Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail: Examining Opportunities for Learning on a Continuous 2,185-Mile Self-Supported Hike Bahne Bahnson University of St
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University of St. Thomas, Minnesota UST Research Online Education Doctoral Dissertations in Leadership School of Education Spring 2015 Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail: Examining Opportunities for Learning on a Continuous 2,185-Mile Self-Supported Hike Bahne Bahnson University of St. Thomas, Minnesota, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.stthomas.edu/caps_ed_lead_docdiss Part of the Educational Leadership Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Educational Psychology Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Liberal Studies Commons, and the Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Commons Recommended Citation Bahnson, Bahne, "Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail: Examining Opportunities for Learning on a Continuous 2,185-Mile Self- Supported Hike" (2015). Education Doctoral Dissertations in Leadership. 61. https://ir.stthomas.edu/caps_ed_lead_docdiss/61 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Education at UST Research Online. It has been accepted for inclusion in Education Doctoral Dissertations in Leadership by an authorized administrator of UST Research Online. For more information, please contact [email protected]. iii Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail: Examining Opportunities for Learning on a Continuous 2,185-Mile Self-Supported Hike A DISSERTATION IS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA by Bahne Bahnson IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION April 2015 iv UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS, MINNESOTA Thru-Hiking the Appalachian Trail: Examining Opportunities for Learning on a Continuous 2,185-Mile Self-Supported Hike We certify that we have read this dissertation and approved it as adequate in scope and quality. We have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the final examining committee have been made. v Copyright © 2015 By Bahne Bahnson vi ABSTRACT This study explored transformational adult learning and thru-hiker culture on the Appalachian Trail, employing autoethnography as research methodology within the qualitative research tradition (Creswell, 2007). The researcher explored thru-hiker culture by hiking the complete Appalachian Trail for five months, involving a 2,185 mile journey experienced as a continuous “flip-flop” hike. The researcher began hiking northbound from Mount Greylock, Massachusetts on June 25, 2014. Mount Katahdin, Maine, the A.T. northern terminus was summited August 15, 2014. The southbound journey commenced August 20, 2014 from Mount Greylock and ended at the summit of Springer, Mountain, Georgia, the southern terminus November 22, 2014. Personal observations through daily blog posts and weekly newspaper articles were collected, and used to critically reflect on the experience, a process integral to transformational adult learning, and achieving an understanding of thru-hiker culture. Themes associated with the transformational learning included compassion, community, and simplicity. Theories used to analyze learning included Flow theory (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990), Hierarchy of Needs theory (Maslow, 1970), Ulysses Factor (Anderson, 1970), and Transformational Adult Learning theory (Brookfield, 1987, Mezirow, 1991). A description of thru-hiker culture revealed a unique hierarchy among participants, distinctive norms regarding social interaction, language, and concepts of self and others. The study illustrated the intimate relationship between the self as an independent actor and also member of a culture (Bruner, 1990). The study reveals A.T. thru- hiker culture through a description of the experience, knowledge gained from critical reflection on the experience, and the role of physical and psychological challenge on the emerging self. Keywords : autoethnography, thru-hike, transformational learning, Appalachian Trail vii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................x DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER 1—INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................1 Problem Statement, Purpose and Significance .............................................................................3 Research Question and Significance ............................................................................................6 Overview of the Chapters .............................................................................................................6 Researcher Assumptions ..............................................................................................................7 Definition of Terms ......................................................................................................................8 CHAPTER 2—REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .....................................................................10 Culture Development ................................................................................................................10 Physical Challenge and Adventure ............................................................................................13 Psychological Challenge and Change ........................................................................................17 Solitude and Simplicity ..............................................................................................................20 Summary and Gap in the Literature ...........................................................................................23 Analytical Theories ....................................................................................................................24 Flow Theory ...........................................................................................................................26 Hierarchy of Needs Theory ....................................................................................................28 Ulysses Factor ........................................................................................................................29 Transformational Adult Learning Theory ..............................................................................30 CHAPTER 3—METHODOLOGY ...............................................................................................33 Qualitative Research ..................................................................................................................33 Autoethnography Methodology .................................................................................................36 Institutional Review Board .........................................................................................................38 Preparations for the A.T. Hike ...................................................................................................38 Data Collection ...........................................................................................................................39 Data Analysis .............................................................................................................................40 Limitations .................................................................................................................................43 viii Research Quality and Ethical Considerations ............................................................................44 Summary ....................................................................................................................................45 CHAPTER 4—DATA ANALYSIS .............................................................................................47 Starting the Journey: The Particulars .........................................................................................47 Mileage ...................................................................................................................................47 Equipment...............................................................................................................................47 Camping .................................................................................................................................48 Food ........................................................................................................................................50 Hiker Direction .......................................................................................................................50 Purpose ...................................................................................................................................51 The Journey through Vermont ...................................................................................................56 New Hampshire ..........................................................................................................................68 Maine ..........................................................................................................................................83