View Full Version : what were reactions to your AT thru hike?
So, after you completed your AT thru hike.. and you tell folks (not family but folks you encounter in town etc.) that you thru hiked the Appalachian Trail, what was their reaction? did they ask questions? Did they exhibit any conception at all of what you did or experienced?
For me.. people would say "wow" and that would be it. Most don't even want to know details or know what to ask.
Often times.. I feel like the non-hiker folks have no conception of what it's like to be hiking for six months, more or less outside of society or why anyone would ever consider doing such a thing, and the hiker folks-- since they mostly hiked and hike for different reasons than I do-- can't truly connect with my experience either. At least though the hiker crowd would have a question or two to ask of me!
I guess my AT thru hike is my experience and since I solo hiked it I can't share with anyone.. even immediate family don't seem to be able to connect with what my six month 2200 mile journey was like or involved.
The silence was deafening.
mattjv89
06-20-2014, 18:25
I wonder how much of people's lack of interest is related to lack of knowing what a thru hike really is? When I tell people about my planned 2015 thru I get a fair amount if responses to the tune of "oh ok...so that'll take like a few weeks right?"
What you experienced is likely why recovering thru hikers love to meet other thrus. I have found that ultra marathoners can also relate to some extent as well.
VTATHiker
06-20-2014, 19:03
I called my mother from the summit on Springer and let her know I made it to the end. She said "That's nice, did you call your grandmother this week? She won Bingo yesterday."
Thanks Ma. I'll give her a call.
Starchild
06-20-2014, 19:34
The questions still don't stop
bamboo bob
06-20-2014, 20:17
Them,"Where you been."
Me "I just finished thru-hiking the AT ! "
Them, "Cool, How do you think the Bruins will do this year"?
And that's OK, If you're 22 it's likely the biggest deal of your life.
If your over 40 to 60. You've maybe had a career. Have kids and maybe grandkids. A wife or two. Maybe been to war.
In the scheme of things hiking the AT is not all that important.
In much easier than all those other things.
Most often? "Yawn."
Years ago, in a similar thread, LW stated (essentially) that no one would care. As usual... Bulls eye. Although, like many of of you who've done it... I still marvel at the accomplishment. (I know, I know, LW... "It's just walkin'.")
And David, after all these years, I'm still astonished we never met on the trail. You must have been early on... I was the last man walking north in 2006.
ChinMusic
06-20-2014, 21:33
The questions still don't stop
Same here. Maybe it's the age of our friends. For the most part mine seem to ask great questions and have some understanding of the trail.
Coming home has been great. I plan on leaving again just for the welcome home........;)
It depends. Most people in Charlotte didn't think anything about it, where it was, or how long it took, or why one might want to do it. Where I'm living and working now, a significant portion of my coworkers and acquaintances have a thru-hike on their bucket list. People like that frequently start talking about when and how they're going to make it happen for themselves.
I've experienced plenty of camaraderie and an attempt at understanding my long distance backpacking adventures with fellow adventurers and explorers like: touring cyclists(those that road bike long distances), mountain bikers(especially thru-mountain bikers on the AZT and CT although I typically get along with all mountain bikers), long distance kayakers(especially sea kayakers like those kayaking Puget Sound/Northwest Passage, Alaska, etc and kayaking the length of long rivers), climbers/mountaineers, wilderness travelers(usually the more they do this NOT tethered to a motor vehicle the more apt we are to listen to each other), those that travel often outside the U.S.(again, I have more of a sharing with those that aren't always tethered to technology or a motor vehicle), those that spend a good deal of time working in the backcountry(Rangers, Search and Rescue personnel, backcountry professional photographers, biologists, guides, etc), survivalists/minimalists/primitive living enthusiasts/those that live off the grid, back country hunters/fisherman who often hike far into the backwoods away from roads, off road enthusiasts, long distance and cross country runners, and even motorcyclists(those that really live to ride and ride to live Harley types). Part of the reason why I feel this kinship, and IMHO why I think they feel a kinship with me, is because I'm willing to have them share their adventures with me. Simply, unloading on these folks by basing all my conversation on me, me, me doesn't always work in having folks listen. YOU have to be willing(and interested) in what they have to share as well. I believe we also share this comaraderie because we have both tapped into a freedom and an appreciation. We're travelers.
