
Thru-hiking, or through-hiking, is the act of
hiking
A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time.
"Hi ...
an established
long-distance trail
A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, equestrianism or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents exc ...
end-to-end continuously.
The term is most frequently used regarding trails in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, such as the
Pacific Crest Trail
The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...
(PCT), the
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail, also called the A.T., is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tra ...
(AT), and the
Continental Divide Trail
The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (in short Continental Divide Trail, CDT) is a United States National Scenic Trail with a length measured by the Continental Divide Trail Coalition of between the U.S. border with Chihuahua (state), Chi ...
(CDT). Globally, some examples of thru-hikes include
Te Araroa in New Zealand, the
Camino de Santiago
The Camino de Santiago (, ; ), or the Way of St. James in English, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle James in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tra ...
in Spain and France, the
Via Francigena
The Via Francigena (), also known as Francisca or Romea, is an ancient road and Christian pilgrimage, pilgrimage route running from the City status in the United Kingdom#Cathedral towns, cathedral city of Canterbury in England, through France and ...
in France and Italy, the
Grand Italian Trail in Italy, the
Great Divide Trail (GDT) in Canada, and the
Great Himalaya Trail in Nepal, all of which are over 1,000 km (620 mi) in length.
The length for a trail to be considered a thru-hike is undefined. Trails most associated with thru-hiking often take several weeks or months to complete, but any completed end-to-end trail in a single hiking season is technically a thru-hike.
Section hiking is hiking a long-distance trail one section at a time. Generally, a trail completed as a collection of section hikes is not considered a thru-hike, as the trail was not completed continuously. However, hiking trail sections out of order, e.g., starting at the halfway point of the AT and hiking to the northern terminus, then flying back to the middle and hiking the southern half, still counts as a thru-hike, as long as the trail is completed in one trip.
History
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, hiking as a means of exploring the world started becoming popular in the U.S. This led to the creation of dedicated long-distance hiking trails, including the 439 km (273 miles)
Long Trail
The Long Trail is a hiking trail located in Vermont, running the length of the state. It is the oldest long-distance trail in the United States, constructed between 1910 and 1930 by the Green Mountain Club. The club remains the primary organiza ...
in Vermont and the 340 km (211 miles)
John Muir Trail
The John Muir Trail (JMT) is a long-distance trail in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, passing through Yosemite National Park, Yosemite, Kings Canyon National Park, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park, Se ...
in California.
The first trail to be associated with thru-hiking was the 3,531 km (2,194 miles)
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail, also called the A.T., is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tra ...
(AT), which was first proposed in 1921 by
Benton MacKaye and completed in 1937 after more than a decade of work. The first person to hike the full trail was
Myron Avery, a trail promoter who hiked the trail by sections between 1927 and 1936 while
trail blazing
Trail blazing or way marking is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with signs or markings that follow each other at certain, though not necessarily exactly defined, distances and mark the direction of the trail.
A blaz ...
. In 1948,
Earl Shaffer
Earl V. Shaffer (November 8, 1918 – May 5, 2002), was an American outdoorsman and author known from 1948 as The Crazy One (and eventually as The Original Crazy One) for attempting what became the first publicized claimed hiking trip in a single ...
completed the first south-to-north thru-hike of the AT, followed by
Chester Dziengielewski in 1951, who became the first to hike the trail from north-to-south.
A number of thru-hikers have achieved a measure of celebrity status in backpacking culture. Perhaps the most famous was
Emma "Grandma" Gatewood, who first thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1955 at the age of 67. She completed the hike with what was considered extremely inadequate gear, even at the time, including
sneakers
Sneakers (American English, US) or trainers (British English, UK), also known by a #Names, wide variety of other names, are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but are also widely used for everyday casual ...
rather than
boot
A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...
s and a
blanket
A blanket is a swath of soft textile, cloth large enough either to cover or to enfold most of the user's body and thick enough to keep the body warm by trapping radiant body heat that otherwise would be lost through Thermal conduction, condu ...
rather than a
sleeping bag
A sleeping bag is an insulated covering for a person, essentially a lightweight quilt that can be closed with a zipper or similar means to form a tube, which functions as lightweight, portable bedding in situations where a person is sleeping o ...
