Take a Hike

I don’t buy “hiking”. When did taking a walk become hiking?

What defines a hike over a walk? Is it equipment…special shoes or a backpack?

People say, “There is great hiking at blab bla.”

As long as there is gravity then you can walk or hike…..as long as you have feet.

I’ve been walking 3 miles a day in the spiraling parking deck beside my office. There are no vistas, just cold gray concrete and I enjoy the hike. It is great hiking I must say and there is a Marriott Hotel next door for you out of towners that enjoy a great hike want to join me.

There are difficult walks and easy walks. I suppose the same can be said for hiking.


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3 comments:

Ken said...

To me, a member of the Four Thousand Footer Club in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, a hike is anything with an elevation climb of 200 feet or more. Anything less than that I could call a walk.

Phfrankie Bondo said...

I thought a hike was a small poem with three lines.

Michael said...

I think its a matter of semantics.

For me, this concise definition sums it up well, "Trekking suggests many days on the trail - you should feel a part of the scenery, a hike is a day away from a basecamp, and walking is just a good way of getting around urban areas." Other people have other definitions, and it varies by locale.

Wikipedia does a good job of describing the various English-language terms:

"In the United States and United Kingdom, hiking refers to walking outdoors on a trail for recreational purposes. A day hike refers to a hike that can be completed in a single day, but not requiring an overnight camp. Multi-day hikes with camping is referred to as backpacking. In the United Kingdom hiking is usually called rambling, which resulted in the hiking organization named Ramblers. Bushwhacking specifically refers to difficult walking through dense forest, undergrowth, or bushes, where forward progress requires pushing vegetation aside. In extreme cases of bushwhacking where the vegetation is so dense that human passage is impeded, a machete is used to clear a pathway. Australians use the term bushwalking for both on- and off-trail hiking. New Zealanders use tramping (particularly for overnight and longer trips), walking or bushwalking. Multi-day hiking in the mountainous regions of India, Nepal, North America, South America, and in the highlands of East Africa is also called trekking; the Dutch refer to trekking also. Hiking a long-distance trail from end-to-end is also referred to as trekking and as thru-hiking in some places."

Others have discussed the differences as well:
Hit the Trail - How to Hike
Hiking is Off-Road Walking
Hiking 101 - The Basics

I think the same thing could be asked of diving. Isn't it just swimming, underwater?