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  1. #1
    Registered User Kinnie's Avatar
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    Default Feeding the Brain

    I'm sure this is somewhere, but I can't find it. I am wondering how you deal with the sheer monotony of a thru-hike. Gear lists rarely list books or journals. Are you just too physically tired at the end of the day to read or write? Do you listen to music while you hike? Compose epic poems in your head? Meditate or pray? How do you "feed" your brain while your body is undergoing such a grueling test of endurance?

  2. #2
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    The way you worded it sounds so horrible. In reality the absence of all the noise of civilization was one of the coolest part of a thru hike and one of the biggest things I miss. I found that my mind wondered everywhere and I was also much more in tune with my surroundings. One thing I will say, if you don't like spending time with you then it could be a horrible ordeal. On the music front. I was in a great deal of pain on the second half of my hike. I was doing high miles with a lot of snow and it took its toll. I was amazed how music acted as a distraction during those times when the pain was the worst. But the music usually took my thoughts to a different place and time but that could be because I primarily listen to country music. I was wondering where that truck was, my dog etc.

  3. #3
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    I like to save a bunch of podcasts on my Iphone and listen to them when it gets to be trudgery. That's first.

    Second as I spend a lot of time traveling, Audio books dumped into my Iphone before I leave are a welcome distraction. I'll have regular long books but I have found that short stories seem to work out better for me. It makes for a short break and then my mind finds something related to the hike to occupy it again.


    Quote Originally Posted by Kinnie View Post
    I'm sure this is somewhere, but I can't find it. I am wondering how you deal with the sheer monotony of a thru-hike. Gear lists rarely list books or journals. Are you just too physically tired at the end of the day to read or write? Do you listen to music while you hike? Compose epic poems in your head? Meditate or pray? How do you "feed" your brain while your body is undergoing such a grueling test of endurance?

  4. #4
    Registered User Damn Yankee's Avatar
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    Here you go.......free audio books

    http://podiobooks.com/

    "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands."
    Isaiah 55:12

  5. #5
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    I never listen to anything while hiking. I like to be present in my surroundings and don't want to drown anything out in other sounds. I am somewhat of a news junkie and like being informed about what's happening in the world. For this, I download The Economist on my phone in town including (when bandwidth allows) the audio edition which is like an ebook or podcast lasting about 7 hours. This is perfect to listen to in camp in the evening over several nights. I also download and read Kindle books, most of them free from my local library. For those not familiar with the Economist, it covers general news from an international perspective, not just business and economics, and it costs about $100/year to subscribe but I usually use airline miles to get it for free.
    HST/JMT August 2016
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  6. #6
    Registered User Kinnie's Avatar
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    You're right, Malto, I could've worded this better. "Monotony" was not the best word choice - I was thinking less about the environment and more about the physical sensations (movement, stress, pain) in your body. I am not looking for suggestions for myself, but am genuinely curious about how others use their time on the trail aside from the physical act of hiking. I have very idealistic fantasies of using the thru-hike as a spiritual pilgrimage - bringing a journal and the Book of Psalms and meditating/writing on a different psalm each day, for example. I have dreamed of doing an AT thru-hike for 15 years (since I first read A Walk in the Woods, I'll admit!). However, now that I've come to a time in life when a thru-hike seems possible, I find myself less focused on the physical journey and more on the mental one. I suspect that's naive, and in the first week, the physical journey is going to be the only thing I'm thinking about.

  7. #7
    Registered User Kinnie's Avatar
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    Edited to add - However, suggestions are welcome!

  8. #8
    Registered User Kinnie's Avatar
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    Upon re-reading my post, I feel like it sounds pretentious. Forgive me - I am new. I don't mean to imply that a hike isn't "enough."

  9. #9

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    The monotony is broken up with town visits, resupplies, all you can eat gorges, shelter read-thrus of the registers, long naps, infrequent book readings (too heavy), staring into campfires, feeling sick and crappy and maybe puking at times, and Sheer Hiking.