rocketsocks
06-21-2014, 01:50
I've experienced plenty of camaraderie and an attempt at understanding my long distance backpacking adventures with fellow adventurers and explorers like: touring cyclists(those that road bike long distances), mountain bikers(especially thru-mountain bikers on the AZT and CT although I typically get along with all mountain bikers), long distance kayakers(especially sea kayakers like those kayaking Puget Sound/Northwest Passage, Alaska, etc and kayaking the length of long rivers), climbers/mountaineers, wilderness travelers(usually the more they do this NOT tethered to a motor vehicle the more apt we are to listen to each other), those that travel often outside the U.S.(again, I have more of a sharing with those that aren't always tethered to technology or a motor vehicle), those that spend a good deal of time working in the backcountry(Rangers, Search and Rescue personnel, backcountry professional photographers, biologists, guides, etc), survivalists/minimalists/primitive living enthusiasts/those that live off the grid, back country hunters/fisherman who often hike far into the backwoods away from roads, off road enthusiasts, long distance and cross country runners, and even motorcyclists(those that really live to ride and ride to live Harley types). Part of the reason why I feel this kinship, and IMHO why I think they feel a kinship with me, is because I'm willing to have them share their adventures with me. Simply, unloading on these folks by basing all my conversation on me, me, me doesn't always work in having folks listen. YOU have to be willing(and interested) in what they have to share as well. I believe we also share this comaraderie because we have both tapped into a freedom and an appreciation. We're travelers.Very nicely said Dogwood, I don't know thru-hikin from shinola, but if a person is passionate about what they do, I'm interested. I don't think a person can attain that kind of passion without becoming interested in all, they seem to go hand in hand, like attaining a level of Nirvana, another thing I really don't know much about. Funny, for not knowing much, how do I know this this, it truly is within us all...ya just gotta tap into it, it's their. No One is Unique, we all have it.
Sorry, didn't mean to get all cashmere, a traveler of both time and space, it's late... somewhere :)
When some/most find out I hike with a pack on the AT, they ask all kinds of question, what do you do for water, food, bathroom ect. same questions I asked years ago....then the big one, So, ya gonna hike the whole thing? my response is always the same...Hell No, them guys are nuts! :D But folks always seem to be genuinely interested, as if the questioning becomes more of an interview with them wondering and secretly planning (if only in their mind) their own back packing trip, I can see the wheels turnin'...it's cool to watch the process evolve.:) plantin seeds.
sometimes i'll even follow up with a question...So when ya goin? :D They're are already there, they just don't know it yet....just like I was.
DavidNH, I know you specifically asked thru-hikers opinions, but those are my observations for what it's worth.
Conclusion: There seems to be something very satisfying, perhaps even innate about carrying all of ones things on their back and moving across the land. :)
garlic08
06-21-2014, 07:49
Not exactly on topic, but here's the final entry in my AT hike journal:
"On the train ride I took from Boston to Chicago, I met a group of Amish farmers from Minnesota. We shared a table in the cafe car and got a chance to talk a bit. One man asked me what I did for a living. I get that a lot on the trail, other hikers wondering how a 51 year-old could take the time for a thru hike. My stock reply is that I figured out a way to live with very little income. I live in a very small paid-for house, bicycle and walk a lot, don't have a cell phone or internet bill, don't have a TV or cable bill, heat mostly with wood, carry my garbage to a friend's dumpster in return for some work so no garbage bill, etc. It's a pretty simple, low-expense life. The Amish were smiling indulgently, before I figured out I was preaching to the choir. We all had a laugh about that. Then I wondered, is my life possibly closer to theirs than it is to my neighbors'?"
