Thoughts many years after thru-hiking

[Ulysses2014]

I recently stumbled upon some photographs in the WhiteBlaze image gallery from a thru-hike in the mid-1980s (though I've forgotten how to find them again). It was fun even just to see the differences in gear, clothing, etc., but I can only imagine the memories such photos must bring back for those hikers looking back at them now.

I'm wondering if there is anyone who thru-hiked 10 to 20+ years ago who would be willing to share their perspective on the "longer-term" effects of their journey. How often or in what situations do you think about your hike? Do you ever talk to any of the folks you met?

[Blissful]

I can give you that particular feedback in 2017. :)

[soilman]

My brother and I attempted a SOBO in 1976. We hiked 100 days and over 1200 miles then got off the trail. Soon after I knew I would come back and complete a thru hike. I eventually completed the rest of my hike in 1981. I then completed a NOBO thru in 2010. As far as long term affects for me, the AT got under my skin. I would read everything I could about it. I became a life member of the ATC in 1980 and have been donating annually. Until I could get back and do my thru I worked on trail crews and did sections along the AT. I never stopped thinking about the trail. I still do. That is probably why I check in on WB occasionally to see what is going on. If you are into nostalgia, my journals from my early hikes along with pictures are on Trail Journals.

[Spirit Walker]

I did my first thruhike in 1988, the second in 1992. That led to thruhikes of the CDT in 1999 and 2006 and a thruhike of the PCT in 2000 and the GDT in 2007. I became addicted to the lifestyle. I am not in contact with anyone I hiked with in 1988, but I married someone I met in 1992. Another friend from that hike is still a good friend and we are in contact with someone else we hiked with that year.

The trail has changed in a lot of ways, thanks to the internet, technology, and changing attitudes. I've been part of the online community since 1996, so I see some of the changes. I'm glad I hiked when I did, but I would do it again, though I'd rather go back west and finish my second PCT hike (attempted but not completed due to DH's injury) or do the CDT again.

[garlic08]

This year is the tenth anniversary of my first thru hike of the PCT, and I count a hiker I met on that trail as one of my best friends, though we live in different states. I'm still in frequent contact with much of the "trail family" from that year, including one in England, one in Switzerland, and one in Germany. On that hike, I got some encouragement from a past hiker who told me, when you look back far in the future, the best part of the hike will be the people you met, and he was right.

It's been over twenty years since my hike of the Colorado Trail (in its infancy then), and it's downright nostalgic to see the changes to that trail, and it's wonderful to see the growth of the organization. I didn't meet any people then because there weren't any.

[Mountain Mike]

I did my AT thru in 88. There are a few I still keep in touch with. It led to hiking the PCT, LT & hopefully more.

[fiddlehead]

Did my first long distance hike in '77.
Springer to DWGap PA.
The main difference in equipment that I see is, backpacks are now mostly frameless.
Shoes are mostly running shoes now.
Tents are way lighter now.
Coleman fuel or unleaded used to be the norm.
Fleece now instead of wool.
Raingear was not very breathable back then, but we often just got wet while it rained.
Everything else about the same. (haven't thru'd now in over 10 years, so maybe some things are different as I haven't tried cuban fibre but had a base wt. of about 12-15 lbs without food or water last time)
Probably had 25 lbs in 77.
I was one of the lighter ones.
Built fires most of the time after our stove blew up. (Optimus)
Hiked 15-20 mpd. (same)

Anyway, gear is lighter, weather just as wet and cold.
Trail just as long.
Hostels cost money now. (credit cards make it easier to succeed)
Hitchhiking is harder now.
More people have a better idea of what it takes..

[max patch]

Wow, outta the last 5 posts I'm now the 3rd person to have thru'd in 1988. Whats the odds of that?

I'm no longer in contact with anyone I hiked with. Much easier to stay connected now because of the internet.

Changes? Not a single hiker used 2 trekking poles. Free or small donation church hostels have pretty much been replaced by for-profit hostels. Everybody wore boots. Packs a lot lighter now. No cell phones; everyone used pay phones when in town.

[Praha4]

My only AT recollection from those days was in Oct-Nov 1976, at the Army Ranger mountain phase, Camp Merrill near Dahlonega, GA. Some of the other enlisted Ranger trainees kept telling us the best time of year to go thru the Ranger mountain phase was in the spring/summer when the college co-eds were out hiking the AT in north GA in their Daisy-Duke shorts. :)

[Kerosene]

Cool to see the older ages of most of the posters to this thread, although the OP with a stated age of 27 would make it hard to do a mid-80s thru!

