In the modern day, the terms hiking and trekking have taken on slightly – emphasis on ‘slightly’ – different meanings. Trekking: “to go on a long arduous journey, typically on foot”. Hiking is generally easy to moderately paced activity, whereas trekking is more vigorous and done with a purpose to achieve something or to reach somewhere.
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Want to be well-prepared for your next trek? The definition of trekking is going on a long demanding journey, typically by foot. As a result of the time spent on the trail, in terms of location, treks tend to go to places that are a lot less accessible than hikes. the Camino de Santiago or Japan’s Kumano Kodo or the trek around Mt Kailash in Tibet China.
Whereas the definition of hiking includes the word “walk”, something typically seen as jovial, easy and pleasant, trekking is defined as a “journey”, which is typically something that is more challenging, requires more effort and that tends to take more than one day.
The likes of the Annapurna Circuit, the trek to Everest Base Camp or an ascent to Ciudad Perdida, the Lost City in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta jungle out in Colombia. By and large, if someone is doing a multi-day hike far from home, on the other side of the world, they’re much more likely to call it a trek, whereas they may call a similar trek in their home country a hike. Hiking vs trekking – it all depends on where you come from, what you’re doing and where you’re going.
It changes from person to person, and even from company to company. Requires some equipments i.e. “to go on a long arduous journey, typically on foot”. The more you do, the more your overall strength and fitness improves.
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You can call it what you like but this is how we see it. Often this involves the option to have porters to carry overnight gear while …
Indeed, hiking is a nature walk that can be strenuous or take place in a difficult environment, but … Trekking is the act of making a long journey across difficult country on foot, usually for pleasure. A man on the famous Tour du Mont Blanc near Chamonix. Here’s how the dictionary looks at the different meanings between hiking and trekking: So, as far as the dictionary is concerned, there is little difference when it comes to hiking vs trekking. Looking out over the views of Lysefjorden after a hike near Preikstolen. camping gears, first aid kit, survival kits etc.
Multi-day hiking. Inspired?
We’ll also touch on those, so you never need be confused again (about the difference between hiking and trekking that is, you’ll probably still be confused about something else at some point in your life. Now get started on your adventure or check out our guide to trekking for beginners. Each State or Territory in Australia maintains it’s own trails and there is a great variety of climates and landscapes to choose from. the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail. Hiking refers to going on a long walk, especially for pleasure or exercise while trekking refers to making a long journey across a difficult country on foot, usually for pleasure. Unlike hiking, trekking is done on a variety of terrains, not only in nature. Hiking in New Zealand. A term more commonly used in the USA.
However, there are some different connotations attached to each term. Is there even a difference between hiking and trekking? Photo: iStock. Or are they both the same thing?
Although rather vague, this definition is pretty accurate. And maps versus… umm… some other maps? For a simple hike, good hiking shoes (preferably water proof), weather-appropriate clothing (hat, sunscreen, waterproof jacket), a trail map, compass, sunscreen, water, food and basic medical kit can be carried. Both hikes and treks can involve all sorts of terrain though, and the whole point of either tends to be that you get out into great natural beauty. That said, hikes may also be multi-day. As reported by the Dictionary.com, trekking is a verb for “to travel or migrate, especially slowly or with difficulty”.
Is hiking vs trekking an age old rivalry, like England vs Scotland and maps vs GPS tracking systems?