{"id":43894,"date":"2019-02-15T07:00:49","date_gmt":"2019-02-15T15:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=43894"},"modified":"2020-09-04T10:10:17","modified_gmt":"2020-09-04T17:10:17","slug":"would-you-create-your-own-thru-hike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/would-you-create-your-own-thru-hike","title":{"rendered":"Would You Create Your Own Thru-Hike?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Minutes after beginning the descent into an 800-foot canyon that’s home to Big Jacks Creek, a piercing rattle forced Jason \u201cRas\u201d Vaughan to freeze. He could see the snake curled between rocks only a few feet ahead. Up on the ridge his wife, Kathy Vaughan, was waiting to find out if there was a safe way down to the river\u2014this was the only water source around for 22 miles. Surrounding Ras was only more scree, so he yielded to the rattler, opting to find another way as a thunderstorm approached.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an intense moment, but in moments like that, you\u2019re so alive,\u201d <\/strong>says Ras, a 47-year-old who lives with Kathy, 52, on Whidbey Island near Seattle. \u201c<\/strong>The sage smelled incredible. There were lightning flashes that were blinding us.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was only 53 miles into their trip that they have dubbed the UltraPedestrian (UP) North Loop\u2014a 2,634-mile circuit that strings together the Pacific Crest, Pacific Northwest, Idaho Centennial and Oregon Desert trails. The stretch with Big Jacks Creek wasn\u2019t a trail at all, but a route through the backcountry that the Vaughans charted to link the Idaho Centennial Trail<\/a> with the Oregon Desert Trail<\/a>. That meant bushwhacking through sagebrush, navigating with a GPS or map and occasionally tackling surprise terrain features on the fly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact is, no matter how well you plan this out, things are not going to go according to plan,\u201d Ras says. \u201cBeing able to improvise solutions when that happens is the main skill set that you need to do something like the UP North Loop.\u201d<\/p>\n

After enduring the storm that night, Ras and Kathy found a safe route to Big Jacks Creek, then continued on to Oregon. The duo completed the loop on November 5, 2018, after starting on May 14, and were the first to hike the trail. These sorts of trips are becoming increasingly common as the U.S.\u2019s established long trails become overcrowded, Kathy says, adding that some long-distance hikers are looking for another challenge\u2014and some solitude.<\/p>\n

\"Thru

Kathy, Pacific Crest Trail, Oregon. Photo Credit: Ras Vaughan for UltraPedestrian.com<\/p><\/div>\n

What is a new route?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

While trails are existing pathways, typically mapped, blazed and easy to follow, routes are unmarked and undefined. \u201cA route, you have to do all of that homework yourself,\u201d says Renee Patrick, the Oregon Desert Trail coordinator with the Oregon Natural Desert Association<\/a> who mapped out portions of the UP North Loop for the Vaughans. \u201cYou have to be aware of where am I now on the map, where am I going, what makes sense between my point and my destination. You look at the terrain and you see what\u2019s the path of least resistance in the terrain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patrick says that for those with navigation skills and an extensive backcountry r\u00e9sum\u00e9\u2014backpacking or hunting\u2014creating a thru-hike can be a rewarding experience. Plus, it\u2019s an opportunity to get away from the crowds and test one\u2019s limits in a different way than an established long trail.<\/p>\n

Identify a route<\/strong><\/h4>\n

After looking at a map of the U.S.\u2019s long trails, the Vaughans noticed existing ones that could be strung together\u2014which morphed into the UP North Loop. That\u2019s where they recommend starting to plan for a new route: search for pathways that may intersect. On established trails, most of the planning involves typical thru-hiking preparation, like searching guidebooks or the internet to identify water sources and resupply points. It takes even more planning to connect routes between trails.<\/p>\n

With an expanse of backcountry to dissect, the Vaughans used Google Earth to identify terrain features and water sources, and then apps like CalTopo<\/a> or Gaia GPS<\/a> to route potential paths. Further reconnaissance included reaching out to people, like Patrick, who are familiar with a region\u2019s terrain. The Vaughans also talked to as many locals as possible throughout their trek. \u201cThey were a huge resource,\u201d Kathy says. \u201cThey gave us so much information about trails that we could take or ways we could walk to our next destination.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to know who owns the land the route will trace through, says Andrew Skurka<\/a>, who has thousands of miles of route hiking under his belt from journeys like the Great Western Loop<\/a> that covers almost 7,000 miles across the western U.S. Public land is the obvious first choice. He says this is where navigation apps, like those above, that show land ownership come in handy. But at times Skurka says there\u2019s no viable pathway using public property, leaving a road as the only legal, public option.<\/p>\n

