What is Thru-Hiking?

Hiking comes in a lot of forms, and on any trail you will see different people hiking it, in various ways. Thru-Hiking is a unique way that gives a lot in return, and is addicting, hard, and intensely rewarding.

Learn why I and many others fall in love with it, and long for the trail whenever we get back.

No interruption

Thru-Hiking means that you start and finish a long distance hiking trail in one go. This means that you don’t go off trail for a couple of months to return later, or hike sections of a trail, but that you see it through (hence the “thru”) in one unbroken chain.

Hiking that most people will do on long distance trails is to go with public transport or another mode of transport to a section of the trail, hike that particular section, and go back in the evening. To continue another time. This is great, but will never give you that same rollercoaster that a thru hike can.

Clear Goal

Perhaps never in your life will a long term goal be as simple as, walk this way from point a to b. Thru-Hiking gives you a sense of purpose, which also inspired my domain name, HikeforPurpose.com, to set out and achieve.

Other than that, you have to eat, drink, sleep, and walk. And you will focus heavily on those topics. After reaching your goal, or the finish line of the thru hike, that goal is reached.

Where can you Thru-hike?

Thru-hiking is often in the media, and most will think and see the big three trails in the United States. The Appalachian trail being the most popular.

In my opinion, these three trails are not the only place where thru hiking can happen. You can find long distance hiking trails all over the world. Do you have the exact same experience everywhere? No, but you can have equal or even better experience thru hiking a trail that’s in your own country, the UK, Spain, and so forth.

If the wild camping and nature aspect of thru hiking is most appealing to you, pick a country and hike that lets you do this, Scotland (West Highland Way) for example, and the Nordic countries (Kungsleden) let you wild camp within reason.

Take a look at my separate article I wrote about Thru hiking in Europe for more information.

Carrying everything you need

Thru hiking also means in most instances to carry everything you will need on your back, most times this will involve shelter (tent), everything you need to stay warm and dry, what you need to cook and eat with, and to successfully hike the trail.

In some cases Thru-Hiking comes with a bit more luxury, on the Camino de Santiago for example you will sleep in albergues or hostels. And there is not much roughing it involved outside of the daily business of walking.

Oftentimes, to cut down on costs and make it possible, you sleep in your tent, and bring everything you need to in on your back.

Outside of the Camino de Santiago, sleeping in hostels, B&B’s, or hotels, the cost would be astronomical and for many unaffordable. That’s why sleeping in tents along the trail to wild camp, or to sleep in more affordable campsites, is often the only option to make thru-hiking possible.

Everything tastes better

If you ever did some manual labor, you will know that a ice cold drink of choice will hit just a bit differently then when sitting behind a computer all day. This effect I always notice the most when on thru-hiking trips, and a simple package of instant noodles hitting a lot differently on trail than off trail.

When you get the chance on a thru hike to enjoy a cold beer, a proper greasy burger, or something else close to your heart, after a week of thru-hiking this will get some moans and groans that you were not expecting.

Hence why “Hiker hunger” often gets talked about, food not only tastes better, you also have the feeling you could eat a whole horse and still be hungry.

You can’t imagine not finishing | skipping | leaving

In my experience this took some time and different hikes to really set in, with my earlier hikes being interrupted by inexperience, injury, or just wanting to visit some other places in between.

During my Hadrian’s wall hike for example in 2018, my sister was in the same time in London, so I went during the hike off trail to spend a couple days in London, and then returning to where I left off.

So in that case I did not thru-hike the Hadrian’s wall path, which looking back on it, I regret.

Whenever possible, commit to the thru-hike, and do not interrupt it. This feeling and thought process is difficult to explain, and needs to be experienced to get. In my case, this also needed a couple hikes to really sink in.

Meeting fellow thru-hikers

Are you going to meet your future partner on a thru hike? Probably not, I did however meet my wife on the Camino Portuguese.

There will be places or sections on a hike which will put you more into contact with other thru hikers, this is especially true when hiking more popular trials. Oftentimes these people will be off similar mind, or will go through certain situations that put them there. And therefore chatting with, sharing a meal, or campsite, will put you into contact.

This is something I really enjoy, and some of the interactions will lead to friendship, more, or simply a nice evening sharing a camp spot before parting ways never to meet again.

