A question for past thru hikers. When did you know? [Archive]

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H2O_Buffalo

11-30-2006, 18:09

Greetings to WhiteBlaze members.

I am considering strongly a 2009 thru hike NOBO. I have some gear already from past hiking and other activities. A thru hike is a huge undertaking. The physical and mental demands during the trip itself are enormous and the preparation important.

For those of you that have completed a thru hike, when did you know you would make it all the way? There must have been point in time; an "AHA !!" moment when you knew you would make it. Was it at the very start on Springer? Arriving in Harper's Ferry or the real halfway point? Maybe later in the hike in the Whites? Or perhaps when you first laid eyes on Kathadin?

I am interested to know how and when some thru hikers arrived at this revelation. Truly knowing they would make it all the way.

Respect and admiration for all of you that have accomplished this feat.

Footslogger

11-30-2006, 18:23

I went into the hike totally committed to reaching Katahdin and never looked back. Short of an injury I knew that nothing could keep me from finishing ...although the dat gawn kidney stones almost did me in !!

'Slogger

3 Cats

11-30-2006, 18:25

Hey Buff -

Don't over prepare. Just get your stuff together (I triangulated three packing lists, eliminating everything that wasn't on all of them) and go. You'll make adjustments along the way, such as boots, pack, food, etc. I bought a ton of food for mailing and it was a huge waste. Maybe plan boxes for the first month and then get food in town. I knew I would make it the whole time. It just seemed so perfect. The people you meet will keep your spirits flying and the hiking is sublime. There are some bigger moments, however - walking across the bridge into Harper's was one, getting to a place in PA I'd been before, the Hudson, getting into New England, and certainly crossing into Maine. Make sure you keep a journal because as indelible as it all seems at the time, it will fade into a pleasant blur after a couple of years.

max patch

11-30-2006, 18:29

The physical and mental demands during the trip itself are enormous and the preparation important.

Disagree with the premise stated above. Its just walking.

The only barrier (for myself) for completion would be adequate funds and the ability to go 6 months without income. Once those issues were resolved I left and had no doubt that I'd finish.

Its just walking. And 10 hours of walking every day is easier than 10 hours of working.

Good luck on your forthcoming hike.

SalParadise

11-30-2006, 18:35

I remember sitting at the lake at Upper Goose Pond cabin in Massachusetts, and that was the first time people had started to make plans for when they wanted to finish, some within a week and even one or two with exact dates, because they suddenly had made after-hike plans. Everyones' conversations really started to change through Vermont. It started out as a subtle change, but the "if I make it" slowly just started to die away. Although there was always the knowledge that an injury could still take anyone out, and that injury feeling never left until Monson.

It was kind of a sad feeling for me, that the real world away from the Trail was making its way back into our lives. I realized I didn't have much longer to be around all the friends I'd made, and I especially missed the feeling of having a goal that was still almost too far away to imagine.

SalParadise

11-30-2006, 18:43

heck, I think the first time I really, truly believed I'd make it was on the Tablelands on Katahdin.

MOWGLI

11-30-2006, 18:45

Wingfoot told me that if I could make it to Damascus, VA (mile 450), I could make it all the way. So that's when I believed I could do it. I had a very positive outlook from day #1 however.

Regarding the physical/psychological thing. In my opinion, it's more head than heel.

Spirit Walker

11-30-2006, 19:45

I didn't KNOW I would make it until I crossed the Kennebec. Before that I was so worried about the Whites I had serious doubts that I would make it through New Hampshire. I have a serious fear of falling that has been a factor on all my hikes. What the AT taught me though was that it was possible to "feel the fear but do it anyway."

Jan LiteShoe

11-30-2006, 20:57

Greetings to WhiteBlaze members.

I am considering strongly a 2009 thru hike NOBO. ...
I am interested to know how and when some thru hikers arrived at this revelation. Truly knowing they would make it all the way.
Respect and admiration for all of you that have accomplished this feat.

Hey neighbor!

Fellow Tar Heel here. You'll have the home team rooting for ya. I'll share my experience, with the caveat it's likely not typical, given what I'm reading here.

