View Full Version : some advice to the newbies from a 2006 failure.
farscape
01-28-2007, 03:29
I get the fever all over again when i look at the pictures of how proud the hikers are who completed the trail and i want to give it another try. But the fever is more like herpes as it comes and goes. (just a metaphor i don't have herpes, yet.)
I only lasted on the trail 2 nights. Yes, i am pathetic but it is better to try and fail than.. you know.
So what did i do wrong besides not being in shape?
First, i didn't know the answer to the question of how much food i needed? The answer for me was just in enough to make it to the first place to buy food. I was overloaded with food cuz i wanted to save money. My advice, figure out the first place you can get food and buy it there and just enough to the next store. You do not want a single ounce more of weight than you need, not even a tooth pick more if you are new to hiking as i obviously was. I thought it was crazy to hear about people who tore pages out of guide books to reduce weight, but it is that kind of mentality that might mean you will be successful.
Another thing i will do different is drop my gear off north of springer, hike south to the summit of springer then return back and continue the trail. This seems like cheating a bit but you will not be sorry that you started this way. The goal is to hike from springer to K. If you hike from the falls up to springer you are in for a eye opening, sweat pouring experience that u will not forget,and most likely regret, especially if your pack is too heavy. Please do not discount how hard the start of this trail is. Its very, very hard. But i wanted to save 20 bucks in cab fair.
What surprised me the most is i thought i would spend the whole day hiking but all i could do was 10 miles and just spend the rest of the day worn out and sore. So plan on a lot of down time. What i should have done was 5 miles and been happy. Or even 2 miles a day and been successful.
To sum up my trail experience i was penny wise and pound foolish. Try to save money on your third week not your first day.
My hat is off to all the hikers on this site who have completed the trail. Salute!
I went hiking with more fever than I needed.
Good luck 2007! I will see you on the trail. Maybe.
Lone Wolf
01-28-2007, 03:50
I only lasted on the trail 2 nights. Yes, i am pathetic but it is better to try and fail than.. you know.
don't be so hard on yourself. fantasy and reality are 2 different things. you learned something. the trail ain't going anywhere. you'll be back
Frolicking Dinosaurs
01-28-2007, 06:46
{{{ Farscape }}} No one who starts the trail is a failure in my eyes.
As LW noted, you have encounter something known in 12-step programs as AFLE (pronounced Alf-fee). It stands for Another F'ing Learning Experience. The idea is that what does not kill you makes you stronger and wiser... that the things you once viewed as your greatest failings and defects become your greatest assets later on because they help you grow and mature into what you want to be. The willingness to share what you have learned is key to this process and your post demonstrates that.
I salute you for your honesty, opnmindedness and willingness to to do something different next time. You are already on your next thru-hike.... a thru-hike begins long before you actually set foot on the trail.
Farscape--I started with a hiking partner. Guess how far she made it? Halfway up Katahdin! In other words, you stayed out four times longer than she did.
I like that AFLE acronym! Soooooo true.
Something that would drastically improve your chance of success next time around is doing a lot of hiking and camping around home. Maybe I'm an old sissy, but I really don't understand why some people want to save all their hiking for the AT, as if trying out their equipment and carrying their backpack anywhere else would be cheating.
(I am not making this up. I got into an argument with an older--that is, even older than I am--overweight woman about the fact that I think she needs to practice with her gear and get daily exercise before going on her semi-annual hiking trip--which is always fraught with near-disasters. She said she didn't want to dilute the experience by doing lots of walking around home and using her gear in her back yard. I argued that she is a danger to herself and others.)
Being in shape and experienced is not cheating. I really, really don't think it in any way spoils an AT experience. Quite the contrary. I'll do a lot better on my NEXT hike than I did on this one...
wilconow
01-28-2007, 08:41
Had you backpacked at all before?
Thanks for baring your soul, but I'd hardly call it a failure, or ending, but a new beginning. The experience just might trigger the emergence of a new, lightweight hiker from that heavyweight one that tried before. If the real truth be known and told, most of the longer-time hikers on this site-or anywhere for that matter- likely started off making most of those very same mistakes. I certainly did.
Years ago, about twelve, I believe, I started off on a 100 mile section hike of the CDT and planned to do it in 10 days. My pack was huge, stuffed with every imaginable item I was so convinced I needed to survive. It was so heavy I had to sit on the ground to put it on, then get up on all fours and push myself up to a standing position. As for food, I carried enough food to feed a squad of men. I would walk a while then stop and get my breath, walk and rest, walk and rest. I was not hiking and enjoying myself, but fighting to survive.
