Throwing in the towel

[Gambit McCrae]

After 36 trips, and just under 850 miles complete, I walked over the New River in Pearisburg Friday. I hadn't planned very well for the cold weather I was not anticipating. I had only arrived the day before, but the milestone of finishing Southern Virginia was complete. In just over 2 years I had completed almost half of the AT. I bought a house in November, have been enjoying fixing that up a bit. My father had a major open heart surgery last month, and I almost learned the hard way he isn't going to be around forever. The trail was like mud soup, slipping and sliding all over the place. I sat in front of the Celanese Plant and called my shuttle driver Don, told him I was done. I drove home that afternoon feeling like my time needed to be spent elsewhere while it still could be, closer to family and elder friends, instead of walking alone in the woods more then at weddings, birthdays, mothers days etc. One side of the coin I felt like a failure, disappointment, miniscule...sub par to the norm on the trail, like a quitter. Feel ashamed to not put more effort into it, to stick it out. On the other side, I felt like a weight lifted, the pressure I have put on myself to finish it so quickly for someone working a fulltime Monday thru Friday job, and to still complete the trail at the same time, has finally burnt me out. A guy told me 3 trips ago "If it was easy, everyone would do it", and that kept me going for several more trips, but for now, I think my aggressive trail completion is over. I see more fishing trips with pops, drinking a cold beer and laughing about the day in my future and less of what I have come to know as walking in the woods alone. I will still be active on WB, and take my hikes, but with friends, and less of an intent to accomplish something. Who knows, this time next year I might be back at it killing miles. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Greenlight]

Don't beat yourself up. I talked to Papa Sprout, a NOBO section hiker at Washington Monument while we were stopped at the drinking fountain in early April, and he said he's been knocking out a section at a time for years. You'll get there.


After 36 trips, and just under 850 miles complete, I walked over the New River in Pearisburg Friday. I hadn't planned very well for the cold weather I was not anticipating. I had only arrived the day before, but the milestone of finishing Southern Virginia was complete. In just over 2 years I had completed almost half of the AT. I bought a house in November, have been enjoying fixing that up a bit. My father had a major open heart surgery last month, and I almost learned the hard way he isn't going to be around forever. The trail was like mud soup, slipping and sliding all over the place. I sat in front of the Celanese Plant and called my shuttle driver Don, told him I was done. I drove home that afternoon feeling like my time needed to be spent elsewhere while it still could be, closer to family and elder friends, instead of walking alone in the woods more then at weddings, birthdays, mothers days etc. One side of the coin I felt like a failure, disappointment, miniscule...sub par to the norm on the trail, like a quitter. Feel ashamed to not put more effort into it, to stick it out. On the other side, I felt like a weight lifted, the pressure I have put on myself to finish it so quickly for someone working a fulltime Monday thru Friday job, and to still complete the trail at the same time, has finally burnt me out. A guy told me 3 trips ago "If it was easy, everyone would do it", and that kept me going for several more trips, but for now, I think my aggressive trail completion is over. I see more fishing trips with pops, drinking a cold beer and laughing about the day in my future and less of what I have come to know as walking in the woods alone. I will still be active on WB, and take my hikes, but with friends, and less of an intent to accomplish something. Who knows, this time next year I might be back at it killing miles. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[DavidNH]

Sounds to me like you made the right decision. Mud and rain certainly puts a damper on a hike. Also, there is the saying.. that if hiking the AT isn't your life priority (you have or have found other things that are more important to you) you should quit and go do what is a priority to you. As for me, I think hiking should be fun, not an emotional endurance test.There are always down times but if the emotional down time exceeds the joyous rewards.. then it's time to do something else.

[rocketsocks]

There is way to much emphasis placed by folks on collecting miles, in my opinion, as if it's somthing to be finished rather than just engaged in. Good for you dude.

[saltysack]

It's easy to get consumed by the goal at hand and forget the reason why you hike....regroup and get back out when your ready.....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rain Man]

I've hiked over 1,700 miles in 13 years. People sometimes ask if I'm gonna do the whole thing. I tell them I'm going to keep hiking the AT as long as I'm having fun. If you aren't having fun, then stop. Sure. Although you are welcome to come hike a section with me and I'll show you how to enjoy a section hike! :)

My father is 90 and my mother in her 80s, plus I have daughters and now grandchildren. I definitely make time for all of them. If it were the trail or them, I'd make the same choice you did. Thankfully in my case, that's not the choice.

I'll be hitting the trail next Tuesday where I left off in Kent, CT last June. Plan to do CT and MA this trip.

For me, it's not just the path, it's the people on and off the trail.

[Bronk]

You are absolutely the norm on the trail. Very few actually compared to how many people attempt it. And you know what? That's OK. I attempted a thruhike and quit after 850 miles. But those were some of the best 4 months of my life. The trail is still there. Its not a race. Nothing saying you can't pick up where you left off at some point down the road. You've got other things that are higher priority right now...sometimes spending a bit of time alone in the woods helps you sort those priorities out. Be glad you figured out what is really important to you. Some people never figure that out.

[colorado_rob]

It's easy to get consumed by the goal at hand and forget the reason why you hike....regroup and get back out when your ready.....
Agree. And if and when you do "recover", I recommend trying some other trails. Though it has its definite charms, the AT, especially the parts you have completed, is just simply not that beautiful and inspiring of a trail, it really is mostly a long green tunnel.

Try parts of the AT in New England, like notably the whites and Maine. Or try some trail hiking out west in the Big mountains. Much better and many more views and guess what else: easier trails.

