[pct-l] Thru hike question

[Eric Lee]

Philip wrote:
>
Does it still count as a thru hike if I get off for two weeks to take my
troop to philmont?
>

No one's "counting".  Ignore anyone who tries to score your thru-hike.  The
only question that matters is, does it count in your own mind?

That said, the most common definition of a thru-hike goes something like,
"Walked from one terminus of the trail to the other in one hiking season
without skipping any significant sections that were open and hikable at the
time."  There will be people who will debate, argue, and start religious
wars over almost every word in that definition so take it for what it's
worth.  :-)

Some people feel very strongly about hiking every inch of the official trail
while others say it's sufficient to get yourself from Mexico to Canada via
foot power, taking alternate routes as desired.  Most people don't have a
problem with doing sections out of order (flip-flopping) as long as they get
done.  Everyone takes zero days, everyone has to hitch out to town every
once in a while, and it's not uncommon for people to have to leave the trail
temporarily for normal-world obligations.

Eric