About Thru-Hiking
Thru-Hikers on the Trail
Hikers that hike the trail and complete the entire Appalachian Trail in one season are called "thru-hikers"; hikers traversing the trail in seperate trips in a series are called "section-hikers". For hikers traveling from Georgia to Maine are named "north-bounders" while those heading from Maine to Georgia are called "south-bounders".
Going North is the direction most often attempted by those trying to complete the entire route. The advantage with going north is that one starts in early spring and progresses northward as the weather warms up and the season switches to summer. Part of the experience of hiking and hiker subculture is making unique and playful entries in logbooks at trail rest-stops, usually under a trail name adopted by the particular hiker.
Many terms exist that attempt to classify hikers attempting to take the Appalachian trail from start to finish; however, there are only several that are more commonly used. A hiker who never leaves the trail and only follows the path is called a "purist". This type of thru-hiker will not skip over and section of the trail and will not attempt to use side trails to complete the journey. This traveler will only stay on and hike the official Appalachian Trail. The next type of hiker is referred to as a "blue-blazer", and he or she makes use of the side trails that the "purist" would normally ignore. This process often cuts off miles of the official Appalachian Trail hike. These paths are marked by blue paint blazes, in contrast to the white which refers to the official trail. The last type of hiker is coined the "yellow-blazer" and this is someone that uses hitchhiking to complete their trail hike. This term is said to have come from the yellow dividing lines on a road, thus making it slang in nature.
Hiking the trail is no easy feat, and takes time, often as much as five to seven months, although some have been known to complete it in just three. During the spring and fall, many obstacles present themselves, especially rugged terrain and cold weather, which make thru-hiking a tremendous hardship. A small percentage (roughly 20%) of hikers attempting to complete the entire trail actually succeed.
Most of the Appalachian Trail is open to local use even though there are some rules or statutes in place that give favorable advantage to through hikers; some say that hiking the entire trail recieves too much emphasis.
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Comments (34)
On September 13, 2009, Stew
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Hello anyone in the southern region, NW FL, into the outdoors and seeking to do a hike-thru as well? |
On September 14, 2009, matt
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im planning a thru hike but need to know if i need to register in anywere before i go im planning on starting sometime next year like april. |
On September 14, 2009, steve
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Hi Matt There's no need to formally register anywhere, but its definitely a good idea to keep your family or friends updated with where you are. Feel free to post in our forum if you're looking for hiking partners: http://www.appalachiantrail.com/forum.html |
On September 15, 2009, jordansilvani
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Looking to travel the entire trail. curious about public hunting grounds along the way. interested in small game and white tail. Also curious about caring a firearm for protection? |
On September 15, 2009, bart
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Hey Jordan, be sure to check out the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's information at: http://www.appalachiantrail.or...the_AT.htm There is a lot of info there as well as more specific links. |
On September 17, 2009, a
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Theres no hunting allowed on the AT but theres nothing that says one cant bring a fire arm for protection. |
On September 17, 2009, bart
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from the At Conservancy site: "Hunting is PERMITTED along approximately 1,250 miles of the Appalachian Trail through national forest lands, national recreation areas, and on state forests and game lands. Unlike National Park Service (NPS) A.T. corridor boundaries, which are marked, there is no marked A.T. corridor where the Trail passes through U.S. Forest Service lands. About 75 miles of the boundary of Pennsylvania state game lands are marked with white paint, occasionally causing confusion with white A.T. blazes. Hunting is PROHIBITED along approximately 900 miles of the Trail through national parks (like Shenandoah and the Great Smoky Mountains), most state parks, and on lands acquired by the National Park Service exclusively for the Appalachian Trail—indicated by A.T. corridor boundary signs. Hikers should be aware that the protected corridor is often narrow, averaging about 1,000 feet wide." http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.mqLTIYOwGlF/b.4805497/k.C545/Hunting_and_the_AT.htm |
On September 18, 2009, gipcgirl
