Question for those purists

[gpburdelljr]

Let’s face, to really pass every white blaze in the sense that the term means you’d have to go both SOBO and NOBO. So only those folks who have done THAT, in a 12 month period are real puristas.

To SEE every white blaze you’d have to do that, but you’d PASS every white blaze going either way.

[dudeijuststarted]

I'm all for maximum effort when completing and reporting a thru-hike, but to to hike that entire trail (or do virtually anything over a long period of time) 100% error-free is complete BS. Anyone who can confirm a "purist" thru hike should receive a Nobel Prize and the rest of humanity should quit trying at anything. Regarding "purists," I don't see many people claiming this and hiking from Oglethorpe to Katahdin in army boots with a canvas rucksack full of canned goods. Claiming to be a "purist" on the AT in 2023 is nothing short of mental illness and those folks should make peace with their overbearing parents.

[Traveler]

To SEE every white blaze you’d have to do that, but you’d PASS every white blaze going either way.

Great Zen answer!

[Old Hiker]

As is written in the scriptures, “Hike your own hike.”

As it is written, so shall it be.

[jersey joe]

Part of my reason for being a purist was to avoid the slippery slope.

If you skip a few feet of the trail, then you might skip a small section, then that might lead to missing a mile here and there. Blue blazing, yellow blazing, etc.

If the goal is to hike the entire AT, then do it.

[LazyLightning]

I know when I do it again someday my goal will be to take all the better and more scenic alternates, and maybe some just to do something different even if more scenic is questionable. Maybe start with the complete Benton Mackaye and take a totally different route through the Whites and other areas. Lots of options even with a very brief look.

[HankIV]

I know when I do it again someday my goal will be to take all the better and more scenic alternates, and maybe some just to do something different even if more scenic is questionable. Maybe start with the complete Benton Mackaye and take a totally different route through the Whites and other areas. Lots of options even with a very brief look.

At 36 you’re more likely to have that chance. Me not so much, but if I do, and go SOBO again, then I will take the Virginia Creeper trail all the way into Damascus. And take the harder peak bagging blue blazes in the Whites, weather permitting.

[RockDoc]

Having integrity means that you adhere to a set of moral standards for yourself. However, I question the need to adhere to standards set by others. I think THAT is the slippery slope which has led to some of the greatest crimes to humanity in history. "Just following orders"...

[Traveler]

Having integrity means that you adhere to a set of moral standards for yourself. However, I question the need to adhere to standards set by others. I think THAT is the slippery slope which has led to some of the greatest crimes to humanity in history. "Just following orders"...

Sums the issue up rather nicely. For this reason I typically do not discuss my personal standards on trail so I am not influenced, or influence others, to modify them.