Thru hikers who don't make it (What are some of the major reasons?)

[Spirit Bear]

I am planning my thru hike and have yet to set an actual date, I have section hiked much of the trail in Georgia up to this point and parts in NC below the smokeys. I have read that on average 2,000 or more thru hikers attempt every year and only 200-250 actually make it.

What are some of the biggest reasons for this and I would really like to hear from any of you who have attempted but failed to finish in the season.

[hikerboy57]

reason #1 they ran out of money
reason#2 they found out they dont like walking 15 miles a day with 30 lbs on their back for 5 months.
reason#3 injury
reason#4 personal crisis at home

[snifur]

reason #5 boredom
reason #6 they miss mommy or daddy
reason #7 their relationships are faulting
reason #8 they don't like cold and wet

[Many Moons]

I am planning my thru hike and have yet to set an actual date, I have section hiked much of the trail in Georgia up to this point and parts in NC below the smokeys. I have read that on average 2,000 or more thru hikers attempt every year and only 200-250 actually make it.

What are some of the biggest reasons for this and I would really like to hear from any of you who have attempted but failed to finish in the season.

Last year was my first 108 miles for the section hike. Look like the thru's in the first 108 leaving out of Springer was injuries and being out of shape. You would not believe how many quit once they got to Neel's Gap. Blown knees!!! Heavy packs!!! Too big of belly's!!! Hike On!


Miller

[Lone Wolf]

I have read that on average 2,000 or more thru hikers attempt every year and only 200-250 actually make it.

What are some of the biggest reasons for this and I would really like to hear from any of you who have attempted but failed to finish in the season.

i just got tired of walkin'. so i went home. kinda like forrest gump when he stopped runnin'

[Carl Calson]

My wife and I made it to Vermont this year. The reasons we didn't finish:

1. we planned on hiking the trail in 4 months. while not unheard of at all, this is not an easy feat by any means.
2. we were hiking with another couple and only really friends with the guy. his girlfriend was a complete headcase and was very difficult to get along with.
3. the vortex. after duncannon it seemed like all anyone wanted to do was get drunk. the group mentality was difficult to get away from because we made such good friends along the way.
4. the main reason we got of trail is because of time constraints. we had jobs waiting for us and knew that we wouldn't make it to katahdin in time. like i said, 4 months isn't unheard, but it gives you less time to enjoy yourself along the way.

some words of advice. don't get sucked into the vortex. make short term goals and stick to them. don't hike in a large group to start out unless you're absolutely positive that you get along with everyone in that group. group dynamics are of the utmost importance. being stuck with someone you can't stand makes the trip less enjoyable. above all, hike your own hike!

[evansprater]

I have almost quit twice now, only in the middle of the day when I get extremely bored and see a huge up that's obviously gonna take thirty minutes or more and slow me down to 2 mph average for the course of the day. Then I think, if I quit now a) I will be stuck in the middle of the wilderness and b) I will have to set up camp on this ****ty incline. Then I continue for another hour and that fades, I get an enormous rush of endorphins, I become stunned by the beauty of the sun shining through the trees and the sheer silence and aloneness and beauty of that combination. Then I finally get to camp and it feels SO GOOD to sit down and cook and read a book and sleep that I forget I even considered quitting earlier in the day. Then I wake up an am so motivated and the mornings are so freaking pretty anyways that I keep on truckin. I don think it happens this way for most people but: the more I kept going, the more progress I made, the better shape I got in, the more unconditional kindness and love I have experienced from complete strangers, only fuel my desire to continue the **** out of this experience. I am only waiting or the effing snow to subside a little bit so I can get back on the trail. I would recommend forcing yourself at least a month. That first month just keep reminding yourself you can quit after 30 days, no pressure whatsoever. For me at least, that kept me goin until I really, really started to enjoy it. Also, check out a book called "Appalachian Trials", it's on iBooks an (I believe) kindle.

[burger]

Here's the biggest reason, in my opinion, that most people quits: the AT, as a hiking trail, mostly sucks. It's excessively steep in many places. Most of the time you're walking through woods with no views. The routing is poor, going over many pointless climbs with no views or other payoff. A lot of the trail up north is badly eroded, fills with water when it rains, and can be slippery or even dangerous when wet.

