Comments on: Grassroots to organized – The changing nature of thru-hikes https://pmags.com/grassroots-to-organized-the-changing-nature-of-thru-hikes Practical advice and musings on the outdoors, hiking, backpacking, ski touring, and camping. Thu, 03 Jan 2019 16:43:17 +0000 hourly 1 By: Gary https://pmags.com/grassroots-to-organized-the-changing-nature-of-thru-hikes#comment-478328 Sun, 15 Feb 2015 16:23:21 +0000 https://pmags.com/?p=6954#comment-478328 Hello Paul,
I enjoy hiking for the peaceful solitude. I don’t enjoy over crowding of trails with social camaraderie. Seeing more than one or two people over the course of a trail is too many for me. Great post.

]]> By: Jim Mingle https://pmags.com/grassroots-to-organized-the-changing-nature-of-thru-hikes#comment-477639 Sat, 14 Feb 2015 05:13:42 +0000 https://pmags.com/?p=6954#comment-477639 Much to think about in this post. If the number of back country users is down and the number of hikers on the most popular trails is up…well there must be a lot more empty places out there. The temptation of course is to go to the accessible and the familiar. Your comments renew my interest in finding and taking the less traveled road. Thanks!

]]> By: Another Kevin https://pmags.com/grassroots-to-organized-the-changing-nature-of-thru-hikes#comment-477074 Fri, 13 Feb 2015 01:25:18 +0000 https://pmags.com/?p=6954#comment-477074 You know, your thinking is a lot like mine, even though I haven’t done any of the major thru-hikes. I live maybe 1.5 hours from the nearest AT trailhead, but I’ve put in very little AT mileage in recent years, because there are so many other nice trails calling to me. I’m mostly a weekender, so I’ve been more into peakbagging lately, but even that has been the less-well-know Catskill 3500’s rather than their big brothers the Adirondack 46 – which are considerably more popular, and correspondingly more regulated. The only thru-hike I’ve ever attempted was the 135-mile Northville-Placid Trail. I didn’t finish (thank you bronchitis!) but I’ll go back this year to pick up the 60-odd miles I missed. But it was great. There were several days that I had the place all to myself, and I was going SOBO (90% of hikers go NOBO on that trail, primarily because the guidebook reads in that direction). Six months of what sounds like permanent Spring Break? Doesn’t appeal.

]]> By: Paul Mags https://pmags.com/grassroots-to-organized-the-changing-nature-of-thru-hikes#comment-476965 Thu, 12 Feb 2015 18:11:52 +0000 https://pmags.com/?p=6954#comment-476965 In reply to Misti.

Indeed! As Cam Honan said, there is a lot of emphasis on the “Big Three” trails over other trails (or routes!) . Admittedly, easy enough to say that since I’ve done Triple Crown trails, but the other trails appeal to me more for various reasons at this point…or at least I would do them in a non-traditional manner. https://pmags.com/if-i-did-it-again-the-big-three-trails

]]> By: Misti https://pmags.com/grassroots-to-organized-the-changing-nature-of-thru-hikes#comment-476916 Thu, 12 Feb 2015 15:35:24 +0000 https://pmags.com/?p=6954#comment-476916 Psssst….there’s lots of solitude on the Florida Trail, folksl. 😉

]]> By: samh https://pmags.com/grassroots-to-organized-the-changing-nature-of-thru-hikes#comment-476905 Thu, 12 Feb 2015 15:08:56 +0000 https://pmags.com/?p=6954#comment-476905 In reply to Paul Mags.

…and the possibilities for my bucket list just got a bit longer.

]]> By: Paul Mags https://pmags.com/grassroots-to-organized-the-changing-nature-of-thru-hikes#comment-476748 Thu, 12 Feb 2015 04:04:40 +0000 https://pmags.com/?p=6954#comment-476748 In reply to samh.

I am starting to lean towards the Great Eastern Trail. 1800 miles of wonderful Eastern hiking that is not highly traveled!

]]> By: Tim Wilson https://pmags.com/grassroots-to-organized-the-changing-nature-of-thru-hikes#comment-476704 Thu, 12 Feb 2015 02:10:07 +0000 https://pmags.com/?p=6954#comment-476704 Great post Mags. Well thought out and balanced. Nicely done. And even in ’98 the AT was far more social than what I expected and, to my surprise, the social bits are among my favorite memories.

]]> By: Marla https://pmags.com/grassroots-to-organized-the-changing-nature-of-thru-hikes#comment-476678 Thu, 12 Feb 2015 00:58:23 +0000 https://pmags.com/?p=6954#comment-476678 Increased popularity has some downsides, but I hope it brings some positives like more wilderness defenders and resources for trail building/maintenance.

]]> By: samh https://pmags.com/grassroots-to-organized-the-changing-nature-of-thru-hikes#comment-476642 Wed, 11 Feb 2015 23:12:47 +0000 https://pmags.com/?p=6954#comment-476642 Mags, that link to alternate versions of the AT is intriguing! I have many times told myself I’d like to thruhike it when I retire and finding a way to do it where I can have a bit of my “own experience” without totally excessive crowds is something I’ve pondered – this is a great inspiration.

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