NOT a ThruHIker-ThruHiker

[petedelisio]

If I registered for an AT passport or whatever it is called and did not bother to get it. They didn't bother to put anyone down for that day anyhow.

Did not walk the extra little bit to the ATC in Harpers Ferry and do the whole dance and picture.

And walked by the office at Amicalola Falls around 1am.

Am I a thru hiker?

I did get all the required permits along the way like every other thruhike. Except for the 87-90 slow walk

[Miner]

If you didn't hike past the blaze inside the Harpers Ferry ATC office, you failed. Go back to the beginning and start over.

[Grampie]

Since I thru-hiked I have met many folks who told me that th ey hiked and later they confessed that had not done the whole trail for one reason or another. I’m begining to think that there are more phones thru-hikers than real ones.
When the AT published the list of those reporting a thru I found many listed that had quit along the way. One of them was a catholic priest.

[rickb]

What’s the 87 - 90 slow walk?

[cliffordbarnabus]

Since I thru-hiked I have met many folks who told me that th ey hiked and later they confessed that had not done the whole trail for one reason or another. I’m begining to think that there are more phones thru-hikers than real ones.
When the AT published the list of those reporting a thru I found many listed that had quit along the way. One of them was a catholic priest.

more "phones thru hikers"?? more non-proofers?

[moldy]

To be a thruhiker the only thing you need to do is tap your heels together 3 times and say "me thruhiker".

[petedelisio]

So when I walked from BuckTown Creek to Percé Rock but didn't stop at the ATc?

[petedelisio]

If you didn't hike past the blaze inside the Harpers Ferry ATC office, you failed. Go back to the beginning and start over.

So when I walked from BuckTown Creek to Percé Rock but didn't stop at the ATc?
Sorry for the double post. Wanted to reply to Miner. That is my plan Miner, and possibly one last time. But I may call the beginning in North Carolina this year.

[petedelisio]

Any well wishes would be appreciated.
Thank you.

[Slo-go'en]

The Harpers Ferry ATC office is on a blue blaze. No reason to go there. The AT starts on top of Springer Mountain, not at Amicalola falls. Only one permit is required, for the Smokies.

If you hike between Springer Mountain and Baxter peak, and do it in less then 12 months, then you are a thru hiker.

[nsherry61]

I think the only way to truly be a thru-hiker is to be dead. So, none of you are through hiking yet!

[petedelisio]

The Harpers Ferry ATC office is on a blue blaze. No reason to go there. The AT starts on top of Springer Mountain, not at Amicalola falls. Only one permit is required, for the Smokies.

If you hike between Springer Mountain and Baxter peak, and do it in less then 12 months, then you are a thru hiker.

Why am I always getting permits in Baxter anymore?

[John B]

This is the most fascinating thread I've seen in ages.

[BuckeyeBill]

The Harpers Ferry ATC office is on a blue blaze. No reason to go there. The AT starts on top of Springer Mountain, not at Amicalola falls. Only one permit is required, for the Smokies.

If you hike between Springer Mountain and Baxter peak, and do it in less then 12 months, then you are a thru hiker.

I thought that as long you walk between Springer Mtn. to Mount Katahdin no matter how long it takes you, you're a thru-hiker

[FreeGoldRush]

People thru hiked for decades prior to the registration book down at Amicalola Falls.

[RockDoc]

Pete, do your own thing, dude! Nobody has the right to demand that you conform to their rules. Make your own rules. Dude.

[Lauriep]

This doesn't appear to be a particularly serious thread, but to newbies who might be lurking:

To clarify, 3 permits are potentially required for the A.T.:

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN/NC (backcountry camping permit)
• Shenandoah National Park, VA (backcountry camping permit)
• Baxter State Park, ME (A.T. long-distance hiker permit)

The first two wouldn't be required of day-hikers, but in Baxter, anyone who is attempting a hike of the A.T. that is entering or exiting the park via the A.T. is required to have a permit.

The more hikers break existing rules, the more likely park managers are to impose new rules.

No one is required to visit the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters in Harpers Ferry, WV, but the photos we take there (of those with the intent of walking the entire A.T. while visiting on foot) provide the longest hiker count of anywhere on the A.T., going back to 1979. About 95% of those who report completing the A.T. have had their photos taken at ATC HQ in Harpers Ferry.

Some thru-hikers do go back and hike the sections they missed after reaching the end point. You never know who that will be until they do it. Every fall we see "aqua blazers" who return to complete what they missed.

We recognize "2,000-milers": those who have completed the entire A.T. regardless of how long they took, whether they carried a pack or how much it weighed, direction, sequence, speed, etc.


Laurie Potteiger
ATC