What I mostly get from my peers is "how do you get that much time off?" Or, "I'd love to do that if I had the time," to which I reply, you'll never have the time, you have to make the time--who lives the kind of life where you have half a year with nothing else planned? Or, "I'm going to do that someday," to which I reply, there is no "Someday" on my calendar.
Usually it's, "Oh yeah, I read that book." (A Walk in the Woods.)
ChinMusic
06-21-2014, 11:59
Garlic the Amish.
No body truly Understands what a person goes through out their, when i tell folks about it they say WOW great then ask why, and if you gotta ask why you wouldn't understand any ways. the only people that truly understands is other 2000 milers.
ChinMusic
06-21-2014, 14:56
I hiked it all and I'm not sure why. Glad I did though.
About 80% of the people I told I did the entire AT (sectioning, eight years, 1996-2003) were unimpressed and not interested in continuing a dialogue. I think many of them had no clue what I was talking about and were too embarrassed to admit it. Others from my distant past, pre-1990, probably thought I made it up because back then I was so unlike the guy I am today re: hiking/backpacking/outdoors, etc.
But the remaining 20% were astounded, congratulatory, and wanted details, details, details. I think y'all know they got 'em. Get us started, talking about our AT/other backpacking experiences, and we won't shut up. :-)
middle to middle
06-21-2014, 19:01
No body truly Understands what a person goes through out their, when i tell folks about it they say WOW great then ask why, and if you gotta ask why you wouldn't understand any ways. the only people that truly understands is other 2000 milers.
I think that is it. We are a distinct separate group of people,
rocketsocks
06-21-2014, 19:13
No body truly Understands what a person goes through out their, when i tell folks about it they say WOW great then ask why, and if you gotta ask why you wouldn't understand any ways. the only people that truly understands is other 2000 milers.
I think that is it. We are a distinct separate group of people,So misunderstood. :D
ChinMusic
06-21-2014, 19:16
So misunderstood. :D
Not to take anything away from other hikes, but I was completely overwhelmed with emotion when I got to the sign last September. I had no idea those emotions were coming til I got there.
So yeah, it IS a special feeling. I felt it.
rocketsocks
06-21-2014, 19:30
Not to take anything away from other hikes, but I was completely overwhelmed with emotion when I got to the sign last September. I had no idea those emotions were coming til I got there.
So yeah, it IS a special feeling. I felt it.I totally get that, no misunderstanding here.
So to all who hiked: "Weren't you afraid, did you carry a gun?" and "How many miles per day do you hike?" I want to hear how others answer these questions which are the two most often asked to me. The third most asked line of questions is what Garlic stated he's asked, "How am I able to get the time to do a 5 month hike?" To this last question I tell them something quite similar to what Garlic tells them. I get the same replies from them Garlic does. LOL. So many people have little to no idea what they want out of life and fewer have concrete plans to attain it once they have an inkling. Sadly, are the ones who get that far but never put the first step forward to attaining out of life what they want. Very few people even truly know themselves or have spent much time determining it. IMHO, one of the significant things that one can do to be self aware to become a self actualizer is to do a long journey such as a thru-hike. I like what Maslow said about the characteristics of self actualizers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-actualization
Last Call
06-21-2014, 20:39
I still think most people wish to complete it to get the badge, though.
So to all who hiked: "Weren't you afraid, did you carry a gun?" I get asked that all the time (add other weapons, knife, mace, bear spray, etc, etc...), and I'm not a thru hiker. I get asked that by the most liberal, San Francisco Bay Area, Democrats who would NEVER think of buying or owning a gun. LOL
I just say that it would be used against me... or MOST LIKELY I'd grab the knife and slash my tent/tarp to shreds trying to kill a branch or leaf making a scary scratchy noise. And yes... I was scared sometimes... but I worked myself into it. And honestly, the drive to and from trail head was most statistically dangerous part.