I set off on my 2003 NOBO thru-hike truly not knowing if I would be strong enough to make it. The hardest thing was, early on, seeing the young "rabbits" sprint on ahead of me - one day ahead, three days, a week or more. (Youthful "A-Train" was one of the strongest hikers in our March 1 starting group. He and I camped at the same sites for two nights, and then I never saw him until the Gathering! :))

Seeing the strong ones lope off like that set off alot of mental noise. Beware the head noise! :) I felt I might not be fast/strong enough to finish in one season. I hated making great friends then not being able to keep up. But if I went faster than my natural pace, I hated hiking. Finally, I adjudicated in favor of my body, which turned out to be a wise choice. Some of the "rabbits" got shin splints and bad knees by Virginia and dropped off.

Looking back on my stats, I see I was just an average hiker (I finished mid-September like many others), but due to the shifting nature of the crowds at the start, I didn't know that. So you could say I walked with much doubt, for quite awhile.

Hitting Damascus WAS a high for me, but I still didn't "know." I had alot of respect for the long, hot state of Virginia, where you'll spend 1/4 of your hike. It wasn't until I came back from the Shenandoahs for Trail Days in Damascus that I had an inkling that others thought I was hiking strongly. Experienced thru-hikers I'd admired, such as Triple Crowners Spur and Ready, Sly, and many, many other AT thrus, sought me out to tell me I was on track and completely on schedule. That support at that time really put an extra glow into my hike. Meeting my fellow 2003-ers there (like Tootslogger) also strengthened a core.. something. I don't know what, but meeting fellow '03 thrus ahead AND behind me was most excellent.

I should add that I really, really enjoyed the thru-hiking experience. Many times the hiking itself ground me down to pulpy, jiggling mass, and I said seriously bad words, but I never genuinely considered going home. Part of that was because I was in transition. If I had family, land, house, job (I am self-employed), etc, I might have felt otherwise. For me, the AT hike was a terrific experience of freedom.

You get your legs, lungs and confidence, and new determination grows somewhere in Virginia - at least that was my experience. I'd guess it comes much sooner for the young and fit.

When I hit Harper's Ferry, the fact that I'd walked 1,000 miles really struck me strongly. "I've walked a THOUSAND miles!" That did much to boost my hopes of finishing. I was still concerned about the Whites (you'll hear so many stories) and, as yet, I hadn't learned that the AT prepares you, teaches you what you need to know before you get there.

However, it took me three months to get there! "Can I walk THE SECOND, HARDER HALF faster?" I wondered (more head noise). The answer was "yes" - I did the second half in 3 1/2 months, and that included leaving the Trail for a week to attend my brother's wedding.

I had a friend who walked to New York the year before I did, and left the Trail there. She was tired, sore, lonely for her family, and went home. Secretly, I felt a little disappointed for her. However, when I myself got to New York, my respect for her had increased immeasurably. You go through SO MUCH by New York. By then, the "foxhole effect" had set in, where no matter your differences, you greatly respect any fellow hikers who have gone through the same experiences. Getting to New York was HUGE. A few quit there.

I would say that in 2003, no one dropped out after New York (quit). A couple left the Trail, but they were forced off by illness, injury or family concerns. They didn't quit. So I guess if you make it to New York, you'll know you're really gonna DO IT! :)

By Vermont, after the bugs and heat of summer, most thruhikers expressed a weariness, almost an ennui, and a focused determination to "get 'er done." Many had lost that magical "wonder in the woods" feeling that first led them on such an unusual journey. Interestingly, it was in Vermont where I predicted my ending date to a four-day window - and I finished smack dab in the middle of that range. This is astonishing, given that a thru-hiker here has yet to cross the Whites and won't be certain how to gauge their daily miles (mine dropped precipitously! ) In addition, it's difficult to predict how many zero days one will want to take (I took them liberally - why not?) Yet you'll have such a sharpened sense of foot travel, your predictions will carry some weight by Vermont.

The Whites! I slowed way down, I saw people "oohing" and "ahhing" with delight again. They ARE spectactular and, along with southern Maine, my favorite part of an entirely terrific trip. I not only managed as the hiking shifted from, well, hiking to lots of bouldering and wearying "step-and-lift" power moves, but actually thrived. I found I loved bouldering, though my joints thought otherwise.

Maybe guys are different, or maybe it's just that me that is different, but it was probably only after the Whites that total clarity set in, that a blinding white light came down, cast me to my aching, Cho-Pat-clad knees and spoke these uplifting words: "You're gonna make it to The Sign, gal!"

Or maybe I just dreamed that part, I forget. :)

In any case, best of luck on your adventure. The people you'll meet are the best, and will become friends for life.

Jan LiteShoe

11-30-2006, 21:09

By the way, H2O Buffalo, though you say "maybe 2009," this is exactly the sort of question an upcoming thru-hiker asks.
;-)
I'd say something is percolating fairly strongly.