Downsides of Thru-hiking

Thru hiking is a challenge in almost any case, and is not a stroll through the park, you will get battered and beaten, and when arriving home you get to deal with real life again. Which is always fun.

Below are some of the downsides of Thru-hiking that I could come up with:

Thru-hikers can be quite snobby

Nobody is perfect, and for some reason snobbery is really a thing when thru-hiking.

The last 100 kilometers to Santiago led me to think more on the subject, since this is what you, at the minimum, need to walk to receive your Compostella. And therefore the busiest.

In that particular case I walked the traditional French way, starting in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. And already had ~650 kilometers behind me when encountering the 100 kilometer crowds. I started referring to these hikers as “shinies”, inspired by the show Star Wars The Clone Wars, as all their gear was shiny and new. And we were bearded, grimy, sun baked, soaked, and calloused by that point.

The original Camino de Santiago starts however at your front door, and we met a couple of pilgrims that have done just that. Hiking all the way from Germany, Poland, or Switzerland.

Moral of the story is, that there are always more “Thru” Thru hikers than you. That hiked longer, faster, or with a heavier backpack. And letting go of this mindset and just enjoying your hike, and letting other hikers that do it a bit differently be.

Hike for yourself, and not to impress others.

Post Trail depression after a Thru hike

You will encounter this term a lot when researching about thru hiking, and in my experience this is really a thing you have to deal with when you get back. The longer you are out on trail, the harder this will hit.

Try to always plan some time after the hike for a couple of days to let everything sink in, you can find yourself at a loss for words when asked about the hike, and every hike you did you can probably write a book about on all the stuff that happened during it. You simply will not know where to start when trying to explain it. Show some pictures and tell a compressed version of it. The experiences are yours to keep, explaining it to others can prove difficult.

Taking a couple days to truly do nothing will help, and then picking up real life bit by bit again. If you have to get back to an office job afterwards, try to do some exercise on the side. Have some comfort food ready, spend time with friends and family. And take care of yourself.

Other than that, if you really go into a hole, do not hesitate to go to a trusted friend or professional.

Often requires more time and money

Thru hiking will require a commitment, and some of the trails will require weeks or months to thru-hike. Weeks should be alright to get a vacation for, but months will often require a sabbatical, or leave without pay. Which will put a financial strain on most.

If you really feel it from within that you need to do a longer thru hike, think it over twice, but there are always solutions or ways of making it work.

I ended up quitting my job once, that resulted in a series of thru hikes and hikes. But I was only able to do that because I could sell my place, store all my crap at my parents, and live frugally on the money I saved from working full time for years. My savings were gone at the end of that, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Pushing yourself to hard

When in the zone, you can push yourself to hard on thru hikes, always be aware of what your body can handle. Which in my case has always been way more than I initially thought. A good night’s sleep can cure a lot that ails you, and therefore getting that proper night’s sleep is so important. A good sleeping bag, mat, and carrying a pillow can make all the difference. Dial in your sleep system to achieve this before setting out.

Blisters will come at some point, and learning how to deal with them can make or break a hike. I like to deal with them in a rather blunt way. Where others put plasters on, try to cover them up, or try to baby them. I either put a needle with a string through, or cut away the “bubble” of skin, disinfect, and slap some vaseline on them, and try to dry them out as fast as possible. After the first kilometer they will stop aching as much.

Is Thru hiking worth it?

Yes, Thru hiking is worth it, but it’s not for everybody. Sometimes you will ask yourself if this is really what you wanted to do in your free time on trail, but you know your just saying that to be funny. Once you get that itch, it’s all you will want to be doing.

You realise you really don’t need much to be happy.

Happily sitting in the dirt, grimy, sweaty, and enjoying that filtered water that still tastes a bit like sheep’s urine, surrounded by the highlands in Scotland. Or crawled into your sleeping bag next to your wife you met by chance, watching an Andor episode on your small phone screen after a brutal day on the South Downs Way.

And think, man, this is as good as it gets.

Herein also lies the danger in falling in love with thru hiking, the option to say “f*ck it” and grab your rucksack will always be in the back of your mind. And that is not always good when dealing with adult problems, like a mortgage, family, relationships, or work.

Happy hiking and Hike for Purpose!