The longest I've been out was 24 days (LT SOBO '79), which was probably about a week longer than I really wanted to be hiking. However, even my first section hike at the age of 15 in April '73 (DWG to Unionville) has impacted my lifestyle and interests. No, I was never away long enough to have a problem re-assimilating into society, but I tend to be much more self-sufficient, much more aware of my impact on the environment, and I dream about my past hikes and next hike. I can still recall something from almost every day I've backpacked, although some of that is likely due to my journaling.

[Mountain Mike]

Wow, outta the last 5 posts I'm now the 3rd person to have thru'd in 1988. Whats the odds of that?

I'm no longer in contact with anyone I hiked with. Much easier to stay connected now because of the internet.

Changes? Not a single hiker used 2 trekking poles. Free or small donation church hostels have pretty much been replaced by for-profit hostels. Everybody wore boots. Packs a lot lighter now. No cell phones; everyone used pay phones when in town. In 95 of aroubd a little over fifty thru hikers on PCT there were four of us from AT 88.

[RockDoc]

In June-Aug 1974 I hiked from HF to Maine. Remember Nixon? I don't because I was on the trail rather than watching Watergate proceedings (as if lying about a 3rd rate burglary was much compared to multiple scandals we see today).:rolleyes:

Since then I've done a lot of section hiking, some parts two or three times. Just completing the trail has never meant much to me although I might do it in 2014. Look at all the (thru)hikers who complete it and never return, as if they no longer enjoy or need it, or think they know everything there is to know about the AT! Not me.

Just a few observations:

-I see more diversity on the trail, more women and international hikers. In '74 it was mostly white guys; women were uncommon although I fondly remember two sisters, Lee and Liz, who famously washed all their clothes at a shelter in Penn and then it rained solid for days... Lesson learned: Never wash ALL of your clothes if you are relying on sunshine to dry them.

-There is status in hiking today. In '74 you sort of hid because legally you were a homeless transient, townspeople distrusted you, and police watched you closely (expecting trouble).
-The trail used to be a lot narrower, often difficult to follow. Now it's a highway.
-Shelters have been improved. In '74 most of them leaked if it rained. Now they mostly have steel roofs
-A lot of damage has been done to the trail by trekking poles, holes are everywhere and the rocks are scratched.
-There is less peace: everyone everywhere is using cell phones if they can get signal.
-Trail angels and magic is nice but almost too common to enjoy as we once did, when you might be called into someone's home for a dish of ice cream.
-There was a lot more road walking in the '70's. The trail found money at some point and replaced those road sections, with few exceptions.
-I would have to say that the trail is a bit less friendly today because there are just so many people. You used to always stop and chat. Now even friendly greetings go unanswered at times. But there's still good folks and it's still possible to make good friends.

[Bati]

I'm wondering if there is anyone who thru-hiked 10 to 20+ years ago who would be willing to share their perspective on the "longer-term" effects of their journey. How often or in what situations do you think about your hike?

I started Northbound in 93 and some of the skills I gained on the AT and on lesser-traveled trails serve me well today. One is the ability to connect to almost anyone and find the common ground needed to have a meaningful conversation. I'm naturally shy, so it was a learned skill, and there's nothing that makes for a more dedicated learner than not seeing anyone for days on end.
Another lesson from the trial was seeing the differences between hikers who were in it together, as we were when the weather was bad (93), and hikers who are in competition with each other, as was more common in years with good weather (such as 94). Bad weather (or bad "times") builds community in a way that a paradise of free food, easy to find trails, sunshine, and good town maps cannot. When we need others to break trail or tell us where to find the post office, we put up with their annoying habits (such as snoring) more easily. This applies in situations other than hiking, which has given me a different perspective on what the "well off" may be missing in their lives.

How many times have you come to a defined campsite or shelter and not said anything more that "hi" to anyone else there, secretly wishing they would leave? Do you ever stop to think that they might be the some folks you write to on white blaze, not just competitors for the best camping spots? The same holds true off the trail.

Having too much information on where to find things also shelters us from the town folk; typically at a great loss as you can learn a lot from having short conversations with others who live in different situations than you do. What I've taken from this is that while I don't care to depend on others for my survival, I tend to have more enjoyable travels if I don't have all the details and leave a lot to circumstance. Knowing how to talk to others and leaving things open has led to spending a couple of hours drinking tea with an Irish shepherd, many conversations with European bicyclists including tidbits about the best food places and sights that aren't in the guidebook, and eating a dinner of fresh sushi with a group of Japanese motorcyclists. Each offered a different world view that I wouldn't have had if the trail had not taught me that the journey is far more important than reaching the destination.

