Thruhiking

2014-10-27T09:25:10Z

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{{Globalize/US|date=September 2009}}

'''Thru-hiking''' is [[hiking]] a [[long-distance trail]] end-to-end. The term is most commonly associated with the [[Appalachian Trail]] (AT), but is also used for other lengthy trails and long distance hikes, including the [[Pacific Crest Trail]] and the [[Continental Divide Trail]] in the [[United States]] and [[Te Araroa Trail]] in [[New Zealand]]. Thru-hiking is also called "end-to-end hiking" or "end-to-ending" on some trails, like [[Vermont]]'s [[Long Trail]]. '''Section hiking''', on the other hand, refers to hiking a complete trail by hiking all of its individual sections, not in continuity and not necessarily in sequence.

==History==
Thru-hiking's origins date back many years, when long-distance foot travel as a means of transportation began to merge with hiking for its own enjoyment and as a means of seeing the world.

One famous thru-hike involves the story of [[Lillian Alling]], a young 27-year old Russian immigrant living in New York City, who became homesick and decided to return to her family in Russia. Lacking funds, but armed with a strong will, she chose to walk the 12,000 miles to Russia, traversing Canada and into Alaska.<ref name="thenewway">{{citation|title=The New Way of the Wilderness: The Classic Guide to Survival in the Wild|author=Calvin Rutstrum|year=2000|isbn= 0-8166-3683-4|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=Minneapolis, MN}}</ref> She was last seen preparing to cross by boat at the [[Bering Strait]] to Siberia.<ref name="thenewway" />

A thru-hiker named [[George W. Outerbridge]] completed the first section hike of the newly completed AT in 1939; trail promoter [[Myron Avery]] had previously section-hiked while [[trail blazing]].

[[Earl Shaffer]] became the first to have publicly thru-hiked the AT in 1948.<ref name="Shaffer">{{citation|title=Walking With Spring|author=Earl V. Shaffer|year=2004|isbn= 0-917953-84-3|publisher=Appalachian Trail Conference|location=Harpers Ferry, W. Va.}}</ref> A 1994 report claiming that a group of Boy Scouts had done so twelve years earlier has never been adequately documented and is considered highly suspect in most hiking circles (see [[Appalachian Trail#History|Appalachian Trail]]).

A number of thru-hikers have achieved a measure of celebrity in backpacking culture. Perhaps the most famous was [[Emma Gatewood|Emma "Grandma" Gatewood]], who first thru-hiked the trail in 1955 at age 67, with what even at that time was considered extremely inadequate gear, including [[Sneaker (footwear)|sneakers]] rather than [[boot]]s and a [[blanket]] rather than a [[sleeping bag]];<ref>{{citation | last=Freeling | first=Elisa | title=When Grandma Gatewood hiked the Appalachian Trail | periodical=Sierra | date=Nov–December 2002 | url=http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200211/good.asp}}</ref> she later completed a second thru-hike and a full section hike and is recognized today as a pioneer of [[ultralight backpacking]].

==Today==
[[File:Northterm.jpg|thumb|250px|A hiker who has just completed the [[Appalachian Trail]]]]Thru-hiking a trail is a long and difficult journey: An [[Appalachian Trail|AT]] thru-hike, for example, takes 6 months on average, covering 2,185.9 miles. Thru-hikers can organize supplies for the journey far in advance, and have friends and family mail packages to predetermined stops along the way, to be picked up as [[poste restante]]. These caches-via-mail are usually referred to as "supply boxes." The most popular method however, is to resupply roughly every four to five days at a village or town that the trail passes near to. This cuts down on unnecessary planning and offers a greater degree of flexibility.

Many people without time or interest in thru-hiking instead choose to section hike a trail, completing it piece by piece, often over many years.

With the rise of [[Backpacking (wilderness)|backpacking]] in the [[United States]], thru-hiking has become a minor industry. Thousands of hikers attempt to thru-hike the AT and other [[National ScenicTrail]]s every year, although by some estimates fewer than 20% complete the trail. Roughly 150 end-to-end the (much shorter) Long Trail, and about 180 thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail, each year. Some dedicated thru-hikers complete a trail more than once; about 30 have reported hiking the AT at least three times. [[Lee Barry]] became the oldest to thru-hike the AT when he completed a thru-hike (his second) in 2004 at age 81.<ref name="barry">{{citation|title=About the Trail – Noteworthy 2,000-Milers|publisher=Appalachian Trail Conservancy|url=http://www.appalachiantrail.org/about-the-trail/2000-milers}}</ref>

The [[Appalachian Trail Conservancy]] has reported completion rates around 25% in recent years, after several years under 20%.<ref name="atc">{{citation|title=About the Trail – 2,000-Milers in Recent Years|publisher=Appalachian Trail Conservancy|url=http://www.appalachiantrail.org/about-the-trail/2000-milers}}</ref> They attribute this to slightly lower numbers of hikers, better gear, and, thanks to the internet, information about gear, causing fewer hikers to start with 60- to 80-pound packs and drop out a few miles in.<ref name="atc" /> Those long distance hikers who have completed all three of the nation's longest National Scenic Trails: The Applachian Trail, The Pacific Crest Trail and The Continental Divide Trail are known as Triple Crowners<ref>http://aldhawest.org/triple-crown/</ref> Baseline pack weight in this group of hikers is in the range of 15 to 25 pounds.

==See also==
{{Portal|Environment}}
* [[Hiking]]
* [[Long-distance trail]]
* [[Hiking equipment]]
*[[Backpacking (wilderness)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* Bruce, Dan (2000) ''The Thru-Hiker's Handbook'' Hot Springs, North Carolina: Center for Appalachian Trail Studies.
* Norton, Russell (1997) ''Long Trail End-to-Ender's Guide.'' Waterbury Center, Vermont: Green Mountain Club.
* Shaffer, Earl V. (1983) ''Walking With Spring.'' Harper's Ferry, West Virginia: the Appalachian Trail Conference.
* Berger, Karen and Daniel Smith (1993). ''Where the Waters Divide: A Walk along America's Continental Divide.'' New York: Random House.

==External links==
* [http://www.appalachiantrail.org/about-the-trail/2000-milers]
* [http://www.greenmountainclub.org/page.php?id=18 End to End on the Long Trail]
* [http://www.pcta.org/ Pacific Crest Trail Association]
* [http://www.Hike2012.com/ Hike2012.com]
* [http://ourhikinggaiters.wordpress.com Long Distance Hiking]
* [http://www.appalachiantrail.org/ Appalachian Trail Conservancy]
* [http://www.cdtrail.org/ Continental Divide Trail Alliance]
* [http://www.whiteblaze.net/ A community of Appalachian Trail enthusiasts]

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[[Category:Hiking]]

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Thruhiking