It was nearing dusk on the second day of our through-hike of the Appalachian Trail when we finally reached the turn-off to Gooch Gap Shelter. The side trail was marked with blue blazes (rather than the white that identify the "official" trail) and in the morning we faced our first hiking dilemma. Did we continue along the blue-blazed trail which formed a loop with the Appalachian Trail or did we return to where we had left off to make sure we saw every white blaze on our way to Maine. We finally decided (with a bit of guilt) that it would be OK to continue the loop back to the trail.

On the otherhand, several nights later we spent the night with a couple at Georgia's Plumorchard Gap Shelter the night before we entered North Carolina. The fellow not only turned us on to trail names but informed us of a short cut that would cut off a big loop of trail at Standing Indian--the Kimsey Creek Trail. When we reached the juncture of the A.T. and the Kimsey Creek Trail, we stalled for a minute. It sure was tempting . . . we could cut off miles of trail . . . but we were determined to hike the entire Appalachian Trail (no shortcuts) and stayed true to our goal the remainder of our trip.

Before beginning a through-hike of the Appalachian and other long distance trails, it is important to make a decision concerning your hike. Just what is the goal you are pursuing? Is it to hike the entire trail you have chosen, or is it merely to spend several months backpacking? The reason you should ask yourself these questions is because opportunities will arise to cut off sections of the trail to make it shorter, easier, or to provide access to shelters and towns.

The term for taking these shortcuts is blue-blazing. The name comes from the fact that most of the trails you intersect on the Appalachian Trail are marked with blue blazes instead of the A.T.'s familiar white blazes. Hikers who stick to the white-blazed trail refer to themselves as purists because they are staying true to their goal of hiking the entire trail.

If you decide ahead of time how "pure" you want your hike to be, you will have less trouble later. We discovered that once hikers begin to blue-blaze it is harder not to do so again.

The Appalachian Trail Conference (ATC) does not take an official stand on blue-blazing. Most hikers consider it acceptable to take a loop trail to a shelter and come back to the white-blazed trail by the other side of the loop. This only cuts off one or two tenths of a mile, and is common practice.

An example of an extreme case of blue-blazing would be taking the Tuckerman Ravine trail down from Mt. Washington in New Hampshire to cut off the 12.9-mile hike across the Northern Presidential Range in less than 5 miles of downhill trail.

So you can see that making a distinction before you leave home will help you choose which trail to follow once you're hiking. When you complete the Appalachian Trail, for example, you can file a summary of your trip with the ATC and receive a certificate that states you've hiked the entire A.T. If you report to the ATC after your hike that you completed the trail, they will expect you to have hiked the entire current footpath. Obviously, it is on your conscience whether you have done so or not.

Blue-blazing may make certain days easier but does not overall increase the speed of your trip. The same day someone cut off the White's Presidentials by taking the Tuckerman Ravine trail to Pinkham Notch, my husband and I hiked the 12.9 miles and achieved the same goal. Perhaps they had a more physically pleasant hike and a shorter day but they missed the glory of those rocky peaks.

Whatever choice you make for yourself, remember that you are hiking for your own reasons and to meet your own goals. Allow others the same courtesy. It may be galling to know you saw every white blaze when others skip sections of trail and receive the same credit but you must realize that those who blue-blaze are not hiking your hike. Those that in your opinion are blue-blazing may be staying true to their own goals and therefore, just as "pure" as any other hiker. Don't view another's hiking style as wrong; it is only different. Hike your own hike and let them hike theirs.

This is an article, which originaly appeared in American Hiker. It was adapted from The Appalachian Trail Backpacker by Victoria and Frank Logue. Copyright 1989 Victoria and Frank Logue.

Who are these guys? | What have they done for us lately? | @Logue Bookstore | National Scenic Trails | The Appalachian Trail
Outdoor Links | Gear Links | Articles | Trail Recipes | The Outdoors Skills Quiz | Coloring Pages