I agree, Daisy. I wrote, in another thread, about a trip to Grayson Highlands in December that we bailed out of halfway through. Two of us were recreational hikers, and two had thruhiked the AT. Because of the trail conditions, we recreational hikers were outside our comfort zone (thus the bailout), but I got a good chance to see the thruhiker "mentality" (for want of a more accurate word) in action. It left me in total awe of what they do; they faced obstacles routinely, and overcame them with originality, improvisation, and acceptance ("the trail is what it is.") And, when they realized we were in over our heads, they never once complained about us forcing them to cut the trip short.

They do have a different take on the trails than we recreational types have; they have different experiences. Their style, their attitudes, and their experiences are very different from ours - but no more or less valid or meaningful.

As I said, I stand in awe of what they do - and have no desire to duplicate it.