Thru-Hiker Mentality

[fw2008]

Since 2003 when I met a TH'er on Mount Washington, NH (he was riding the cog rr down the mountain because he was injured), and had an interesting conversation with this guy for about an hour, I have been flirting with the idea of doing a thru-hike.
I have yet to even come close to starting, for various reasons:

1) I didn't think I could give up all the creature comforts of home for so long.
2) I had trouble staying out on the trail longer than 1 night
3) I was afraid that I would contract Lyme Disease, or some other serious illness on the trail.
4) all other things...

In June 2007 I became unemployed. This would have been a great time to start planning for a TH, but I was collecting unemployment insurance from the state, so I had to be available for work every day. I would have had to give up my UI to go at that time.

Now it's coming up on 3yrs since I lost my job, and I still have not found another. I am re-considering that TH now, but I have to wonder where the funding will come from.

Several things have changed since my first thoughts of a TH that make me believe that, if I can find the money, I might actually start one next Feb.

Things that have changed:
1) Too much time on my hands; getting very bored
2) No longer have rent to pay (living with parents)
3) Feeling kind of depressed about life; feel that I would no longer be giving up much to do the hike.

So, I'm wondering what were your deciding factors for starting your TH (whether you completed it or not).
What did you consider the hardest part about leaving home for up to 6mos living minimally on the trail?

Did you miss any of your home comforts (besides your family and friends) when you started, and how long did it take for you to get over it?

Did your life change significantly as a result of your TH?

Final note about myself: I am single, living at home, so I don't have many obligations (although I'm wondering who is going to mow the lawn, and run the snowblower while I'm away)

FW

[Spokes]

The three major reasons why people thru-hike in no particular order are:
1. Retirement
2. Divorce
3. Graduation pr other life change

I say you can darn well do anything you set your mind to......... even quit. Think too long about family and you'll convince yourself you're too lonely.

Besides what are you going to tell you're grand kids- "Let me tell you about the time I thru-hiked the AT" or "I tried to hike the AT but decided to quit after .....(insert mileage here)".

Did the thru-hike change my life? Sure. I think about it every day and understand how important the little things in life are.

Good luck with your dream..........

[Blissful]

Not having a job for 3 yrs can make anyone bored and depressed. Work gives a sense of fulfillment and purpose. Hard to believe there isn't SOMETHING you can do out there. Even a more mundane job like a restaurant work, etc is better than nothing. Or even volunteer work.

Not sure how you will be able to fund a hike which is one of the factors to its success besides the dream of really wanting to do it (the AT is mental more than physical). Many work for years to save up for it (I did).

[modiyooch]

Do not start in Feb!

[kayak karl]

you sound like you from north jersey, it also sounds like your not over 50.
you asked when do you stop missing your family, over 50 the question would be when do you START missing your family.
trouble staying out on the trail longer than 1 night, over 50, where can i take a LOONNNG weekend.
if funding is a problem, don't go.

i've been unemployed since 4/07 so i understand that.

are you car camping?, day hiking? or is it just the GLORY of a "through" hike that you want

[fw2008]

Do not start in Feb!

What does that have to do with my question?

[warraghiyagey]

The three major reasons why people thru-hike in no particular order are:
1. Retirement
2. Divorce
3. Graduation pr other life change

Huh? . . . Did you just make that up? . . .

[kayak karl]

Huh? . . . Did you just make that up? . . .

if he was right about divorce i'd have a triple crown

[fiddlehead]

Don't know about others but I thru'd because it was a dream of mine.
I already knew I liked hiking, camping and walking all day and was pretty good at all 3 having been in a good boy scout troop.
If you are just doing it for something to do to keep the boredom away and am not sure of whether you'll like it, well, you'll probably get homesick and quit but you'll never know till you try, aye?

[kayak karl]

Don't know about others but I thru'd because it was a dream of mine.
I already knew I liked hiking, camping and walking all day and was pretty good at all 3 having been in a good boy scout troop.
If you are just doing it for something to do to keep the boredom away and am not sure of whether you'll like it, well, you'll probably get homesick and quit but you'll never know till you try, aye?

your right fiddehead, you don't know unless you try. if at first you don't succeed, redefine success.

[Spokes]

Huh? . . . Did you just make that up? . . .

hehehehehehe............Keep up warraghiyagey.................

[modiyooch]

What does that have to do with my question?

You mention reasons that you have not started and creature comforts were one of them. Staying on the trail for a length of time was another.
IMO, February and March will be very uncomfortable. I think you would enjoy it more and not long for home as soon, if you start in April. We had artic temperatures this winter.

[10-K]

I'm hiking the last 800 miles next week and my biggest worries about finishing are missing my family and just the sheer boredom of hiking that set in after a few weeks on the trail.

We talk alot about the physical preparations for a thru hike but not so much the mental preparation.

I think a good test of your mental readiness for a thru hike would be to walk on a treadmill for 4 hours without stopping for 7 days straight. If you could do that, you can most likely deal with the wash-rinse-repeat of the hiking routine.

And Fiddlehead - I've memorized the Metta sutta to reflect on as I hike..

