Goonies never say Die

[haileydp]

In a short few weeks I am set to start my second attempt thru-hiking the AT. In 2009 I made my first SOBO attempt. Ill equipped, drenched, and blistered to the bone, I struggled through the 100 mile wilderness from Katahdin. By the time I reached Monson, I'd lost over 20 lbs. My feet were so badly battered from my boots I thought that I might actually lose a toe due to infection. It rained 13/17 days I spent out on the AT and it was impossible to keep my feet dry which suffered under the weight of my 50+ lb. pack. Maine is beautiful, wild, and unforgiving. I passed NOBO hikers in the 100 mile wilderness who mirrored my thoughts saying, "We'd quit now if we weren't so close." It was precisely those sentiments that began my descent into the word- quit. It germinated there, somewhere in the saddle of Gulf Hagas and by the time I reached Monson, I was done. 110 miles, wrecked, and hardly having begun. And now I'm here, just a few weeks out from another attempt. I'm prepared in every way possible. I've spent the past 6 years dreaming about the next six months, revisiting every mile of my last hike. My gear is light, dialed in. I've put in the miles. My finances are in order. I will be starting in Springer, working slowly up to the big miles of Virginia and the fortress of mountains in the North. I've arranged every advantage possible but that one word, that voice that creeps in slowly over tough miles, is something I can't resolve until I'm there.

So I want to know from all of you successful thru-hike sages, what was it that kept you going in the moments when you thought you were done? How did you get back on the trail after stopping in the town where you thought you'd rather just catch a cab to the next airport? What was bigger than the word "quit" for you? Really looking forward to hearing from you.

-Yahtzee

[ALLEGHENY]

What was bigger than the word "q

FREEDOM

[garlic08]

I think the key phrase is in the first sentence of your post--"ill equipped." Now, you say you've "put in the miles" and hopefully that will make all the difference.

My first thru hike was the culmination of decades of experience with increasingly longer backpacking trips, working up to hundreds of miles at a time during a "normal" vacation. I was in my late 40s before I felt mentally ready for a 2000 miler. Maybe it was a matter of age, and losing the "instant gratification" urge of youth.

At no time in any of my 2000+ mile hikes did I want to quit. The alternative was going back home and sitting on a couch or in an office, and that was simply not an option, I told myself. And I believed it!

[sympathetic joy]

This is a good topic for discussion.

If you're interested, the book Appalachian Trials deals a bit with this specific issue. In short, Zach Davis says that in order to be successful, you must have a pretty good answer to the question, "Why are you doing this?"

[Sirsnappy09]

Garlic said it right. With enough miles under your belt you feel the opposite.

[Miner]

Never utter the word quit. Always talk (even to yourself) how you are hiking the entire thing. When you have a negative thought train, speak out loud to yourself to change it. You can't combat thoughts with thoughts, but when you speak, your thoughts stop for a moment to listen to what you say.
Negativity feeds on itself and is contagious. So don't hike around others who are negative and talking about quitting for very long.
Never quit on the trail. Go to town, eat a few good meals and take a zero or two in a nice hotel room. It's amazing how a few good meals and a good sleep can change your mood. Also don't just quit on the spur of the moment. Things can change 180 degrees in a day or two.
Think about what you'd be doing if you weren't out there hiking. I don't know about you, but working sucks a lot of the time. As I've heard others say, the worst day on the trail beats the best day at work.

[Poedog]

You lost 20 lbs between Baxter and Monson? Astounding!

Never thought about quitting on my thru. Definitely bored through a lot of parts but it still beats being at work.

[JessetheViking]

Never utter the word quit. Always talk (even to yourself) how you are hiking the entire thing. When you have a negative thought train, speak out loud to yourself to change it. You can't combat thoughts with thoughts, but when you speak, your thoughts stop for a moment to listen to what you say.
Negativity feeds on itself and is contagious. So don't hike around others who are negative and talking about quitting for very long.
Never quit on the trail. Go to town, eat a few good meals and take a zero or two in a nice hotel room. It's amazing how a few good meals and a good sleep can change your mood. Also don't just quit on the spur of the moment. Things can change 180 degrees in a day or two.
Think about what you'd be doing if you weren't out there hiking. I don't know about you, but working sucks a lot of the time. As I've heard others say, the worst day on the trail beats the best day at work.




These are great ideas!

I started the trail with no other option than finishing. I had many legit reasons to quit but pushed on because I wanted to finish, no matter how much pain i was in i was going to finish....And i did. A positive outlook will get you far and stay away from negative people.