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Show HN: Thruhikes – A list of long distance hikes around the world

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Re: Show HN: Thruhikes – A list of long distance hikes around the world

#81

Post by adam »

gkfasdfasdf wrote: post #37

Is there a good resource or tutorial on how one would prepare and execute one of these hikes? I would love to try a multi-day hike, but I have zero experience camping / backpacking. Where to get started? Are there hikes for complete novices that e.g. go from town to town with places to stay overnight?

You're thinking in the right direction in terms of having infrastructure support during your first multi-day hike. My first was the Laugavegur trail in Iceland a few years ago, and it helped tremendously that I was staying in huts each night and not camping, both because of the weight, and also because the screwups my first-time self made in what I packed were lessened by the fact I had a roof over my head each night, a place to cook my food, and other strangers in my "cohort" I got to know over the course of the 4 nights who had started at the same time to share advice.

So, hut supported, you could try the Iceland trail, the Kungsleden in Sweden is moderate difficulty and the huts are wonderful, the huts in the U.S. on segments of the Appalachian trail are quite nice (and they even cook you dinner at some!) and there are a few others you can search for. Then once you've picked a specific hike, quite a few people write about their experiences on that particular trail and you can hone in on the specific equipment you'll need to bring.

My biggest piece of advice: be absolutely ruthless about the stuff you decide to bring so you can keep your pack as light as possible for that first multi-day hike. A bunch of extra clothes? No. The very low probability emergency situation that your hut won't have working gas so you have to bring your own stove? No. etc. etc.

Re: Show HN: Thruhikes – A list of long distance hikes around the world

#83

Post by ghaff »

gkfasdfasdf wrote: post #37

Is there a good resource or tutorial on how one would prepare and execute one of these hikes? I would love to try a multi-day hike, but I have zero experience camping / backpacking. Where to get started? Are there hikes for complete novices that e.g. go from town to town with places to stay overnight?

Backpacking is very different from town to town (or even hut to hut). There are a few places in the US you can go hut to hut (normally). Your options to go town to town are very limited (as in, I don't actually know of any).

In the UK (other places too but the UK is really known for it), there are a ton of town to town walks and you can have your luggage transported.

As for backpacking, as others have said, you really probably want to get started with an out-and-back backpack, possibly with day hike(s) from a base camp rather than setting yourself on a probably overly ambitious point to point week-long backpack. ADDED: People do just strike out to do the AT or the PCT (see Wild) but it's not really recommended.

Re: Show HN: Thruhikes – A list of long distance hikes around the world

#84

Post by ghaff »

carabiner wrote: post #72
ctrager wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just want to add, for actual American-style backpacking, I think the best place for somebody who wants a managable challenge is the Sierra Nevada mountains in California, maybe a trip that would have you enter the mountains via Bishop or Kearsarge passes. Here are things that can make a backpacking trip easier or harder: * Grizzly Bears - Some great backpacking places - the Winds, Alaska - have grizzly bears which…

The Sierra really has the most challenging terrain of the entire trail, and is hard to get to from most major cities. Better would be to enter the trail near Mt. Baden-Powell / Wrightwood / Big Bear from Los Angeles. It also has a longer viable season than the Sierra. Other options are Mt. Hood (near Portland), and Stevens Pass (near Seattle).

Yeah, there are a ton of good backpacks in the Cascades generally. The Mountaineers books are probably the best source of info. The only downside is you're probably (mostly) not going to be doing summits because.the higher peaks are technical climbs. (Though there are some old volcanic cores and lower peaks.)

Re: Show HN: Thruhikes – A list of long distance hikes around the world

#85

Post by ghaff »

gkfasdfasdf wrote: post #57
ctrager wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Consider the Camino de Santiago. I've done the last 300 km. The distance between places to stay is manageable, lots of infrastructure, lots of friendly people who could help you if you get stuck. You don't need to carry much because you sleep indoors and there is food available along the way. The next step would be doing a hut/refuge to hut/refuge hike in the Alps. A hut/refuge is a hotel with a restaurant, private r…

Wow this comment is gold, thank you! I did not know group trips were a thing.

In the east, the Appalachian Mountain Club (I'm a leader with them but don't generally do group backpacks) and the Adirondack Mountain Club also do trips. The AMC (like the Sierra Club) also does longer "adventure travel" trips which probably include backpacks.

Re: Show HN: Thruhikes – A list of long distance hikes around the world

#86

Post by ghaff »

TedDoesntTalk wrote: post #44
Beefin wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's my backpacking list: https://www.notion.so/backpacking-aaf9b1959c57448ca86b9b481a... Note: backpacking is ALL about preparation. Make a good list and you'll be good.

> cup coozie What? Why? > matches ... lighter Why both? I just bring two lighters > Selfie stick ... hiking poles I find the more stuff I bring, the more frustrated I get unpacking and packing each night and day. Of course there’s the weight thing, too, but anyway try to pack your things in cloth or plastic baggies for separation. I use the zippered pouches that are sold for this purpose in luggage when traveling. Al…

>Why both? I just bring two lighters

I dunno. A handful of strike anywhere matches in a small plastic bag is very lightweight insurance as part of a small repair kit.

I do bring a (one) hiking pole because I find it really useful under certain conditions. But a selfie stick seems pretty unnecessary (as does the cup cozie so long as you have a plastic coffee cup--but who knows maybe metal plus cozie is lighter).

Re: Show HN: Thruhikes – A list of long distance hikes around the world

#87

Post by oguzcanhuner »

adam wrote: post #82

Awesome start to what could be a useful resource. In v1.1, would love to see some more granularity in your accommodation category, i.e. on-trail huts, primitive camping, nearby town inns, etc.

Thanks Adam. This is info that's also very useful to me, so I'll definitely be adding accommodation information next. Just want to flesh out the list a bit more first :)

Re: Show HN: Thruhikes – A list of long distance hikes around the world

#88

Post by oguzcanhuner »

kyoung18 wrote: post #55

Cool list. Just one point of feedback. Having hiked a good portion of the AT, I would re-classify the Difficulty (if this is referring to physical difficulty) as hard, and Accommodation Access to easy.

That's good to know, thank you!

Re: Show HN: Thruhikes – A list of long distance hikes around the world

#89

Post by ghaff »

gkfasdfasdf wrote: post #58
kyteland wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For not having any experience this is a lot like a non-runner asking how to run a marathon. You should probably start smaller with a couch-to-5k approach and work your way up to it. Going too hard too fast is an easy way to have a terrible experience. I've watched far too many people abandon the hobby because their first attempt was too ambitious and they got in over their heads. If you're really starting from zero m…

Thanks, I appreciate the advice. I am comfortable hiking long distances, it is just the multi-day aspect that I find daunting.

When we do an Intro to Backpacking weekend as part of our Spring hiking program, we tend to go in a relatively short distance to a lake/pond or something along those lines. And then will do one or two day hikes from there. This gives plenty of time to experiment with gear, setting up/breaking down camp, and so forth without the time pressure of having to get to some destination. (But you still get a sense of pack weight and so forth.)

Re: Show HN: Thruhikes – A list of long distance hikes around the world

#90

Post by TinkersW »

I've thru hiked some of the longer trails on your list, here are few others you could consider adding

Colorado Trail: very well marked & established trail, good for beginners who don't mind some altitude

Hayduke Trail: through Utah, not marked at all, and not a beginner trail, but has some good scenery & challenges. Resupply is difficult. Wouldn't do this unless you have completed either PCT or CDT prior.

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