Since we have passed one of the important thru hiking milestones of 1000 miles it’s time to make a post about the distances that matter to us, and what our defenition of a thru hike is.
While this is personal for each hiker, we choose to see a thru thike as a 3000+ km hike, done in one go without using any other forms of transport other than hiking. Apart from that it needs to be done in a straight line, without skipping anything. (Zero hitch, zero skip, zero flip-flip in hiking terms)
This does not mean we do not go off trail; we do. But we choose to travel back to where we left trail and go on from there.
While doing so there are milestones that we pass.
Some are irrelevant, some are important (to us) here’s the explanation of a few that matter to us.
Every 250 km. Not because they (all) have special meaning, but to take a moment to reflect on how were going and how far we’ve come. A moment to mark the progression in this otherwise incomprehensible distance.
500 (and 1000) miles. A song played at our marriage in Switserland by The Proclaimers; I’m gonna be (500 miles) “I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more.”
I can tell you; we have! And while we have fit and active friends; we only know a few that actually have done so!😅
1600 km; (a tiny bit under 1000 miles) thats what we walked to our own marriage.
3000km; the official distance of the TA trail in New Zealand; our first thru hike.
One without an exact defenition yet but a big one; lets call it 3500km. Gps measurements in New Zealand made the trail about 3300 km and that is close to the halfway mark of the E8. So in Lord of the Rings style; if i take one more step, I’ll be as far from home as I have ever been.
Meaning; this is further than we have ever walked! And; going back is now further thus useless!
5000km; in some ways the biggest of them all.
5000km. Think of it. Way over 1000 hours of hiking, 220+ days of -whatever comes our way-; we will deal with it. Looking forward to joining this tiny club of hikers that did this
6000 km (trail bound); while we have no (Zero) intention to alter our plans whatsoever, when you are past a certain point, you become trail bound.
This means that nothing, absolutely nothing will stop you and or change your mind; we will reach our goal.
We are aware of the danger that comes with that an will deal with that when we have to.
And last but not least; the countdown.
Another 45 miles to go (72km), which is a Golden Earring song. Will definitely be played then!
And, may well be on the same day; 50km (till Bluff; Miss TF you know who you are; you absolute Beast)
By this time we are larger than life. We do not order off the menu; we are as strong as we will ever be and we will feel like we can run that last 50km and will if we have to.
I (Mark) will undoubtly play different songs than Jolanda. But they will all be euforic.
2km before our goal (the blue mosque in Istanbul) we’ll play -ik hou van bijna- by Acda en de Munnik- (I love almost) and we’ll take an hour to refuse finishing.