View Full Version : Life changing event
skinnbones
01-18-2014, 08:42
Does such a thing as a "calling" exist? The lure of an Appalachian Trail hike has captured my spirit and refuses to let go even after all these years. In fact, it continues to grow stronger. I have to do this hike. I feel this journey from Georgia to Maine will forever change my life. I will discover myself and finally find which direction my life should take.
This brings me to my question; everybody who has finished the hike, has your life changed? Did you find answers? Did the trail produce a better "you"? Did your outlook on life improve? Or, was it just a break and you return home to the same routine. I was always curious about the mental part of hiking this long trail and what the hike really meant to you. Thanks.
No, more of a bug than a calling. Probably the result of faulty brain chemistry. You move in a certain direction or even think about moving and neurons fire, endorphins are produced, creating the feeling of pleasure and you are off to the races. Next thing you know you are ordering maps and buying a postal scale. Will it produce a better you? Probably not. Will it fill your idle time and make you focus in on something other than cutting your ear off? Yes it will. Is hiking good for you? Yes. Try not to think too much.
moldy gives excellent advice. There is no one size fits all answers to this question. I had a paradigm shift along the way similar to what many other hikers notice. The first part of the trip is spent looking at the guidebook, worrying about the difficulty of that day's hike, etc. After a while you stop doing that because it's useless...the parts that you thought would be hard weren't, the day that you thought would be easy wasn't. You quit worrying about what you have to do and just get up each day and do it. I continue that mental approach. I don't worry about things anymore...I just deal with the day's challenges. Oddly enough,I have fewer of them.
or as moldy said more succinctly, "try not to think too much".:)
RedBeerd
01-18-2014, 09:59
imo, doing something life changing makes life harder afterwards!!! you may be less content with the "norm"
I guess you could compare it to a calling to enter the ministry. You feel strongly about something and want to accomplish it... Something you feel you can probably do. I am called to it as well, my wife just keeps hanging up that phone for me. I'll do some short stretches, but never a through hike, so it probably won't have the same effect on me.
GreatDane
01-18-2014, 10:56
I have to say that for me it feels like a calling. As I've said in other posts, thru-hiking has been a dream of mine for 35 years. I used to think that it couldn't possibly be my calling because it wasn't "pure" enough. That is, I would not be doing something important to make the world a better place. So I put the dream away again and again, and tried to find that purity in other things. But nothing else in my life ever gave me butterflies like thinking about actually getting out there and attempting a thru. So I finally decided that for me, thru-hiking is my calling, my bliss. And if I have the courage to pursue my dream, no matter what it is, I am making a positive impact on the world around me. Will I go all the way? Will my life after the hike change dramatically? Who knows? But I can't wait to get out there. It's where I belong.
Hot Flash
01-18-2014, 11:11
Saying you have a calling is similar to any other sort of "spiritual" claptrap. There are things human beings enjoy doing very much, things we want to do very much. Call it like it is, you have dreams and goals, but there's nothing force other than you that actually drives you to do them.
"Does such a thing as a "calling" exist? The lure of an Appalachian Trail hike has captured my spirit and refuses to let go even after all these years. In fact, it continues to grow stronger. I have to do this hike. I feel this journey from Georgia to Maine will forever change my life. I will discover myself and finally find which direction my life should take."
Yes, callings, passions, dreams, no matter how you label it, do exist. You have to believe that though. Sounds like you already know that as it pertains to hiking. My career is my calling my passion. Wouldn't want to do anything else for no matter how much amt of money. It's the same with long distance hiking. When you know what you're doing you're called to do, you are doing it in the exact place and time as it is meant to be(in season), a switch gets turned on inside, things happen that seem to start falling into place. The Universe comes to your aid in time of need. You attract that which you strongly seek. That which you sow you reap. If you're reaping(harvesting/experiencing) things in your life you don't like examine the quality of seed you've been sowing. Examine the cultivation of the crop. What we intently focus on becomes our reality. What we intently focus on we tend to get. You're expectations for your hike will create the experiences you will have on the hike!. Meditate about that principle. It can be life changing, revolutionary, for all aspects of life. Let enthusiasm and passion flow. WHY, live life not living with passion and joy? It was the way we are meant to live. This is no selfish thing though. It's about ebbing and flowing with everything else. These are your obviously powerful beliefs/intentions/expectations: "I feel this journey from Georgia to Maine will forever change my life. I will discover myself and finally find which direction my life should take." This is what you diligently seek. This is what you will find on your hike! You hold onto those expectations no matter what anyone else says or does no matter what happens and YOU WILL find answers that ARE RIGHT FOR YOU. Trust that.
"This brings me to my question; everybody who has finished the hike, has your life changed? Did you find answers? Did the trail produce a better "you"? Did your outlook on life improve? Or, was it just a break and you return home to the same routine. I was always curious about the mental part of hiking this long trail and what the hike really meant to you. Thanks."