[LittleRock]

I wouldn't set myself on giving it up forever. Just take a break for awhile and see how you feel. I bet you'll be back within a year. :-)

Also, having just hiked the same section you just did a few weeks ago, I definitely wouldn't want to make it my last one. The first 60 miles north of Pearisburg were pretty lackluster.

[peakbagger]

One of the many reasons I switched to section hiking and not being in a rush to complete the AT was to limit hiking in the spring. In general maybe I just got lucky but the weather was consistently better in the late summer and fall. I had many trips in the summer and fall where my raingear never moved out of the bottom of my pack but there were few if any hikes in the spring that inevitably didn't require at least a couple of days of rain. Slogging around in the rain for a day isn't bad but once all the gear gets wet and the trail becomes mud, a lot of the fun goes away.

I met hiker once on the AT who was out for fun. He had hiked both the AT and the PCT as section hikes only hiking in September, he was an accountant and was right out straight in the first half of the year and he would take the entire month of September off and go hiking to make up for it.

It wasn't that Virginia was boring, it was just that there were 7 or 8 weeks of it. Definitely consider heading north for week one of these days hard to beat Maine in September.

[Gambit McCrae]

All great insight, a lot of experience posting here. I may have overstepped my intent, I will still hike, and go to the AT.. Just not as a first priority, or to aggressively complete it. I have a trip planned with a friend for memorial day weekend to finish up SNP, maybe that trip is what I need to revive the passion for the trail, last 5 trips or so, has just felt heartless, "going thru thru the motions" so to say. And as others said, I had 1 view in southern VA after Grayson highlands. 5 trips up to SoVa and nothing to see, just green tunnel and trail. That gets old for a purist section hiker, to have a desire to touch every inch of the trail, your gunna have some un eventful trips, but 5 trips in a row, and nothing but bland trail, no iconic vistas or attractions does get old.
Out of 168 miles of SoVa:
-Dismal Falls
-Angels Rest (eh, nice factory lol)
-The ponies
-Chestnut knob
- A couple gorgeous interstates lol

[Malto]

I sorta came to the same conclusion but for different reasons. I could have finished the AT several years ago but i would have had to hike the AT rather than other trips such as the Wonderland Trail, Lowest to Highest, the Adirondaks etc. While I still do trips on the AT and I will finish it someday, it is not my primary hiking location anymore.

[illabelle]

Can definitely relate. We're six years into our 10-year AT section hiking plan. Early on it was not unusual for us to overestimate how many miles we could do and so we bailed a few times until we figured it out. It had been a while since we bailed out - until a couple weeks ago. We drove seven long hours to SNP to day-hike Old Rag on Saturday, then continued on to northern Virginia to knock out the last 20 miles of that area, five on Saturday, fifteen on Sunday. Sunday morning I woke feeling sick. My husband took most of my weight, and we continued to the next road crossing to evaluate. Took two hours to cover three easy miles. With twelve to go, no energy, and a long drive home, we called the shuttle.
Figured out a few days later that we must have picked up a flu bug. I missed a day of work, husband missed a solid week. Of course, there are lots of good solid reasons to go home besides illness or injury: a soft bed, motorized transport, clean water, family. You made a good decision.

[MuddyWaters]

As u discovered, much of it is just trail in the woods. Nothing special or awe inspiring.

There are much wilder more spectacular places to spend time if thats what your after.

Have you really analyzed your reasons for trying?

When I lay in bed at night, I often imagine Im laying under my tarp. Smelling earth, listening to rain on the tarp dripping off the edge next to me while Im warm and dry under my quilt. With no one for miles around. Because thats where I would rather be.

When it comes to hiking, the journey is the destination.

[Gambit McCrae]

As u discovered, much of it is just trail in the woods. Nothing special or awe inspiring.

Have you really analyzed your reasons for trying?


I have put a lot of importance in my life on accomplishments. Walking every foot of the AT would be another hat to hang on the wall. That's the most honest I can be I guess, it means more to me to complete the miles, then what I see along the way. Saying it publicly isn't as humbling as hearing it in my head for years. It is actually quite disappointing to me, that putting so much effort and time into something just so that I can tell others I've done it? I didn't know how posting this would be taken, but I think it has been healthier for me then I thought it would be. I need to reevaluate my intent, and find a reason to do it for me, and not a nametag or accolade for bragging rights. Something I think I have lost along the way, that I do remember having some time ago, is appreciating the time out there, got too caught up in checking sections off the list, and not enough time taking it in. Thanks Muddy :)

[linus72]

you really have to have a LOT of free time and resources to pull off a thru, and I don't think it makes any of us who do it in sections less of a hiker. you can still be a 2,000 miler and it does not need to be a thru. that in itself is impressive enough if that sort of thing is important to you. sure its harder to get the legs back each time, but as someone in the same boat, working around the clock, its a pleasure to be out there even if i'm doing 10 miles at a time and it takes me 20 years. After all, we hike and backpack to be one with nature, not for a title. Don't be hard on yourself. Only college kids or retirees or those who are wealthy enough not to work can easily find the time. HYOH.

[Berserker]

Yeah man step back, relax and take a little time off. Get back to where you are excited to get out there. I'm on a plan to completion that is much longer than yours (probably around 12 years), and one of the main things I've learned is that there's no point in being out there if you aren't having fun. Section hiking involves lots of extra logistics and a different type of sacrifice than a thru hike. For the first few years I was focused on knocking down mileage. Then I went through a period of feeling like I was going through the motions that culminated in having a really crappy time on my long section hike a couple of years ago.