A day and a half into my epic struggle I met a lightweight hiker bouncing lightly down the trail before me I was sweating so profusely to struggle up. He was wearing tennis shoes, jogging shorts, a thin nylon wind breaker, and used a home-made silnylon pack that he held out to me with only hand for me to look at. Astonishingly enough, he was on the fifth day of my very same ten day trip and that afternoon would be at the very same trail head that I'd left a day and a half ago. Your story brought back memories. That hiker's name was Bill Gurwell. We still maintain occasional email contact.
I chatted for a few minutes with that older gentleman and when i arrived home I immediately began to do exactly what he said and, eureka, a lighter weight hiker was born.
I set up a simple table in Word and weighed everything in my pack and on my body. I was astonished to learn that I had struggled with 90.40 pounds of weight on my trip. I kept enlarging the table into a simple spreadsheet and replacing heavy items with lighter ones. It was a very expensive process, though.
For instance, I went from a 7 1/2 pound Dana Designs Terraplane X to a 4 1/2 pound McHale to a 3 1/4 pound McHale to a 1 1/2 pound Gearskin. My rain gear went from a GI Gore Tex at 2.58 pounds to a Columbia at 1.68 to a Precip at 0.88 to an ID poncho at 0.68. (I still use the last two, but separately, depending on temp). There were many others, too, interesting but not quite so drastic.I wish I had the foresight to have allowed me to skip all those intermediate-and expensive- steps and gone directly to the lightest of all. But I was still learning, on my own. I didn't have access to a website like this with all the free advice where other folks had 'bared their soul', as you did. But you do. And you can.
Getting lighter can even be a fun process, as Bill Gurwell told me during that very brief encounter out from Silverton, years ago, that 'getting there' can be almost as much fun as doing the hike itself. And he was right. It is just an expensive disease to contract, though. But, there are worse diseases otherwise, and one is to keep going heavy instead;) .
Tipi Walter
01-28-2007, 10:07
Pumping nylon is a calling whether you're gram-obsessed or not. Like someone mentioned, there are AT types who would never go on a normal non-AT backpacking trip, and after they thruhike they hang it up. So backpacking is a calling, a lifelong calling, and it seems to me it's all about Intent and motivation. Exactly what are the reasons a person wants to live outdoors and backpack for 5 or 6 months? Adventure? Trail community and the social life? Athletic quest? Communion with Nature? Escape from syphilization and cities, sprawl and the madness of modernity? Perhaps a lot of people do it as a set goal to accomplish and are not in any further way interested in camping, backpacking or living out after the goal has been reached.
Your words "what I should have done was 5 miles and been happy" is the best thing I've heard all day. What exactly is the rush? Peer pressure is a big one(the gaze of fellow speed demons)and so is that danged trip schedule.
Where are you now with the trail and with backpacking? I'd be interested to hear about your current headspace on the subject.
Farscape... it's only a failure if you give it up and don't try again. A thru-hike isn't for everyone, but who cares? There are a million ways to get from Springer to Katahdin (or vice versa). If/when I finish it will have been one of the most twisted routes ever... and will have taken 17 years (or 30, depending on how you count.) I'm just not smart enough to quit.
Rain Man
01-28-2007, 11:51
I only lasted on the trail 2 nights. Yes, i am pathetic but it is better to try and fail than.. you know.
No, the "pathetic" ones are the ones who never get off their butts and off their couches and out onto a trail and into the woods, not even one night, much less two.
You succeeded better than the vast vast majority of modern folk.
I hope I might see you back out on the trail some day, lighter and wiser perhaps, but with some of that same fever.
Rain:sunMan
.
4eyedbuzzard
01-28-2007, 12:13
What surprised me the most is i thought i would spend the whole day hiking but all i could do was 10 miles and just spend the rest of the day worn out and sore. So plan on a lot of down time. What i should have done was 5 miles and been happy. Or even 2 miles a day and been successful.
Smiles, not miles. Cliche, but, hiking is supposed to be fun, not a personal Bataan Death March. Nothin' wrong with hiking 5 miles a day and stopping to smell all those roses.
So what did i do wrong besides not being in shape?
... i didn't know the answer to the question of how much food i needed?