ChinMusic
06-21-2014, 21:56
My standard answer to the "gun" question is a simple "maybe". I leave it at that. I do go on to state that the trail is probably safer than the average American city.
The "why did you do it" question is honestly a tough one for me. I know it was important to me but I cannot verbalize it. I usually try to deflect it be saying "I wanted to do something big and I am too old for Everest". That usually gets a laugh and we move on.
rocketsocks
06-21-2014, 22:22
So to all who hiked: "Weren't you afraid, did you carry a gun?" and "How many miles per day do you hike?" I want to hear how others answer these questions which are the two most often asked to me. The third most asked line of questions is what Garlic stated he's asked, "How am I able to get the time to do a 5 month hike?" To this last question I tell them something quite similar to what Garlic tells them. I get the same replies from them Garlic does. LOL. So many people have little to no idea what they want out of life and fewer have concrete plans to attain it once they have an inkling. Sadly, are the ones who get that far but never put the first step forward to attaining out of life what they want. Very few people even truly know themselves or have spent much time determining it. IMHO, one of the significant things that one can do to be self aware to become a self actualizer is to do a long journey such as a thru-hike. I like what Maslow said about the characteristics of self actualizers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-actualization
Well I'm about half way through that article very interesting, certainly cleared up a few things for me...I bees a self actuallizer...still can't spell worth a damn, thanks DW.
likeahike
06-21-2014, 23:30
Get us started, talking about our AT/other backpacking experiences, and we won't shut up. :-)
Therein lies a problem.
There's this guy in my town (one of several local AT thru-hikers I know). Myself and others are very careful not to give him an opening to talk about his hike. He never stops. I'm no thru-hiker, but I've hiked about 1000 miles of the trail so at least I have some knowledge and interest in the AT. Other non-hiker friends are less tolerant than me, but even I never bring up the AT in his presence. As a for instance, he will show up at my favorite pub and immediately take out his phone and start scrolling pictures from his hike, every few seconds he'll giggle to himself about one of the pics, just waiting for someone to ask him what's up. There it begins! Myself and others in the know will take that as a cue to mosey off to the pool table. Let the noobs listen to his spiel. It's not that we're trying to be rude, it's just that we've heard it all before.
So yeah, tell us about your thru-hike, and we'll be duly impressed and curious (for a minute). If we seem disinterested it's probably because we've heard it before. Moderation is the word and I'm not talking about Alligator.
Ricky&Jack
06-21-2014, 23:32
A thru-hike.... it'll change YOUR life.
Nobody else's.
coheterojo
06-22-2014, 00:12
Yeah that's how it works. Nobody wants to hear me rattle on incessantly about my 3 thruhikes. But then again why should they?
ryanwflynn
06-22-2014, 01:44
I have pity for those unaware of the trail and not into the outdoors, but it is less people on trails. Those in the know vary in response after I tell them I did a thru. My usual response is "90% heaven, 10% hell on Earth." Yet, there are a few things a thru-hiker knows and has felt that only a thru-hiker can relate too. The emotions upon completion are indescribable!
garlic08
06-22-2014, 07:54
So to all who hiked: "Weren't you afraid, did you carry a gun?"...
Oh yeah, except on the CDT in Montana/Idaho/Wyoming, where the question was, "What kind of gun are you carrying?"
Hiking a long trail is like learning Klingon in that it is an achievement that represents sustained effort over time, but will hardly impress or interest more than a small, but devoted, minority. It is a bit like finding religion in that it is deeply personal, interesting, and transformative for you, but can make you a bit tiresome to others who haven't shared the experience and are uninterested in doing so. HYOH means that you are doing it for yourself, and shouldn't reasonably expect anyone else to care about what you did on your extended vacation (but feel free to be delighted and to share when people do express interest).
