How to mentally approach a thru hike.

[Tagless]

The sheer enormity of walking 2178 miles can be overwhelming, making it difficult to feel a sense of progress. Some thru hikers measure advancement toward Katahdin by checking off each state along the way. The problem is trail distances differ from state to state. One fourth of the Appalachian Trail lies in Virginia.

Tag-along and I found it helpful to track our progress in one hundred mile increments. One hundred miles always seemed doable. A hundred miles can often be accomplished in about one week. By tracking our progress using short-range mileage goals, rather than the number of states completed, we felt an ongoing sense of getting there.

[jersey joe]

"I'm going to walk until I stop having fun."

There is a satisfaction in pushing through the times where you wan't to quit and accomplishing your goal(if completing a thru hike is even your goal). Quitting gets easier and easier the more you do it.

[sherrill]

In 83 I was just going to hike to Fontana and get picked up by friends. Well, from there, one of them wanted to go through the Smokies to Hot Springs. Fine. Then I met a girl in Hot Springs who wanted to get to Damascus. Wow, ok, let's go. Then in Damascus (the girl thing didn't pan out) I met a couple of cool guys who were hiking through the Shennies. Etc, etc, etc.

Then one day I was on top of K. Didn't start out to make it all the way, but after I got halfway, I decided, what the hell.

And that, boys and girls, is how I made it to Maine.

[ShelterLeopard]

Shelterleopard's thread got me thinking. Thru hiking season is just around the corner, and a lot of people are getting prepared. For me, walking is the easiest part of hiking, and I was surprised by the amount of psychological stuff that I didn't expect. So, what do some of you veterens have to say to the class of 2010 in regards to how to get yourself mentally prepared for a thru hike?

For me, I found that I really miss music out on the trail, so now I hike with an ipod. I don't listen to it a lot, but if I'm in a sour mood, a few songs usually helps to lift my spirits.


I can't remember the exact quote, but I think Grandma Gatewood said something to the effect of "you do more walking with your head than with your feet."

Really good thread, thanks! I know a lot of us 2010ers have no idea how to mentally prepare. We're getting gear, food, and trying to get out trail legs used to our boots and our shoulders back in the pack straps, but I think some people don't even consider mental preparation.

As for me, I planned food that I'll like and a book for those days when I want a break, but apart from that, what can you do? I'm kind of anti-ipod, but I am considering (considering, mind you) putting it with all my gear so I can call home and ask for it to be sent with a maildrop...if it doesn't get lost in the shuffle...

[ShelterLeopard]

Hiking the AT end to end, or a long section hike, is not a vacation, its a job.

Somedays its a great job, somedays its bad job, but either way, you have to go to work. Almost every day you have to lug a 20 or 30 pound load on your back, for miles and miles, up and down mountians, through the cold, through the rain, through the heat and when your lucky, on some pretty fine days. Its not just walking, it backpacking! And it is a job!

All in all, I like my job on the trail and I like my co-workers.

It doesn't have to be a job- it can just be a painful vacation!

[The Weasel]

I found there to be a huge dichotomy between the need to be with others and the need to hike on my own, and I never fully resolvd it: When I was fully on my own, without friends at shelters or campsites, I traveled faster and smoother, usually for longer distances each day, and felt more 'free'. Yet after a week or so, I'd also have a hunger for what the Boss called 'that human touch' of listening to others, sharing ideas and helping each other. But not all such contacts were productive, either.

When I return to my thru, I think I'll find a way to mentally prepare for loneliness far more, since that means not being tied to others, and while not being unsociable, try to be mentally prepared for more of a solitary effort.

TW

[Lyle]

I'll agree with others. Plan all you want, in as much detail as you want. Just know that your plans will probably be out the window, or at least seriously modified, by the time you hit Neels. Maybe even before that. Absolutely nothing wrong with that, in fact, it's a good sign, you're learning and adopting.

Biggest two things:

First: Stay flexible. Plans are made to change. Unexpected events should always be expected and welcomed.