The answer ... enough to make it to the first place to buy food. I was overloaded with food cuz i wanted to save money. My advice, figure out the first place you can get food and buy it there and just enough to the next store. You do not want a single ounce more of weight than you need, not even a tooth pick more if you are new to hiking as i obviously was. I thought it was crazy to hear about people who tore pages out of guide books to reduce weight, but it is that kind of mentality that might mean you will be successful.
Other hikers who want to avoid this mistake should refer to Weathercarrot's article Ideas for an Inexpensive Thru-hike (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=22959#post22959).
Overweight hikers -- many Americans fit into that category -- might want to take off some weight first, consider an alternative thru-hike itinerary or section hiking the A.T., beginning with some of the easier terrain first, rather than attempting a thru-hike beginning at Springer Mountain with little idea what to expect.
That said, some people with little or no experience whatsoever complete the A.T. every year. But if you want to complete the A.T., you'll want to maximize your potential for success.;)
farscape, recently I posted somewhere on this site that maybe what we should be promoting here is an adventure that lasts a lifetime, rather than an adventure of a lifetime. Think about it.
Maybe you should be celebrating what is now a part of your life, not lamenting the thru-hike that didn't happen.
SalParadise
01-28-2007, 14:28
farscape, i know how you feel. i had to quit my thru attempt in 04 due to a lot of inexperience (my first hiking trip). In 05 I tried it again and was successful, due to having learned so much from my first experience. and it definitely sounds like you learned a lot of the same things.
if you do have aspirations of hiking the Trail again, great, and i assure you that your second experience will be a lot happier than your first.
You mention go slow and lighten your pack, and those were two of the most important lessons I learned from my first try, as well. And trust me, if you decide to try it again and be mindful of those two rules, it's going to make a world of difference.
all the best.
Sleepy the Arab
01-28-2007, 15:13
I just liked the herpes metaphor.
The advice about the approach trail is worth thinking about. For those who will be thru-hiking, bear in mind that it is for some people, and not for others.
SawnieRobertson
01-28-2007, 16:06
This thread has been a delight to read. Maybe it's because I'm listening to an old Enya tape that I re-found today. Maybe it's that very post reflects the spirit of the trail as I see it, especially yours, Farscape. I know that you enjoy living there under the shadow of Mt. Hood, but do come back.--Kinnickinic
RadioFreq
01-28-2007, 16:17
Farscape, you can think of it as a failed thru-hike or your first successful section hike, albeit a short one. :-? Take what you've learned, take what you learn here and make plans to get back out there and continue. And, yes, think of it as Another Frellin' Learning Experience.
Farscape... FWIW, here's (http://www.terrapinphoto.com/the_hikes.pdf) a short account of what's gone on (between me and the AT) since my "failed" thru nearly 17 yrs. ago. With luck, the story wraps up this summer. It's only over when you say so. I keep this account because the story spans so many years... it's hard to remember how it all transpired, sometimes.
farscape
01-29-2007, 01:07
I wrote to give people like myself a little reality as i know how exciting (or blinding) the planning and waiting and purchasing is. How when you tell people that you are going to walk the AT they think your are crazy. To be honest, i was dreading the thought of reading the responses to my post. I was sure that i was going to read about how stupid i was to take on such an adventure when i was not ready. But your kind words have helped me tremondosly. Thank you, thank you Thank you!
To answer some of the questions: I had experience hiking in the Marine Corps so i thought that would be good enough(plus i didnt have to carry M16 on the trail). But when you combine one misstep with another i was able to quickly understand that i had no business on that trail.
Highway, your story is a mirror image to my own, but i was passed by a guy in sandals with napsack. Even your feeding a squad of men was the same. I didnt want to say how much food i had as i was sure my name would become synonymous with a complete loser but i had over 14 days(14X3meals a day) worth of meal replacement protein shakes, not counting protein bars (48 bars). I am sure i could of lasted a nuclear winter before i ran out of food. I was naive to think what others recomened on the trail applied to myslef.
Where i am, as far as backpacking? I still cant walk into an REI yet. I want to. Soon i am sure. I never trashed my walking sticks or back pack but i trashed everything else i thought was heavy. So to answer the question i would say i am taking inventory of my life and my gear, and walking a treadmill at a club i joined.
Once again i thank all who took the time to write such sympathic words of understanding my misadventure, but an adventure on the AT none the less. I feel a little more inspired. Thank you, kind people of the AT.