I haven't hiked a long trail (yet) but I have found that people seem understanding of a 1-2 week trip (like my AT section), find a 2-3 week trip (like the JMT) a bit on the odd side, and start to think something is a bit weird with a 4-5 week trip (like my upcoming Colorado Trail thru hike). Something about going more than a month seems to be the point at which an extended vacation becomes something more like a "lifestyle" and at that point you lose most people who understand a vacation but view a lifestyle on the trail as a fringe activity. I can hardly wait to see the reactions to my AT or PCT thru hike in 2015, especially if I decide to not have a permanent address for the duration of the hike.
Hiking a long trail is like learning Klingon in that it is an achievement that represents sustained effort over time, but will hardly impress or interest more than a small, but devoted, minority. It is a bit like finding religion in that it is deeply personal, interesting, and transformative for you, but can make you a bit tiresome to others who haven't shared the experience and are uninterested in doing so. HYOH means that you are doing it for yourself, and shouldn't reasonably expect anyone else to care about what you did on your extended vacation (but feel free to be delighted and to share when people do express interest).
Woderful!!!!!!!!!!! (Extra exclamation points to meet the minimum post length…)
Over the years I have noted that those who are generally more worldly/successful seem to take the most interest.
What I find is those who are the quickest to shout the HYOH mantra often do so with the attitude I will do as I want while ignoring the flip side of that coin - doing what we want also entails responsibility for the choices we make and the knowledge that no one hikes in a bubble. That is, even if we hike solo we will be having an impact on more than just ourselves. For a long distance hiker such as an AT thru-hiker we have the capability and opportunity, and dare I say responsibility, of positively impacting so much beyond just ourselves. I ask, "shouldn't we carefully consider this?"
Mountain Mike
06-22-2014, 18:57
Hiking the AT or any other trail is selfish & self deserving. Hike it on your own rules. Hike it for yourself! It's your hike. Some may want to hear about it, mostly other hikers. Who cares? You did it & have the memories & friends you made for your lifetime. While some friend brags about how good "His Team" did in baseball,...etc you are out living life. Do it for yourself & don't concern yourself about what other people think!
ChinMusic
06-22-2014, 19:07
While some friend brags about how good "His Team" did in baseball,...etc you are out living life.
That certainly isn't an either/or.
Most often? "Yawn."
Years ago, in a similar thread, LW stated (essentially) that no one would care. As usual... Bulls eye. Although, like many of of you who've done it... I still marvel at the accomplishment. (I know, I know, LW... "It's just walkin'.")
And David, after all these years, I'm still astonished we never met on the trail. You must have been early on... I was the last man walking north in 2006. Well that would be why mcPick. I left the summit of Springer Mountain on March 21, 2006 and finished atop Katahdin on September 30. I had a good two weeks plus of zero days in there.
IMO Tolkien covers this really well in LOTR, in the book and even in the movie. When the Hobbits of the fellowship get home at the end of the trilogy, nobody back home has the slightest inkling of what they've been through and they're still regarded as the same oddballs they were before they left.
"how was your camping trip?"
:)
I think that thru hikers are such a tiny percentage of the American population... Maybe it is like meeting an astronaut? :)
Most people have been on a plane... but it is hard to relate to somebody who has actually LIVED on the Space Station or stepped on the moon.
Astronauts get the SAME questions as thru hikers.
"What do you eat out there?"
"Where do you poop???"
"Were you ever afraid?"
"What was your favorite thing about being out there?"
Don't know how many astronauts are asked about weapons... but I'm sure that some people do ask, "How did you defend yourself against UFO's and aliens and martians???" :)
A thru hike has to be like all life experiences. My sister-in-law asked me about having a baby... I was trying to explain how awe inspiring it is to feel such intense love for another person. She cut me off to talk about her cats and how she knows exactly how I feel and how much she loves her cats. Oh well... :)
ChinMusic
06-24-2014, 12:27
Maybe it is like meeting an astronaut? :)
Why did this make me think of Wesley Snipes?