Footslogger

11-30-2006, 21:48

[quote=Jan LiteShoe;278980] Meeting my fellow 2003-ers there (like Tootslogger) also strengthened a core.. something. I don't know what, but meeting fellow '03 thrus ahead AND behind me was most excellent.

===============================

Geez Lightshoe ...you never told me that before. I'm flattered !! Seriously though, since YOU were a member of the 3/1 team it was actually quite a lift for me to meet you, Hotdog, Wench and the others in Damascus. I never doubted my ability to finish the hike but, as you said, meeting others whom you knew through pre-hike e-mails and shelter registers really made me feel like a member of a huge family ...something much bigger than myself.

All the best ...

'Slogger (aka TootSlogger)

Jan LiteShoe

11-30-2006, 21:52

Footslogger

11-30-2006, 22:02

[quote=Footslogger;278991]

Do I know you?
Have we met?
;)
================================

Wink ...Wink !!

'Slogger

hopefulhiker

11-30-2006, 22:07

I always believed I could do it; I had been thinking about it for years. I suffered three instances where injury pulled me off the trail, and one "vacation from the vacation" but I always felt like I could do the whole thing...

Jan LiteShoe

11-30-2006, 22:15

[quote=Jan LiteShoe;278993]
================================

Wink ...Wink !!

'Slogger

It's posts like this that start rumors!
:eek:
:)

Footslogger

11-30-2006, 22:40

[quote=Footslogger;278998]

It's posts like this that start rumors!
:eek:
:)

======================================

Let the rumors fly. WE know the truth !! The class of 2003 rocks !!

'Slogger

Blissful

11-30-2006, 22:46

Wow, so interesting Jan Lightshoe. Thanks a heap for your post.

Hope more share like this! And tell it like it is. The good and the not so good. Unless it really was ALL goood! :)

Mountain Maiden

11-30-2006, 23:05

H2o_Buffalo--Hurray for your *decision* (wink) to hike!
It is a great adventure and I heartily recommend it!

I was such a novice when I thru-hiked--I don't think I ever let it enter my mind that I might not make it (even though the 'boys back home' were taking bets on how far I would go before returning home) Besides, as my cousin reminded me pre-hike, the women in our family are "Strong Stock!"

Some 1200 miles from Springer, I sat in the Orthopedist's exam room in Allentown, PA, as the doctor told me I would have to have surgery to put pins in my arm to hold the bones together. (Spiritwalker's fear realized!) Upon hearing the news, I started to cry. he looked at me and said, "What's wrong? Oh--you're from South Carolina--you want to go home?" I sobbed, "No! I'm thruhiking the AT." (to THIS moment, I had never considered the possibility of not finishing..) At that, he looked at me and said. "Well, you're through hiking, alright!"

At THAT very moment--I made the conscious decision that there was NO WAY IN H--- that I was going home!!

I climbed Katahdin with my arm in a sling.

HAVE A GREAT HIKE!!

Footslogger

11-30-2006, 23:14

[quote=Mountain Maiden;279037]

I climbed Katahdin with my arm in a sling.

=================================

Damn ...and I thought I had it bad with kidney stones. You rock Mountain Maiden !!

'Slogger

Okie Dokie

11-30-2006, 23:17

The truth, as I came to understand it, is that if you ever think you'll make it no matter what happens...well, um, you're probably not a realist...anything can happen at any time to cut your trip short--injury, family crisis, whatever...that being said I can empathize with those who say '' I always knew I would make it''...they say that after they've made it of course (heh)...some say just go out there and get started and it will all fall into place...fair enough advice if you intend to go at a sensible pace and avoid overuse injuries and careless falls in the early miles...the truth probably is that if you make it halfway, or to Damascus, or to any point over 300 miles you're probably resilient enough (physically, at least) to make it all the way...I'm convinced that anyone that can walk, in any way whatsoever, could do the AT if they hike their hike and don't get hurt...if you don't get hurt and nothing external to your hike pulls you off the trail it's just a matter of willpower....willpower comes easy to those who love what they're doing anyway...and, so, I guess I knew I would make it all along...heh...

Jan LiteShoe

11-30-2006, 23:21

[quote=Mountain Maiden;279037]

I climbed Katahdin with my arm in a sling.

=================================

You rock Mountain Maiden !!