Second: Have Fun! Make sure you find at least three or four things to laugh about each and every day. Even if it's just how miserable and dejected you and your friends look at the end of a long, cold, wet day. There is always something to laugh about if you actively seek it out.

Guess I'll add a third: NEVER decide to quit when you are miserable. Give yourself at least a week to make that decision. If at the end of the week you still feel like quitting, take a day or two off in town. Get clean, fed, dry, whatever. If you still feel like quitting, give yourself another week, then decide. You planned this for a long time (most of you) don't sell yourself short by making a hasty decision to abandon it.

HAVE FUN!!!

[ShelterLeopard]

Good point Lyle.

[Pony]

Lots of good responses. I like the idea of having fun. I think too often I forget that I am supposed to be having fun.

I hope this thread is helpful. When I attempted a thruhike, I spent so much time preparing and yet was completely unprepared for things such as lonliness and homesickness. Some of the better adjusted people I met, had friends or family with them on the trail. I think without that kind of support, the need to rely on fellow hikers is important. I never realized this, until I decided to leave the trail. Without exception, my fellow hikers seemed genuinely sad that I was leaving and almost all tried to talk me out of it. Unfortunately, by that time I was in such a crappy place mentally that I'm not sure staying on the trail would have helped. I think that support from home while on the trail is important too. Even if it is just an act, the folks at home should try to be supportive. There is nothing worse than calling home for the first time in a week and the person on the other end just seems irritated that you're out there instead of at home.

While not technically thruhiking, I will be heading out of Damascus in the spring with the intent of finishing the trail. Strangely enough this time around I haven't even thought about gear and maps and maildrops and all the stuff that most people spend so much time on before their hike. I haven't even set a start date, I think I am just going to keep saving money and when I feel ready just go. I'm hoping that by just relaxing and not over thinking it, I will have a clear head when I set out.

Also this time around, I want to make sure to touch base with all the people that are important to me before I leave. A lot of things can happen in 5-6 months and there is no guarantee that everyone will be there when you get back, or for that matter, that you'll make it back.

So, thanks for all the replies and keep them coming. I'm especially interested to hear from anyone that has quit a thruhike, and then gone back and finished a thru hike.

[sbhikes]

I was a PCT hiker. I started at the Mexican border in May of 08. My plan was only to hike to Ashland, Oregon. But I didn't make it. I got off the trail in far northern California because I hurt my feet. It was devastating to go home. I mourned the loss. I felt like who I was had died. I wasn't my trailname person anymore. I was a big giant nobody and a failure.

At the time I went home, the hike kind of wasn't really that much fun anymore. I was lonely and I missed my animals back home. My feet were truly broken, but I think if they had been healthy, I might have found another excuse sooner or later.

But when I got home, it gnawed on me that I hadn't finished. Not only that I hadn't finished to Ashland, but that I hadn't finished the entire trail. So I went back this year and finished it.

Again, after about 2 months it stopped being fun, but I knew how awful it feels to go home so no matter what, I kept hiking. I refused to go home until I got to the end. There were a few places I holed up in for a few days just so that I could wait for things to improve rather than quit and go home.

I agree with the person who wrote that having a positive attitude toward adversity is the best preparation. But if you are someone like me who is prone to negativity, you can't really force a positive attitude. I pretty much forced myself to the end with the fear of what it would feel like not to finish coupled with stubbornness. I had a really hard time with rain near the end. I don't think I'd make it on the AT because of the rain unless I can somehow get over it and learn to enjoy it.

So, if you have any sort of way to figure out what your weaknesses are in advance and find a way to truly feel in your heart a positive attitude when you are in the midst of them, you'll be far ahead of me who struggled to the very last day.

[superman]

I don't think you have to be crazy to do a long distance hike...but it helps.

[Many Walks]

I also have to go with the thought that a bad day on the trail is still better than a good day at work.

[singing wind]

I agree - flexibility mixed in with a bit of stubborness/determination + knowing when to take time off is a recipe that has helped heaps.

