[at-l] Normal Recovery Time, Generally Speaking

[jtwilkins at gmail.com (Josh Wilkins)]

I will bite on this huge trolling hook.

There is no way that section hiking is "tougher" then thru-hiking. 

Section hiking you can quit when ever you want and thats just the end
of your trip not your hike.

The mental and physical endurance of section hiking vs. a 6 month
thru-hike is no comparison! I can't stress how this is the biggest
difference. Staying on the trail and hiking day after day for 6
months, leaving your life for 6 months is a big difference then taking
a week or maybe a month off here or there.

Thru-Hike has a time limit and there for a minimum daily mile average
where section hiking doesn't.

Your first point takes for granted that a person gets out of hiking
shape, and that they are doing big mile days. Anyone can pick a
section of the trail for a  week vacation and do some easy 8 mile days
to work on a section hike.

Your second hike  point is completely off. You have a life time to
plan vacations to complete a section hike. One of the main reasons
people can not or do not thru-hike is the great time commitment. Look
at the fact that most people thru-hiking are just beginning there life
or newly retired. Its just to difficult to do a thru-hike when in the
middle of family life with kids and a family.

Point Four Planning- 
I do not see how section hiking requires requires much planning at
all. Heck I could throw my pack in my trunk this weekend and start
section hiking. Thru-hikes require greats amount of planning and
sacrifice to pull off.

Point 5 Costs- 
Costs are subjective to a section hiker. A section hiker who lives in
Hawaii that can only get a away on weekends = TON of MONEY. Section
hiker that lives right near the trail that can get away a month at a
time = little money.
Thru-hiker who pays $2-3/mile + cost of maintaining your off trail
life for 6 months (car, place to live, pets, storage, insurance,
bills) = EXPENSIVE
The cost of a thru-hike must be paid in one year where you can span
the cost of a section hike over a lifetime.

This is not intended to put down any section hikers, section hiking is
still a very difficult and amazing feat. A 2000 miler is a 2000 miler.

JTW

On Tue, 7 Sep 2004 13:54:12 -0400, greyowl@rcn.com <greyowl@rcn.com> wrote:
> Section Hiking is a lot thougher because
> 
> 1.  Once you get into shape you are off the trail for another
> year.  You are always starting your hike out of shape!
> 
> 2.  The mental thing.  A thru hiker has to get their head in
> the right place to hike just once.  A section hiker has to do
> it each year.  It is easier to blow off a year of hiking than
> it is to blow off the whole hike.\
> 
> 3. (This may be  a plus).  Trail reloccations.  The powers to
> be relocate the section of trail that you have just hiked, do
> you rehike the trail relocation?  I know that this is a
> trivial comment, but some people want to hike a pure hike
> (Hit every white blaze).
> 
> 4.  You only have to plan a thru hike once, but a section
> hike has to be planned a section at a time.
> 
> 5.  Costs,  a section hike costs more than a thru hike.
> Transportation, etc.
> 
> Happy hiking!  Section Hikers Unit!!
> 
> Grey Owl