Ditto - that's desire!
Another example of the "hiker family" effect - Sunny sat down with me before my hike with a guidebook and went over the "not to miss' spots - in addition to encouraging me when I was hiking.

Folks such as this - and there will be many - can carry you over the rough spots.

Footslogger

11-30-2006, 23:42

OK ...I'll jump in here and share a story. Not going back on anything I said before about knowing that I was going to make it, right from the beginning ...but this was one of those "moments" that made me all the more determined to succeed.

I had been hiking with 3 other hikers, going into North Woodstock. We checked out of the motel and hitched a ride back to where the AT crosses the interstate. I had been dealing with kindney stone symptoms for several months but this particular morning was different (worse). We located the trail and started up to Franconia Ridge. I fell behind (GO FIGURE) and began to experience severe abdominal cramping and ultimately fell into hypothermia. Two of the hikers I set out with (who had already almost made it to the Liberty Ridge campsite) realized that I wasn't keeping up and doubled back. They found me laying on the ground barely conscious. Long story short ...they dumped my pack, found my sleeping bag and wrapped my in it while they talked to me and little by little got me to drink water. The saved my life !!

Those 2 hikers were "Firefeet" and "Chickflick" and I owe them more than I could ever say.

But ...the point of all this was that even though I was optomistic going into the hike, I fell victim to serious kidney stone disease and it all could have ended that morning. Had it not been for the relationships I had forged along the way I may not have made it. That said, after recovering from that experience I was more committed than ever to finishing the trail.

The trail takes care of its own.

'Slogger

Mountain Maiden

12-01-2006, 00:05

Sleepy the Arab

12-01-2006, 00:15

Connecticut. I was on top of the world the morning I awoke at Ten Mile River Campsite, and it was at that point I knew that I would complete the AT (again).

Roughly 400 miles later, I was descending Mt, Madison. On one particular scramble just past Orgood Junction, my knee...well, it popped and the thigh bone moved sideways out of the joint, and then snapped back. Hurt like the dickens. I sat there, on the side of the mountain, holding my leg and shouting curses at the world. I thought my trip was over. It probably could have been - the kind of ticket home I would have been looking for had I not wanted to keep living in the woods for another couple of weeks.

The thing is, I was certain my thru-hike was over. As soon as I picked myself up though, I was damned if I was going to be carried off the mountain by a rescue team. And after a few days of rest in Gorham, I would be damned if this little incident would end my hike.

I guess I should have a point to this. I don't really. If you have to leave the trail, let it be on your terms. Even then, don't let it go too easily.

Blissful

12-01-2006, 00:20

Just have to add this - WOW, this is the best thread going right now....
I'd like to see this thread go to 1,000 posts from all these incredible stories.

Amazing.

And sooo helpful for those of us up and coming in the next graduating class. :)

A-Train

12-01-2006, 00:33

I've gotta side with those who said Damascus. Seems Dan Bruce is wiser than many give him credit for.
Before Damascus, I felt like I was in a large group of folks, all sort of struggling to exist and get by. We were fighting snow storms, cold temps, longer resupplies, difficult miles, and being spoiled by excellent and long town stops.

Once past the Grayson Highlands, the crowds thinned out, the miles increased, and warmer weather followed. We learned how to make town stops more efficient and could master the art of getting good mileage in, while still spending maybe half a day laying in a field, hitting an off-trail deli, or just playing games somewhere.

To be even more specific, the stretch north of Daleville was probably when I internalized being a thru-hiker. I did back to back "long" days at 18 and 24, and stopped thinking of those miles as rare occurences, and started adapting that to normal daily work. I think the day after that I did 16 or so miles down to Glasgow, to resupply. It was one of the first times I hitched in and out of a town in less than a few hours and felt like finally, town was more just a necessity to resupply, rather than a goal to strive for. Also the loose group of 10-15 who I had been with up until Damascus had gradually totally broken up, and I was only hiking with one other person. At this point, it felt less like a traveling party, and more like my hike.

Jan-c'mon, I believe it was 3 nights we spent together! Weren't you at Woodshole that night, when Wench showed me how to wipe my butt with one square of TP?!

Footslogger

12-01-2006, 00:36

Weren't you at Woodshole that night, when Wench showed me how to wipe my butt with one square of TP?!

=================================

YO Train ...that's borderline TMI !!

'Slogger

Bravo

12-01-2006, 00:41

=================================

YO Train ...that's borderline TMI !!

