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The bureaucracy of hiking Hungary's Blue Trail

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Re: The bureaucracy of hiking Hungary's Blue Trail

#11

Post by stickfigure »

lacker wrote: post #6

I hiked 30 miles over 3 days once and it was an epic adventure, leaving me exhausted. It's hard for me to even imagine what a 700 mile trip like this on foot is like! And the PCT is almost four times longer....

I hiked the Camino de Santiago about ten years ago, taking ~6 weeks to do 600 miles. Exhaustion really isn't the issue, you reach a steady state. The bigger risk is repetitive stress injury - I came back with a numb spot on my hip that took a few years to go away. I also came back married, but that one hasn't gone away.

Re: The bureaucracy of hiking Hungary's Blue Trail

#12

Post by sizzzzlerz »

oh_sigh wrote: post #9
sizzzzlerz wrote: post #4

And here I thought the goal of hiking a long trail was pride of achievement when you get when you finish it. Silly me.

Have you hiked a long trail before? I did the Camino de Santiago, starting at Vezelay, and I am not a sentimental person, but I very much cherish my stamp book. It elicits very different memories from me compared to when I look back at pictures I took, or read my diary from that time.

Why yes. Yes, I have. The John Muir trail in California. Three weeks, 213 miles, 47,000 feet of elevation gain, and all I got was a lifetime of memories.

Re: The bureaucracy of hiking Hungary's Blue Trail

#13

Post by donw »

skhr0680 wrote: post #10
dustintrex wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Stamp rallies" in Japan are so common that they invented their own pseudo-English word for them. The OG is the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, which requires you to collect stamps from 88 different temples, preferably by walking 1200 km: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikoku_Pilgrimage Although there's no prize or verifying authority for completion.

> Although there's no prize or verifying authority for completion There’s only one way to restore your honor if you cheat on a stamp rally!

Ah, yes, the ancient ritual of Stamppuku.

Re: The bureaucracy of hiking Hungary's Blue Trail

#15

Post by paganel »

There is no stamp system but relatively recently some cool people in Romania have also launched a hiking trail that I found quite interesting, Via Transilvanica. The guide can be downloaded from here [1] and the trail in its entirety looks something like this: [2]. I highly recommend it for those who are into hiking/long walking and who are in this general area.

[1] https://www.viatransilvanica.com/ghid

[2] https://www.mesagerulhunedorean.ro/wp-content/uploads/2019/0...

Re: The bureaucracy of hiking Hungary's Blue Trail

#16

Post by raducu »

stickfigure wrote: post #11
lacker wrote: post #6

I hiked 30 miles over 3 days once and it was an epic adventure, leaving me exhausted. It's hard for me to even imagine what a 700 mile trip like this on foot is like! And the PCT is almost four times longer....

I hiked the Camino de Santiago about ten years ago, taking ~6 weeks to do 600 miles. Exhaustion really isn't the issue, you reach a steady state. The bigger risk is repetitive stress injury - I came back with a numb spot on my hip that took a few years to go away. I also came back married, but that one hasn't gone away.

> I also came back married

That's indeed a sore spot that doesn't go away :)

Re: The bureaucracy of hiking Hungary's Blue Trail

#17

Post by Wolandp »

As someone who actually hiked that trail: I think the author is just missing the point: yes the whole system could be improved, that´s correct, but that´s not IMPORTANT! Collecting the stamps is just to motivate people, give them a feeling of accomplishment. You can opt for not getting a single stamp, but collecting them is just part of a tradition, which has it´s roots way back before the socialist era. Also note: this is whole thing is jut run by a bunch of volunteers in their free time, and they for sure spend their own money to do so. BR W

Re: The bureaucracy of hiking Hungary's Blue Trail

#18

Post by WolanPe »

As someone who actually hiked that trail: I think the author is just missing the point: yes the whole system could be improved, that´s correct, but that´s not IMPORTANT! Collecting the stamps is just to motivate people, give them a feeling of accomplishment. You can opt for not getting a single stamp, but collecting them is just part of a tradition, which has it´s roots way back before the socialist era. Also note: this is whole thing is jut run by a bunch of volunteers in their free time, and they for sure spend their own money to do so. BR W

Re: The bureaucracy of hiking Hungary's Blue Trail

#19

Post by NoPie »

sizzzzlerz wrote: post #4

And here I thought the goal of hiking a long trail was pride of achievement when you get when you finish it. Silly me.

Maybe that is something about European psyche that worships bureaucracy as the highest human achievement.

I am more into the camp which likes hiking for the sake of it instead of recognition by some regulatory body.

Camino de Santiago has a stamp system but it is mostly for the purpose of getting free lodging and meals on the way. People can cheat but those people probably are not interested in those simple accommodations anyway.

Re: The bureaucracy of hiking Hungary's Blue Trail

#20

Post by bbotond »

WolanPe wrote: post #18

As someone who actually hiked that trail: I think the author is just missing the point: yes the whole system could be improved, that´s correct, but that´s not IMPORTANT! Collecting the stamps is just to motivate people, give them a feeling of accomplishment. You can opt for not getting a single stamp, but collecting them is just part of a tradition, which has it´s roots way back before the socialist era. Also note: t…

Agreed. Each stamp print is a small reward and seeing more and more of the beautifully designed prints appear in your booklet feels great. I started hiking the trail in 2019 with my dog - we both have separate collection booklets - and I hope when we finally complete the trail, he too can get his own badge.
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