Re: [at-l] Thruhiking - Learning about it

["Alice Kauzlarich" <kauzlar@madison.main.nc.us>]

I agree. I think if you haven't hike every mile, you haven't thru-hiked. I
am not one to blue-blaze, but know that sometimes this is necessary and
would be acceptable.

Highlander

----------
> From: Northern Wind <northernwind@mail.geocities.com>
> To: at-l@saffron.hack.net
> Subject: [at-l] Thruhiking - Learning about it
> Date: Tuesday, July 21, 1998 12:30 PM
> 
> Jim said:
> 
> "...I think one of the things that's shocked me in recent years is the
> number of people who yellow-blaze or skip sections with no intention of
> ever going back to hike those sections - and then put it in a public
> journal, acting as if this is a normal part of a thruhike.  And it's
> NOT.  Even more disturbing is the number of people who don't understand
> what they've done - or don't care - or who take it as normal behavior
> and pattern their own hikes after those abnormal behavior patterns..."
> 
> Quid Pro Quo replied:
> 
> I think there's something HUGE about completing a thru-hike without 
> skipping any sections.  And not "huge" in terms of what other people 
> think about your hike because that really doesn't matter...It's a 
> personal feeling that you know you took on an incredible challenge 
> and overcame a difficult obstacle. I will have more self-confidence 
> for the rest of my life than I would have otherwise. It's a feeling 
> that if you can walk 2159 miles, without taking short cuts or cheating, 
> you can do anything.
> 
> Having said that, some people just want to spend time on the A.T. for 
> four to six months, where you make lots of new friends, have an
incredible 
> time enjoying the outdoors and hiking.  For these people, it simply 
> isn't important to walk every step. For even more people, it's not 
> important to walk every step with their backpacks on.  People who 
> skip sections or slackpack still have great experiences and may even 
> enjoy themselves more than a purist does.  However, I think these 
> folks also miss out on something really cool.  And, no, it's not 
> masochism.  *grin*
> 
> The question of what's a "normal" thru-hike is an interesting one.  
> "Normal" is defined as constituting the usual or typical pattern, 
> level or type (in my dictionary).  During 1996, I knew quite a few 
> "thru-hikers" who skipped sections or yellow blazed.  To me (and my 
> perception may have been colored), there was a clear majority of folks 
> who either skipped sections or who didn't slackpack.  More than a few 
> thru-hikers made fun of my partners and I when we turned down 
> opportunities for a slackpack.  What I perceived in the beginning as 
> "normal", which was not to skip sections and to actually be backpacking, 
> changed drastically by the end. 
> 
> So....here is my opinion:  The dirty little secret is that a normal 
> thru-hike does involve skipping sections or hiking sections without 
> one's backpack.  Should people skip sections  and still call it a 
> "thru-hike?"  My opinion is "no."  For me, and the several hiking 
> partners I had on the way, something important would have been lost 
> if we had not hiked every mile with our backpacks on.  It isn't easy; 
> everyone has their unique problems.  I contracted Lyme's disease and 
> hiked the last 500 miles with painful heel spurs.  Twice, I came close 
> to quitting, but I never considered skipping any sections.  I don't say
> that to pat myself on the back.  Both times, I came close to sitting 
> beside the trail and crying like a baby (and maybe I did; but I would 
> never admit it) *grin* 
> 
> In the beginning, Georgia, I didn't meet anyone who didn't plan on 
> staying pure...When people confront difficulty or obstacles, goals 
> have a way of changing--not just on the A.T. but in real life too...
> To overcome a difficult obstacle, you have to be ready to pay the price.
> 
> Quid Pro Quo
> GA>ME '96
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
> "Humans think they are smarter than dolphins because we build
> cars and buildings and start wars etc...and all that dolphins
> do is swim in the water, eat fish and play around.
> Dolphins believe that they are smarter for exactly the same reasons."
>                            ---Douglas Adams---
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> 
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