[at-l] Genuineness of Contemporary Thru-hikes

[Bob C." <ellen@xxxxxxxxxx (Bob C.)]

>"...it is my considered opinion that of the 500-odd folks who report into
>Harper's each year, perhaps 50 of them were absolute purists, i.e., were
>absolutely certain that they'd hiked the whole thing, and took great pains NOT
>to miss anything."says Baltimore Jack in a very wise report.

I have no way of knowing how many thru hikes Wingfoot may have accomplished, but
otherwise I think Jack has analyzed the facts of the case pretty well. In 1993 I
would have put the percentage of "purists" at well under 10 percent. A smaller
number today strikes me as clearly in the ballpark.

I really don't care how people hike. I know that I'll probably never qualify. I
seem to have a compulsion to see what looks enticing around the next bend, down
that side trail, or over the next hill. But I firmly believe that people should
be honest when they report those things they claim to have accomplished.

Nor do I think serious exaggeration is needed. It's my guess that anyone who
walks from Georgia to Katahdin, or vice versa, and tells ATC precisely what and
how they did it, will be listed as a thru hiker and awarded a 2000-miler patch.

Weary