[BULK] - [pct-l] Alpine Style Thru-Hiking?

[saskiadaru at xs4all.nl (Saskia Daru)]

The reference to European hiking caught my eye...

Hmmm, camping in a tent is not so much frowned upon in general. It is seen
as a high-impact activity in crowded areas in the Alps. In the valleys there
are plenty of campings and outside of heavily used routes it is done all the
time. 

Also, if you set up camp after 19:00 or 20:00, it is not seen as camping but
as bivouacking, which is permitted almost everywhere.

In the most literal sense of the word, Alpine hiking might be interpreted as
hut-to-hut. In Norway camping is allowed and popular everywhere (as long as
it is a few hundred yards from any building), even when there are huts. In
the Pyrenees there are huts and in the national park you are not allowed to
camp, but you are allowed to 'bivouack' and it is not a problem to camp
close to a hut and use its facilities.

It's always interesting to me how non-Europeans view European hiking.

Saskia

> From: "Mike Saenz" <msaenz@mve-architects.com>
> Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2005 15:22:01 -0800
> To: "Alan Julliard" <atjulliard@yahoo.com>, <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
> Subject: RE: [BULK] - [pct-l] Alpine Style Thru-Hiking?
> 
> "Alpine" usually refers to the ecology zone above 10,000' or timberline. Hence
> the origins of Oilcan's favorite saying: "We'll be having a fine time Alpine!"
> Or,
> "Alpine" refers to all things associated to the Alps range in Europe.
> 
> Which brings up a curious observation: In Europe, tent camping is frowned
> upon. An elaborate system of hiker huts has been developed over the ages to
> allow hikers to hike a day, then sleep overnight in these "hut" accommodations
> (some are rather lux in their offering of lodging and dining).
> So, if "Alpine Style" means long distance hiking with no support sources, then
> that is diametrically opposed to the hiking philosophy of Europe, which the
> Alps are a premier range to hike in.
> 
> -Oilcan
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