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

thruhikes.net

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

#112

OP, terminology nit: a thru-hike is a way of completing a long-distance hike, not a type of hike in itself. It just means completing the entire trail in one continuous go. You can section hike (do pieces over the years) any of these long-distance trails, and that would not be a thru.

Yea, but once you've done a thru-hike, they all look like thru-hikes.

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

#113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Start out car camping. My progression was: 1. Avid day hiker (10-16 mile hikes every weekend, 5-8k ft gain) 2. Car camping in Ojai (near Los Angeles). Drive in, setup your tent, chill, sleep, leave next morning. 3. Backpacking around LA on the trails from step 1 4. Thru-hiked PCT 5. Mountaineering / alpine climbing Lots of people do the PCT with little hiking experience and are fine though. It's just walking, and the…

I made it through step 4; could you speak more to the fifth step in your progression and how you really been picking up those advanced skills?

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

#114
post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regarding "Bishop/Kearsarge passes are quite remote and rugged". I'm not sure what this means, but obviously everybody has their own personal database of experiences. The town of Bishop would be your base, and you can get there with public transportation from the airport in Reno, NV. Good stores if you need to replace equipment. The roads to the trailheads are paved - a normal passenger car can handle the roads. Only…

Remote = far to drive for essentially everyone (farther than Mammoth/Tahoe, even coming from Reno). Hitchhiking is not the best option to rely on. Once you’re in, you’re also the farther from help than anywhere else in the Sierra. Duck Pass and much of the Tahoe area has cell service. Rugged = safety traversing passes can require an ice axe and/or crampons (plus the skills to use them properly), depending on the cond…

Regarding remote - I live in Chicago. The nearest decent place to backpack is a 7 hour drive North, and it's nice, but it's the Midwest, not the mountains. For mountains, the last time I went backpacking in the Sierra, it took me about 24 hours and a taxi, an airplaine, a bus, another bus, an uber, and one more bus to get to the trailhead. That's why for me, getting to Bishop, not so bad.

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

#115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Remote = far to drive for essentially everyone (farther than Mammoth/Tahoe, even coming from Reno). Hitchhiking is not the best option to rely on. Once you’re in, you’re also the farther from help than anywhere else in the Sierra. Duck Pass and much of the Tahoe area has cell service. Rugged = safety traversing passes can require an ice axe and/or crampons (plus the skills to use them properly), depending on the cond…

12000 feet hike for beginners??! No. Not advisable at all. Also how you react to altitude is so variable person to person and has little to do with fitness that unless you really know your altitude performance you could find yourself really ill.

I do agree that the altitude must be taken seriously. I've gotten sick. That's why I did write to camp the night before near the trailhead, at 9,000/10,000, and to be okay with NOT going over the pass on day one. Maybe that's enough to acclimate, maybe not. If you feel terrible when you wake up for day one, don't hike, go into Bishop and get a steak at the Bowling Alley. If you feel terrible while hiking on day one, turnaround. But for most people, probably, with that one night's sleep at altitude the day before the hike and a slow first day, they will be okay.

We're talking pretty much about the same altitude situation as going to a ski resort in Colorado.

The thing is, I want even the beginner to experience spectacular mountain scenery so in the USA, that usually means hiking at 10,000, above the tree line.

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

#116

List of long-distance footpaths https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_long-distance_footpath... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_cross-country_... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-distance_trail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_long-distance_hiking_t... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-distance_trails_in_the_Un... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GR_footpath First, you think you have a neat idea, b…

And again some from Wikipedia in Europe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_long-distance_paths

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

#117
post #109

Surprised nobody mentioned alltrails.com, it is the gold standard of hiking route discovery. once you discover a hike, then go on caltopo to make a topographic map with waypoints, references, etc. print it out and you're good to go!

Love all trails thanks for the other tip.

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

#118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Start out car camping. My progression was: 1. Avid day hiker (10-16 mile hikes every weekend, 5-8k ft gain) 2. Car camping in Ojai (near Los Angeles). Drive in, setup your tent, chill, sleep, leave next morning. 3. Backpacking around LA on the trails from step 1 4. Thru-hiked PCT 5. Mountaineering / alpine climbing Lots of people do the PCT with little hiking experience and are fine though. It's just walking, and the…

I made it through step 4; could you speak more to the fifth step in your progression and how you really been picking up those advanced skills?

Start rock climbing, take an intro to mountaineering course with a guiding service (lots of them in WA, OR, CA), or find someone to introduce you to it.

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

#119

These are mostly so long they cant be done in just one hike. Maybe the one in Iceland is doable if you are not afraid of the dark.

A thru hike implies long distance and camping. Like the Appalachian trail takes about 6 months.

Okay, I wasn't familiar with the term. English is not my first language.
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