Great post CamelMan!

As a personal experience, I understand high milage "thru-hiking", and I believe I get much (if not all) of what you're getting out of your experience.

I don't do trails much, it's bushwhacking that I really enjoy, and I don't ever really count miles as a necessary part of the experience.

I just can't think that this preference gives me any real advantages over those that thru-hike, or climb, or even ride horses on a trail. It's just a personal preference, and I believe the benefits you point out can be had by any of these means.

But in my experience, thru-hikers often (not always) use the number of miles they hike as a stick to beat down others so they can feel taller. What bothers me most about this, I suppose, is that it discourages others from hiking by making them feel incompetent when really, as others here have said before, "It's just walking".

I did my firt 25 mile hike when I was 12 years old. It was a "March of Dimes Walk-a-Thon". I did that each year until I was 14 years old, then I did a 23 mile hike in the Sequoia National Forest for several consecutive years in the summer.

So, when I was 14 years old I easily hiked over 100 miles between Late Spring and Mid-Summer, probably closer to 150 miles. And honestly, this is the first time I ever even tried to count them. I have no clue how many miles I've hiked since then, not even the slightest clue. But I know I have loved every moment I have spent on my wanderings.

For years I worked with people in wheelchairs. Most all of them knew I spent as much time as possible hiking around. Over the years I took quite a few of them hiking with me. Malibu Creek State Park was one of my favorite places to take them and these little hikes often opened up doors they thought were closed to them forever.

The great outdoors can be enjoyed by most everyone. That's what I want to impart when I discuss the sport. I believe you do that with your post.

Bill