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SillyGirl
09-14-2006, 21:42
What were you expectations/thoughts before you started hiking? How had the changed once you finished or what amazed you most once done?

Footslogger
09-14-2006, 21:48
I thru-hiked the AT in 2003. My expectations going in were that it would be hard and that (short of an injury/illness) I would finish.

My expectations were all realized ...and then some. Biggest surprize was HOW LONG it takes to hike the AT. You can read all about the trail and even know up front that it will take you 6 months, but then you start walking and you keep walking, and walking ...and walking.

It takes a lot of resolve to walk 2180 miles and 6 months.

'Slogger

StarLyte
09-14-2006, 21:49
I have much respect for the AT thru hiker.

the goat
09-14-2006, 22:42
my expectations were uncertain, except i knew i wanted some type of adventure over an extended period of time. what amazed me most was the unfailing givingness of human beings, my faith in ellow man was renewed and remains today.

jmaclennan
09-14-2006, 23:10
i thought it would be pretty tough, but that i could handle it. however, like footslogger said, it's a looooooong way from GA to ME. as hard as it was for me (i was 28 at the time, in great shape, and carried only about 30 lbs.), i'm completely amazed how others like slogger (who had a serious medical issue at the time), bill irwin (lack of vision), and the older crowd can do it. i'm thoroughly convinced that if you want something badly enough, nothing short of a disaster will stop you.

slogger is one tough mf'er.

map man
09-14-2006, 23:22
When I started backpacking I was focused on the walking. Anything else -- the equipment I would need, carrying the stuff on my back, the logistics of resupplying, sleeping on the cold, hard ground -- I thought would just be unavoidable things I had to put up with in order to get to keep walking out in the woods. What I discovered was that camp life has its own rewards for me. I've come to enjoy the camp rituals like setting up my tent, getting my stuff organized, preparing food, sitting around with fellow hikers (when there are fellow hikers) whether they're people I already know or not. And I've really come to love sleeping on the cold, hard ground (so to speak). When I sleep outdoors I have so many more vivid, pleasant dreams than I have sleeping in my nice, comfortable bed back home. Strangely enough, when I'm at home I'm a habitual door-locker. I need to go around the house checking to see that doors are locked at least once or twice each night before going to bed or I just don't feel right. And yet out on the trail, with just a thin sheet of silnylon between me and the big, bad world, I feel content and safe. It's been quite a revelation. All of this has been an unanticipated benefit to spending weeks on the trail (though I've certainly never hiked anything near the scale of an AT thru-hike).

gumball
09-15-2006, 05:13
I have not thru hiked yet, but we do long distance sections. What has amazed me more than anything is that my success, my comfort, my health...all of that is about 5% equipment and conditioning and 95% mental attitude. When I stopped worrying about how I smelled, how I felt, what time it was, if I had enough food...all those things that plague us in real life...and started enjoying the rituals of trail life (eat when I want, eat what I want, fellowship, living with what's on your back), I really started enjoying the journey rather than dreading the distance.

I love hiking. :)

Blue Jay
09-15-2006, 06:36
What surprised and delighted me the most was the fact that when you get away from all the crap in the every day world, all you need to be happy is food, water, shelter, clothing and people. Ok, also maybe a book or two.

hopefulhiker
09-15-2006, 07:05
I had thought about thru hiking for years but had not even sectioned the AT since I was a kid. I had this idea that I would be the only one out there. As it turns out the AT thru hike is very social at the shelters, hostels and towns. For any given year a sense of a "trail family" develops. I was surprised at how supportive the hostel owners, trail angels, and other hikers are.

Time To Fly 97
09-15-2006, 10:25
It is amazing how bombarded with information we are in the working world. News, responsibilities, commuting, TV, competition, lack of sleep...all play a big role in keeping you away from your own thoughts and feelings. The American culture (with all its positives) mostly takes this for granted - it is what it is - unless you know better. On a long distance hike, you gradually forget about all this "noise" and are left with a completely different scenario:

The sound of the wind in the mountains
The smell of trees and fresh air
Seeing the stars at night
Completely flexible "schedule"
You have all the information you need to resolve any problems you encounter (perfect definition of no stress?)
The "problems" are actually fun challenges to resolve
All the mental and spiritual benefits of meditation
All the physical benefits of being an elite athlete (few start off this way - no worries)
Surrounded by beauty that changes every hour
Laughing with other hikers who have also rediscovered how awesome it is to be alive in this great world we live in
Surrounded by a spirit of giving and kindness in 99% of everyone you meet.

What amazed me most after thru-hiking was how clear my mind was and how happy I could be. What made this even better is that all the other hikers were feeling this too and we fed off each other's happiness. Thru-hiking is much more than the physical challenge. After about the halfway mark it is an adrenaline, endorphine and seratonin rush all day long and it makes you feel amazing. Once you've felt this (joy), you can always use it as a guage to how you are feeling in the working world long after the hike is done. A simple weekend hike will bring back these feelings for the rest of your life. You will always be aware of your happiness level and totally know what feels positive and most importantly what is not worth worrying about.