I remember hiking through part of NH just literally asking myself why in the he!! I was out there. It was a really warm humid week, and I was hiking the Southern part (the non-descript part before you get to the Whites). Somehow my lower back got chaffed really bad early in the week (I think my shirt slid up to where my bare skin was rubbing on the pack), and I was in pain for the rest of the hike. I just really did not have a good time. Then last year I went out my long section for the year and told myself that there isn't a point in being out there if I'm not having fun. I had some personal stuff going on to where the hike got postponed, and when I finally got out on the hike my mind was in the right place. Despite some odd weather I had a great time.

So now I'm having fun again, and actually starting to think about what it's going to be like after I finish the AT. The section hikes have become such a integral part of my life that it's going to be weird when I finish. At any rate, like said take a little time off until you are once again excited to be out there, and just have fun with it.

[MuddyWaters]

I have put a lot of importance in my life on accomplishments. Walking every foot of the AT would be another hat to hang on the wall. That's the most honest I can be I guess, it means more to me to complete the miles, then what I see along the way. Saying it publicly isn't as humbling as hearing it in my head for years. It is actually quite disappointing to me, that putting so much effort and time into something just so that I can tell others I've done it? I didn't know how posting this would be taken, but I think it has been healthier for me then I thought it would be. I need to reevaluate my intent, and find a reason to do it for me, and not a nametag or accolade for bragging rights. Something I think I have lost along the way, that I do remember having some time ago, is appreciating the time out there, got too caught up in checking sections off the list, and not enough time taking it in. Thanks Muddy :)

I was speaking rhetorically, not fishing for a confession.

A thing to realize, is that almost nobody outside the small number of AT enthusiasts cares. And 99.99% of the population wouldnt be impressed, they would say........why? That is , right after "whats that? " wheres that?" And "did you see the last episode of xyz?"

[Dogwood]

Sounds like you very much did accomplish a whole lot.

I've had to remind myself while coming across the finish line is a vital goal that lends framework to a hike the canvas of a hike to which I ultimately measure the artwork's success is the masterful colorful textural brush strokes living simply from moment to moment embracing as much of LIFE as possible that can expand the clarity and depth of being. There is something to say about the quality of the journey, the smaller increments, as much as the end goal of where you finally arrive. Being so consumed with a goal, begrudgingly always "sticking it out", a "forced death march", that the everyday reality of joyously living the journey, the real juice, where the most important stuff occurs is lost can become a dismal robotic affair. It's ultimately up to each of us to decide the perceived character of our experiences.


Many of us, including myself, have gained much clarity on hikes. I came to similar emotional feelings about my parents specifically my father. I saw our relationship and who each of us were more clearly which helped me "understand." I let go of so much baggage in our relationship through hiking. In that clear state on trail I'd want to go to him, embrace, look into his eyes, make him something to eat, "have a beer", tell him I loved him, and let him know I believed he did a good job with family and his personal life. I'd write down what I was feeling, record my feelings using a mike, and I'd call my father. I'd share later if I couldn't get through by phone. Connecting, communicating, sharing, can be realized in many ways. Spending quality time with parents who are both up in age and retired communicating from the trail in this state reading back my writing or playing the audio and once off the trail in person having that physical contact through embraces has been so much more gratifying since. No more was it simply going through the unappreciative superficial motions even if they were in person.


FWIW, on LD hikes I've chosen to temporarily suspend the hike experiencing near death emergencies of loved ones, deaths/funerals in the family and with dear friends, weddings, family gatherings, special events, personal short term injuries, and short term career responsibilities. I always went back to the hike. Why? I embrace the opportunities, the powerful vehicle backpacking "in the flow" living in the moment embracing LIFE in the fullest connecting more fully with myself and the rest of humanity in humility, love, and with a generous heart with a purpose beyond attaining another alphabet acronymed trail LD backpacking provides. I will never perceive backpacking becoming a bleak sounding exercise of "just walking alone in the woods." :)

[Dogwood]

Yeah man step back, relax and take a little time off. Get back to where you are excited to get out there. I'm on a plan to completion that is much longer than yours (probably around 12 years), and one of the main things I've learned is that there's no point in being out there if you aren't having fun. Section hiking involves lots of extra logistics and a different type of sacrifice than a thru hike. For the first few years I was focused on knocking down mileage. Then I went through a period of feeling like I was going through the motions that culminated in having a really crappy time on my long section hike a couple of years ago.

I remember hiking through part of NH just literally asking myself why in the he!! I was out there. It was a really warm humid week, and I was hiking the Southern part (the non-descript part before you get to the Whites). Somehow my lower back got chaffed really bad early in the week (I think my shirt slid up to where my bare skin was rubbing on the pack), and I was in pain for the rest of the hike. I just really did not have a good time. Then last year I went out my long section for the year and told myself that there isn't a point in being out there if I'm not having fun. I had some personal stuff going on to where the hike got postponed, and when I finally got out on the hike my mind was in the right place. Despite some odd weather I had a great time.

So now I'm having fun again, and actually starting to think about what it's going to be like after I finish the AT. The section hikes have become such a integral part of my life that it's going to be weird when I finish. At any rate, like said take a little time off until you are once again excited to be out there, and just have fun with it.


Having fun is not at the exclusion of trails and tribulations. Part of the joy, "the fun", the growth, of the backpacking experience is maintaining joy, curiosity, and growth in the midst of these.

I've come to believe if the hike isn't fun anymore it's not so much the hike that isn't fun it is me that isn't finding the fun that's there.

