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Paul Bunyan
02-21-2007, 23:54
Hey y'all.

As most of you may know, i am almost ready to start my first thru-hike. Only 9 days to go before i'm off on the trail. I was just wondering if any of you more experienced hikers could give me some advice before i start?

rafe
02-21-2007, 23:58
Hey y'all.

As most of you may know, i am almost ready to start my first thru-hike. Only 9 days to go before i'm off on the trail. I was just wondering if any of you more experienced hikers could give me some advice before i start?


Watch out where the huskies go, don't you eat that yellow snow. ;)

Lone Wolf
02-21-2007, 23:58
Hey y'all.

As most of you may know, i am almost ready to start my first thru-hike. Only 9 days to go before i'm off on the trail. I was just wondering if any of you more experienced hikers could give me some advice before i start?

go slow, do low mileage and don't even think about maine right now. if you have an itinerary, throw it out

Mags
02-22-2007, 00:01
Enjoy every day.

Even the most grueling day on the trail is a day of freedom.

Enjoy every wild flower, every vista.

Revel in the freedom most don't have.

Jim Adams
02-22-2007, 00:02
Have fun.
If you get lost, go uphill, it has to be the right way.
Don't make any permanent decisions while going uphill or in the rain.
Go as slow as possible and try to enjoy something EVERY day.
Did I say have fun?
geek

Sly
02-22-2007, 00:16
Respect the trail for what it is, and accept it, rather than fight it..

ScottP
02-22-2007, 00:29
look at your hike as a vacation, not a challenge to be conquered.

Blissful
02-22-2007, 00:39
Hey y'all.

As most of you may know, i am almost ready to start my first thru-hike. Only 9 days to go before i'm off on the trail. I was just wondering if any of you more experienced hikers could give me some advice before i start?


Listen to your mother.

:D :D :D

hee, hee

Sly
02-22-2007, 00:56
Listen to your mother.

:D :D :D

hee, hee

Of course, ;) and if he slips, I'm sure the hikers around will remind him.

emerald
02-22-2007, 01:33
Respect the trail for what it is, and accept it, rather than fight it.

If I were to provide only one sentence of advice, Sly's advice would be exactly what I'd recommend.


Here are a few more:

Be patient with your body. It will respond with everything required of it if you don't ask too much too soon.

Remember that you and your mother are are a team and by working together you can both succeed.

Don't not allow yourself to become discouraged -- keep hiking.

Call me when you get to Duncannon.

hammock engineer
02-22-2007, 01:47
Here's my plan.

Put my one foot infront of the other, repeat as needed. Other than carrying enough food and water, I really am not going to plan too much more than that.

Have fun and go with the flow.

It will all work out in the end.

rafe
02-22-2007, 01:50
Have fun and go with the flow.

Yeah, that's where I'm headed m'self... straight down the tubes.

Sly
02-22-2007, 01:54
Here's my plan.

Put my one foot infront of the other, repeat as needed.

Have you ever counted to 5 million before? :eek: I'm sure y'all will do fine. Even if it's cold/hot/wet/humid/buggy/ miserable and treacherous on occasion, stick it out, it's a great trip. :sun

hammock engineer
02-22-2007, 03:26
Have you ever counted to 5 million before? :eek: I'm sure y'all will do fine. Even if it's cold/hot/wet/humid/buggy/ miserable and treacherous on occasion, stick it out, it's a great trip. :sun

I'm the guy that's out hiking in the rain/snow/sun/ice with the smile on my face, given not for months. But considering I could be working in an office at a engineering job, anything the trail has to throw my way is fine with me.:D

hammock engineer
02-22-2007, 03:27
Have you ever counted to 5 million before? :eek: I'm sure y'all will do fine. Even if it's cold/hot/wet/humid/buggy/ miserable and treacherous on occasion, stick it out, it's a great trip. :sun

Thanks.:)

I'm the guy that's out hiking in the rain/snow/sun/ice with the smile on my face, given not for months. But considering I could be working in an office at a engineering job, anything the trail has to throw my way is fine with me.:D

hammock engineer
02-22-2007, 03:28
Crap double post. I really need to reup my donation to fix this.