[fiddlehead]

I started Northbound in 93 and some of the skills I gained on the AT and on lesser-traveled trails serve me well today. One is the ability to connect to almost anyone and find the common ground needed to have a meaningful conversation. I'm naturally shy, so it was a learned skill, and there's nothing that makes for a more dedicated learner than not seeing anyone for days on end.
Another lesson from the trial was seeing the differences between hikers who were in it together, as we were when the weather was bad (93), and hikers who are in competition with each other, as was more common in years with good weather (such as 94). Bad weather (or bad "times") builds community in a way that a paradise of free food, easy to find trails, sunshine, and good town maps cannot. When we need others to break trail or tell us where to find the post office, we put up with their annoying habits (such as snoring) more easily. This applies in situations other than hiking, which has given me a different perspective on what the "well off" may be missing in their lives.

How many times have you come to a defined campsite or shelter and not said anything more that "hi" to anyone else there, secretly wishing they would leave? Do you ever stop to think that they might be the some folks you write to on white blaze, not just competitors for the best camping spots? The same holds true off the trail.

Having too much information on where to find things also shelters us from the town folk; typically at a great loss as you can learn a lot from having short conversations with others who live in different situations than you do. What I've taken from this is that while I don't care to depend on others for my survival, I tend to have more enjoyable travels if I don't have all the details and leave a lot to circumstance. Knowing how to talk to others and leaving things open has led to spending a couple of hours drinking tea with an Irish shepherd, many conversations with European bicyclists including tidbits about the best food places and sights that aren't in the guidebook, and eating a dinner of fresh sushi with a group of Japanese motorcyclists. Each offered a different world view that I wouldn't have had if the trail had not taught me that the journey is far more important than reaching the destination.

I agree!
Especially the last paragraph.
I rarely carry guidebooks anymore as I've found they tend to group all the guidebook carriers together and they keep insulated from the locals.
Not my style at all.
I like guidebooks for history, language, and transport options.
But prefer to ask locals where to stay and eat and what attractions they would recommend.
It really opens doors that would otherwise stay closed.

Throw the guidebooks away (or carry one that is 20 years old instead) and open your mind! (and your travel experiences)

[Ulysses2014]

Thank you all for the stories!

[wookinpanub]

I thru-hiked southbound in 1990. I started in early May and was hiking at a pretty good clip, so 100% of my journey was solo. As far as the longer-term effects of my journey, there were several really biggies:

1) I got in some gosh-awful situations because I started so early and had so little experience. One thing I've carried with me since the thru is to NEVER panic, no matter how bad the situation is. I've been accused of seeming a bit "removed" from a situation that turns bad, but in actuality it's a lesson learned while on the AT.

2) I can go an entire week and not speak to anyone or I can make friends within 30 seconds. I'm comfortable with either situation. That's a skill I didn't have when I started the thru.

3) Keep the desired goal in mind and chip away at it each day while getting comfortable with the "process". At the beginning, I was counting how many miles I had left at the end of each day. It was a terrible idea. By Hanover, I virtually had a mental breakdown because so much was left and so much effort had already been given. While on a zero in Hanover, I decided to pretend that the AT had no end for the rest of the trip and adjust to discomforts as if they were going to be a part of everyday life and not have an end. I don't know if that makes sense, but it helped my mental state immensely and I carry philosophy now in any big project I attempt.

4) (Warning: Religious content) I started my thru in an attempt to leave a terrible lifestyle and show God that I was "on His team". It took less than a week for me to realize that I didn't have it in me to achieve this goal and there was really nothing in me that He should be impressed with. I spent the rest of the trip waking up each morning and seeing what doors He would open. Sometimes I have trouble telling people I hiked almost 2,200 miles. I actually feel like I hiked about 70 and He laid 2,100 at my feet.

As I read the above lessons I realize it's a mixed bag of big lessons and these are only a few. Hiking so much solo I'm sometimes jealous of the camaraderie and friends I see other thru-hikers had (have). But, the trek changed me dramatically and I'm much happier with the person I am now than the person who started at Katahdin in May 1990, so I wouldn't change a thing about it.
(Rambling over)