Just wondering what the difference is between hiking and trekking? I always thought they were pretty much the same thing, with Americans calling it trekking and the British calling it hiking - basically backpacking on rough trails? And do either of them have an association with backpacking?
I always thought of it in these terms: Walking - a leisurely, gentle, low-level pursuit on well established paths for a few hours that anyone could undertake without much need for specialist equipment and something people of all ages and abilities can enjoy. Hiking - full-day, more intensive walks on pre-charted paths or trails with specific goals / distance in mind, and sometimes for multiple days with overnight camping / hostel / B&B stopovers. Trekking - more rugged than hiking, walking / climbing / scrambling through areas that are not charted or previously walked along, or are in very remote places, and often for days or weeks on end. I expect they've been put together in this forum section because they are somewhat similar, unlike walking, scrambling and climbing which are all markedly different.
That's not a bad description Tribble, although I've always thought along similar lines to Macron with the UK and US thing.
Yes, I was thinking along similar lines to @Tribble. I think we've got most things covered by other sub-forums so it seemed a more natural fit to put hiking and trekking together due to their similarity. We can always change it later on as the site grows.
I think it depends on your location in America. We always referred to hiking in the British context, generally. Trekking sounds more mountainous.
I agree with @Tribble but also think Americans use the word hiking to describe backpacking for several days in the way we use trekking.