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Hi Everyone I am planning to walk the AT Springer to Katahdin starting at Springer around the 10th April 2010. I will be going solo as I do not know anyone in America (I'm from Australia) would love to have company some or all of the way. I am a very fit 60 year old female experienced in long distance hiking. Feel free to email and chat to me about the AT anytime or any other hikes you may have done. Cheers Tanya |
On October 03, 2009, ironmic
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I'm considering hiking the trail next spring. I've never done anything like this before im looking for someone to hike with that has some experience. I don't even know what gear i'll need. It's something i've wanted to do for a while now. I'm pretty physically fit 37 year old. I'd appreciate any info. Thanks Mike |
On October 07, 2009, Jeff Johnson
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Want to hike from Georgia to Virginia for the adventure and to lose 15lbs. A total beginner. Thinking it wll take a month? Looking for a group to hike with, since I have never done it before. |
On October 14, 2009, AJ Moore
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On October 30, 2009, Jim Janolek
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The time has come in my life that I am finally ready to take time away from what we call the norm in life to experiencing the real life. This is day one on the plan 5 months and one day until I begin. VEGAN HIKER accepting tips for the journey and interested in seeing if there are fellow vegans planning to hike. |
On November 10, 2009, MWBrown
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I'm planning to hike thru from Maine to Georgia (southbound) come late August/September. Is there anything I need to be particularly aware of? Good/light tents? Fire-starters? General gear questions...whats the good stuff, whats the stuff to avoid? MWB |
On November 12, 2009, David
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MWB Late August is a very late start. New England will be beautiful, but you will find the days (daylight) growing short by late September. You will see very few other hikers (which maybe you'll like). And it starts getting pretty cold at night (requiring heavier gear). Expect snow in the Smokies...you might not reach Springer until late December. I wouldn't recommend it unless you really like being alone and cold and in the dark for long periods. David (Muleboy, SOBO '09) |
On November 30, 2009, Mack
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What is a reasonable start date for a first time south bound thru hiker? |
On January 04, 2010, shadow
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im in the fl panhandle area and trying to set up for a thru hike this year hopefully. just finished the colo trail last year, and a section of the pct a year before that. curious about h2o sources and weather. thinking of trying to leave in mar or april... used to doing these hikes alone but willing to try for a different experience hiking with others... normally avg hike is 20 mi a day (give or take). usually start at about 10 mi pd and increase quickly. would like to improve 20mi. if possible. havnt seen any elevation guides yet to get a better picture of what to expect.. |
On January 04, 2010, Sarah-Jane
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my boyfriend and i are planning on completing the thru-hike in 2011 from Ga- ME |
On January 09, 2010, bry
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Im in new york and planing a north to south too. When is the best time? |
On January 18, 2010, Bud
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I am just starting to do research on doing the northbound app. trail in 2011. I live in the Tampa area if there are interested people. I am marathon runner and am use to daily training to reach my goals. I would like to hear from someone with experience in completeing the full trail, what to expect in preparing for this wonderful experience. In order to fully appreciate the beauty and enjoy the total experience, being phyically prepared when starting out on the trail should be very important. |
On January 21, 2010, hoofit
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Heading up the trail in early March as long as the snow isn't a problem. First time, Does that make me a virgin ? Ha! See you all on the trail, look for the limey with a big smile - hoping to do it in about four months...Barring any injuries.. I've looked around a lot of places for gear and the 'Bass Pro Shops', have a good variety at not too expensive a price. Might want to check 'em out... Just one thing... Leave your guns at home, I'm getting too old to be dodging bullets on a scenic hike. Peace and happy hiking to all of you, go to 'whiteblaze.net' or 'The Appalachian Trail Conference', for loads of good info about the trail Paul Davies(Hoofit) |
On January 23, 2010, David
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I'm thinking of starting in Maine in mid-May, a good time to begin? |
On January 26, 2010, mike
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How does this work? Do you just show up on some random day in April and walk with whoever is there? or do you need to have someone to walk with? |
