Hiking vs Trekking

Maybe you want to hike the Appalachian Trail, or do you want to trek it? How do the activities of hiking and trekking differ anyway, and where do they come together? Is there really any difference? You might consider it a trivial question, but it’s one worth wasting a few minutes quibbling over.

Trekking differs from hiking because it is a longer journey that can last weeks, months, and maybe even years while hiking is generally a leisurely day activity. Because of the length of activity, trekking usually involves trips to towns for resupplies. Hiking doesn’t require resupplies since it isn’t an overnight activity.

Wait, hold up … People “hike” the AT and PCT all the time! Well, this isn’t incorrect, but before elaborating let me define the terms.

What is hiking?

“Hike” is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a long walk especially for pleasure or exercise.” So, doesn’t an Appalachian Trail thru hike fit that description? It does indeed since “a long walk” isn’t defined by any specific length of time or distance. I don’t know about you, but a 2,000 plus mile walk falls into the category of “long walks” in my opinion.

What is trekking?

To “trek” is “to make one’s way arduously” or as “a trip … especially when involving difficulties or complex organization.” Simply put, a hard journey. So, when you think of a long distance thru-hike like the AT, PCT, or CDT, don’t you think that it also qualifies as a difficult journey requiring organization? Considering they take months of preparation and months to complete, I would say so. Not to mention the physical, mental, and emotional strain.

What is backpacking?

On a side note, let’s define backpacking as well, which is to travel with one’s belongings in a backpack. This definition is broader and covers everything from long distance thru-hikes to hopping around Europe, so I want to be more specific.

To me, backpacking is hiking and camping put together. If you go out for a hike with your backpack and intend to setup camp, stay the night and hike again the next day, that’s backpacking, at least for us hiking enthusiasts. Of course, that doesn’t mean that staying at hostels in place of camping is not backpacking, which I guess brings us back to the basic definition after all.

Hiking vs Trekking vs Backpacking – How do they come together?

So, how does hiking, trekking, and backpacking all come together? I’ll explain, but please note that these are my words and thoughts and are not meant to be taken as some sort of gospel.

If you are thru hiking a long-distance trail, then your overall journey will be considered your “trek”, or your long, arduous journey. The entire process of reaching your end goal is “trekking.”

During your trek, you are hiking almost daily and camping frequently, occasionally staying in town, using what supplies are in your backpack for comfort and survival. In other words, backpacking.

Hiking, camping, backpacking, hitching, fording, anything being done to advance your progress in your difficult journey is trekking, which is, again, the process of completing your trek.

And that’s it!

By now, you’re probably thinking, “Why would you spend time discussing this?” or maybe “What is the point?”

Honestly, there isn’t one. It really doesn’t make a difference. You can use either term however you want, regardless of what I said above. This post isn’t meant to be taken seriously, just my take on a question that has been asked time and again …

… plus, this is ridgeTREKker.com and its only appropriate for me to give some love to the term.