'Slogger
Maybe but HOW? That's good TMI!:eek:

Jan LiteShoe

12-01-2006, 00:44

Jan-c'mon, I believe it was 3 nights we spent together! Weren't you at Woodshole that night, when Wench showed me how to wipe my butt with one square of TP?!

Ah, you are correct, young master Train.

But I do not believe I was a witness to the actual event.
:)

Footslogger

12-01-2006, 00:45

Ah, you are correct, young master Train.

But I do not believe I was a witness to the actual event.
:)
===========================

Guess we're gonna need photos then !!

'Slogger

Jan LiteShoe

12-01-2006, 00:46

Ah, you are correct, young master Train.

But I do not believe I was a witness to the actual event.
:)

Hell of a sunset that night, as I recall.
I was down by the privy, watching with all the rest.
The sunset, I mean.
:)

Footslogger

12-01-2006, 00:47

Maybe but HOW? That's good TMI!:eek:

==============================

Live and learn ...I never knew there was such a thing as GOOD TMI !!

'Slogger

Bravo

12-01-2006, 01:02

==============================

Live and learn ...I never knew there was such a thing as GOOD TMI !!

'Slogger
Makes sense. Your signature line says it all:D .

Jan LiteShoe

12-01-2006, 01:08

But ...the point of all this was that even though I was optomistic going into the hike, I fell victim to serious kidney stone disease
'Slogger

Hey Slogger,
not to hijack the thread, because I'm curious to see where other thrus had their "moment," but were you taking alot of Vitamin I when you went down? I'd heard ibuprofen is hard on the kidneys. And that hydration is also very critical to not only kidneys but joints - generally speaking, but especially so on Advil. So if you already had kidney stones, and dehydration, I had wonder if Vitamin was also in the mix?

To get this back on topic, Vitamin I got me throught the Whites! After which, I subsequently had my "moment."
:)

d2m

12-01-2006, 01:52

for me it was a gradual progression that started in mass. with each passing day i was meeting more hikers (of all sorts) that were telling me that i was going to make it. also ,as the days passed ,in new england i became aware that i was taking less risks while hiking. i started to pick my footfalls more carefully to avoid a fall or slip. physicaly and mentaly i new i could do it from the start, what i was always concerned with was the things like broken bones , blown out knees , ticks ... ect

Footslogger

12-01-2006, 09:39

[quote=Jan LiteShoe;279093]Hey Slogger,
not to hijack the thread, because I'm curious to see where other thrus had their "moment," but were you taking alot of Vitamin I when you went down? I'd heard ibuprofen is hard on the kidneys. And that hydration is also very critical to not only kidneys but joints - generally speaking, but especially so on Advil. So if you already had kidney stones, and dehydration, I had wonder if Vitamin was also in the mix?

=======================================

Lightfoot ....you hijacker you !!

I was carrying Vit I througout the hike but not taking it in any great quantities. I've had a long standing kidney stone history but hadn't had any really bad attacks in years. Symptoms started after I hiked the 100 Mile Wilderness with my wife on her thru in 2001. When I got home from that hike I was tested and treated for Giardia (which the medical experts all thought was the problem) and thought I was in the clear. Shortly after starting my hike in 2003 the symptoms returned and got worse and worse as I got further north.

Vit I may have worsened things ...I'll never know. But I doubt that it was the Motrin that brought on the stones. My stones are Calcium Oxolate Dihydrate. Foods containing oxolate combine with calcium and form crystals. By the time I got home and had some xrays there was a stone the size of a golf ball in the lower pole of my right kidney. 2 surgeries later I was stone free and still am ...I hope !!

In the end, hydration is the best method of inhibiting stone formation/growth. Keep them little crystals flowing and not getting larger !!

WE NOW RETURN YOU TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED THREAD TOPIC !

'Slogger

H2O_Buffalo

12-01-2006, 09:58

Jan LiteShoe (and all),

Thanks for the encouraging story. By the way, I read your entire Journal a couple of weeks ago. Part of the motivation for starting this thread (and I seem to have started something of which I am QUITE pleased with myself... :o ) was that I had a major foot surgery on November 9th in which massive bone spurs were removed from my right great toe joint and a titanium plug put in to replace the joint :( . Just call me the bionic hiker. Anyway, I was on my back for a week with my foot elevated and on ice to keep the swelling to a minimim so I held my laptop on my belly and read your journal.

All the great replies I have received have pumped me up even more, in spite of an aching (for the time being) foot.

White Blazers are the greatest.

Keep 'em coming.

