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→An Advise for Thru-Hikers
===An Advise for Thru-Hikers===
With the recently added extensions to the north (that extends the trail all the way to Santiago) and in the south (that stretches the trail all the way to edge of the Southern Icefield) the trail now spans about 3000 km in often difficult and slow terrain. With this extension the trail became too long to be safely thru-hiked in one season. An experienced thru-hiker may disagree as with 3000 km the trail is a bit shorter than the Appalachian Trail (AT) but the varried and unpredictable terrain makes this comparison inadequate.
I know, sooner or later someone will try to thru-hike the trail in one season and may even succeed if he is lucky with the weather. But attempting this, especially this early in the development of the trail and the support system along and around the trail, seems foolish. This focus will mean needing to rush and take less attractive short cuts. It inhibits slowing down to fully appreciate the land and share time with the people along the route. And more important: someone who tries to thru-hike the GPT in one season needs to take unreasonable risks by throwing himself in torrential rivers and climbing to high elevations when fierce blizzards can kill. And remember, when you walk on these trails you are a guest on the land of someone else. Just the idea of racing through strangers' backyards feels wrong for me.
===Understanding the Terrain===