Every action we take in life, every action we do not take in life, changes something, actually many things. So everyone's life changes during and after a long distance hike. Deciding not to do a hike changes things. You asking these questions changed something. If you had not asked these questions that also would have changed something. Sometimes, we don't recognize the changes though.
I can't speak for everyone but with a resounding YES I liked the person I had become after my first long distance hike than the person I was before that hike. It's been that way ever since which is why I keep long distance hiking. If you know something is making you a better person and you realize that your NEW behavior, that BETTER you influences the world in all sorts of ways to potentially be BETTER is that really a selfish thing? I think not.
As far as going back to the pre-hike routine after a long distance hike it is difficult for some. I think it occurs sometimes because we don't realize the pre-hike routine may not be viewed the same after the hike because the person viewing it has changed. When YOU change the way you look at things the things you look at change. Meditate on that too. Could be life altering as well. I refer back to how every action we take/don't take sets a whole series of other things in motion.
DeerPath
01-18-2014, 12:23
I think it is a calling for me.
I lived within 100 yards of the Appalachian Trail, Linden, Va., for 22 years. Never had the urge to hike it until I read about thru hiker Buffalo Bobby who passed away within 20 miles of Katahdin. He was 67, I was 67 and just realized I had better git it done soon!
Did Thru-Hiking change my life in a sense it did, my entire life is down sized now, instead of driving i ride a bike, i don't even own a car any more, after my 97 flip-flop i realized i don't need all that materalistic crap any more, and after both my Nobo's ( 06 & 2012 ) I realized i will never be the same person again.
MuddyWaters
01-18-2014, 12:27
It exists, but its only in your head.
Meriadoc
01-18-2014, 12:32
Many good answers here.
Does such a thing as a "calling" exist?
Yes. You have to find it. If you're lucky it's something you can do for sustenance. (Edit: And it may be more than one thing!)
This brings me to my question; everybody who has finished the hike, has your life changed?
Yes.
Did you find answers?
Yes - that I was asking the wrong questions.
Did the trail produce a better "you"?
Yes.
Did your outlook on life improve?
Yes.
Thru hiking is like a crash course in living. It strips away all the distractions and hard decisions and forces us to deal with the pulsating quick of life. It forces us to stare deep into that most frightening of abysses - ourselves.
If you let the experience help you grow then you will grow and very quickly. But one can always refuse. Sounds like you're on a path you want to take!
That's one thing that long distance hiking eventually does. It forces you to face yourself. The longer you're out the more you can get real with yourself. Thru-hiking is one of the healthiest self actualizing wake up experiences one can have.
http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/hierarchyneeds_2.htm
This is me described exactly! Long distance hiking was one of the BEST vehicles for me to become self actualized.
It exists, but its only in your head.
but how can we know if our head even exists? what if we are all a figment of someone else's imagination? Then the thought of the thru hike changing our lives isn't real anymore, just a figment of someone else's thoughts inside his or her own head (which may or may not even be real also). these questions have continued to haunt me years after my own hike. But I can tell you that there is a really good pizza place in Gorham and the best Chinese AYCE on the trail is in Waynesboro.:D
Slo-go'en
01-18-2014, 13:27
The first question I would ask the OP is "Have you ever done much camping/backpacking before?" Have you gone on a week long hiking trip and at the end said "man, this is something I could really get into doing nonstop 24/7 for 4 to 6 months" ?
Unfortunately, for many people who say "doing a thru hike has been dream of mine" the answer to the above questions are No, but it sounds like something I'd really want to do. Then when they do try, they find out it's more of a nightmare for them then a dream.
So, is this something you KNOW you want to do from experiance or something you THINK you want to do because other people have said how great it was for them?
As for being a life changing experiance, maybe yes, maybe no. I know of at least one recent thru hiker going through some serious post hike depression, which is actually sort of common. Instead of "finding yourself" or "deciding what to do with my life", people often find themselfs more adrift then before. Trail life and endorphins can be highly addictive.
I guess the only way to find out if this is your "calling" and not the worst idea yet is to go out and give it a try.
ChinMusic
01-18-2014, 14:04
This brings me to my question; everybody who has finished the hike, has your life changed? Did you find answers? Did the trail produce a better "you"? Did your outlook on life improve? Or, was it just a break and you return home to the same routine. I was always curious about the mental part of hiking this long trail and what the hike really meant to you. Thanks.
I found no changed upon ruturning home other than having to go down my steps sideways when barefoot.
The hike itself means a lot to me. I set out to challenge myself and to complete this things I started. I did, and it feels good.
skinnbones
01-18-2014, 14:19
Thank you for your input Dogwood.
skinnbones
01-18-2014, 14:24
Thanks to all!, great insight and very helpful info for me.
Cannot tell you how many lifelong friends I made while hike the trail. For all the spectacular vistas the trail offers, none beats a great freindship.