    There's some falling too which breaks up the monotony. And getting yellow jacket stung always kills a few minutes of boredom. Sometimes when you're in a Daze a close encounter with a rattlesnake always jolts you back to Being Here Now. The pit vipers know how to entertain.

    And then there's the joy of a cold mountain rain which will throw you into a captivating fit of stage 2 hypothermia which helps to dispel monotony. It's always fun to stand by the AT on a mountain road in a butt cold foggy rain and try to hitch the heck into the closest town. You start laughing and shivering when the rain turns to a pounding deluge and you're a wet cold smudge on the side of a road.

    And then there's the constant interaction with other bonobo humans. This onslaught usually breaks up the boredom and you usually end up hiking with a small band of them you get to know. Or you just hike with anyone you meet, if that's your desire. And it's fun to hitch and catch rides and get trail magic from strangers. Or stop to build a few cairns on the trail with some hippie girls. Gotta love the hippie girls. ETC ETC

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kinnie View Post
    I'm sure this is somewhere, but I can't find it. I am wondering how you deal with the sheer monotony of a thru-hike. Gear lists rarely list books or journals. Are you just too physically tired at the end of the day to read or write? Do you listen to music while you hike? Compose epic poems in your head? Meditate or pray? How do you "feed" your brain while your body is undergoing such a grueling test of endurance?
    I love when that runners high kicks in (not that I run), but hikas can experience this too. doesn't take to long for me to be floating along on endorphins, recognizing it, and riding the wave....books, movies and music also help to break things up. A good book doesn't weigh all that much.

  11. #11

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    I have a 16 GB iPod Touch.

    It has books, audio books, PDF's. It has Psalms, I love. It has Bible in translations, even side-by-side Hebrew and NT Greek. I have webpages saved, as photos, to refer to later. I have "apps" for music and video, that need WiFi. I have apps like Star Walk, and amateur radio apps.

    I have Guthook Trail Guide apps, so far. I have the CDT map PDF.

    I have the iPod with me, when I hike.

    We will "see" about the Trail Guides and maps.

    I will find out if I like this GPS accessory I purchased to use with the GPS map apps.

    The fact is, I used the previous iPod Touch and accessory GPS I had. I never used the other apps, or, read anything. I never recorded a journal. I never listened to music or video, even in town between hiking.

    I am aware and alert to my surroundings, even more so hiking, and, in camp.

    It is important to be alert, but, I genuinely like natural sounds.

    Stuck in the city, I had water sounds and bird sounds, even crickets sounds apps!
    Last edited by Connie; 12-21-2014 at 16:42.

  12. #12

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    Be mindful of how you let yourself define - all things - as it shapes our perceptions of those things.

    When we change the way we look at things the things we look at change.

  13. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kinnie View Post
    You're right, Malto, I could've worded this better. "Monotony" was not the best word choice - I was thinking less about the environment and more about the physical sensations (movement, stress, pain) in your body. I am not looking for suggestions for myself, but am genuinely curious about how others use their time on the trail aside from the physical act of hiking. I have very idealistic fantasies of using the thru-hike as a spiritual pilgrimage - bringing a journal and the Book of Psalms and meditating/writing on a different psalm each day, for example. I have dreamed of doing an AT thru-hike for 15 years (since I first read A Walk in the Woods, I'll admit!). However, now that I've come to a time in life when a thru-hike seems possible, I find myself less focused on the physical journey and more on the mental one. I suspect that's naive, and in the first week, the physical journey is going to be the only thing I'm thinking about.
    Sounds like you've got it. You understand that a hike is more than a physical act. It is a mental, emotional, soulish and spiritual act as well.

    Consider too that you are the environment part of the environment not apart from it. You can hold a connection - a union - with everything else, with all of creation and with a Higher Power however you wish to express or define that Higher Power OR even if you believe in no Higher Power. I ask, if you looked at LIFE - backpacking - that way instead would LIFE - a thru-hike - seem monotonous? Would a thru-hike not become infinitely always changing infinitely variable infinitely interesting infinitely diverse?