SalParadise
02-22-2007, 03:33
1. be joyful for each painful, miserable step along the way, as your pain will be rewarded upon completion.
2. hike as if you'll never see that section of trail again in your life.
3. go light
4. talk to the trees
5. keep a journal
6. try never to look at a picture of Katahdin until you see it for yourself
7. separate from your group of friends for at least some while
8. try to view hills and rain and mud and exhaustion as a challenge that can be overcome and not an agony you have to endure.
9. every so often, get to a view and try to look south for Springer and contemplate just how far you've come
10. every finished thru-hiker wishes he were you. Relish how far you have to go.
11. ignore all advice.

SalParadise
02-22-2007, 03:35
what's sad is i more realize how great of a journey i was on now that i've finished then when i was actually hiking.

SalParadise
02-22-2007, 03:39
the joy of completion is dependent on the harshness of the journey.

Marta
02-22-2007, 06:59
Keep hiking and you'll get there eventually. If you quit, you'll never know what would have happened next.

This may not make sense to you now, but if and when you hit the northern border of Virginia, it will.

Marta/Five-Leaf

khaynie
02-22-2007, 07:14
Good posts above.

BTW, your display shows you only being 16. Are you Doogie Howser (before his latest announcement of course), or were you home schooled? At 16 I was in the 10th grade and I had a hard time getting a pass to take a whiz...much less a 5-6 month pass to hike the AT.

Either way good luck! Did you ever decide on an axe?

hopefulhiker
02-22-2007, 09:19
Drink lots of water.

Boat Drinks
02-22-2007, 10:19
Hey y'all.

As most of you may know, i am almost ready to start my first thru-hike. Only 9 days to go before i'm off on the trail. I was just wondering if any of you more experienced hikers could give me some advice before i start?


Lord loves a workin' man;
don't trust whitey;
see a doctor and get rid of it.:sun

Good luck!!!

Frolicking Dinosaurs
02-22-2007, 10:43
Paul, you've received a lot of good advice. I'll add some I gleaned from reading Troll, Anchor and Oblivious' journal - be flexible, communicate with everyday with your mom about where you plan to stay the next night, and don't hike together all the time. (For those who don't know, Paul is Blissful's 16 yo son and they are hiking together). Your mom has been on this earth quite a while longer than you and is likely a pretty good judge of character - take her advice without a lot of kibbitzing if she tells you to avoid a certain person or group.

Footslogger
02-22-2007, 10:51
Hey y'all.

As most of you may know, i am almost ready to start my first thru-hike. Only 9 days to go before i'm off on the trail. I was just wondering if any of you more experienced hikers could give me some advice before i start?

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

Just pace yourself, listen to your body and be thankful for the opportunity to be "out there" at such a young age !!

'Slogger

superman
02-22-2007, 11:31
Keep your sense of humor. There may be times when you will wonder "what in the hell is going on....This wasn't in the brochure!" That was what some of us said in 2000.
If you are hungry you can eat. If you are cold you can get warm. If you are broke...go home...which proves that money can buy happiness. Enjoy

Paul Bunyan
02-22-2007, 11:54
Good posts above.

BTW, your display shows you only being 16. Are you Doogie Howser (before his latest announcement of course), or were you home schooled? At 16 I was in the 10th grade and I had a hard time getting a pass to take a whiz...much less a 5-6 month pass to hike the AT.

Either way good luck! Did you ever decide on an axe?

Well, i was homeschooled, so i'm a bit ahead of some other people. I actrually did my first symester at my local community college last fall. I am getting excited, though.

About the axe, well, i am considering carrying a big plastic axe up katahdin, but for the rest of the trail, i have my Paul Bunyan award patch. See the link below, its the patch near the top. I will probably tape this too my pack.

http://meritbadge.com/awd/paulbunyon.htm

Keep up the great advice.

