Pacific Crest Trail Hiker's Glossary - Through Hiker - Someone
who is in the process of hiking the entire length of a trail
that is 1000 miles or longer in length. The actual use of the
term is problematic, because one cannot know whether one will
complete the hike until one actually completes it. At the moment
a hiker earns the title "through hiker" by completing the trail,
he is no longer a through hiker. If a through hiker is injured
and must leave the trail, he suddenly stops being a through
hiker, and becomes a section hiker. So while you may call
yourself a through hiker, you cannot really know if you are a
through hiker until you are no longer a through hiker. - Through
Hike - Hiking the entire length of a trail 1000 miles or longer
in length. Traditionally a contiguous hike from one end of the
trail to the other. Recently the term through hike has been used
to describe any method of hiking the entire trail, including
section hiking, flip flopping or skipping. - Section Hike -
Hiking a significant sect