15 year old girl youngest ever to complete an AT thru hike

[RED-DOG]

According to the A.T.C Thru-hike Guidelines she is considered a 2000 miler, but in hiking circles she is NOT considered a THRU-HIKER, she did hike the entire trail. even though she did not carry a full load nor spend a night in the rain, since she was seeing her family basically every day she didn't go through the same Mental pain and anguish as do most thru-hikers experiences, she only spent maybe 6 nights on the trail, yeah she did hike the entire trail but her experiences was totally different than from a more TRADITIONAL thru-hike.

[david_1]

just glad im not in them hiking circles or I would be posting on here making myself look stupid.

[rocketsocks]

According to the A.T.C Thru-hike Guidelines she is considered a 2000 miler, but in hiking circles she is NOT considered a THRU-HIKER, she did hike the entire trail. even though she did not carry a full load nor spend a night in the rain, since she was seeing her family basically every day she didn't go through the same Mental pain and anguish as do most thru-hikers experiences, she only spent maybe 6 nights on the trail, yeah she did hike the entire trail but her experiences was totally different than from a more TRADITIONAL thru-hike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss2hULhXf04

[RED-DOG]

just glad im not in them hiking circles or I would be posting on here making myself look stupid.

you already have.

[lonehiker]

According to the A.T.C Thru-hike Guidelines she is considered a 2000 miler, but in hiking circles she is NOT considered a THRU-HIKER, she did hike the entire trail. even though she did not carry a full load nor spend a night in the rain, since she was seeing her family basically every day she didn't go through the same Mental pain and anguish as do most thru-hikers experiences, she only spent maybe 6 nights on the trail, yeah she did hike the entire trail but her experiences was totally different than from a more TRADITIONAL thru-hike.

She is considered a thru-hiker in this hikers circle. I'm really not certain of which circle you are referring....

[4Bears]

Judging from the above post by Red-Dog, I guess we can all throw out HYOH ideals and burn every copy of Sinatra's "I Did It My Way". Or at least the way I comprehended it, maybe I misinterpreted what was written. How would anyone but Chipmunk know what "mental anguish" she went through. And isn't everyone's "experience" individualized?

[Lone Wolf]

all in all it's just walkin' but some folks like to make it a stunt i guess

[OCDave]

Hiking in circles is silly. You will never get anywhere,

[Blue Mountain Edward]

So that makes her a thru hiker and not a thru backpacker. And her parents probably drove 4000 miles so she can hike 2180. Those miles would go by fast not having to carry camping gear. I am slightly impressed by this accomplishment.

[rafe]

Hiking in circles is silly. You will never get anywhere,

Best post of this thread.

[4Bears]

all in all it's just walkin' but some folks like to make it a stunt i guess

​.....yup!!!

[Mrs Baggins]

all in all it's just walkin' but some folks like to make it a stunt i guess

A stunt. Well then. That makes speed hiking a stunt; hiking while blind a stunt; hiking with artificial limb(s) a stunt; thru-hiking more than once a stunt; hiking with a 12 lb pack a stunt; hiking with a 50 lb pack a stunt; never leaving the trail for town a stunt; going into every town a stunt; hiking before the age of 20 and after the age of 50 a stunt;......see where that can go? If it doesn't fit the parameters of the "By God I'm a real hiker and I know how it's supposed to be done!" people then it's all a stunt...right?

[Colter]

She is considered a thru-hiker in this hikers circle. I'm really not certain of which circle you are referring....

Me too. Hike your own hike.

[ralph23]

According to the A.T.C Thru-hike Guidelines she is considered a 2000 miler, but in hiking circles she is NOT considered a THRU-HIKER, she did hike the entire trail. even though she did not carry a full load nor spend a night in the rain, since she was seeing her family basically every day she didn't go through the same Mental pain and anguish as do most thru-hikers experiences, she only spent maybe 6 nights on the trail, yeah she did hike the entire trail but her experiences was totally different than from a more TRADITIONAL thru-hike.

Can you please tell me where you got the criteria from? I don't know where it says that the following items are required to be a "thru-hiker":

Mental Anguish- What if someone enjoys the trip, are they not a thru-hiker?
Carrying a full load- How would you define a full load? Are UL hikers not thru-hikers?
Spend a night in the rain- So bad weather is required to become a thru-hiker?