[QUOTE=Frolicking Dinosaurs;311353...you have encounter something known in 12-step programs as AFLE (pronounced Alf-fee). It stands for Another F'ing Learning Experience...[/QUOTE]No sincere effort is wasted.
I hate it when that happens....
I hate it when that happens....
No edit button? :eek: All you need is a ] after the 3.
farscape,
I hope you will be back to give things another try, especially from what you must have learned the first go around.
One thing I found very hard was to take it slow and easy and not get bothered by all those fast going hikers zipping by me, which happened all along the trail
If all you can do is 5 miles the first day the stop. Eventually you can do more miles. But don't try to push or keep up. Besides it is more fun, I think, to take ones time, rest, and enjoy.
It really isnt so much about how far and how fast as it is about enjoying the moment while you are out there.
DavidNH
bigmac_in
01-29-2007, 12:01
Hey - it doesn't sound like a failed thru-hike to me. Welcome to section hiking. Live and learn is what I say. Go back and take up where you left off, you're better prepared now.
WalkinHome
01-29-2007, 12:30
Hi Farscape, wasn't that Marine Corps stuff called "patrolling"? You had to hump a weapon, commo gear, couldn't (shouldn't) use the trails, did a bunch of it at night, quietly and had someone out there trying to reach out and touch you. LOL I like hiking way better! Good luck, be safe and get back on the horse when you are able. We will keep the trail in passable shape for you whenever you are ready.
Highway, your story is a mirror image to my own, but i was passed by a guy in sandals with napsack.
Lesson one. Never, ever compare your own speed of hiking to anyone else's. That's the surest way to spoil any hike. I know, it's easy to say. It's taken me years and years to really learn this and accept it. It's one of the main topics of discussion when hikers gather... if not overtly, it's always an undercurrent to the discussion... but it's completely counterproductive, IMO.
Blissful
01-29-2007, 15:01
Lesson two. Hike. Walk, Hike. And more walk...hike.
After hearing all these horror stories about the Approach Trail, we plan to take our backpacks on a day hike (hopefully next weekend) and climb from Tye River Gap (here in VA) to the top of the Priest. A 3,000 ft elevation gain in 4 miles. Then I can say - we will do the Approach Trail and everything else that lies ahead. :)
Jim Adams
01-29-2007, 15:18
Lesson two. Hike. Walk, Hike. And more walk...hike.
After hearing all these horror stories about the Approach Trail, we plan to take our backpacks on a day hike (hopefully next weekend) and climb from Tye River Gap (here in VA) to the top of the Priest. A 3,000 ft elevation gain in 4 miles. Then I can say - we will do the Approach Trail and everything else that lies ahead. :)
Blissful,
Your climb to the Priest will be harder than the approach trail:sun
geek
Blissful
01-29-2007, 21:21
Blissful,
Your climb to the Priest will be harder than the approach trail:sun
geek
Just what I want to hear, thanks!
trlhiker
01-30-2007, 21:48
Lesson two. Hike. Walk, Hike. And more walk...hike.
After hearing all these horror stories about the Approach Trail, we plan to take our backpacks on a day hike (hopefully next weekend) and climb from Tye River Gap (here in VA) to the top of the Priest. A 3,000 ft elevation gain in 4 miles. Then I can say - we will do the Approach Trail and everything else that lies ahead. :)
After avoiding that section of the trail for years because of what I had heard about it,Tye to Priest that is, I finally decided to take it on and to tell you the truth, it was not as difficult as I was led to believe. And I was only in decent shape, not great shape. You should have no trouble with it Blissful. Going down it is another story though.
Winston Churchill said "Success is moving from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
Devil Dogs never say die. Ruck up and walk on. It sounds like you definitely have it in your heart. I can't wait to hear the end of the story!
Well man at least you started.....It takes things like this in life to move us all foward. The trail will allways be there.
Winston Churchill said "Success is moving from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
A life of happy section hikes. :D
I hiked from Neels Gap to Unicoi Gap in one day, then ended up spending two night at an expensive motel to recover (lost my guidebook while hitching into town, so couldn't find a hostel). That was an AFLE. I left Franklin (Winding Stair Gap) on Saturday even though Ron Haven told me it was going to be really cold and that I should slack pack a section or just take a zero. Ended up almost becoming a popsicle and needing to be "rescued" from the top of Wayah Bald. AFLE. Some people just never learn...