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View Full Version : Any regrets from your thru-hike?



twistwrist
03-26-2016, 16:23
What is one thing you wish you had known or done differently on your thru-hike? Any regrets? Not taking enough pictures, writing memories, etc?

Junco
10-02-2016, 23:14
Had a great time, but my hiking partner remembers it differently. I wish I had been more understanding of her needs.

turtle fast
10-03-2016, 03:27
Pictures many times won't/can't capture what you see. I would of liked in retrospect write a journal. I would of also gone slower and "smell the roses" more and take in more of the views and cultural/historical sites. I would of focused more on the journey and not the destination. The miles would of come either way.

Engine
10-03-2016, 06:44
One of many subjects covered on Clarity's site. Good spot to start getting prepped...


https://appalachiantrailclarity.com/2016/04/02/regret-nothing-about-your-appalachian-trail-thru-hike/ (https://appalachiantrailclarity.com/2016/04/02/regret-nothing-about-your-appalachian-trail-thru-hike/)

jellibird
05-12-2022, 14:02
I loved taking pics with a disposable camera but quite a few of the pictures came out terrible for all the wonderful memories they represented. I wish I had used a portable power bank. I also wish I had gotten a GPS tracker instead of having a hiking partner. Love my partner, it just wasn't the hike I planned or wanted and to this day, it bothers me.

peakbagger
05-12-2022, 17:43
I have heard from several thru hikers their regrets of taking too many landscape photos and not enough photos of people they encountered and shots with themselves in the shot.

LazyLightning
05-12-2022, 19:13
I took my time as planned and enjoyed every mile as much as possible and it was great. I actually averaged under 10 miles per day overall (9.9). The only two regrets is...

1. I almost took too long. I was banking on the Hunt Trail being open until 10/21 at least, which it was, but I didn't consider that there might be weather conditions so bad they actually prevent me from summiting. I tried to go up on 10/18 but had to turn around when I got above tree line because of winds that dropped me right to my knees coming around that corner where you see that first piece of rebar. I'm on my knees thinking "there's no way" it was 100% not even thinking about it. Temps in the single digits and wind chills way below freezing. I actually made a video up there back around the corner coming to terms with myself that this may be it, I may not make it up this year but it's all good. In reality of course it would have burned. Luckily 10/19 I was able to summit but the conditions were still wild. Next time I would plan to be done before 10/15 but it was unbelievable being up there for peak foliage so I wouldn't want to finish before that.

2. When I got to CT I took almost 2 weeks to go through it, sleeping in my own bed for over a week (all together). I always picked up where I left off with my full pack but it was a combination of some small day hikes with family, a few short overnights and probably more then a few too many days off. It was nice, and the storms/rain kept coming so I kept postponing going back but when I did it was like it totally knocked me out of my grove. I would definitely take extra time here again but not more then a week of time off combined!

HankIV
05-14-2022, 23:57
I am glad I wrote a journal in little waterproof notebooks I got at Garage Grown Gear. I read them now with fondness and amusement.

I am glad I joined the AMC and got a 20% discount on my stays in the huts and damn glad I stayed in them. I regret hauling a bit more food than I needed to between them.

I regret not making better use of the long summer days. I was SOBO, and while Maine is a tougher start, I could’ve done 14-16 mile days instead of 10-12. There’s almost always advice to smell the roses, and I did. But I enjoyed the challenge of making an ambitious goal, pushing myself. And I let myself enjoy that. Yeah there are lots of nice views on blue blazed trails. Guess what? They are about the same as the nice views right on the trail. Everyone is different, some like the slower pace some the fast. Most like both at various points, truth be told. Back to the point, don’t take those long mid summer days for granted. Come Sept-Oct that sun races to the horizon much quicker.

I regret not starting with a Thermarest Neoair Xlite. I had a great, comfortable pad from S2S, but it was 10oz’s heavier than the Xlite and bulkier in the pack. It was incrementally more comfortable to sleep on but geometrically less comfortable to carry. Glad it sprung a leak that I couldn’t find.

Initially, I regretted having only a 30F quilt. Had a couple of shivery June nights in Maine. Adapted not by getting a new bag, but by buying a second set of heavy base layers, and keeping my original mid weights. Might have been a little heavier than swapping bags, but let me wear the lightweights on some cooler days to start, knowing even if they got wet, I still had a dry pair. With that I was fine. Doing it all over again, would probably get a 20F to start.

Grampie
05-15-2022, 13:27
No regrets. I just wish that I could do it again.