Likewise, if the hike has become boring it isn't so much the hike that is boring it is me who has allowed myself to become bored.

[Berserker]

Having fun is not at the exclusion of trails and tribulations. Part of the joy, "the fun", the growth, of the backpacking experience is maintaining joy, curiosity, and growth in the midst of these.

I've come to believe if the hike isn't fun anymore it's not so much the hike that isn't fun it is me that isn't finding the fun that's there.

Likewise, if the hike has become boring it isn't so much the hike that is boring it is me who has allowed myself to become bored.
I agree that the majority of it is one's own attitude. The trail is gonna be the trail, the weather is gonna do whatever it's gonna do and so on. One's attitude about those things is what will drive that person's emotional response to all the different variables.

[Lone Wolf]

After 36 trips, and just under 850 miles complete, I walked over the New River in Pearisburg Friday. I hadn't planned very well for the cold weather I was not anticipating. I had only arrived the day before, but the milestone of finishing Southern Virginia was complete. In just over 2 years I had completed almost half of the AT. I bought a house in November, have been enjoying fixing that up a bit. My father had a major open heart surgery last month, and I almost learned the hard way he isn't going to be around forever. The trail was like mud soup, slipping and sliding all over the place. I sat in front of the Celanese Plant and called my shuttle driver Don, told him I was done. I drove home that afternoon feeling like my time needed to be spent elsewhere while it still could be, closer to family and elder friends, instead of walking alone in the woods more then at weddings, birthdays, mothers days etc. One side of the coin I felt like a failure, disappointment, miniscule...sub par to the norm on the trail, like a quitter. Feel ashamed to not put more effort into it, to stick it out. On the other side, I felt like a weight lifted, the pressure I have put on myself to finish it so quickly for someone working a fulltime Monday thru Friday job, and to still complete the trail at the same time, has finally burnt me out. A guy told me 3 trips ago "If it was easy, everyone would do it", and that kept me going for several more trips, but for now, I think my aggressive trail completion is over. I see more fishing trips with pops, drinking a cold beer and laughing about the day in my future and less of what I have come to know as walking in the woods alone. I will still be active on WB, and take my hikes, but with friends, and less of an intent to accomplish something. Who knows, this time next year I might be back at it killing miles. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

the AT is not important. family is

[Dogwood]

Having fun is not at the exclusion of trials and tribulations.

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. Edmund Hillary

We come face to face with ourselves on hikes. We can become aware of a great many other things too. Some choose to ignore what they find, usually for only so long. Some are like Caleb or Joshua rising to the challenge. Some find a way around to something else. Some find ways to enjoyable cope the embracing of it all. Some pull back "go home."

[BonBon]

I met a guy in my first week on the trail last year doing his last section, southbound. He had taken over 15 years to hike the whole thing. His stories and joy have stayed with me. I will probably section hike instead of thru on my future LD backpacking trips, until my husband can do a long hike with me. I won't leave him for 6 months again. I love your plans though- people in our lives are so important and need care and keeping.

[RockDoc]

It's not about the miles, it's about the smiles...

I took 40+ years to finish the AT. I liked doing it that way, because the trail changed as I changed and grew. It became more of a lifetime adventure than 5 months worth. I found that 2-4 weeks was generally enough for me to get the hiking bug out of my system for a while, and clear off a decent size chunk of trail.

[Dogwood]

It's not about the miles, it's about the smiles...

I took 40+ years to finish the AT. I liked doing it that way, because the trail changed as I changed and grew. It became more of a lifetime adventure than 5 months worth. I found that 2-4 weeks was generally enough for me to get the hiking bug out of my system for a while, and clear off a decent size chunk of trail.

That's COMMITMENT AND CONSISTENCY AND DIVERSITY of experiences over the LOONG Haul… CERTAINLY WORTHY in my book of accommodation. Congratulations!

If anyone is going to live by or chase or be recognized for superlative experiences that is a BIG one! That level of experiences and commitment far outweighs what most AT thru-hikers experience.

[Theosus]

I've been following some dude's thru-hike on youtube. His name is ryan and in two months he did everything from springer up to Pennsylvania. He's pounding out 20-25 mile days. While it's good for him if that's what he wants to do, to me it seems like way too much of an emphasis on making miles. I've cut back to doing 10-12 mile days at the most on my two and three day hikes. I just like the leisurely pace. I like the ability to stop and look around, to check out the views while eating a snack, to really spend time enjoying a waterfall. My goal is to finish half the AT, because travel times and distances get tough north of PA, but if it takes me 5 or 6 years I'm fine with it.
But sometimes I find myself not enjoying it as much - on an overnight or even a two or three night hike there's always the necessity to get to the car. You have to go X miles a day and stick to the plan. If I'm with a group of hiking friends from meetup - they expect there to be a plan. I geocache to, and sometimes because of "the plan" I walk right past a cache
I think the ultimate trail experience for me would be to be able to plan a solo hike of two weeks or so - But put the car reasonably closer than the average 2 week hike would take, say at the 120 mile mark instead of 170. If I got tired, I could stop and rest. If I found an awesome campsite at 3pm, I could set up if I wanted to. I could stop for every cache along the way if I wanted. At the end of the hike I would be surprised the car was there, and if I wanted to, I could get a shuttle and go the other way and hike back. The thing that seems to make hiking not as enjoyable is the plan. It's supposed to be a freeing experience, and it's not always that way.

[Gambit McCrae]

The thing that seems to make hiking not as enjoyable is the plan. It's supposed to be a freeing experience, and it's not always that way.

