Hey, I'm fluffy, and I'm going! See ya on the trail!
As others have said, there have been all sorts of folks of all shapes, sizes, abilities and disabilities that have thru-hiked the the AT.
But carrying that extra 100 pounds isnt just a lil overweight. And while carrying that weight, you're going to strap on another 30 pounds and climb up and down a few thousand feet here and there. You will increase your chances of success if you start conditioning yourself now and change eating and activity habits.
igne et ferrum est potentas
"In the beginning, all America was Virginia." -William Byrd
The only thing that makes you a failure at something, is being afraid to try.
Stop being afraid of yourself.
Go in humility with the knowledge that your body can do this.
Mudflap started the Trail in '06 carrying a couple of spare tires. He made it all the way. Was it hard? Oh, yeah. He said he was exhausted every day. But every morning he got up and set off again.
If not NOW, then WHEN?
ME>GA 2006
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=3277
Instagram hiking photos: five.leafed.clover
If want to do a thru hike you can do it. I hiked with a ~30 year old guy March 2013 in Georgia that was ~400 lb.. He was on the AT to get his life back and loose weight. I don't if he regained control of his life. I do known he lost a lot of weight. He was at Harper Ferry 9 Sept. 2013 and he was almost half the size of six months earlier. I can not applaud him enough. It looks like it may be a life changing event for him. Good luck to you. HYOH
Thanks,
Sidewinder2013
I have a female friend who is 190pds and I took her up me via the Lions Head route in October this year on Mount Washington..... if she can do it with little hiking exp, you can.
Just go slow bro.
There is no downside to hiking, whether you make it 1 mile or 2,000. I came off the trail with tendinitis, but my only regret is living too far away to spend more time there.
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't - you're right". Henry Ford
I think you can do it.
(trailname: Paul-from-Scotland)
I don't think you are necessarily setting yourself up for failure. Just think a bit about recasting your goal. I am 2 years away from a long hike on the AT or PCT. I am not going to define success or failure as to whether I make it to the end. Rather, I just want to stay on the trail for a long time, have fun, and leave the experience with no regrets. Whether that is 3 weeks, 3 months, or the whole trail is left to be seen.
I say just get out there. Maybe you start just hiking shelter to shelter. Maybe you find you can get a little further than that each day. But, as long as you get out there, stay mentally tough, and have fun, you aren't failing. Just take one day at a time and don't think too much about the totality of the whole trail.
You surely won't finish if you don't start!
I'm a weekender and short-sectioner (thru-hiking just doesn't appeal to me), but I've found that getting back into hiking about three years ago was the best thing I've ever done for my weight. I'm down about 40-45 pounds in that time. Yeah, weekending (and making it a point to walk 45 minutes a day with a 15-20 pound day pack, rain or shine) never really gets me into trail shape, but it's a heck of a lot better than where I've been.
And I find I can do just about any trail if I take my time about it. In the last year, I've done the Devil's Path, the Burroughs Range, and the Blackheads in the Catskills, which are all surely tough hiking. The trick for me is not to overdo. I find that I need to allow 30 minutes/mile PLUS 40 minutes per thousand feet of elevation change (up or down). That means that the 14-mile Burroughs Range loop is a backpack for me, because 10-12 hours of hiking simply won't cover the distance and climbing; and the Devil's Path (24.5 miles, 9000 feet up, 9000 feet down) is a three-day trip. So what? I have fun. Faster hikers who partner with me can take lots of pictures, or whatever.
And that's the key point of "hike your own hike". Don't try to keep up with others, they're hiking their hikes. Do what you can do safely. (I'd say 'comfortably' but hiking isn't meant to be entirely comfortable!) And don't take my advice - I'm just describing what works for me. Hike your own hike.
I always know where I am. I'm right here.
As others have said, hiking the trail is more mental than physical...as counter-intuitive as that may sound.Originally Posted by fst4dr
However, the physical body can be a source of many problems as you age. The problems now that you're experiencing with being overweight is relatively easy to overlook in your young age, but they will be compounded in your 50's, 60's....just look at how many old people have problems with broken hips and such -- it does NOT have to be that way.
