Are We There Yet? (A Lesson in 'Further' vs. 'Farther')

The difference between ‘further’ and farther’ when you’re on the trail.

November hike in the gorge. I am second from the right in a blue hat. These hikers are members of my Broads And Dogs group, the BADs. Photo Credit: Nancy Turner

by Nancy Turner

Nancy Turner and Pippen. Photo Credit: Nancy Turner

All that's been done to preserve wild and scenic areas of the gorge means people like you and me, and our descendants, will always be able to enjoy it. It's good for our souls and our overall health. Believe me, even if you're not a hiker, it's worth the drive out the gorge just to enjoy the beautiful river and massive basalt rock formations. No matter what time of year, let your eyes rest on the sweeping vistas and your nose breath in the fresh air. 

Last spring I hiked Catherine Creek several times. The expansive view of the Columbia River and the lacy blankets of wildflowers make the troubles of the world disappear for a while. I put my to-do list  under a rock and took a whole day to enjoy the trails. It's handy these days to have maps on our cell  phones and apps that will tell how far one has hiked. There is cell reception in most of the gorge.  Nobody carries paper maps any more. 

One of my hiking buddies asked, “How much farther til we get to have lunch?”
“Just a ways further,” I say, not bothering to check my phone. 

If I'd looked at the All Trails app on my phone I could have given an exact distance til we reached the ridge, our destination for lunch. All Trails provides everything a hiker needs except tick repellant or hot coffee. 

I think the words “further” and “farther” are used more on trails than anywhere else. Do you know the difference?

Further is a figurative distance without an exact measurement. Use this when the distance is vague. 

Farther is used when speaking of a tangible or specific distance. "Go two miles farther." This is where the All Trails app on the phone is handy. Besides, it's free.  

Here is a gimmick to help choose the right word.

If the distance is literal, spelled with an “a” use farther.

If you're talking about a figurative distance, spelled with a “u”, it's further.

Of course, with English there are exceptions. You could say "I've read further ahead than he has", referring to a story, and you could also correctly say, "I've read farther than he has."  

This all makes it sound like I know what I'm talking about. Don't be fooled. English is an ambiguous language. Maybe that's one of the reasons I like being on a trail. It's straight forward and the further I  go the more I like it. I don't have to think. I quit worrying about whether I got the “farther further”  thing correct. Right or wrong, I just put one foot in front of the other. For a few hours life becomes  simple and serene. Then I return home at the end of the day feeling a good kind of tired.