Unfortunately for most of us, a weekend, or a week is at most what we can get away with and still go back to everyday life. That little 72 hour segment gives the feeling of being free, but is part of the grogging issue of going thru the motions. The only thing I have found to combat this, is to communicate with shuttle drivers that you would like to park your car at the beginning of your hike, and hike until your tired of hiking, and call them and tell them where you are at. I have found however when I do this, I usually complete less miles, but it does leave the plan 100% open (As long as you have cell service at SOME point during your hike)

[Tundracamper]

Sounds to me like it became more of an obsession than something you enjoy doing. You basically became a trail-aholic and the only solution was to walk away. As for me, I don't prioritize it enough to overshadow the important things in life. If I don't finish the trail, so what. I just enjoy getting out there once or twice a year.

[Rain Man]

I took 40+ years to finish the AT.

Yes, but are you going to do it again?!!! ~wink~

I'm on the 15-20 year plan. LOL

[peakbagger]

I used to do a lot of bushwhacking in NH, its an acquired taste and after the partner I was hiking with stopped I dropped out of it. Fast forward 10 years or so and recently I did a bushwhack with a small group and may have gotten the bug again. Take a break and see if you miss it.

[lonehiker]

I used to do a lot of bushwhacking in NH, its an acquired taste and after the partner I was hiking with stopped I dropped out of it. Fast forward 10 years or so and recently I did a bushwhack with a small group and may have gotten the bug again. Take a break and see if you miss it.

Something about bushwacking is so appealing to me. You get a heightened sense of awareness. And, even if your local hiking area is fairly small, it opens up almost unlimited possibilities. But, I learned hiking differently than these modern one-and-doners. When in high school a friend and I would just find a wide spot in the road, park, and just go. No agenda, no destination, no idea of what lay over the next rise. Sometimes we didn't have enough food. Sometimes we had no idea of where the next water source would be. We just had a desire to be away. Now, people need to know which stuff sack to take, how long their bear bag rope should be..... But, I digress....

[MuddyWaters]

850 miles in 36 trips.......means a lot of short trips. Basically overnighters, probably on weekends, putting in miles.

I can see how that would get old.

I like trips to be at least 4-5 days personally. Preferably a week or more. Hard to explain, except that I like distances. Short trips takes fun out of it to me. No town stops, no resupply, no long carry, no guiltless restaurant pig out, just not same.

[Berserker]

Unfortunately for most of us, a weekend, or a week is at most what we can get away with and still go back to everyday life. That little 72 hour segment gives the feeling of being free, but is part of the grogging issue of going thru the motions. The only thing I have found to combat this, is to communicate with shuttle drivers that you would like to park your car at the beginning of your hike, and hike until your tired of hiking, and call them and tell them where you are at. I have found however when I do this, I usually complete less miles, but it does leave the plan 100% open (As long as you have cell service at SOME point during your hike)
Yep, that's one of those annoying logistics that the thrus don't have to deal with. When you have a limited amount of time it makes the most sense to plan things out and try to stick to the plan. So I'm feeling ya on that one. As a matter of fact, the only time I didn't make my mileage was when I bit off more than I could chew several years back in trying to do VT in 10 days. Doesn't sound too bad, but I wasn't in thru hiker condition when I started and by Bromley I was hurting. I was able to shorten the mileage by exiting at Maine Junction where I found one of my favorite joints near the AT (the Long Trail Inn), so it actually worked out for the better.

But anyway, yeah...section hiking logistics like having to plan every trip, staying in shape, etc...it can get annoying at times...but I guess it's also part of the challenge that keeps me coming back.

[Gambit McCrae]

I have one more trip on the books. SNP Bootens Gap SoBo to Rockfish Gap. 5 days, with a friend, memorial day weekend, 57 miles. It will be a relaxing pace, and give me a chance to find the joy in it again. If I finish that trip and don't feel the sense of accomplishment I used to then Ill hang it up for a while

[greenpete]

I'm a "collector" too, and I feel your pain. I used to collect marathons, and was aiming to do all 50 states. I had to stop at 29 last February when I messed up my back. I shifted my focus to activities with less vertebrae pounding, like hiking and snow skiing (I just joined this forum last week). I've done a couple sections of the AT, with another planned for June. My new goal is to do a variety of hikes, including pieces of the PCT and CDT. Maybe eventually do Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim, Yellowstone in winter, and Denali. America's a huge country with lots of diverse and breathtaking geography, so there's no reason to limit yourself to "low-elevation" rain and mud slogs in the East. Enjoy your health, your father, and make VARIETY the new spice of your life!

[Mags]

I used to do a lot of bushwhacking in NH, its an acquired taste an.

Off-trail hiking is much more difficult in NH versus many other places. That uber-thick krummholz alone makes it a challenge-and-a-half.

My hat is off to you...

[Lyle]

I'm 35 years into my section hike. The AT isn't going anywhere, and there are plenty of other trails and routes to enjoy as well. Add some variety to your hiking if you are getting bored.

[canoe]

You are a young man. Probably in the busiest time in your life. Career,family(young and old) When you have more time, life is more relaxed you can get back at it....or not. Life is filled with more important things than being in the woods by yourself.

[Acacia]

I have one more trip on the books. SNP Bootens Gap SoBo to Rockfish Gap. 5 days, with a friend, memorial day weekend, 57 miles. It will be a relaxing pace, and give me a chance to find the joy in it again. If I finish that trip and don't feel the sense of accomplishment I used to then Ill hang it up for a while

I'm glad you're going with a friend. I find one of the best things about the trail are the people.