You will be setting yourself up for failure if you complete a thru-hike and go back to your current lifestyle, rather than building on it. Your body needs constant work/exercise, you can NOT occasionally lift weights, jog, walk or whatever. That is akin to yo-yo exercise plan, much like yo-yo weight loss/gain it's not good for your body. There is a reason (and truth) to the saying: "You don't use it, you lose it." And it doesn't take long to lose, so ocassionally doing exercise means you're occasionally stressing your body; whereas constant exercise is maintaining after the stress it took to get there is past us.
Don't be one of those hikers that just let that awesome physical fitness you worked so hard for go to waste; that is the ultimate failure.
And just like hiking the trail, maintaining a healthy body thru exercise is more mental than physical.
A few years back a guy named father man hiked and I seem to remember he was pretty big at the beginning and did great... Check you tube fm on the AT
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May I suggest you start NOBO at Rockfish Gap, near Waynesboro, VA. The southern entry point to the Shenandoah, National Park, and probably one of the easiest sections of the trail. The Waysides restaurants open on 4/11. So you can buy meals, and food at the waysides, on a daily basis. This all serves to lighten your pack weight, weather should be warm enough eliminating need for cold weather gear, and your food load will be minimal. Continue north as far as you can. The most difficult section is the Whites in New England, if you are able to make it all the way to Katahdin, you stand an excellent chance of completing your hike in a single season. Now go back to Rockfish Gap, and work southward to Springer Mountain. Now you are heading south as the season changes from summer to fall, even if you do need to pick up some cold weather gear, you will be in good enough condition to mange it at this time. This strategy will give you at least an additional month of reasonable hiking weather.
03/07/13 - 10/07/13 Flip flop AT thru hike "It is well with my soul"
The only failure is to not try because you're afraid to not make it.
I started section-hiking the trail in 2012 at 275 pounds on a small, 5'5" female frame. Was it hard? OH YEAH, you better believe it was. With 28# pack on, making me over 300# moving North... you better believe it. But did I go? Yes. And the more I went, the more weight I lost, and passion I had for getting in even better shape before the next trip, to make it easier.
I now weigh 165 and can do anything, losing over 100# in just over a year, and having section-hiked 350 miles on the trail. YOU CAN DO IT. Just set your goal to enjoy every moment, especially the hard ones that make you want to puke (cuz you WILL feel like that carrying the extra weight). I remember many 8 to 10 mile days in the beginning... slowly making it shelter to shelter... collapsing, lying on my side with dry heaves from having an elevated heart rate for 8 to 9 hours straight. Thinking to myself, I AM GOING TO CONQUER THIS. Those hard, pukey moments are what make you better, stronger, and faster. It only made me more determined. I totally credit the AT with giving me back my health and my life, because without it, the journey may not have happened. The trail can certainly change your life... if you let it... but only if you take the first step.
Happy hiking my friend. Let me know if I can ever help.
You will never finish if you don't get started. I am basically going from couch to trail, intentionally.
~Valley Girl~
Northbound 2/28/14
http://valleygirl2014.wordpress.com
Congrats and great job!!!!
igne et ferrum est potentas
"In the beginning, all America was Virginia." -William Byrd
I agree with those saying that getting off a couch is already a success.
One of the best bits of advice I had ever heard for new long-distance AT hikers! If more took this advice, more would make it to Maine, I think.
Might this be the fellow? He and I leap-frogged a time or two around Mt. Garfield in the Whites (?) in August '12. He was a very strong hiker. On those steep rockface climbs, he looked as if he were on comfortable level ground.
RainMan
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Last edited by Rain Man; 02-12-2014 at 12:06.
[I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35
[url]www.MeetUp.com/NashvilleBackpacker[/url]
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I had lost 35 pounds by the time I reached Hot Springs, roughly a month into my hike. If you push through the first couple weeks (which will likely be exhausting and very uncomfortable) you will be in great shape and the weight will fall off.
Yep that's him... Great series of you tube videos from his hike.I agree with those saying that getting off a couch is already a success.
One of the best bits of advice I had ever heard for new long-distance AT hikers! If more took this advice, more would make it to Maine, I think.
Might this be the fellow? He and I leap-frogged a time or two around Mt. Garfield in the Whites (?) in August '12. He was a very strong hiker. On those steep rockface climbs, he looked as if he were on comfortable level ground.
Rain
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