Thru-hiking will change your life. It is a blessing given to so few people. If you have the opportunity - go for it! You will thank yourself every day for the rest of your life.

Happy hiking!

TTF

Grampie
09-16-2006, 09:17
I thru-hiked the AT in 2003. My expectations going in were that it would be hard and that (short of an injury/illness) I would finish.

My expectations were all realized ...and then some. Biggest surprize was HOW LONG it takes to hike the AT. You can read all about the trail and even know up front that it will take you 6 months, but then you start walking and you keep walking, and walking ...and walking.

It takes a lot of resolve to walk 2180 miles and 6 months.

'Slogger
Slogger: You are sooooo right.

highway
09-16-2006, 11:11
I have only done a 600 mile walk in 5 weeks. In the beginning of it I was amazed at how out of shape i seemed to be in and how hard it was to walk the miles each day. But towards the end of the trip I was astounded at how easy it was to do the miles and how much more of them I was doing each day and particularly how good I felt my old body was in.

dloome
09-17-2006, 19:08
I'd never done much (any) backpacking before the AT but had done many long bike tours, including a coast to coast ride. I'd always traveled alone and well off the main roads and knew the biggest challenge by far would be mental. I did my research and had realistic expectations of the AT.

The AT ended up being much EASIER than I'd anticipated, yes, I'm serious. I was blown away by how much the prescence of other hikers doing the same thing helped mentally, even though I started and finished well before the main pack. A big part of biking and hiking for me is the physical and mental challenge and sometimes when hanging out and having fun with other hikers I even missed the difficulties of more solo travel. I finished in about 3 1/2 months and found the physical aspect easy to overcome, you're body can do nearly anything you have the will to make it do. Or maybe it's because I'm 19 and in good shape. :-?

I think the most important thing when starting a thru hike is to put yourself in, and KEEP yourself in the right frame of mind. Before I started I commited myself to do whatever I had to do to thru-hike the trail. I think the people who have the attitude of "I'm only going to hike as long as it's fun" are just setting themselves up for failure. If all you want to do is have fun for awhile, that's fine, but it's an unwise attitude for someone commited to a thru hike. Because on a thru hike there will be plenty of times when you aren't having fun, and it'll be very hard to stay motivated especially when you hike alone.

Just know that it'll be wonderful, miserable, and everything in between and that every difficulty along the way will seem trivial when you're climbing up that last pile of boulders on the big K and see that sign. Don't I look happy? :)

http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l265/DaveLoome/North-%20CT%20MA%20VT%20NH%20ME/?action=view&current=DSCF0494.jpg&refPage=20&imgAnch=imgAnch27

Krewzer
09-18-2006, 00:17
What were you expectations/thoughts before you started hiking? How had the changed once you finished or what amazed you most once done?

I expected it to be long series of extended hikes. I expected it to be physcally hard, but more hard mentally. I expected to see and experience things I'd only read, heard or dreamed about.

All that turned out to be true, right up to the moment I touched the sign on Katahdin.

One of the things that amazed me, and long before finishing, was the camaraderie among the thru-hiker community. There are few things like this, anywhere.

But the thing that amazed me most, far and away, was the network of people working to keep "thru-hiking" alive and well. Not just keeping the AT going, but working to help some strange hiker get from one end to the other, north bound or south bound. That's what "Trail Magic!" was about and that, to me, was and is pretty amazing.

StarLyte
09-18-2006, 06:08
I expected it to be long series of extended hikes. I expected it to be physcally hard, but more hard mentally. I expected to see and experience things I'd only read, heard or dreamed about.

All that turned out to be true, right up to the moment I touched the sign on Katahdin.

One of the things that amazed me, and long before finishing, was the camaraderie among the thru-hiker community. There are few things like this, anywhere.

But the thing that amazed me most, far and away, was the network of people working to keep "thru-hiking" alive and well. Not just keeping the AT going, but working to help some strange hiker get from one end to the other, north bound or south bound. That's what "Trail Magic!" was about and that, to me, was and is pretty amazing.


Your post touched me Krewzer.......the last paragraph in particular.

You are correct.

Hammock Hanger
09-22-2006, 08:15
That I would be partaking in an adventure. I would be getting back to the simpler ways. I wouldn't be bothered with work, rule, pressure or stress. That I would be fulfilling my dream and attain my goal. That I would be missing my husband.


All that was true. It was an adventure.

I did get back into the habit of doing things in the most simple way.

I put so much pressure and stress on myself to attain the goal of Katahdin, that unfortunately there were times when I was miserable. Worse part was the misery was self induced. I beat myself up a lot mentally. The next long hike will just be a walk with NO expectations. Just for pure enjoyment.

I did eventually fulfill the goal of walking the whole AT, just not as a "thru-hiker".

I did miss my husband terribly.