satisfied?

[Uncle Walkie]

I'm curious if there is anyone out there who dreamed of a thru hike for years, then after finally beginning discovered they were satisfied with sectional hiking, perhaps multi-week trips?

Or if after finally having the opportunity to thru hike decided to cut it short...and if so...why?

I read many accounts of those who completed a thru hike...a certain amount of pride and accomplishment must come with that....but for those who started out to to thru hike, then something changed.....

...what's your story?

(I am three years out from attempting a thru hike...have dreamed of it for years...just wanting to learn from those who have gone before me...)

[mweinstone]

dreams were suddenly cut short by hiking. thru? i dont know what you mean sir. all my hikes were just as long as they were. 7000 miles and i never seen maine. but i dont wanna talk about it.

next.

[map man]

I enjoy thinking about the logistics of getting an AT thru-hike done, and I've even picked out a year to do it (2021), yet I've found in the multi-week hikes that I've done in the last five years, since I got the backpacking bug, that two weeks is about my limit before I just want it to be over. So there is definitely a disconnect between what I daydream about and what I have found through experience that I actually enjoy. Between one and two weeks, once or twice a year, seems to be the sweet spot for me.

[Uncle Walkie]

matthewski,

when I first joined WB a short time ago I wasn't sure how to take your posts....now I value your input and methinks I am semi-literate in your language..thank you

[Uncle Walkie]

thanks map man,

part of me wonders if some prolong the experience by systematically thru hiking?

I'm kinda thinking to thru hike one, then each year after do a long leg sectionally...like 2 or 3 weeks?...

[Uncle Walkie]

...I meant by systematically section hiking....

[lush242000]

I'm curious if there is anyone out there who dreamed of a thru hike for years, then after finally beginning discovered they were satisfied with sectional hiking, perhaps multi-week trips?

Or if after finally having the opportunity to thru hike decided to cut it short...and if so...why?

I read many accounts of those who completed a thru hike...a certain amount of pride and accomplishment must come with that....but for those who started out to to thru hike, then something changed.....

...what's your story?

(I am three years out from attempting a thru hike...have dreamed of it for years...just wanting to learn from those who have gone before me...)

In the past I have taken on activities that I thought would be great only to find out they were not what I was expecting. I have camped since I was in Indian guides and started hiking the AT after high school. I think it would be a challenge for someone to just up and decide to hike the trail without having spent some time in the woods. On good weather days there is not like it. It is the rain days and nights, the cold, the heat, the bugs, the hard ground, the lack of ice, no power, no hot water that usually trips people up. If you go to bed every night with a television on it will be quite a shock to suddenly be in the woods with the crickets.

So to answer your question...the first time I went on a section hike I was 18 and grabbed what I had handy in the garage. I lasted a week and was ready to come home. Was I disappointed? Not in the least. Think of it as this. You can watch the evening news about a football game and they show the winning touchdown and it's awesome. It's a whole different animal if you drove 4 hours to get to the game, tailgated for 3 or 4 hours, watched the whole game, and drove back. I'm done rambling....

[sbhikes]

I never actually attempted a thru-hike. I never thought I could do the entire trail all in one go. I thought 3 months was a good amount of time. I may someday try a thru-hike. The trouble is that you have to hike every day and then it becomes a job rather than the passion of my life which it normally is.

I think people agonize too much about doing the whole trail or not. They see anything less than the whole trail all at once as a failure. The failure is to get it over with and never do it again. The failure is in not going out there to begin with.

[Amanita]

I set out this season to do 7 weeks of hiking. After 1 week I realized I couldn't handle it.

Although I love hiking alone, I hate camping alone. 1 or 2 nights with no one else is okay, but it starts to wear on me after a while. I still plan on doing more hiking this summer, but I hope to find a partner before doing any longer treks.

[wcgornto]

I set out this season to do 7 weeks of hiking. After 1 week I realized I couldn't handle it.

Although I love hiking alone, I hate camping alone. 1 or 2 nights with no one else is okay, but it starts to wear on me after a while. I still plan on doing more hiking this summer, but I hope to find a partner before doing any longer treks.

Section hike the AT in peak season for whichever section you are on. Stay in or near shelters. You will never camp alone.

[wcgornto]

I think people agonize too much about doing the whole trail or not. They see anything less than the whole trail all at once as a failure. The failure is to get it over with and never do it again. The failure is in not going out there to begin with.

I agree with you on this. I don't understand those who attempt to thru hike, leave the trail for some reason and then come back the next year (or several years later) and start over from the same end to cover the same miles. If I hiked a substantial portion of the AT and had to leave the trail for some reason, I would start from the other end on my next attempt, so that when I got to the point where I left off before, I would complete the whole trail. Then if I wanted to keep going to complete a one year thru hike, I would have that option.

[Lone Wolf]

I'm curious if there is anyone out there who dreamed of a thru hike for years, then after finally beginning discovered they were satisfied with sectional hiking, perhaps multi-week trips?

Or if after finally having the opportunity to thru hike decided to cut it short...and if so...why?

I read many accounts of those who completed a thru hike...a certain amount of pride and accomplishment must come with that....but for those who started out to to thru hike, then something changed.....

...what's your story?

it was just under 9 months from the time i thought of thru-hiking til i actually started one. that year i made to within 300 miles of katahdin and quit. i was just sick of walkin'. the following year i started out again because i really loved the lifestyle but could care less about the goal of katahdin and quit again at the same place. i did go on to complete the AT 5 times over the next 12 years

[Jeff]

Section hikers get excited about hiking every springtime...the cure for Springer Fever. And, it's a great reason to stay fit all year long.

I see alot of thru hikers burned out after 1500 miles and just wishing to finish and go home. Some others never want the trail to end. Hard to predict which catagory you will be in.