In a pinch, private property can offer a path forward, Skurka says. \u201cI remember being in a town in eastern Montana called Winnifred,\u201d he says. \u201cI needed to get across private property to get to my next town. There was no public land access. So, the guys in Winnifred knew the landowner. And I called up to ask the landowner for access and the guy said, \u2018Sure, no problem.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Find water and resupply points<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Water is a huge concern when route planning and most sources you\u2019ll have to find yourself. In arid areas, Patrick says, hikers must get creative to find water. \u201cThat\u2019s where I actually found Google Earth was incredibly helpful,\u201d Patrick says. \u201cI was even able to see individual cows on the satellite imagery. You can trace a cow path and the cows almost always go to water.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even if you find a promising watering hole, there’s no certainty that water will be available year-round. So, Patrick says to carry more water than you think you\u2019ll need, especially in dry regions.<\/p>\n

When it comes to resupplies, the Vaughans had to hitchhike or road walk into small towns, often in remote areas where locals weren\u2019t accustomed to catering to thru-hikers. That meant there were few serendipitous ice chests full of food and soda left by compassionate strangers like you\u2019ll find trailside on the Appalachian Trail, called trail magic, or businesses offering discounts to hikers. They mailed food ahead, around 150 to 200 miles apart. \u201cOnce we were actually on the route, we fattened that up by buying additional supplies in towns and we went to a number of trail towns we had not planned on visiting simply because we wanted a little taste of civilization,\u201d Ras says.<\/p>\n

\"Two

Kathy and Ras, abandoned road east of Boise, Idaho. Photo Credit: Ras Vaughan for UltraPedestrian.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Know how to read a map<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Vaughans navigated mostly with their phones using GPS apps that had the route planned out, often with overlays containing topographic features and delineating public land. \u201cWe do like having a standalone GPS that\u2019s separate from our phones, separate from anything else,\u201d Ras says. \u201cSo that energy and the batteries in that are specifically allocated to navigation.\u201d<\/p>\n

But cell service can be spotty in remote areas, and GPS batteries can die unexpectedly. That makes a topographic paper map an invaluable resource, alongside a compass and altimeter for mountainous terrain. \u201cYou need to be able to figure out what the ridges mean, whether it\u2019s showing you a canyon or a mountain ridge,\u201d Ras says. \u201cAnd to be able to look at the real world in front of you and see those features and connect them to the map in your hand, whether it\u2019s a paper map or it\u2019s on your phone.\u201d<\/p>\n

For those who have never used a topo map before, Ras says there\u2019s no better practice than practicing in the backcountry\u2014keep close to home and bring a GPS to keep you oriented. \u201cYou\u2019d be surprised at how quick your learning curve can be under those circumstances,\u201d he says. \u201cEspecially if you do something like climb a 2,500-foot ridge that you don\u2019t need to climb.\u201d<\/p>\n

Be prepared<\/strong><\/h4>\n

First-aid knowledge, as well as a solid kit to help with minor scrapes and injuries, is a great resource. Kathy recommends Wilderness Medicine Courses<\/a> as the best tool against a life-threatening situation. Not only will a certification give you resources to navigate a medical issue in the backcountry, but it will provide insight into preventative measures like not getting too sweaty when trekking through the cold. \u201cWe did a lot of night hiking so that we could move efficiently through the desert when it was cooler,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Ras says although the challenges of route hiking are plenty, it\u2019s never been easier to explore the nation\u2019s natural wonders off-trail. \u201cThere are so many amazing things left to be done and all these new technologies now make it possible in a way that it wasn\u2019t even a few years ago,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a pretty amazing time to be a long-distance hiker … there are almost endless possibilities out there.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Minutes after beginning the descent into an 800-foot canyon that’s home to Big Jacks Creek, a piercing rattle forced Jason \u201cRas\u201d Vaughan to freeze. He could see the snake curled between rocks only a few feet ahead. Up on the ridge his wife, Kathy Vaughan, was waiting to find out if there was a safe […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":43895,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[387],"tags":[588,707,727],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-43894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hike","tag-camping","tag-hiking","tag-latest-posts"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/hike\/would-you-create-your-own-thru-hike","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Would You Create Your Own Thru-Hike?","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/would-you-create-your-own-thru-hike","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/would-you-create-your-own-thru-hike"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/02\/Kathy-Alvord-Playa-Oregon-photo-by-Ras-Vaughan-for-UltraPedestrian.com_.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/02\/Kathy-Alvord-Playa-Oregon-photo-by-Ras-Vaughan-for-UltraPedestrian.com_.jpg?fit=5472%2C3648"},"articleSection":"Hike","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aer Parris-Hoshour"}],"creator":["Aer Parris-Hoshour"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["camping","hiking","latest posts"],"dateCreated":"2019-02-15T15:00:49Z","datePublished":"2019-02-15T15:00:49Z","dateModified":"2020-09-04T17:10:17Z"},"rendered":"