Something new for the Class of 2014

[Jeff]

We are introducing something new for 2014…the Appalachian Trail Passport. It is patterned after a similar program for hikers on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Hikers can buy an AT Passport and when staying at hostels and other “hiker friendly” lodgings, ask the proprietor to stamp the Passport. At the end of the journey, you will have collected more than 40 unique stamps, making this a memorable keepsake for years to come. You can find more information at www.ATPassport.com .

[msupple]

Having just finished the Camino de Santiago I can say that it was quite fun collecting the stamps for the "Passport", and yes. it is a great keepsake. Besides that, it's for a great cause. Cat in the Hat

[Sailing_Faith]

What a cool idea. I supose one could add the passport stamps for the national parks they travel through as well.

[FarmerChef]

What a cool idea. I supose one could add the passport stamps for the national parks they travel through as well.

Technically you already can. They have a passport book for National Parks and there are self-stamping stations at every park I've visited. This is a great idea. I can't wait to thru and this will just add to the experience, at least for me.

How are hostel/business owners contacted or encouraged to participate?

[Cro-Mag]

Really cool idea! I kind of wish I was hiking the trail in 2014! Some great memories were brought back after reading the location list.

[tiptoe]

Sounds like a nice keepsake, as long as it doesn't weigh too much and it doesn't require visas (just kidding).

[FarmerChef]

Sounds like a nice keepsake, as long as it doesn't weigh too much and it doesn't require visas (just kidding).

Except that now you don't just carry a small pebble. You need to carry a large rock (say 4 or 5 pounds) to place on the trail in Pennsylvania

[BrianLe]

A fun idea, so long as it doesn't conflict with a HYOH "do the trip that is most meaningful to you" approach. I just hiked the Camino de Santiago (finished in early Oct) and it really isn't an issue there, more of a fun thing, but there are a lot more places to get the credencial stamped than just hostels --- bars, some churches, tourist information centers, etc. But indeed it is required at the end, you show your credencial at the Pilgrim office in Santiago to get a certificate of completion.

A minor quibble. The website says "For more than one thousand years hikers of the Camino de Santiago in Spain acquired a “passport” to document their journey." This is certainly not true. Pilgrims have been hiking the Camino for a long time, with the first known pilgrimage in 950 a.d. But the credencial (pilgrim "passport") dates back to the late 18th century, per this: http://fernandolalanda.blogspot.com/...-parte-en.html

[Austin 2014]

Thanks for sharing! Just added it to my Christmas wish list. Would make the perfect stocking stuffer!

[rickb]

Good grief.

Also good marketing, I suppose.

My guess is that at least one 2014 hiker will elect to stay at the Barn or Hiker's Paradise (for example) rather than splitting a motel room, in order to get a stamp. Or even tip the scales for at least one 2014 hiker towards heading off the trail and into town, rather than tenting it on a rainy day.

For better or worse, today marks the first time in 30 years that I am ready to concede that a thru hike is fundamentally different today than it was when I hiked it. Not because of this new program, but rather all that it represents.

[LoufromFWB]

I first learned of this 'passport' watching a movie about the Camino de Santiago hike, starring Martin Sheen (I believe). It's definitely an awesome idea, though obviously not everyone will be staying at a hostel (including myself in 2014). Still, one will have 'Centers' to have it stamped, and of course the entire thing may evolve ---such as stamps from grocery stores, etc where one has to resupply; even homeowners along the trail, as well as trail angels, can get into the act somehow! No matter what or how it develops it's going to be be a great keepsake and well worth buying. Looking forward to receiving it! I might add that it even increases my motivation for the hike!!

[Studlintsean]

Just curious, do you have to STAY at the hostels to get the stamp?

[forrest!]

Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!

Just kidding, really. I wish everyone the best of luck with the whole passport thing...

[aficion]

Good grief.

Also good marketing, I suppose.

My guess is that at least one 2014 hiker will elect to stay at the Barn or Hiker's Paradise (for example) rather than splitting a motel room, in order to get a stamp. Or even tip the scales for at least one 2014 hiker towards heading off the trail and into town, rather than tenting it on a rainy day.

For better or worse, today marks the first time in 30 years that I am ready to concede that a thru hike is fundamentally different today than it was when I hiked it. Not because of this new program, but rather all that it represents.

So true. What's cool is you can still do a thru hike and actually stay outdoors if you like, and these days, with everybody trekking into town every other day to spend their money, and now get their "passport" stamped, the folks who are likely to enjoy a protracted outdoor experience, will have more solitude and a better selection of campsites. Everybody wins.

[FarmerChef]

Good point! A thru is still a psychologically demanding hike and I doubt that having a passport will keep more people on the trail any longer than at present. Perhaps more will flock to the start but I'd be willing to bet that somewhere between TN and Virginia the thinning of the herd will still take place, passport or no passport. I, for one, look forward to the extra enjoyment I'll get, though by the time I have enough free time to do a thru it will probably be digital

[Paul the Brit]

I was hiking through Damascus yesterday and Crazy Larry told me about the passport. He said he will get a stamp and as I understood it from him you didn't have to stay there just visit by, say hi, chat and if your in luck like me get a banana. Then move on.

[Jeff]

Just curious, do you have to STAY at the hostels to get the stamp?

Good question....that is completely up to the owner/proprietor of the establishment. I imagine most owners will be fine with a hiker just "passing thru" and a few may not.

[Grampie]

Just something that isn't usefull or needed to do a thru-hike. I think it would be just a pain in the axx for a hostel keeper.

[BrianLe]

One thing that's different on the Camino (where this system already exists) vs. the AT is that on the Camino you're always walking through towns, from little villages to a few big cities (Pamplona, Burgos, Leon). The average 'pilgrim' walks maybe 20-some kilometers per day. Or less. But you still typically go through two to four towns along the way on an average day, and it's easy to stop in a bar or poke your head into a church if it's open, etc. We didn't tend to visit albergue's or hostels along the way, however, as they tended to clean up and then close down relatively early, except for the ones that served mid-day food.

So if you're having a snack in a bar along the way, you can just ask if they have a pilgrim stamp, and they almost always say "yes" and it's no problem. Ditto any sort of lodgings (whether you stay there or not). Some churches have them. Sometimes they're unattended, so no real hassle for anyone, you just use the stamp, make a donation if there's a box for that and you're inclined, and you're done.

On the AT, you do walk through or close by some towns, but more often you have to hitchhike into towns, and you pass through opportunities "to get stamps" less frequently. Certainly more frequently than on other long trails in the U.S., but still. And sometimes trail towns are a bit spread out. The average thru-hiker can be surprisingly unwilling to walk too far in town on a long Nero or Zero day. So I really don't see a huge amount of traffic through hostels of people not staying there, except perhaps for cases where you pass right by anyway. I.e., I doubt that it would be a particular pain for hostel keepers in general. If it was, they could either put out a subtle sign ("stamps for guests only"), or take advantage of the added traffic to sell stuff perhaps.

Now, if they had stamping stations in shelters along the trail ... but no way would the stamps stay there, intact, with enough ink to make the stamps work. No way. Maybe something more akin to the approach to doing brass rubbings could work, if the underlying bas relief image were unquestionably un-stealable (and un-defaceable) somehow.

[Lybarger]

Great idea. A buddy showed me his Camino Passport and of course, that triggered story after story from him.