H2O_Buffalo

12-01-2006, 10:00

Jan,

PS.

It's ok if you hijack the thread. Anything for a fellow North Carolinian.

PPS

I am Hoosier by birth and upbringing.

Krewzer

12-01-2006, 11:58

In NJ I believed.

The trail was somewhat easier, the Rocks were behind me, deli's were everywhere and I was in the best hiking condition I have ever been in.

I'd been cold, hot, wet, thirsty, hungry, dirty, smelly, glad, sad, tired, blistered, skeeter bit and had pulled ticks out of private places. I'd had a humongous case of chaffing in Va, discovered my pack cover was gone when the rain started in Ga, had an achilles problem in NC, lost a fuel bottle in Pa, gotten lost in Tn, got a bit drunk in Port Clinton and nearly stepped on a copperhead outside of Pearisburg. I was wearing out my second pair of boots, my third tee shirt, had given up underwear and had only two pair of socks to last each week. I'd had poison ivy, constipation, the runs, leg cramps, muscle aches, cuts, bruises, burns and complaints about my snoring. I had endured advice from yo-yo's that didn't know backpacking from a dump truck. I had been homesick, lovesick and told I was either nuts, crazy or just plain stupid and sometimes all at once, and occasionally agreed with them.

But by NJ, I had been the object of curiosity and recieved a level of respect and childeyed wonder I didn't understand at the time. I had made life long friends, helped and been helped by strangers, laughed out loud, felt sorrow, saw people doing things most can't even dream about. I'd had seen bear, deer, fox, raccoons, rabbits, owls, hawks, shooting stars, sunrises, sunset and full moon rising. I could have all the Ben and Jerry's ice cream I could eat and not worry about my waist or arteries. I rediscovered what it meant to receive mail from home. I had walked, climbed, stood and slept in the high places I'd dreamed about for decades. I'd come to realize a never ending story, that more than just hikers play a huge part in. To many it's a way of life. By NJ I understood there were literally thousands helping me do this thing. Some known, most never seen or heard. I was a member of greatest community on the planet

And, I could actually count weeks instead of months to climb Katahdin and stand next to that old weathered board sign.

In NJ, I knew any with the heart could do this thing. By NJ I knew I had it, had earned it and could count on it. I believe everyone who made it to NJ that year had it, many earlier, some later.

Grits (front page AT Jouneys) made the statement that kept it real though, "One hungry bear or one loose rock and your trip is over." It was funny at the time, but he was right. You just really never know, but you believe.

Lone Wolf

12-01-2006, 12:00

I knew when I got to Gorham the first time I wasn't gonna make it. I'd had enuf. I saved Maine for a rainy day.

Grampie

12-01-2006, 12:22

My first attempt to thru was in 2000. I ended up going home, from Fontana, with very sore knees and a bad stress fracture. I started another attempt in 2001. This time I felt that I already had one strike against me. The fact that I was 66 years old didn't help either. It put a lot of doubt in my nind about making it to Maine.
The point, in my thru, when I felt that I could make it all the way was when I walked through the sign going into the park in Damaskas. It just hit me. I feel good, I could walk the daily required miles and best of all I was enjoying it.
Previous to this time, when someone asked me , "are you a thru-hiker", I would reply. "No." I'm just heading north. After that I started to say I was.:sun

Mouse

12-01-2006, 12:43

heck, I think the first time I really, truly believed I'd make it was on the Tablelands on Katahdin.

Same for me! And I saw a number of strong hikers have a hike-ending injury
in the last stages. So I really did not take it for granted until then; when only a short fairly level walk remained.

SalParadise

12-01-2006, 14:21

I previous failed thru-hike attempt must make a lot of difference in attitude. My first attempt had to end from an injury just from walking, not from a fall or anything. So on my next attempt it was always in the back of my head that I still might succumb to injury no matter how prepared or strong I was. The feeling was so much more real.

A lot of it was a numbers thing for me, too, knowing that if there was still only that 2% occurrance where a hiker could break a leg in Maine or be called back to some family emergency from Monson (met a guy who had to quit from there), then I couldn't myself be 100% sure or my own destiny.

Jan LiteShoe

12-01-2006, 16:05

Jan,

PS.
It's ok if you hijack the thread. Anything for a fellow North Carolinian.
PPS
I am Hoosier by birth and upbringing.

That's okay, i'm really from Wisconsin.
:)

Footslogger

12-01-2006, 16:15

That's okay, i'm really from Wisconsin.
:)

=================================

Funny eh ...seems like most of us are from somewhere else !!