Lyle
02-22-2007, 12:10
What an opportunity! Being able to do a thru hike at your age is a true privilage. Remember to be grateful, even when you a miserable.

Others have given some very good advise here, I won't repeat other than to say:

NEVER make a major decision on continuing or tossing it in when you are uncomfortable or hurting. Get yourself to a hostle, motel, shelter, get comfortable, then consider your options. Also, take at least a week from when you first consider quiting until you actually do. In other words, make no hasty decisions when you are down.

ENJOY and best of luck!

Lyle

MrHappy
02-22-2007, 12:58
I'm sort of repeating what Lyle said, but the best advice givin to me was from Zero and Crutch. Zero taught me about "HALT"... it stands for "Hungry Angry Lonely Tired", and means "Halt! Don't make a decision." Make permanent decisions when you are feeling good. If it's absolutely terrible and you really feel like going home, go into town and get yourself a big steak (or some other comfort food... it's different for everyone). Take a zero day. At the end of that, if you still feel like going home, well...

Never decide to go home:
in the morning
when it's raining
when it's been raining for a few days or more
when you're hungry

I didn't even "go home", I decided to take a two week break, and one week into it I already wish I had just kept going.. It's probably good that I didn't because the situation I was getting myself into wasn't a safe one, but I can't wait to get back out there!!!

Lyle
02-22-2007, 13:11
I like that Mr. Happy. Very consise, and soooooo true. I almost blew the best year of my life by making a quick decision when I wasn't happy while hiking. I'm so glad I came to my senses!

the_iceman
02-22-2007, 13:16
If you have extra food please cache it in a secure location and PM me the location so I can save on resupply! :D

mountain squid
02-22-2007, 13:22
Don't forget the sunscreen.:sun

Good Luck and see you on the trail,
mt squid

REBELYELL
02-22-2007, 13:24
I Don't believe I qualify to hand out advice.but I've heard one tip that keeps bouncing around my noggin.Never quit on a bad day.When I heard that I knew I'm gonna make it the whole way.Leaving Wed. on Trailways.Shold br in Gainesville before noon Fri Good luck to you.Oh yeah.listen to your mother!

emerald
02-23-2007, 02:10
Joshua,

I'd like to give you a few guiding principles for you to consider before you depart, to think about as you begin your hike and to hold onto as you journey toward Katahdin. What you are about to undertake is really quite simple. Reduce the task to its most basic form and deal with it on those terms. Too many make it harder for themselves than it needs to be and turn what ought to be an enjoyable experience into something it need not become.

I'll have more for you this weekend when I have more time to devote to it. Until then, read or read again Warren's 1-page book linked here (http://www.lmc.edu/faculty/DoyleW/ATBook.html). Read 1-12 near the top and reflect upon how these challenges will manifest themelves in the course of your hike and how you can incorporate the strategies mentioned into your own hike. Be mindful of those concepts that resonate most for you especially in the first few weeks until you have established a routine and gain some momentum.

Get ready, get set, it's showtime!:)


Shades of Gray

Bravo
02-23-2007, 10:21
Don't always listen to your mother. If you do what will you 2 fight about aout there.:D

You're 16 too. You probably know more than her right now. Enjoy it. It slips away fast.:)

maxNcathy
02-23-2007, 23:37
Stay close to your Mom and help her up the big hills as she is getting quite old.
Sandalwood

moondoggy
02-23-2007, 23:56
"Don't always listen to your mother. If you do what will you 2 fight about aout there.:D"

But relish the time you're spending with her!!!!!!!