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by Connie View Post
    I have a 16 GB iPod Touch.

    It has books, audio books, PDF's. It has Psalms, I love. It has Bible in translations, even side-by-side Hebrew and NT Greek. I have webpages saved, as photos, to refer to later. I have "apps" for music and video, that need WiFi. I have apps like Star Walk, and amateur radio apps.
    Amen! one does not have to be religious to enjoy the readings from the bible, it's a great book with mystery, tons a characters, and every scenario that plagues, there's a reason they call it "The Good book" great reading. But what is this amateur radio app?

  15. #15

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    I have quite a few: solar data, sunrise-sunset greyline, atmospheric propagation, etc.

    I carry HF amateur radio with me.

    I like some SWL short wave listening of radio amateurs.

    I will have PSK31, soon, that operates well on QRP low power, otherwise, if I make contact it has been all QRP single sideband voice.

    W7CJD
    Last edited by Connie; 12-21-2014 at 17:18.

  16. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by Connie View Post
    I have quite a few: solar data, sunrise-sunset greyline, atmospheric propagation, etc.

    I carry HF amateur radio with me.

    I like some SWL short wave listening of radio amateurs.

    I will have PSK31, soon, that operates well on QRP low power, otherwise, if I make contact it has been all QRP single sideband voice.

    W7CJD
    Thanks Connie, will look into those as this is an area that has peaked an interes for me for many years now, but fer now is on the back burner.

  17. #17

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    Do a callsign Lookup at qrz.com

    I have the equipment I use listed.

    It is great fun listening in to a man up near the top of Finland talking about where he lives, or, hearing a man in Anartica talk to his family at home in Alaska.

    I didn't want to talk. But I can listen.

    In fact, it takes only a very little radio to listen. I think the SWL portables have SSB listening, as well as, short wave broadcasts from around the world.

    I like the fact it actually works! Amazing!

    I have all of the original thrill of amateur radio.
    Last edited by Connie; 12-21-2014 at 17:30.

  18. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by Connie View Post
    Do a callsign Lookup at qrz.com

    I have the equipment I use listed.

    It is great fun listening in to a man up near the top of Finland talking about where he lives, or, hearing a man in Anartica talk to his family at home in Alaska.

    I didn't want to talk. But I can listen.

    In fact, it takes only a very little radio to listen. I think the SWL portables have SSB listening, as well as, short wave broadcasts from around the world.

    I like the fact it actually works! Amazing!

    I have all of the original thrill of amateur radio.
    Yup, I listen often, have a couple SW receivers. I liked Three hundred zeros by Dennis Blanchard. just another cool thing to do while your out there on the trail, neat stuff.

  19. #19
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    I think many of these posts are recommending audiobooks for at camp. A word of caution on headphones/earbuds. I've been solo section hiking twice on the AT when bears have popped up out of the ferns fairly close to me (20 feet off the trail). In one case a started bear gave me a "Huff" to let me know to pay attention. The other time, I heard the muffled thuds of a bear running up the trail towards me and my dorritos. Based on this bears attitude, it seemed like he had learned to bluff scare hikers into dropping their packs.

    Your 5 senses are nice tools to have.

    Last april I observed thru hikers carrying: Magic the gathering cards, regular cards, cell phones, kindles, a tiny guitar (really liked this guy), and the thru-hikers guidebook. The shelter registries were interesting to read while making dinner, as they're full of quotes and messages. I thought one entry was particularly beautiful from a Feb start NOBOer who arrived at davenport gap shelter in the snow and alone.

  20. #20
    Registered User mrcoffeect's Avatar
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    I've always felt like each morning waking up on the trail, is closest thing to that little kid chrismas morning feeling. Oh the potential of the day. who knows what lies ahead as I slowly unwrap the day. Its never boring. Although I have had a few days where it seem the gift of the day was a turd.

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