'Slogger

MOWGLI

12-01-2006, 16:20

That's okay, i'm really from Wisconsin.
:)

I'm from Mars. My wife is from Venus. ;)

Ewker

12-01-2006, 16:48

That's okay, i'm really from Wisconsin.
:)

yum a cheesehead ;)

DavidNH

12-01-2006, 16:49

Well.. when I got through The Pennsylvania rocks and also 4 days of more or less solid rain and I was still standing..I had a good idea I would make it all the way. But I think one really knows after the whites and the Mahoosics because it just can't get any harder than that!

David

texas jack

12-01-2006, 17:02

My hiking buddy Grampie has prodded me to share a memry or two..
On Springer, EVERYONE is gonna "make it". I (Texas Jack) had guesstimated that I cd do 10 mi per day,and allotted the required 7months and paid the utilities up front so nothing wd be shut off.
Well, for LOTS of reasons, 10 mi/day was an overestimate, but the thought of Damascus drew us northward like lemmings. The convential wisdom ws "if you can reach Damascus (20%of the way) you are physically capable of doing the WHOLE thing!" The other 80% is whether or not a person still WANTS to.
I didn`t really think abt WHEN I wd be through hiking until there ws less than 1000 miles to go. I had been counting down fm2173 and when there were 999 to go I thought "Dang, I`m gonna really finish this thing!"
Up until that point, I wd meet people who asked,"When are you going to be done?" and my answer "I don`t know yet" caused some jaws to drop.
The last 300 mi, I just wanted it to be over with. It had become an enduro.
I was in the best shape I had been in for 20 yrs, and I just wanted it to be done!
I had to rest up before I actually felt real PRIDE in having finished. I ws sort of shell-shocked for a few wks
For the record, Texas Jack was in the woods 356 days in `01, and `03, hiked 301 days (took 55 zeros) hiked 7.23 mi/day for the whole thing.
My buddy Grampie acted as my ground support and hiking bud in`03
I didnt know for certain WHEN I ws gonna finish until the last 200 mi or so

ARambler

12-01-2006, 17:17

I obsessed about finishing as much as anyone. Fortunately, I had more resources than most:
experience/ability/youth(50)/stunnninglygoodlooks/sense-of-humor, time, money, and support from home. I became fully committed to making Katahdin when I bought food for my mail drops (although it was a more gradual process than that.) When I got to Katahdin, my camera broke, and I went back a couple of months later to stage the photo. I was sure I was going to complete the trail when I got back to Katahdin Springs Campground the 4th time. (the popular, do not die on the knife edge option.)

Remember, there is a big difference between using Katahdin as a goal, and stressing over not making it to Katahdin.

When non-hikers ask "what was your favorite part?" they're expecting something like a bear story. Prospective thru hikers (and some thru hikers) will think it's reaching Katahdin. Many thru hikers say it's the people they meet and hike with on the trail. I say it's the part where I put one foot in front of the other.

Not saying the other hikers views are wrong, but it IS possible to have a reasonably successful thru hike without having a bad day.
Rambler

superman

12-01-2006, 17:20

I didn't have any physical issues that made me question if I would complete my thru-hike. I was amused that people that I had been hiking near flip flopped because they'd done the math and decided that they couldn't finish in time. I didn't do the math so I hiked on. The biggest problem I had was every time I called home my stress level would spike. Every call was more weird, uncooperative stuff. When I finished my hike I found that my ex-girlfriend that I'd trusted to handle my finances while I was gone stole $15,000 from me. That plus the near $7,000 I'd spent on the trail made it a pretty pricey thru-hike. At least I didn't fall like Bernie did. His could wiggle his left pelvic bone and it turned yellow. yuk!

Superman and Winter GA>ME 2000

warren doyle

12-01-2006, 18:21

On my first thru-hike in 1973, when I reached the sign on Katahdin finishing my 66.3 day journey.

On my seven other thru-hikes since then, when I was making my first step northward from Springer.

On my six other section-hikes since then (1973), when I made my first step either southward or northward to start my first section towards completion of the entire trail by sections.

I will finish my seventh section-hike on Monday April 5, 2010 and I will finish my ninth thru-hike on Saturday Sept. 4th, 2010 on Katahdin between 8-9am.