[Acacia]

When it comes to hiking, the journey is the destination.

Exactly .

[Dogwood]

I'm 35 years into my section hike. The AT isn't going anywhere, and there are plenty of other trails and routes to enjoy as well. Add some variety to your hiking if you are getting bored.

What? Can't do that. Unknown variety is no way to backpack. No one would immediately recognize these routes or my most awesomeness hiking those other trails and routes. :D

Has everyone heard about my unsupported FKT of the ABC Highline Mega Awesome Most Rad Route in which I walked backwards on one leg the whole hike?

[Gambit McCrae]

what? Can't do that. Unknown variety is no way to backpack. No one would immediately recognize these routes or my most awesomeness hiking those other trails and routes. :d

has everyone heard about my unsupported fkt of the abc highline mega awesome most rad route in which i walked backwards on one leg the whole hike?

:-? ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

[Bronk]

I was speaking rhetorically, not fishing for a confession.

A thing to realize, is that almost nobody outside the small number of AT enthusiasts cares. And 99.99% of the population wouldnt be impressed, they would say........why? That is , right after "whats that? " wheres that?" And "did you see the last episode of xyz?"On the contrary, I've found that people are just as impressed when I tell them I walked 850 miles as if I told them I had hiked the whole trail. Most people don't know how long the AT is and/or can't wrap their mind around walking 850 miles or 2000 miles...to them the idea is just as fantastic.

[AO2134]

Dude, it is pretty interesting that you posted this. I have been kind in the same boat. My goal was to hike every long distance trail that starts (or end I suppose) in Georgia. Lately (last 2-3 weeks), I've kinda lost some of my drive to go backpacking. I haven't been backpacking in a month! A MONTH! Just unheard of in my realm.

I have an opportunity to do a 9 day hike soon. Longest I've ever been. I haven't been longer than 5 days on the trail, and that was only once. 90% of my hikes are 30 mile overnight hikes. Hiking itself hasn't gotten old, but... well. I just don't know. I still enjoy it. I think part of it is the realization that it is almost over. Soon I will see the northern terminus of the Pinhoti and soon I will see Damascus VA (where the AT will end for me. I do not acknowledge the AT continues north from Damascus. As a weekend warrior, I simply cannot justify driving 10 hours for perhaps a full day of hiking. I just can't). My goals will be complete. It will be time for new goals. Perhaps, hiking will no longer be a priority in my free time. That will be a sad day because hiking has been something I've dedicated a vast majority of my free time too.

But like you said, I will never not hike. I don't think that is in me, but instead of meeting goals and trying to go 2-3 times a month, perhaps I will go once a month and that will be enough. I just can't imagine a relaxed hike. One where I don't do big miles. I can't imagine spending time in camp. I can't imagine doing a couple of miles and setting up camp early. It downright sounds like torture to me. I like hiking, so I hike. I dislike camping, so I spend as little time as humanly possible doing that. I just don't know what hiking will look like when I finish my goals.

I think what has helped me keep hiking new is different trails. I started with the AT. I finished the Foothills Trail when I didn't hike the AT. I alternated between the Bartram Trail and the BMT last year completing both. Now I am hiking the PT, and I am about 1/2 done. The new trails do feel different so that kept things new.

Perhaps it is time for a new trail?

[Bronk]

Dude, it is pretty interesting that you posted this. I have been kind in the same boat. My goal was to hike every long distance trail that starts (or end I suppose) in Georgia. Lately (last 2-3 weeks), I've kinda lost some of my drive to go backpacking. I haven't been backpacking in a month! A MONTH! Just unheard of in my realm.

I have an opportunity to do a 9 day hike soon. Longest I've ever been. I haven't been longer than 5 days on the trail, and that was only once. 90% of my hikes are 30 mile overnight hikes. Hiking itself hasn't gotten old, but... well. I just don't know. I still enjoy it. I think part of it is the realization that it is almost over. Soon I will see the northern terminus of the Pinhoti and soon I will see Damascus VA (where the AT will end for me. I do not acknowledge the AT continues north from Damascus. As a weekend warrior, I simply cannot justify driving 10 hours for perhaps a full day of hiking. I just can't). My goals will be complete. It will be time for new goals. Perhaps, hiking will no longer be a priority in my free time. That will be a sad day because hiking has been something I've dedicated a vast majority of my free time too.

But like you said, I will never not hike. I don't think that is in me, but instead of meeting goals and trying to go 2-3 times a month, perhaps I will go once a month and that will be enough. I just can't imagine a relaxed hike. One where I don't do big miles. I can't imagine spending time in camp. I can't imagine doing a couple of miles and setting up camp early. It downright sounds like torture to me. I like hiking, so I hike. I dislike camping, so I spend as little time as humanly possible doing that. I just don't know what hiking will look like when I finish my goals.

I think what has helped me keep hiking new is different trails. I started with the AT. I finished the Foothills Trail when I didn't hike the AT. I alternated between the Bartram Trail and the BMT last year completing both. Now I am hiking the PT, and I am about 1/2 done. The new trails do feel different so that kept things new.

Perhaps it is time for a new trail?
Believe it or not, its nice to do sections multiple times. You get a greater depth of knowledge of an area by doing the same trip multiple times and you learn to appreciate different things and in greater detail. There is a section of river near hear that I have canoed more than 100 times. I know that part of the river so well that I have literally done it in the dark. And the other thing experience teaches you...now that you've hiked every trail in Georgia, you know where all of the really neat spots are...go back to those. Share them with others. Much easier to get someone interested in backpacking if you can take them to all the sweet spots without having to hike through dozens of miles of green tunnel to figure out where they are.