, and is recognized today as a pioneer of
ultralight backpacking
Ultralight backpacking (sometimes written as UL backpacking) is a style of lightweight backpacking (wilderness), backpacking that emphasizes carrying the lightest and least amount of gear. While no technical standards exist, some hikers consider " ...
.
In 2012,
Cheryl Strayed published her memoir
Wild documenting her self-discovery on the PCT, which was made into a
film
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
in 2014 starring
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Reese Witherspoon, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Aw ...
, leading to a spike in interest in the PCT and thru-hiking.
Today
Thru-hiking a trail is a long and difficult journey. A thru-hike of the PCT, AT, or CDT takes five months on average, and can involve months or years of planning. Thru-hikers often organize "supply boxes" containing food and other necessities prior to their hike, and have friends or family mail the packages to predetermined stops close to the trail, to be picked up by the hiker. Other ways some get food along the trail is stopping and picking up food for their next section of trail at the grocery store in the town they are in.
With the rise of
backpacking
Backpacking may refer to:
* Backpacking (travel), low-cost, independent, international travel
* Backpacking (hiking), trekking and camping overnight in the wilderness
* Ultralight backpacking, a style of wilderness backpacking with an emphasis on ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, thru-hiking has become a minor niche in the industry. Thousands of hikers attempt to thru-hike the AT and other
National Scenic Trails every year, although by some estimates fewer than 20% complete the trail. The most common reasons for a hike to be abandoned include injuries, finances, time constraints, and a lack of motivation. Some dedicated thru-hikers complete a trail more than once; about 30 have reported hiking the AT at least three times. Lee Barry became the oldest to thru-hike the AT when he completed a thru-hike (his second) in 2004 at age 81.
The
Appalachian Trail Conservancy has reported completion rates around 25% in recent years, after several years under 20%.
They attribute this to slightly lower numbers of hikers, better gear, and, thanks to the internet, information about gear, causing fewer hikers to start with packs and drop out a few miles in.
Those long-distance hikers who have completed all three of the nation's longest National Scenic Trails (The Appalachian Trail, The Pacific Crest Trail and The Continental Divide Trail) are known as
Triple Crowners.
Base pack weight in this group of hikers is in the range of .
See also
*
Backpacking (hiking)
Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey and may involve camping outdoors. In North America, tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain hut ...
*
Continental Divide Trail
The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (in short Continental Divide Trail, CDT) is a United States National Scenic Trail with a length measured by the Continental Divide Trail Coalition of between the U.S. border with Chihuahua (state), Chi ...
*
American Discovery Trail
*
North Country Trail
*
Hiking
A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time.
"Hi ...
*
Hiking equipment Hiking equipment is the equipment taken on outdoor walking trips. The duration, distance, planned activities, and environment impacts equipment selection. For example, a short day hike across flat farmland versus trekking in the Himalayas would cal ...
*
List of long-distance footpaths
*
Long-distance trail
A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, equestrianism or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents exc ...
*
Pacific Crest Trail
The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...
*
Tramping in New Zealand
Further reading
* Lugo, Derick (2019) “The Unlikely Thru-Hiker: An Appalachian Trail Journey”, Publisher: Appalachian Mountain Club Books,
* Bruce, Dan (2000) ''The Thru-Hiker's Handbook'' Hot Springs, North Carolina: Center for Appalachian Trail Studies.
* Norton, Russell (1997) ''Long Trail End-to-Ender's Guide.'' Waterbury Center, Vermont: Green Mountain Club.
* Shaffer, Earl V. (1983) ''Walking With Spring.'' Harper's Ferry, West Virginia: the Appalachian Trail Conference.
*
Berger, Karen and Daniel Smith (1993). ''Where the Waters Divide: A Walk along America's Continental Divide.'' New York: Random House.
*Bryson, Bill (1998).
''A Walk in the Woods''. Broadway Books.
References
External links
Appalachian Trail Conservancy – 2000 MilersThru-hiking communityAppalachian Long Distance Hikers AssociationDatabase of thru-hiking trailsEnd to End on the Long TrailPacific Crest Trail AssociationTrekopedia – Community site of long-distance trailsAmerican Discovery Trail SocietyHikaNation{{Portal bar, Environment
Hiking