Any may I point out that your signature says "hike your own hike...but leave me the hell alone". For someone who supposedly believes in doing what you like you seem awful quick to throw another person under the bus for completing their own hike which apparently doesn't conform to your "traditional" definition.

[Old Hiker]

Can you please tell me where you got the criteria from? I don't know where it says that the following items are required to be a "thru-hiker":

Mental Anguish- What if someone enjoys the trip, are they not a thru-hiker?
Carrying a full load- How would you define a full load? Are UL hikers not thru-hikers?
Spend a night in the rain- So bad weather is required to become a thru-hiker?

Any may I point out that your signature says "hike your own hike...but leave me the hell alone". For someone who supposedly believes in doing what you like you seem awful quick to throw another person under the bus for completing their own hike which apparently doesn't conform to your "traditional" definition.

I desperately wanted to post the post above, but held back. Glad you did.

I enjoyed MOST of the trip - the longer ago it was, the better I remember it !

I had 45-50 pounds, mostly. Saw some bigger packs, mostly smaller packs. My load was "full" until I ate a lot of it down. At what point is it no longer "full" ?

NEVER spent a night in the rain - always had my tent or hammock over me. Did that still count?

Thanks again for the post, Ralph.

[Traveler]

I think theres are nuanced differences in this, even with the "hike your own hike" credo.

As Red Dog points out, the ATC has more specific (or less generalized?) Guidelines for certain labels and terms. This is true in a lot of things, someone who writes an editorial is not an author, an author is not a writer, etc. There are gradient shades of achievement.

Its a feat to be sure, 2000 miles is no small trick, even with mom and dad carrying most of your gear, picking you up at a road crossing and carrying you to a hot meal and hotel each night. However to call this an actual thru hike diminishes the effort many have put in to actually stay on the trail and suffering the nights, weather, social issues, and mental roadblocks that append these kinds of efforts, which are really the pieces that cause us to reach deep into ourselves for discovery of who we really are. I think it fair to say, most of us would not have that level of long distance hike support, nor would we consider that compatible with what the Trail is offering.

There are shades of accomplishment, much as there are shades of grey. The ATC is the real arbiter of these nuances, I'm good with them calling it as they see it. As a 2000 miler, she is pretty heroic overall at her age. Thru hiking is far more than just walking sections and ticking them off trail maps, though for some folks it is just that.

Its all about grades of achievement and the nuanced differences.

[Pedaling Fool]

There really is no official difference (WRT recognition) between a 2,000-miler and a thru-hiker as defined by the ATC. They actually use the term synonymously (in many cases), thus there is NO thru-hiker certificate, only a 2,000-miler.

If you all want a special thru-hiker designation with a official recognition, then you're going to have to establish your own organization....

See here, so-called thru-hikers and 2,000-milers all lumped together in one group http://www.appalachiantrail.org/abou...il/2000-milers


Here's the most they say (WRT definition) of thru-hikers: http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiki...section-hiking

(seems to me, she fits the ATC's definition of a thru-hiker.)

Excerpt:

Thru Hiking

A thru-hiker is a hiker or backpacker who has completed or is attempting to walk the entire Appalachian Trail in one uninterrupted journey. Completing the entire estimated 2,180 miles of the Appalachian Trail in one trip is a mammoth undertaking. Each year, thousands of hikers attempt a thru-hike; only about one in four make it all the way.

[rickb]

The ATC is the real arbiter of these nuances, I'm good with them calling it as they see it.

I don't think you could be more wrong about the ATC being an arbiter on this.

The ATC is too smart to assume that role.

They recognize those who have walked every mile of the trail they work so hard to protect-- no more or less.

[Traveler]

I don't think you could be more wrong about the ATC being an arbiter on this.

The ATC is too smart to assume that role.

They recognize those who have walked every mile of the trail they work so hard to protect-- no more or less.

Then I stand corrected in content (I was not aware there was no separation in definitions by ATC), but not context. Nuance exists in all achievements.

[rafe]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but weren't Warren Doyle's guided AT thru-hikes very similar to what this young lady did? As I understand it, Warren's hikes were heavily supported. Not sure how much Warren's clients slept in the woods, but I think it was much less than most thru-hikers. I just don't see where the relative level of suffering or deprivation (or the weight you were carrying on your back) ought to determine the value or significance of one thru-hike vs. another.