[MtDoraDave]

One of my philosophies I try to follow is this:
The journey IS the destination.
If I'm not happy now, if I'm just slogging through life waiting for something wonderful in the future - I'm doing it wrong. The future isn't guaranteed.
.
I enjoy each section of the AT I have done. Yes, I would like to do it longer than a week at a time, and a thru hike is a goal I'm saving up for, but if I stop enjoying hiking, I don't believe there should be any shame in moving on to something else.

[foodbag]

The Trail's always going to be there. I tried a thru-hike and bailed after 611 miles due to the ole feet, tried to finish it up again 6 years later and bailed again after about 380 miles for the same reason. The time will be coming when I will have the time to get out there some more but the pressure to perform is gone and all I'm looking forward to is a nice amble in the woods for however many miles I feel like it....

[Theosus]

I have an opportunity to do a 9 day hike soon. Longest I've ever been. I haven't been longer than 5 days on the trail, and that was only once. 90% of my hikes are 30 mile overnight hikes. Hiking itself hasn't gotten old, but... well. I just don't know. I still enjoy it. I think part of it is the realization that it is almost over. Soon I will see the northern terminus of the Pinhoti and soon I will see Damascus VA (where the AT will end for me. I do not acknowledge the AT continues north from Damascus. As a weekend warrior, I simply cannot justify driving 10 hours for perhaps a full day of hiking. I just can't).


I'm in the same boat. I live in SC and getting to the AT means a 3 hour drive or so to the closest point, to get to PenMar Park would be almost an 8 hour drive - one way. I want to finish everything from Springer to PA (except the GSMNP, I'm not hiking where they tell me to stay in the shelters), but it looks like I might just have to give up around Harrisonburg, VA, its only 6 hours. I'm a weekender/3 day warrior too. I'd like to get out for longer hikes, but my wife bit---s me out too much when I try to go out longer. I have 5 more years before I can tell her to either accept my hobby or leave.
I'd like to do some week-long hikes (5 days of hiking, two of travel to/from), I think that would go far to help me. I'd never thru-hike, I just don't think I'd enjoy it.

Most of my hikes are planned with groups of like-minded weekenders or 3 day hikers. We have a specific plan in mind and a goal. We start at X, hike so many miles, stop at a shelter, and have 2 or 3 days to reach the car at Y. It takes some of the spontaneity out of hiking though, which is what it's supposed to be all about. Hiking is fun and everything, but most of my hikes have been just as planned as a theme park trip or a cruise or any other vacation. Plan it and stick to the plan.

What I would REALLY like to do is plan a hike like this:
Give me two weeks. On average I feel comfortable doing around 10-12 miles/day on the AT, because I don't hike often. So two weeks x 11 miles/day = about 150 miles. BUT - drop the car at like the 100 mile mark. So I hike as long as I want, stop where and when I want. Shelter, campsite, next to a river, wherever. No specific goal in mind. Go through town, stop and wash clothes or spend a night drying and cleaning up in a hotel. Get more food and keep going. Then one day - bam, there's the car. No rush, no fuss. If I get to going faster and hit the car early, get a shuttle the other way and walk back.
Being a self professed failed thru-hiker would be fun, too.
"I'm going to thru-hike as far as I want before giving up". Walk a week, two weeks, a month... and when it gets to be too much, just say, "I'm going home, I'll be back when I want." Go into it with the idea that I'm not going all the way, just as far as I feel like it. It would really take all the pressure off that the thru's can feel sometimes.

[Bronk]

"I'm going to thru-hike as far as I want before giving up". Walk a week, two weeks, a month... and when it gets to be too much, just say, "I'm going home, I'll be back when I want." Go into it with the idea that I'm not going all the way, just as far as I feel like it. It would really take all the pressure off that the thru's can feel sometimes.The reality is that this is what most "thruhikers" end up doing. By the time you get to Damascus I think you've proven you can do it physically...after the first few hundred miles it becomes about whether you really want to.

[Suzy Q]

Gambit, I appreciated the advice you offered to me recently. I would like to return the favor.
Instead of "throwing in the towel" why not just hang it up for a while?
There is a time and a season for all things.
It sounds as though this may be a season for staying near loved ones, and enjoying the time you have together.
I lost one of my parents a few months ago, and I now treasure the time we had together.
Share your stories. photos, and love of the trail with your family.
You can always pick up that "towel" again when the time is right... and give it another go!
I wish you all the best... Happy Trails!

[MuddyWaters]

What I would REALLY like to do is plan a hike like this:
Give me two weeks. On average I feel comfortable doing around 10-12 miles/day on the AT, because I don't hike often. So two weeks x 11 miles/day = about 150 miles. BUT - drop the car at like the 100 mile mark. So I hike as long as I want, stop where and when I want. Shelter, campsite, next to a river, wherever. No specific goal in mind. Go through town, stop and wash clothes or spend a night drying and cleaning up in a hotel. Get more food and keep going. Then one day - bam, there's the car. No rush, no fuss. If I get to going faster and hit the car early, get a shuttle the other way and walk back.
Being a self professed failed thru-hiker would be fun, too.
"I'm going to thru-hike as far as I want before giving up". Walk a week, two weeks, a month... and when it gets to be too much, just say, "I'm going home, I'll be back when I want." Go into it with the idea that I'm not going all the way, just as far as I feel like it. It would really take all the pressure off that the thru's can feel sometimes.