Jim Adams

12-01-2006, 21:00

i was always hoping from the first day that i would make it but i didn't know for sure until Lower Jo Mary Lake. i don't know why i got the answer there but i did.
on my second hike in 2002, i had enough knee and heat problems that i wasn't sure until i was standing on Abol bridge looking at K.

handlebar

12-02-2006, 13:02

I knew I could do it physically when I reached Damascus after overcoming knee tendonitis which caused me to take an extra zero in Erwin. The trail reminded me not to underestimate the difficulty when I got tendonitis in my left hip that developed shortly after Damascus in the Grayson Highlands. It didn't help that I made it worse by doing 15-mile days and a final 20-miler into Partnership where I planned to take off for a stint on Konnarock trail crew. That set me back home for 3 weeks rest and rehab after which I think I felt that I wouldn't have anymore physical setbacks when I reached the Doyle. Turned out I was wrong and Lyme Disease combined with PA heat and rocks lowered my daily average from 17+ to under 10 after Lehigh Gap. Fortunately, I got antibiotics to treat it and within a week was back in good hiking form.

At dinner in Dalton, MA, I realized I probably would finish when JohnnyK proposed at toast to Katahdin. Except for Bluebird, who dislocated her shoulder near Gorham, all 12 of us at the table did finish.

I think I realized I definately would finish when we reached Maine.

Great thread!

Mountain Maiden

12-02-2006, 13:22

At dinner in Dalton, MA, I realized I probably would finish when JohnnyK proposed at toast to Katahdin. Except for Bluebird, who dislocated her shoulder near Gorham, all 12 of us at the table did finish.
Great thread!

This reminds me of the twelve of us who gathered 'round for b'fast at the Blueberry Patch in Mar '02. ALL of us made it to Katahdin! I thought that was pretty incredible considering the odds so early in the game. I would post the names but am afraid I might forget someone. Among us was Weathercarrot--his memory is so much better--maybe he can complete the list for me.

Speaking of WC, he started the same day as I did and we summitted together! (Of course, he took off five weeks mid-hike for trail maintenance, etc!) His willingness to share info and his experience contributed greatly to my success in finishing! THANKS WC!!

Sunrise :sun

Tenderheart

12-02-2006, 13:46

I knew without a doubt when I left for Springer that I could go all the way. And so will you. Of course, there is a lot of luck involved. Unexpected falls, illness, problems arising at home that require your attention can take away your dream. But you must commit at the outset that you will go all the way. You are right about this being a monumental task, and it will be a life-changing experience. The fact that you are even considering such an undertaking tells me that you are a special person in this world of mediocrity. A man much wiser than I once said "It is easy to complicate matters, but difficult to keep them simple". A thru hike is one of the most elemental things that you will attempt, and it needs to be kept simple. Get your load down as low as possible and enjoy the walk. I trust that you will do well.

litefoot 2000

Jan LiteShoe

12-02-2006, 14:07

How funny!
As we kick this around,White Blazer Marta, also known as Five-Leaf Clover, is going SOBO in Virginia, and just had her "moment:"
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=163300
:)

H2O_Buffalo

12-02-2006, 15:34

How funny!
As we kick this around,White Blazer Marta, also known as Five-Leaf Clover, is going SOBO in Virginia, and just had her "moment:"
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=163300
:)

How apropos. Just when I start this thread a hiker has the revelation that I am so curious about.

:sun

Programbo

12-03-2006, 18:16

The hardest thing was, early on, seeing the young "rabbits" sprint on ahead of me - one day ahead, three days, a week or more......Seeing the strong ones lope off like that set off alot of mental noise.

Forget those kinds of people..They are out there for an entirely different reason than you are so what they do shouldn`t be a concern...As they race up the trail as if it were some sort of Survivor challange or Xtreme Sports event hey are missing the truly magical place the AT is...Years from now all they will have gotten from it is that they covered the distance in X number of days and had X number of "Zero days" and that their "best" day was X miles.....As you try and reminisce with them and say something like.."Remember that one section where the pine trees formed an arch over the trail and it was like a cathedral it was so quiet", you`ll either get a blank stare with a "Huh?" or an "Oh yeah! Man I made good time thru there! I think I did 35 miles that day! Awesome!!!"

I think having a lot of previous hiking experience especially a few long distance trips makes all the difference. I couldn`t imagine trying it cold (ie. as a first long hike)..But a lot of people do and are successful..I think it`s easier now with such a huge number of people doing it you have almost constant support and interaction..I think an earlier poster (Maybe Max) was right..If you have 6 months and don`t have to work and have the money for the trip you should make it if you are in average physical fitness