[fw2008]

You mention reasons that you have not started and creature comforts were one of them. Staying on the trail for a length of time was another.
IMO, February and March will be very uncomfortable. I think you would enjoy it more and not long for home as soon, if you start in April. We had artic temperatures this winter.

I'm sorry for jumping down your throat.
As for starting in Feb; I really enjoy winter hiking. It's the cold that inspires me to keep moving, and also the fact that I don't have to be thinking about insects for the first couple of months would help to keep me going.

As for boredom on the trail (as 10-K said) I can't really know about that until I have hiked for a while.
I would be bored walking on a TM for 4hrs, 7 days straight, but I don't think that is a good test for a long hike.
As a marathon runner, I could never run on the TM more than 1 hour without becoming bored. But I can run 26.2 outside, and not get bored at all.

Then, running 26.2 miles and hiking 2200 miles are two different things.
I might get bored after the first 300 miles, or the first 100 miles.

I guess my original question was not a good one.
What I really was thinking of was how you prepare yourself mentally for a th; with all things considered, it's a big sacrifice to most people's lifestyles.

I know there has to be strong motivation, and a love for hiking.
I guess the best way for me to understand the thru-hiker's mindset is to become one myself.
After all, there's really no harm in trying it. I can always jump out if I find that it's just not for me.
On the other hand, I could find it to be the perfect solution for the situation I am in, and thoroughly enjoy the hike. I might meet new people, who might put some fresh ideas into my head.

Sometimes though, I feel that I want to try it to spite my dad. He always sees the negative side in everything.
Before I ran my first marathon, he didn't think I could do it. But I ran it, and went on to run 8 more after that, including 4 in NYC, and 2 in Boston.
Qualifying for Boston isn't easy to do; especially when you do it in NYC.

But I know that hiking the trail isn't going to be anything like running a marathon. I won't have water stations at every mile, and I won't have a huge crowd cheering for me along the way, and I know that there won't be a comfortable place to sleep when I'm done hiking for 20 miles.

I have to try some intermediate hikes before I become fully involved with planning a TH.
I am planning to try a hike from Bear Mtn, NY to Killington, VT; probably starting Sept. I'll see how far I can get. If I get all the way to Gifford Woods, then I think I will try the thru-hike, providing I can find the money.

Maybe having a goal that requires me to save a lot of money will also inspire me to take a less than satisfying job to fund it.

But one thing I think is that my mindset has changed over the past couple of years to make it much easier for me to start a long hike.
I won't miss home now the way I might have 3 years ago.

I apologize for appearing to be trying to find someone's shoulder to cry on, and who might give me some encouragement to do the hike.
I realize that I need to find that within myself.

Thanks for your patience.

FW

[jesse]

#1 reason people don't complete a thru hike.
1. They never start.

If you chose an unemployment check over hiking, I'd say you really don't like hiking.

People who want to hike. They hike.

Why worry about finishing, when you haven't even started?

[jesse]

Another thought.

Why the obsession with a thru hike? IMO, a "failed" thru beats the hell out of staying at home. Enjoy the mile you make and don't worry about the ones you don't make.

[DapperD]

Since 2003 when I met a TH'er on Mount Washington, NH (he was riding the cog rr down the mountain because he was injured), and had an interesting conversation with this guy for about an hour, I have been flirting with the idea of doing a thru-hike.
I have yet to even come close to starting, for various reasons:

1) I didn't think I could give up all the creature comforts of home for so long.
2) I had trouble staying out on the trail longer than 1 night
3) I was afraid that I would contract Lyme Disease, or some other serious illness on the trail.
4) all other things...

In June 2007 I became unemployed. This would have been a great time to start planning for a TH, but I was collecting unemployment insurance from the state, so I had to be available for work every day. I would have had to give up my UI to go at that time.

Now it's coming up on 3yrs since I lost my job, and I still have not found another. I am re-considering that TH now, but I have to wonder where the funding will come from.

Several things have changed since my first thoughts of a TH that make me believe that, if I can find the money, I might actually start one next Feb.

Things that have changed:
1) Too much time on my hands; getting very bored
2) No longer have rent to pay (living with parents)
3) Feeling kind of depressed about life; feel that I would no longer be giving up much to do the hike.

So, I'm wondering what were your deciding factors for starting your TH (whether you completed it or not).
What did you consider the hardest part about leaving home for up to 6mos living minimally on the trail?

Did you miss any of your home comforts (besides your family and friends) when you started, and how long did it take for you to get over it?

Did your life change significantly as a result of your TH?