Hiking longer is a slippery slope. Once you get into the groove, why stop?

Living beats working any day.

One week leads to two weeks.
Two weeks leads to a month and shorter trail thruhikes.
A month leads to a thru hike of a major trail.

At home you are just working to exist.....at home.
On the trail you are living , on a poverty level income.

[BobbyNoel]

"Never is a really long time". I bailed out once on one of my section hikes, felt terrible, like a loser but it was May, cold, wet the week's forecast was more of the same and I came home. Oh, did I mention that it was the year the influenza was going through Virginia? Sickest kids you never wanted to see huddled up in the Barn. But I'm still at it at 74... and I'm going to make to Katahdin; in this life of the next :).

[Walkabout 03]

At the end of the movie "A Walk in the Woods" Katz says, "Hey Bryson, we walked the Appalachian Trail". "Ya Katz, that we did, we walked the Appalachian Trail".

[Gambit McCrae]

Well,
I finally did it. The state of VA is behind me 100%. Did Spy Rock, The Priest, Three Ridges and Humpback in just over 48 hours this weekend. Walking into Rockfish Gap with a big smile on my face. 14 trips, 10,018 miles of driving to complete Virginia. On to CT SoBo for 14 days in the fall. CT, NY and Jersey!

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[doingtime]

A thing to realize, is that almost nobody outside the small number of AT enthusiasts cares. And 99.99% of the population wouldnt be impressed, they would say........why? That is , right after "whats that? " wheres that?" And "did you see the last episode of xyz?"

And this applies to most things in life we do for ourselves. When I miss a lift in the gym and get down about it, I look around and realize not one single person in the world cares what I lift. Brings it back into perspective.

You (OP) sound a lot like me in that way. We set a goal in our head, and then get disappointed when we don't reach it. The goal is ours and our alone.

[rickb]

On to CT SoBo for 14 days in the fall. CT, NY and Jersey!


Way to go!

Very cool to hear you did it Virginia in 14 trips (the hard way), too.

[LittleRock]

I finally did it. The state of VA is behind me 100%. Did Spy Rock, The Priest, Three Ridges and Humpback in just over 48 hours this weekend. Walking into Rockfish Gap with a big smile on my face. 14 trips, 10,018 miles of driving to complete Virginia. On to CT SoBo for 14 days in the fall. CT, NY and Jersey!
Nice job! I imagine that climb up Three Ridges must have been downright torture in July.

[Gambit McCrae]

Nice job! I imagine that climb up Three Ridges must have been downright torture in July.

You know LR it wasn't too bad. Could have definitely used more wind, and clouds, and a water source along the way would have kept me from carrying the 3 liters that I did from the shelter up past Tye River. Took an awesome swim in the river as we crossed. And saw my first Timber Rattlesnake on the AT coming down the north side of 3ridges. Not a huge one but a good 3 foot long, and a good rattler too, on the defense but at least he let us know he was in the middle of the trail. another group said they saw 2 rattlers on the southern side of 3ridges which we were currently climbing at the time. Met my first deputy hiking the trail, nice gentleman out finishing up his shift checking on behaviors at Tye River lol

3979739798

[LittleRock]

You know LR it wasn't too bad. Could have definitely used more wind, and clouds, and a water source along the way would have kept me from carrying the 3 liters that I did from the shelter up past Tye River. Took an awesome swim in the river as we crossed. And saw my first Timber Rattlesnake on the AT coming down the north side of 3ridges. Not a huge one but a good 3 foot long, and a good rattler too, on the defense but at least he let us know he was in the middle of the trail. another group said they saw 2 rattlers on the southern side of 3ridges which we were currently climbing at the time. Met my first deputy hiking the trail, nice gentleman out finishing up his shift checking on behaviors at Tye River lol
Good for you! I remember getting to that rocky mini-peak about halfway up Three Ridges, drenched in sweat, and letting out a whole string of F-bombs when I realized the real mountain was still ahead of me. Then getting dumped on by a thunderstorm right when I got to the top... this was in mid-April and temps were in the 70's.

[BuckeyeBill]

Congrats Gambit. Moving forward.

[Huntmog]

Beautiful stretch to finish on.... I somehow end up hiking some part of that section every other time out!

Congrats on the milestone and kudos to the perseverance

[Gambit McCrae]

Beautiful stretch to finish on....

It sure was! Views a many (Tried to upload some of my panos but WB didn't like the file size I guess)

Anyone know the name of this flower? Probably one of my favorite pictures I have taken this year
39801

This was taken in the "do not camp thru the next mile" part of this section north of 3ridges but south of Humpback summit.
39802

Believe it or not, both people in the picture below, help take the picture :) No stitching done just some color editing by my friend.
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[Ardency]

Beautiful pictures! Guessing a Canada lily. Thanks for sharing- section hikers rock

[Farr Away]

Believe it or not, its nice to do sections multiple times. You get a greater depth of knowledge of an area by doing the same trip multiple times and you learn to appreciate different things and in greater detail. There is a section of river near hear that I have canoed more than 100 times. I know that part of the river so well that I have literally done it in the dark. And the other thing experience teaches you...now that you've hiked every trail in Georgia, you know where all of the really neat spots are...go back to those. Share them with others. Much easier to get someone interested in backpacking if you can take them to all the sweet spots without having to hike through dozens of miles of green tunnel to figure out where they are.

We hiked the same section for both the first (Spring) and last (late Fall) trail of the season one year. It was amazing how much flatter and easier that trail got in 8 months, lol! It was also cool to see how different it all looked in Spring versus Fall.

-FA