On January 26, 2010, steve
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Hi Mike Theoretically yes, you could just turn up on a random day in April. However it's probably wise to both look for a hiking partner in advance and to do some practice hikes with them plus to read and plan carefully. |
On January 28, 2010, morsplatt
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hey shadow, looking to do a thru hike this years as well. would like to have a partner for company and to share the work load, ie; setting up camp gathering firewood ect. reach me at yahoo using my handle of morsplatt. anyone else serious about doing this let me know. |
On February 04, 2010, jon
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Planning to take on the AT in a year or two, where should I get started as far as planning/reading? |
On February 04, 2010, christopher klemetson
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I am going to do a thru hike on at. i live in winchester, ky. will, start in Ga. I have planned a whole lot for it, i have been tossing the idea around in my head since last fall, but now it's a go for me and lot more real now. im putting everything i have in storage and just heading out. Anybody else doing at next month? |
On February 10, 2010, Drave
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I am a young buddhist monk, looking for a group to travel with from Georgia to Maine. I have just finished a 6 month meditation retreat and Im looking forward to hitting the trail come this March. I am in the midst of a silent life-style so it might be hard for any travelers to communicate with. I am just looking for someone to share this expierience with and watch over me while I do the same for them. So I hope who ever welcomes me to their group doesnt mind speaking for the both of us. Email me. |
On February 11, 2010, marsha
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Hello all my boyfriend and I are planning to hike the AT starting March 27, 2010. We have planned it for a while now. I am so excited. I am so ready to get away from everyday living and spend 5 months in the great outdoors and renew my relationship with God and enjoy some well deserved time alone with my better have. Hope to meet some of you on the trail. God Bless!!!!!!!! |
On February 20, 2010, Ed
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I am planning on hiking from the southern terminus to Clingman's Dome beginning June 5th. Anyone interested? |
On February 22, 2010, Christian
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how possible would it be to thru hike the app trail with 600 dollars |
On February 24, 2010, shadow
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thats a great question christian... ive recently decided not to do the thru hike this year for that same exact reason.. ive run into financial problems myself and can only afford around the same amount give or take a little. id be interested to hear someone Else's reply... but from my experiences doing these hikes it would be pretty damn hard to make 600 bucks work for 5-6 months of hiking. i dont know, i think it could work depending how motivated and disciplined you are, as well as knowledge d in survival techniques and just the area and its stops or towns, trail-heads, ect.. seems pretty difficult to me if theres no other source of help along the way though. a little off the subject but with this recent weather hitting the east coast, is it possible to start a thru hike in march.... or does it look better in late april/may?? (hiking south -north) |
On February 28, 2010, terry farrell
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i have been in boy scouts since i was 7 till i was 18 i hiked a good portion of the AT it was the best i also hiked in philmont scout ranch in new mexico.I have been reading about hiking the whole trail for a few years now which backpack should i bring a tent or just a tarp what boots to wear but the the one area i was most interested in is where to start on the trail north or south definitly south beginning of march maby the last 2 weeks in february spend a night or two in a hotel around springer mountian just to get your berrings and last minute what to do things.If you start to late in the south and go north new hampshire gets very extreme weather the rangers could shut that part of the mountian down just to ruin the whole adventure but for your safety. Mt Washington has extreme weather in September the weather could change in a blink of an eye.I would love to hike the trail this year but we had twin girls so next year is better for me here is another hint find drop off points for food and get a hold of local post office listings for mail drops offes from family one pair of boots will not work you might go thru 5 pair good luck all see ya on the trail |
On March 03, 2010, james miller
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me and a friend are planning to hike the at in spring 2011.we are on a budget like most everyone else, and was wondering if anyone who has thru hiked in the past would have any maps,guides, or just good advice for us! thanx |
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