Final note about myself: I am single, living at home, so I don't have many obligations (although I'm wondering who is going to mow the lawn, and run the snowblower while I'm away)

FW

I wanted to make a comment to your questions even though I have yet to thru-hike if I may. I just wanted to say that I remember reading a paper that was written by a well known A.T. and long distance hiker named Cindy Ross. I believe it was included in some thru-hike info that I had requested, possibly from the ATC or ALDHA a long time ago. It was a piece entitled "Long Dreams, Short Reality" ( I have tried unsuccesfully to find this on the internet and provide a link) in which she basically asks the potential thru-hiker(yourself) to be honest about his or her desires to do a long distance trek of this magnitude, and to ask themselves some serious questions. She states that you will need to understand that being alone for very long periods of time will not be uncommon. You will need to be out there because you really, really want to. She states, "When you get down to the essentials, desire, passion and willpower matter most on a long hike. You have to taste that goal. Eat, sleep and drink your dream. Want it more than anything else. Otherwise that first blister, the first heavy rain, that first tiny reason for an excuse will send you home. The only way to get this desire is to absolutely love being out there: living in the outdoors,walking, carrying your home on your back,sleeping in a new spot everynight." There was much more wisdom written by her in this essay if you will, but you get the picture. To this day this was one of the very best if not the best written article I have ever read in explaining how one needs to understand how to honestly approach a consideration to long distance hike any major trail. From what you are saying and the questions you are asking, this is what you need to do. You need to want to hike the A.T. more than anything else, or you will simply not. It's as easy as that. And this is not even considering injury, lack of funds, problems arising at home, etc...Understand thru-hiking is not for everyone. You could consider a long section hike instead, which for yourself could/may be a better choice. Whatever you choose, the bottom line is enjoy yourself out there. Good Luck

[Lilred]

I'm hiking the last 800 miles next week and my biggest worries about finishing are missing my family and just the sheer boredom of hiking that set in after a few weeks on the trail.

We talk alot about the physical preparations for a thru hike but not so much the mental preparation.

I think a good test of your mental readiness for a thru hike would be to walk on a treadmill for 4 hours without stopping for 7 days straight. If you could do that, you can most likely deal with the wash-rinse-repeat of the hiking routine.

And Fiddlehead - I've memorized the Metta sutta to reflect on as I hike..

Oh, I gotta disagree here. A half hour on a treadmill will bore me out of my mind, but I can easily do 5 hours on a trail and never get bored. The longest section I did was 5 weeks, and I was never bored on the trail. I got bored in shelters if I stopped too soon, and I got bored in towns if I took a zero, but I am never bored on the trail.

[Jack Tarlin]

Wow, please don't take this the wrong way, but if you're healthy enough to contemplate a thru-hike, you're healthy enough to be working.

Your posts says you're wondering where the money for your trip will come from.

Well, for most folks, it comes from savings, i.e. they live simply, scrimp and save, don't spend $ on things they don't need, and in many cases, get a second or third job.

Or maybe a first one.

Three years without work is a long time, and you say you have no obligations? Well, maybe you do, like to yourself and your parents.

My suggestion is you turn off the television, walk downtown, get a newspaper and peruse the classifieds. You'll feel better about yourself, your family will no doubt feel better about YOU, and you'll be on your way to actually financing and planning your trip. Having a plan and a concrete goal will make you feel better about yourself and better about things in general than you've felt for a long time.

Good luck!!

[Dogwood]

JT, while sounding harsh, may be right. It sounds like you have been floundering around without a job for almost 3 yrs. But, it's just not the job. It's the way you are thinking with little direction, goals, or committment. As a result you sound depressed, "bored", and double minded. Maybe I can. No, I can't. It's the lifestyle one can fall into when they find themselves out in the middle of a very big ocean with no rudder or sail on their boat and they don't know where they are going. I think you realize this.

Make no mistake about it a thru-hike, while possibly being a vehicle that can add more meaning to your life and help you clear your thoughts, also requires focus, committment, and resources. That committment includes a financial, physical, and mental committment. If you can't commit yourself to finding some type of employment in nearly 3 yrs or if the depth of your committment and focus limits you to the thoughts - who will mow the grass?, who will shovel the snow?, perhaps, attempting to take on the committment of a thru-hike is too big of a step right now. Perhaps, you might want to consider working up to the resonsibilities of a thru-hike,

There is sometimes a pre-hike thru-hiker mentality, and that varies from individual to individual, and then their is a thru-hiker mentaility that can develop as one is in the process of thru-hiking. Sometimes, the reason(s) one initially decided to thru-hike changes or are not valid or strong enough once out on the trail and physically thru-hiking. Sometimes those reasons are not enough for a prospective thru-hiker to continue on to Mt Katahdin. Despite what some believe, to have success at thru-hiking requires being highly responsible and committed.

As I read your statements, you said you have some apprehension about leaving the creature comforts of home, trouble staying out on the trail more than one night, a fear of contracting Lymes Disease, and other things(?). Well, anyone of those issues can prevent you from doing a thru-hike. You will need to address these concerns before you successfully take on a thru-hike.

Might I suggest, you find some employment, maybe not exactly what you desire but at least something that will get you off the couch and out of your parent's nest, and get out into the woods for a few nights. Try getting dirty, smelly, sweaty, wet with no TV, shower, refrigerator, thermostat that you can turn on/off for heat/AC, etc. Hopefully, you will find more meaning for your life, you will feel better about yourself, you will start having greater financial resources, you will meet others, and you will have a greater realization of some of the possible downsides to thru-hiking.