Backpacker.com Poll

“If time and resources permitted it, would you thru-hike a long trail?




I say we hunt down the 9 and kick their @sses! C'mon, what do you say? Who's with me?”

“No.”

“I'm hunting you down and kicking your @ss! Buddha Bear says it's a really nice one too. I'll bet you'll be sorry.”

“Why the heck not?! :o) If time and resources alowed I'd do a whole lot more hiking, all over the place.”

“Are you thinking about doing it Skully?”

“Oh sure. There are several trails I would love to thru hike.”

“There is a trail that runs through the Adirondacks called the Northville-Lake Placid Trail and is 133 miles long. I wouldn't mind hiking that. Would that length count?
Also I would love to hike the Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier...


What is your minimum length?”

“If it's one of the bigies I wouldn't want to. Something like the River 2 River, Shore to Shore, JMT, the Arizona, or something like that, yeah. I have no dilusions about being a thru-hike type.

Now give my my kayak and six months in the BWCA and I'd jump at it in a heartbeat.”

“Of course I would, no question about it.”

“I would give a try-not sure if I would have the discipline to pull it off.”

“I'd do dozens of multi-niters from coast to coast.”

“Too many concerts I'd miss, and too many more breathtaking trails I'd rather hike.”

“Absolutely.. I wuld gladly thru-hike.. It's cheaper to live on the trail, and my stress factors would go WAY down.

In fact.. would be fine with me to never work another day in my life.”

“I'd love to thru hike the North Country Trail...”

“Skullcap, I would say yes. What are the reasons people say no?”

“Laqtis, that's one that scares me! It's sooo hard to time it just right so you don't end up hiking in three feet of snow and it's such a new trail, alot of it is not developed well yet. I'd do it in two years though (summers) and hope to one day.

Birch and I hope to retire at around age 47 or so and spend most of our time on trails.”

“QUESTION: If time and resources permitted it, would you thru-hike a long trail?
Response Totals Percent
No 14 5%
Yes 263 95%”

“Sass - buck up ! it's only 1,700 miles long..... :)”

“Well, I for one cannot imagine any reason anyone would not want to go live on the trail for a few months or more if they had the resources and time available to them. I think it's that last one that gets most of us.

I had the opportunity to thru hike a nearby trail about 7 years ago. It would have taken about 3 months. I was in college then and I could have taken the summer to do it. My son was turning 8 that summer and at that age he could do more distance than many adults I know. I was all set to do it and I let a friend talk me out of it because the summer is the worst possible time of year; thunderstorms, heat, bugs, etc. Well, it was for the best as it turns out. We had a line of thunderstorms move through that spawned multiple tornadoes when we would have been on the trail about a week.

I still begrudge the time though.”

“I would love to and hope to do exactly that someday soon.”

“L, I'll admit I'm a big ol' sissy!”

“...just pokin' at ya - yuse be one of the toughest people I know...

--you should put that blister pic on Phil's site. That thing was awesome!!!--”

“time is everything..so sure I would.Resources is beer and cajun gorp so when do we start.”

“Ya damn skippy I would!!”

“cajun gorp?.. tell me more, please!”

“Yes.
And, Nigal, let me know before you do a major BWCA and Quetico trip. I would love that.”

“I sure as hell would”

“i'm going with gojo.”

“.”

“You know, since I get the summers off I might do a long hike before I die. But I would find it difficult to give up all the other things I love for that long. Hiking is just a bite-sized piece of life.

Fire away!”

“Absolutely, but only west of the Mississippi.”

“Absolutely! Can I go with Dunk??”

“i would hike it all! west, east, north, south anywhere any trail!”

“The Long Trail”

“Yes, you're invited! Sunshine is good!!”

“If I had to pick one trail to thru hike it would be the north country trail......:)”