What Makes A Thru-Hike

One of the big questions I kept asking myself along the way is what exactly makes this a thru-hike. While 486 miles certainly isn't a small trip it still doesn't even compare to any of the big 3 hikes in the US; the Appalachian Trail (2160 miles), Pacific Crest Trail (2,680 miles) or the Continental Divide Trail (3,100 miles). However one thing I've definitely learned is you don't need 2,000+ miles to count as a thru-hike. There are many other great trails across the country like the Pacific Northwest Trail across Montana, Idaho and Washington, the Long Trail of Vermont, the Tahoe Rim Trail in California and Nevada, the Arizona Trail in guess where, or the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevadas of California. Don't worry all of these are on m radar for potential future hikes and I've done parts of many of them already.

Thru-hiking doesn't have to be done in any one fashion either. Many think you must start in one location and hike a continuous line but sometimes you run into obstacles (like impassible snowy slopes or forest fires) that require you to reroute around them or skip ahead and come back to finish that section when its more suitable. While I prefer to hike it all in one season that also doesn't work for everyone and I've met many awesome section hikers who can only take off enough time to do a few pieces of the trail each year but are still committed to making the whole distance. I've also learned that you don't even need to be a backpacker to thru-hike as I met a number of folks who bike-packed or even llama-packed the whole trail. This just goes to show the old saying of "hike your only hike" could never ring more true. Below I wanted to share my thoughts about some of the things that differentiate a thru-hike from just a backpacking trip.

1) Resupplies

I think one of the primary things for me that distinguishes a thru-hike from a normal backpacking trip is the need for resupplies. A thru-hike requires hikers to plan out a strategy for acquiring more food to fuel them along their journey because they simply cannot carry enough for the whole journey. Don't get me wrong your resupply strategy will largely depend on your pace and you could potentially get a resupply on a 20 mile backpacking trip, but what I mean here is the fact that you can't just do it all in one go. Having to get a resupply shows that even though you could go back to civilization you have committed yourself to staying in the backcountry for another few days and truly embracing the backpacking spirit.

There are lots of creative ways to resupply. I typically will hitch a ride into nearby towns and just shop at the local grocery store and mail food ahead where you run into areas with no grocery stores for miles. Many others use mail drops the whole way and package their food before the trip and have a friend send it to them. For those of you who didn't know with just a government issued ID you can have packages send to any post office in the US "General Delivery" and pick them up when you get into town. Some folks with very generous friends will have them meet them at the necessary trail head. I have also see older folks who cannot quite do the miles or just choose not to, drive along with the hikers and supply them on the way to experience all the same areas without the hiking. I even met some section hikes who cache their food in the woods beforehand like a bunch of hungry squirrels. All of these strategies work great and make it more exciting for when you get a whole new batch a food and don't need to scrounge off the leftover granola anymore.

2) A "Thru" Route

Another things that I think really makes it a thru-hike is the thru part. Thru-hikes are about getting to pass through a range of ecosystems, environments and cultures along the way. Many other trips just showcase a single area but thru-hikes I have found are about the diversity across the entire trail. While some folks don't like the flatter, lower sections of the Colorado Trail I find it so cool getting to see how the terrain progresses from the fault thrust mountains of the Collegiate Peaks over to the volcanic mountains of the San Juans. It is such a cool experience getting to follow one creek all the way from the shrublands to the highest drainages by the peaks, then hop over the pass or ridge to follow another creek back down to the valley floor. I really like how the architects of the trail have been able to weave together so many incredible routes. I have profound respects for the advocates like Gudy Gaskill on the Colorado Trail or Benton MacKaye on the Appalachian Trail who were able to piece together hundreds of isolated trail into such and interconnected masterpiece.

3) The Destination

One of the biggest things that changes your mentality about a thru-hike is you don't really have a single destination in mind like many other hiking trips. You aren't just hiking to the majestic panoramas at top of the mountain, to a sparkling blue lake, or to see a cascading waterfall; you are hiking by all of these along the way! However not having a single end point can be tricky when the going gets rough and your body is aching. You cannot just say only 2 more miles when you know your trip won't be over for another 200 miles.

One of the things I have found to be important in completing a thru-hike is breaking it down. On this trip I wasn't hiking from Denver to Durango, but from Denver to Breckenridge, then Breckenridge to Twin Lakes etc. Its important to break it down in to manageable segments that you can focus on achieving since you won't reach your final destination for quite some time. Then within each of those segments you can study the map to find all the cool features along the way. The nice cool creek to stop and eat lunch by, or the peak just a few miles off the trail that you may choose to drop your pack and climb to the top (if you can find the energy). A thru-hike doesn't have a single destination but hundreds of destinations along the way.

4) The Dirtiness

I'm not really sure how to put this into words but there is just a certain satisfying griminess you gain while on a thru-hike that you simply cannot pick up on a normal hike or backpacking trip. Its amazing how I will go into town on a rest day and get all cleaned up but the first night back on trail I will feel just as dirty as when I left. Your body and gear will just become worn in a way that doesn't happen from any other backpacking trip. One of my favorite things to tell people is I had never been able to detect the presence of people by smell before my first thru-hike. Its so true though, after being out in the woods for a bit you really do feel like a bear and all of the strange fragrances people use in soaps, deodorants and laundry detergent will stand out from the fresh pine of the forest.

When you are out on a trail there are a few clues that can help you distinguish thru-hikers from the rest of the folks. First their clothes and packs are often a dead giveaway. When you wear the same T-shirt for weeks on end it tends to get a bit tarnished, faded and worn. Thru-hikers generally have a certain style of backpack too that had been beaten up by overuse. While many are on the lightweight side there are still some who carry a heavier load but it is generally quite compact. After packing the same pack morning after morning thru-hikers tend to have a strict way of organizing everything in their own compact way and would be completely lost if someone else organized it for them. For the men on the trail you definitely can pick them out by the scraggliness of their beards or in my case wanna-be-beards (but hey I think I may be able to make this work). Thru-hikers also will sometimes carry odd gear like umbrellas, ice axes or trekking poles through areas that don't really require them if they weren't able to ship them on ahead. Although then again sometimes you may catch a clean one when they just returned from town with fresh laundry. However overall they certainly call thru-hikers "hiker trash" for a reason and we bear that name proudly.

5) The Culture

While some thru-hiking trails may not have this as much, one of the things that is so cool about being out on one of these trails is many times you will pass others on the trail and say I'm hiking the Colorado Trail and even through they may only be meeting you at a junction with the trail they are on they automatically know what that means. These trails have their own identity and weight to what that name means. One of my favorite parts of that culture is the community that develops around that trail. This community doesn't just include the thru-hikers but the backpackers, the hikers, the bikers and most importantly the volunteers and trail maintence crews, and my favorite the trail angels. The trail brings together such a diverse group of people who all (at least most all) share a profound respect for this trail. The idea that perfect strangers will sit out and wait for passing hikers to pass out snacks and share their stories is such an amazing concept. Likewise that hundreds of volunteers will give of their time often traveling from far distances to create, maintain and restore various sections of the trail which they may never use is such a testament to the beauty of the trail culture. This community extends internationally and I have had the awesome experience of running into thru-hikers I had hiked with before out in the middle of the backcountry totally unexpected. Some of the trails even have gatherings to bring together former hikers, volunteers, trail angels and prospective thru-hikers alike to share their experience out in the backcountry and their love of the trail. Honestly this has become one of my primary motivations to thru-hike to become a part of such a great community and I will continue to support it throughout my life.