Son Driven
01-18-2014, 15:00
For me it was a calling, and I am better off for having been obedient to it.
takethisbread
01-18-2014, 15:06
I think romanticizing it u aren't doing yourself a service . it's not fun mostly, it's super hard. it's rarely comfortable and there's more boredom than adventure. is it a calling? I don't know it's just a basic human response . u put up a mountain , someone is gonna try to climb it. u make a super long path? folks are gonna try to walk the whole thing . human beings are a peculiar creation, and we test ourselves. some people doing in more practical ways I.e seeking fame or fortune or joining the navy seals . others strap a backpack on and go to the end of a huge trail. whatever it is , I have it in spades. it's more of an affliction than a calling.
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My longest hike was a bit under three weeks so I've never thru hiked a long trail. But since I wanted to keep going, I'm pretty sure that thru hiking a long trail is something I will like doing but I'm not sure I would refer to it as a "calling".
The thing about solo hiking is that you can't really escape your own thoughts. In normal day to day life, you can occupy yourself with enough activities to crowd out introspective thinking. That really is not possible on the trail even for a long day hike and certainly not for a multi-week hike. So it doesn't surprise me that people come away from long hikes changed in many ways. It would be surprising if this was not the case. For me personally, the JMT convinced me that I want to thru hike the PCT which I will do next year. I won't say it is a calling. If a family situation came up that required my presence, for example, I would ditch the PCT in 2015 without a second thought. It is an important goal for me but not the only goal. Before the JMT, hiking the PCT wasn't even something I thought I would want to do. So the JMT "changed me" in terms of opening up the possibility of hiking a long trail and having a real desire to do it, hopefully soon.
I think romanticizing it u aren't doing yourself a service . it's not fun mostly, it's super hard. it's rarely comfortable and there's more boredom than adventure. it's more of an affliction than a calling.
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affliction...lol. regarding your first statement...how many 'thru hikers' out there every year that are hiking to Mt.K OR "until it quits being fun for me"? I wonder how many of these make it?
snail2010
01-18-2014, 19:25
Maybe not a calling, but since my 2010 hike the trail calls me endlessly. For some of us it's addictive, others do it once and move on and still others hate it and say never again.
Hiking the AT was a life changing event for me. Pretty much my current life is a result of having done the AT. I would not have moved to Colorado, met my current social circle, would not have met my now wife, and many many many other things. Since I did not live away from home when going to college, my exposure to a different lifestyle was limited. On the AT, I met many people different from my socioeconomic background and the life view that went with it. That experience was more subtle, but equally eye opening.
I should also add I was only 24 yo when I did the AT. I suspect if I had done the AT post-retirement after a traditional career, the impact may not have been as profound.
handlebar
01-21-2014, 23:45
I should also add I was only 24 yo when I did the AT. I suspect if I had done the AT post-retirement after a traditional career, the impact may not have been as profound.
As one who hiked the AT after retiring, I can report the experience still had a life altering effect on me. I retired early at age 60 having had more than enough of the corporate world. I had decided on doing an AT thru hike to make a clean break from the world of work and so I would have a new goal to inspire me. I wasn't ready for the rocking chair and didn't, still don't, plan to fade away like the proverbial old soldier.
That experience changed me spiritually and physically. After 6 months, I felt as good as I did at age 30, though a look in the mirror made it clear I was not 30. In fact, I had a significant improvement in the condition of my cardiac arteries: both the number and severity of blockages declined significantly (based on catheterization so prompted by false positive nuclear stress tests using thallium isotopes when I was 49 and again when I was 66.). More important was the spiritual transformation. I found myself acting younger and thinking younger. I made many friends among 20- and 30-something's---"kids" younger than my 3 daughters. I have freed myself from the materialism that pervades our culture. I have continued my long distance treks, often solo. I think I now have a more balanced life between my new "career" as a long distance hiker and my old responsibilities as husband, father, and grandfather.
So, for at least one of the post-retirement hikers, yes, hiking the AT had a profound effect.
Here I was thinking you were about 55 yrs young. Still enjoying yourself while getting it done. Love it.
4eyedbuzzard
01-22-2014, 02:55
Here's the thing though. If you use a thru hike to "escape" from your current life for whatever reason(s), you will return to the unsolved problems you have left behind when you are done hiking. A long hike can be a very life changing experience for many, as folks here can attest to. You may explore and examine your life and yourself, and perhaps choose a different path to pursue after returning. Or not. But you don't really make any changes while you are on the trail. You just friggin' walk, day after day after day after day . . . It does give you a lot of time to think - but it doesn't really make your "civilized" life different. That takes hard work and commitment - as much or more than the hiking does.
The three hardest things I have done in my life are:
1) Get Sober
2) Get Educated
3) Walk 1,000 miles on the AT
Matthew82
01-23-2014, 15:22
Life changing just sounds to dramatic for me... I don't want to look at events in such a way, I fear it would become easy to dwell on them if I did. (Even that sounds a bit dramatic!... )
The three hardest things I have done in my life are:
1) Get Sober
2) Get Educated
3) Walk 1,000 miles on the AT
1) get drunk
2)forget what i have learned
3)save up for the Walk 2,000 miles on the AT
first one is a joke because i don't drink