With all the planning and prep + mental work + any hiking/backpacking has anyone considered supportive measures for reentry after the hike?

[Jim Adams]

You will have bad days. There will be times that you are cold or wet or wet and cold or miserable or tired or sore and mentally it will be hard to deal with....just ask yourself...although it is bad, would I rather be at work? Enjoy the rest of your hike!

geek

[Grampie]

OK, fine, "I'm going to backpack until I stop having fun."

The whole deal isn't rocket science. Go out and get used to backpacking prior to leaving on an extended trip. Successful AT hiking doesn't require some sort of esoteric knowledge or skill; you pick a backpack, throw the appropriate gear in, and start walking with said backpack and gear on.

I have a blast when it rains; I make better miles. Just keep walking and have a sense of humor about it.

First of all it's not always fun. Most of the time it's enjoyable, but not always fun.
My advise would be: Leave as much of your mental baggage home. Don't take your everyday off trail problems with you. Don't worry about what is happening off trail. That can be hard, but in the long run it will help you to get to Katahdin.
Don't try to stay connected. If you feel you need to take a cell phone, leave it in your pack for emergencys. Don't be conserned about sports you follow or even the daily news. You have a goal. That is to hike, so you have to prepare yourself to do that. It has to become your new job. And as I have told many, after my hike, " It's the hardest job I ever had."
So just remember. It isn't always fun. It will become a hard gruleing experience. The strong will make it and the weak will faulter.

[ShelterLeopard]

I really like what everyone is saying- it makes so much sense! I have had bad days on trail. So I know that they can be hard. But I also know that sometimes, instead of stopping and collapsing or turning around, just getting to camp and getting in a sleeping bag and having hot chocolate and maybe even starting a fire on a cold, rainy, and otherwise terrible day can really help.

And it is a good idea never to quit on a bad day, and always wait for a good day. Just to let y'all know, some of this is getting written down and taped in my guidebook!

[ShelterLeopard]

And I like your advice Grampie- I'm only bringing my cell to use in towns (family would be not happy if I never called, and I don't want to spend money on pay phones, etc...) and in emergencies. It'll never be on on the trail. And checking sports? People actually do that on trail?

[Idealist]

I agree with the above advice (staying flexible, establishing a base of support, being positive, etc.).

Additionally, to prepare, our pre-trail prep regime included:

(1) an intense study trail wildlife. I was never bored on the trail because I could indentify that the woods & the critters within it changed constantly.
(2) reading tons of trail stories, histories & journals. This served to connect me to trail & aided in giving me a heads up as to difficulties & excitements on any given stretches of trail.
(3) Among my physical preparations for the trail, I ran a marathon. Unlike previous races, I never rescheduled a training run for rain/snow/etc. Instead, I trained as usual and then, sitting soaking wet inside my apartment and feeling exhausted, I’d think to myself “On the AT I’ll be this tired, this wet and then I’ll eat some meager dinner like couscous and sleep on the ground.” This exercise in particular really served me well.

[Evil Eye]

Mentally it was my intention, during my '07 NOBO Thru, to Summit Mt. K.
Not my wish, hope or dream - but my intention. Not only to make it to Maine - but to summit. Had heard too many stories of those that did get to Maine and were not able to summit.
Enjoy, but make progress, every day - it is "only" a series of 3-6 day hikes - a long series, but a series with starts, stops, resupplies, clean up, friendships, etc. & Progress is not always just miles - but rest, relax, learn, visit, calorie load, etc.
All things, both good and bad, change along the way - expect that they will and you will not be disappointed.
I too planned a daily itinerary before I started - by Mountain Crossings it was trash.
In the end - everyday was not fun, but I enjoyed and appreciated everyday & hated to see the grand adventure end.

[Jofish]

Preppin for a long trail thru this summer. When things get tough and I feel like I want to quit (oh, it'll happen) I'll just remind myself that I have bad days at home too. If you just push on, you'll be glad you did. Its a lesson I've learned from the ultimate mental marathon; grad school!