and we shouldn't judge people for doing it their own way.

[treesloth]

I'm with Mags. The true challenge is in the hike from Georgia to Maine, or vice versa. When it comes to HYOH, it matters not (to me) where people sleep.

[Namtrag]

We do say Hike Your Own Hike, not Backpack Your Own Backpack....

[Tipi Walter]

Yes, there seems to be tons of slackpacking going on these days. One of the things I've really loved about section hiking, especially now that I'm retired, is not having to focus on miles per day. Generally my hiking is linear and with my full pack on my back and at a leisurely (many would call it slow) pace. If I can stay in a hostel or hotel once per week and combine that with a big breakfast and a resupply that's plenty for me. Experiencing the wilderness is a big part of why I hike, too. But to each his/her own, I guess. Can of worms, for sure.

The more backpackers slackpack and stay in motels, the more of the woods there are for me. This is the perfect solution.

I'm with Mags. The true challenge is in the hike from Georgia to Maine, or vice versa. When it comes to HYOH, it matters not (to me) where people sleep.

I'm just the opposite. To me Bag Nights are what it's all about, the forced march thruhike is secondary.

[BirdBrain]

.................................

[treesloth]

I'm just the opposite. To me Bag Nights are what it's all about, the forced march thruhike is secondary.

Well, Tipi, your outside habits seem to border more on exceptions than norms. And nothing wrong with that.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Nobody opens cans of worms anymore, the freezedried worm pouches are much lighter.

[quasarr]

Ha! A number 10 can full of worms was good enough for me in the Boy Scouts back in '75, and it's good enough for me now! You whippersnappers are all going to die of starvation out there!

[The Greenman]

Nobody opens cans of worms anymore, the freezedried worm pouches are much lighter.

....Unless of course you could access the app that brings up the spreadsheet, that shows the closest pizza delivery points (listed by GPS coordinates) but don't get me started on "those people" (!)

[Tipi Walter]

Ha! A number 10 can full of worms was good enough for me in the Boy Scouts back in '75, and it's good enough for me now! You whippersnappers are all going to die of starvation out there!

Canned food and possibly canned worms is fine with me. On my last trip I took out 18 fresh eggs for a 16 day trip---see fotogs:

[Symba]

Yes, there seems to be tons of slackpacking going on these days. One of the things I've really loved about section hiking, especially now that I'm retired, is not having to focus on miles per day. Generally my hiking is linear and with my full pack on my back and at a leisurely (many would call it slow) pace. If I can stay in a hostel or hotel once per week and combine that with a big breakfast and a resupply that's plenty for me. Experiencing the wilderness is a big part of why I hike, too. But to each his/her own, I guess. Can of worms, for sure.

I cannot agree more with Tiptoe, my hiking 'style' is similar. I go out to disconnect and be with the 'whole' of nature and sub community of section hikers. I like to share the experience. Can of worms? Yuppers. Technology has blurred the lines. It is great or it is a burden. To be open minded means to look at hiking styles through different lenses. My lens is one of purity at the point I follow the same philosophy as Tiptoe and some others. Slack packing can be very helpful for some. I slacked some through the tri state area on the AT because it helped them not give up on the trail experience. Sometimes on a thru hike you may need to switch things up a bit. I just hate that people skip states and take specific pictures to say they did the whole trail. I'm a hiker, I'm a backpacker, I was a thru hiker, I was on a planned (this year) flip flop that flopped with thirteen years of zero days in between. Now I am a section hiker who dreams of sectioning two more states (Mass and Vermont). If I could slack pack some of it I would. Why? because I have physical and mental issues. Slacking would help me get over some obstacles and allow for more intense observation of my experiences out in the wild.

[Tipi Walter]

Slackpacking to me is what all Americans do anyway and on a daily basis: Drive to a walmart, walk thru the parking lot, shop, walk back to the car. Drive home and sleep. All done without a pack. Yes, believe or not but there's some walking involved. Otherwise, instead of hiking on asphalt we're talking about people hiking on a trail, without a pack, and letting a car do most of the hauling.

Is it possible to slackpack and not see the dreaded wheeled rolling couch for a week? Nope.

[Drybones]

We all have to walk our own roads
We can't always go where we're told
In the end where we'll end up, God only knows
We all have to walk our own roads