This is the underlying reason explaining why so many people quit. It's why people get bored (no views) and get injured (too steep).

My advice: if you want to finish a thru-hike (50%+ completion rate vs 20ish% on the AT) and enjoy yourself throughout, go hike the PCT.

[Malto]

People discover that they don't like walking. And as the romance of the hike wears out they fold.

[Violent Green]

Bingo. It sounds much more fun in a book or on the internet. That's one reason why a lot of folks try to make it a social experience on top of an outdoor experience. Just wallking sometimes isn't enough to satisfy someone for 5 mos.

Ryan

[Moose2001]

People discover that they don't like walking. And as the romance of the hike wears out they fold.

Most accurate assessment I've read lately!

[Bati]

1. we planned on hiking the trail in 4 months. while not unheard of at all, this is not an easy feat by any means.

I have to agree with running out of time. It's quite common to hear about how fast people can hike, but often these times are from hikers who either slackpack, have extremely good weather, take performance-enhancing drugs, or are in incredibly good shape. If you have a deadline due to a job or school and feel that it's important to finish in one season (rather than taking two years to finish), then allow yourself plenty of time. The amount of time needed will vary with how much backpacking versus dayhiking you plan to do, your fitness level, and uncontrollable factors such as fires and weather.

I thought I had enough time when I started, but quickly encountered severe weather which slowed me down significantly (though it was never bad enough to make me take a day off). Months later, I sustained an injury (not on the trail though- wedding related). Add them together, and when my deadline arrived, I wasn't done hiking. I never had money or boredom issues, which are often written about.

[Karma13]

Wait, really? Really?

Steroids on the AT?

I don't know why, but that made me laugh.

[Moose2001]

, take performance-enhancing drugs

Ok...I've heard marijuana called a lot of things but never "performance enhancing"!!!

[hikerboy57]

Ok...I've heard marijuana called a lot of things but never "performance enhancing"!!!

Youd be surprised

[Creek Dancer]

I have almost quit twice now, only in the middle of the day when I get extremely bored and see a huge up that's obviously gonna take thirty minutes or more and slow me down to 2 mph average for the course of the day. Then I think, if I quit now a) I will be stuck in the middle of the wilderness and b) I will have to set up camp on this ****ty incline. Then I continue for another hour and that fades, I get an enormous rush of endorphins, I become stunned by the beauty of the sun shining through the trees and the sheer silence and aloneness and beauty of that combination. Then I finally get to camp and it feels SO GOOD to sit down and cook and read a book and sleep that I forget I even considered quitting earlier in the day. Then I wake up an am so motivated and the mornings are so freaking pretty anyways that I keep on truckin. I don think it happens this way for most people but: the more I kept going, the more progress I made, the better shape I got in, the more unconditional kindness and love I have experienced from complete strangers, only fuel my desire to continue the **** out of this experience. I am only waiting or the effing snow to subside a little bit so I can get back on the trail. I would recommend forcing yourself at least a month. That first month just keep reminding yourself you can quit after 30 days, no pressure whatsoever. For me at least, that kept me goin until I really, really started to enjoy it. Also, check out a book called "Appalachian Trials", it's on iBooks an (I believe) kindle.

That's called - Mind Over Mountain.

[bigcranky]

Re: performance enhancing drugs. For me, it's Scotch whisky.

Re: completion rate of the PCT. I strongly suspect that the completion rate is higher because many (most?) PCT thru-hikers have already completed the A.T. and thus the sample is self-selecting for stronger or more motivated hikers. Certainly more experienced.

[Creek Dancer]

People discover that they don't like walking. And as the romance of the hike wears out they fold.

I think this is true. I have friend who said he loved thru-hiking; he just grew to hate the hiking part.

[RED-DOG]

The Emotional Torment of Thru-Hiking is Phennomenal it will rip you apart if you let it that and money issues, Injuries those are the biggest reason's, and a lot of people get on the trail and figure out that Thru-Hiking isn't for them, and i can't even begin tell you how many people i have witnessed drop out at Nell's Gap that's A LOT.

[Old Hiker]

Soft tissue injuries stopped me for 3-4 weeks at first until I could walk without pain again. Severely sprained ankle + cracked fibula kinda stopped me totally at mile 497.

Never got tired of walking. Never got tired of camping. Never got tired of much, except watching people walk faster than me.