proedieA friend of mine told me, it’s a hike if you have a break to rest and eat.
Which is great, because it means the short walk down the road to the nearest chippy is a hike. 😁
Laura Sophia@proedie I'd say it's a combination of distance, time spent, and terrain. And I'd say a hike takes more energy than a walk.
Robin Hübner
Mike B 
Gentleman Programmer@proedie It's a hike if you took a tent
John@proedie this might be a Southern California distinction, with hills and mountains available, but I think the difference is usually elevation gain.
That said, I've been on DTLA "urban hikes" where good fun was had by all.
@buckfiftyseven I would rule out elevation gain, because there’s mudflat hiking which is, well, flat.
@proedie mud! That would require rain, something we have little experience with.
(Actually it's sad, even state parks will close for a quarter inch of rain out here. I guess they don't want the blemish of footprints.)
@buckfiftyseven Oh, nonono! The mudflats are the tidal flats of the North Sea. You basically walk on the bottom of the sea. It’s a bit eerie, because you know you’d be three metres under water if you’d stay here until high tide. You really have to keep an eye on the time!
@buckfiftyseven There’s actually a Wikipedia article about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudflat_hiking
@buckfiftyseven So, your next holiday will be in Europe then? 😁
Cecilia | MeraOrd@proedie I think you could get as many answers as there are walkers and hikers.
For me:
Walk: Might be in town, parks and/or in nature; on asphalt/tarmac, gravel roads or paths; maximum 2 hours long, no backpack, no equipment, casual clothes.
Hike: Always in nature, on paths and/or gravel roads, usually follows an established hiking route, always bringing at least some equipment and food in a backpack, hiking clothes for maximum movement and less transpiration, 3+ hours long.
@proedie Oh, and a walk could have a different purpose - to get somewhere, to pluck mushrooms, to exercise the dog.
A hike is a hike, and you hike it for the hike - including the nature experience, the views, the sounds, the air. You might pick mushrooms if you find any, but you are there to hike.
Franz Graf@proedie
Let me #qwant this for you:
https://www.qwant.com/?q=where+is+the+line+between+a+%23walk+and+a+%23hike%3F&t=web
It seems the intent, duration and intensity.
I wasn't sure myself to be honest. 😀
@hikingdude Oh, no! I’m looking for the fediverse’s opinion.
🥺
👉👈
@proedie
Ahhhhh okaay., sorry.
Yeah to me it's the time and 🤔 intent.
I just remember a friend who once said during a conversation about my hikes "yeah sure... Because everything shorter than 4h is just going for a walk"
(just because my hikes are usually longer)
But that's maybe not a proper definition 😉
Eric Phelps@proedie For me it's the backpack. I used to go on 10-15 mile "walks" diverting along the way to places where I could buy drinks. Once I started carrying everything to be self-sufficient, those same routes became hikes.
Silly, I know. It's the feeling.
Wandering HermitFor me it's mostly whether I am carrying a pack. On a hike I need to be prepared for unexpected things, carry water, etc. A walk implies that I don't need to worry about such things.
So I guess that self-sufficiency is the key distinction.
Kim@proedie @hikingdude Difficulty, which can be a combination of terrain type, elevation change, and distance. A 2-mile walk in the woods with little elevation change is not a hike.