'Hike your own hike': equipment and serious leisure along the Appalachian Trail

• Published in: Leisure studies Vol. 31; no. 4; pp. 465 - 486
• Main Authors: Littlefield, Jon, Siudzinski, Robert A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Colchester Routledge 01.10.2012; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: community of practice; Consciousness; hikers; Knowledge; Leisure; Qualitative Methods; ready-to-hand; serious leisure; social learning; Sociology; Sociology of knowledge and sociology of culture; Sociology of leisure and mass culture; Leisure activity; Equipment; Qualitative study; Social Learning
• ISSN: 0261-4367; 1466-4496
• DOI: 10.1080/02614367.2011.610111

We use qualitative methods to extend the understanding of serious leisure among hikers, specifically by examining the processes of acquiring and adapting equipment during an Appalachian Trail (AT) thru-hike. By studying the process of preparing for and embarking on this 2000-mile long, 4-6 month hike, we examine how learning about equipment takes place in close physical and social proximity to other hikers. We find that as experience is gained, hikers use less equipment and adapt equipment they use to more closely meet their needs. Our results suggest that experienced thru-hikers use their knowledge and experience to substitute for equipment in a way that transcends their awareness of equipment.