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I can not get meaning of just day hikes. Here is a dialog which I have seen:

"I didn't see the whole thing, and I spend three days there walking different parts every day, so I really don't know the size of it except that it's massive."

"So you just went hiking and then you camped overnight, or did you just hiked for the day?"

"Just day hikes, the tour I had been organized with had rented us a hotel, just stayed in the hotel, slept there at night, and walked most of the day."

Can anyone explain this?

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Any additional context? It sounds like the response to a question or something. – Brendon Jun 2 '12 at 1:37
@Brendon : Is it enough? – Pratik Jun 2 '12 at 1:41
Yes, the additional context confirms that the below answer is correct. – Brendon Jun 2 '12 at 1:46

3 Answers

up vote 3 down vote accepted

A "day hike" is a vigorous walk in a natural environment, lasting less than one day (no overnight camping).

"Just day hikes" means only such hikes.

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Sorry ,i have also a Confusion .so, i am asking: What is the meaning of hike in below sentence:If you like nature and like hiking it will definitely give you a workout and you'll take a lot of pictures. – Pratik Jun 2 '12 at 1:43
1  
"hiking" essentially means walking outdoors. – Mark Beadles Jun 2 '12 at 2:19
I don't know about other places in the world, but in American English, hiking is usually reserved for routes taken along trails, and not roads or sidewalks. Trails here means an unpaved path through a natural environment- woods, fields, mountains, streams, etc. – Jim Jun 2 '12 at 2:57
up vote 1 down vote

As noted in previous answer, a day hike is a walk (a trip or excursion on foot) short enough to complete the same day it starts. While the walk may be vigorous, it need not be; ie hiking does not strictly imply vigorous walking, and hiking may be vigorous or not, depending on who is doing it, the route, and circumstances. In your quotation, the second speaker refers to staying in a hotel each night (treating the hotel as a "base camp") and taking hikes each day.

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up vote 1 down vote

As the others have said, hiking is recreational walking outdoors, generally in a scenic area. A day hike is a hike that you can complete in a single day.

If I tell you that I spent three days hiking, it won't be clear what I meant. I might have started at location A, and spent three days hiking from A to B. Or, if I did three day-hikes instead, I may have hiked from A to C (and back) on the first day, A to D (and back) on the second day, and then, on the third day, hiked to E and back (or maybe even repeated the round-trip hike to C).

In the conversation you allude to, one person is asking the other for clarification: Did you do a three-day hike? Or did you take three day-hikes?

One main difference, from a logistical perspective, is a three-day hike might require you to carry your clothing, bedding, food, etc. in a backpack, while three day-hikes would allow you to leave your gear at a base camp, and travel with a much lighter load, where everything might fit in a daypack.

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