[at-l] OK...here it is

[icw39@ncfreedom.net (Clark)]

Good points all; I would add, however, that most of us don't know enough
about some of the "purer" dilemmas of a Thru-hike before we leave, thus
when we start out, we literally have to hike our own way into just what
our own definition of "purity" is gonna be . . . I did a lot of front
end work before hitting Springer last spring, but I NEVER gave one
thought to any of the following finer points, which I heard many
thru-hikers discussing in the context of "thru-hike purity:"

1)  Do you have to exit each shelter or campsite exactly the reverse of
the way you entered?  [This can be a significant issue - some shelters
have a north and south entry/exit path such that a NOBO could, for
example, enter via the southermost blue blazed shelter access path and
exit via the northermost blue blazed shelter access path and thereby
miss as much as a mile of actual AT treadway, plus the sum total mileage
of the blue blazed entrance/exit shelter acces paths can be
significantly greater or lesser than the adjacent actual AT treadway.

2)  If there is high water on the AT near Laurel Creek Falls, do you
have to wait until the high water subsides to hike the actual AT
treadway, or are you cool with the "sanctioned alternate" high water
detour route?

3)  If you get lost for a mile or two, and crash thru the woods back to
the Trail, do you have to backtrack until you are sure you are back to a
spot where you were on the Trail?

4)  If you hitch a ride from the east side of a highway that is crossed
by the AT, and your return ride drops you off on the west side of the
same highway, do you need to recross the highway so you can say you
hiked the AT portion represented by the actual highway pavement that you
previously had not walked on?

5)  In the Greyson Highlands, if you take the "over the top" blue blaze
that is really pretty, and which used to be the actual AT until they
relocated it due to people getting lost and hurt, do you need to go back
and walk the circumference "currently official" AT treadway?

6)  If you use a map that is two years old, and end up walking on a
section of trail that used to be the AT, but recently was relocated, and
you find this out a week later, what then?

7)  If a storm comes along, and you have to deal with huge amounts of
newly fallen trees blocking the path, which way do you navigate around
the blockage, and do you have to first walk up under the fallen tree on
the actual AT treadway, and then once you have gotten around the darn
thing, fight you way back to as close to the tree itself from the other
side so you can say you touched all of the actual AT treadway?  And, if
ya cannot do that, do ya have to wait for the next trail crew to come
along with a chainsaw or hand saw and remove the blockage?

8)  In Duncannon, if you end up walking down that street that runs
parallel to the actual, marked AT route [which jigs "westward" one block
from a NOBOs perspective somewhere near the Doyle], and figure that out
several days later, what do you do?

9)  If you are in Hot Springs, Duncannon, Hanover, etc. and walking down
the road where there are white blazes on things like road signs and
telephone poles, and you are on the other side of the street from a
telephone pole that has a white blaze on it, what then?

10)  If you sprain your ankle and someone helps you limp along for a
half mile to a road crossing, where you get treatment and then return to
a few days later, do you need to backtrack and re-hike the portion of
the AT that you previously limped over with someone else's assistance?

11)  On top of the Roan Highlands, or in places in the Whites, or
several other places where you hike and scramble over pure rock, or it
is socked in, and there are few markers, or the only blazes are on the
rock and it is covered with snow, and you generally find your way
through to the white blazes on the "other side," can you really feel
comfortable that you were actually on the white blazed AT treadway
during the interim portion where you could not see white blazes on
rocks, etc?

I either heard people talk about, was with people who had to make
decisions regarding, or myself had to make decisions re most every one
of the above "thru-hike issues."  And while they may seem somewhat silly
while sitting in front of a computer screen at home, many of these
issues did not seem so silly or funny to me when I witnessed sincere
people whom I respected out on the AT disagreeing re how to address some
of them, or when faced with a need to backtrack when someone learned
that they had been off trail for several miles the previous day!]

Ah, the things we can get wrapped up in just simply walking in the woods! :)

Hike On!

Thru-Thinker


TOKTAADN@aol.com wrote:

> --
> [ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
> In a message dated 8/14/2002 11:49:18 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
> kahley@ptd.net writes:
>
>
>
>>Purist
>>Hiker who has committed to hiking past every white blaze
>>
>>
>
> I disagree.  A purist is a hiker who makes a covenant with him or herself
> prior to the hike and then keeps the covenant during the hike.
>
> For example, a hiker could hike every white blaze and still not be a purist
> if his or her covenant was to carry the pack all the way, but then availed
> him or herself of slackpacking services later on.
>
> Conversely, a hiker's covenant might be to hike the entire trail within the
> trail corridor, and requires returning to the corridor at each point it was
> left for resupply.  The hiker could avail him or herself of many blue blaze
> options, and still be considered a purist for having kept his or her personal
> covenant.
>
> One could even be an AT purist and yellow blaze if that was part of the plan.
>
> Many people make the incorrect assumption that there is only one way to be a
> purist.  I would argue that it fits in with the HYOH philosophy because it
> only has meaning to the individual hiker.  I would further argue that
> bragging about one's pure hike is a very silly and counterproductive thing to
> do.
>
> Happy trails,
>
> Solar Bear
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