SalParadise
02-24-2007, 01:24
make sure you pick the right friends. it's not to say that there are a lot of bad people on the Trail (just the opposite), but from what i've observed from a lot of the younger crowd of people, it can often be easy for younger people to get sucked in to a group, and possibly the people can be a bad influence, or it will suck you in to the party atmosphere way too much and you can tap your hiking funds pretty quickly and even lose the motivation to finish the Trail at all.

really admire you, though. i only wish i had the ambitions and the courage and even the though to attempt something like this when i was your age.

emerald
02-24-2007, 09:23
Being able to do a thru-hike at your age is a true privilege. Remember to be grateful, even when you are miserable.

Never forget what has been posted above. This opportunity you have been given is an incredible gift from your parents and the entire A.T. community that many others will never have.

I believe you have also been blessed with a determined hiking partner and support person at home who are committed to going the distance, whatever it takes.

You are wise to have banked what I gather is much of Virginia as this will put you farther north and at higher elevations by the time summer heats up the middle states.

There are many things working in your favor that others who succeeded in the past did not have working for them. I think your chances of standing on Baxter Peak this August with your mother are likely better than many of not the majority of hikers this season at the outset, but still there are no guarantees that come with this undertaking.

You must earn every remaining step and when you make it the entire way, only then will you have earned it and you will know then what it means to have earned it in a way only those who have earned it do.:cool:

Paul Bunyan
02-24-2007, 09:26
Thanks SG, that means alot.

4eyedbuzzard
02-24-2007, 11:02
Stay close to your Mom and help her up the big hills as she is getting quite old.
Sandalwood

Ouch! That'll leave a mark.:eek: :D

emerald
02-24-2007, 11:05
Ouch! That'll leave a mark.:eek: :D

I thought about PMing Blissful that comment, but I suspect she's already seen it and has chosen not to comment herself.;) Since she's no doubt busy with far more important things today, I'll proceed directly to her defense (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=166223).

Frolicking Dinosaurs
02-24-2007, 15:04
Stay close to your Mom and help her up the big hills as she is getting quite old. Sandalwood::: Wacks maxNcathy with dino tail on behalf of Blissful :::

Paul Bunyan
02-24-2007, 15:20
Ah, she can handle herself ;)

Paul Bunyan
02-24-2007, 15:21
woops, that was handle things like the last comments herself, man i need to pay and be able to edit posts

emerald
02-24-2007, 18:14
Ah, she can handle things like maxNcathy's comment herself.;)

Actually, I thought her linked comeback impressive, Bunyan.;)

:-? As for your editing skills, what I quoted looks fine to me.:D

Blissful
02-24-2007, 20:30
::: Wacks maxNcathy with dino tail on behalf of Blissful :::

Thanks, FD and Shades of Gray. See, I don't have to say a word. :D

(Back to editing mss...)

emerald
02-25-2007, 09:55
I will probably tape my Paul Bunyan Award patch to my pack.

Keep up the great advice.

Get yourself some strong thread and sew your patch to your pack flap. I'd orient it vertically with the bit at the top, just like an axe would be when you'd be about to impart a mighty blow.;)

maxNcathy
02-25-2007, 10:53
Hahaha

So how is everyone this fine and frosty Sunday morning?

That will be some great adventure you have young Paul with your Mom. You will have good and trying times and learn from each other how to enjoy the trail and how to persevere.

Wishing you both the very best
Sandalwood

skyhiker2
02-25-2007, 10:57
"Pain is temporary; Pride is Forever"

emerald
02-25-2007, 13:53
So how is everyone this fine and frosty Sunday morning?
Sandalwood

Deep in the throes of winter's stifling grip on what longs for spring and the purple hepaticas it's sure to bring.

maxNcathy
02-25-2007, 14:22
Deep in the throes of winter's stifling grip on what longs for spring and the purple hepaticas it's sure to bring.


Spring will soon come to lavish you with its warm and soothing lotion
And guide you as you think and speak and hike
So calm and smooth and easy
Like pure poetry in motion.

emerald
02-25-2007, 14:46
Spring will soon come to lavish you with its warm and soothing lotion
And guide you as you think and speak and hike
So calm and smooth and easy
Like pure poetry in motion.

So wonderful it will be!:sun

emerald
02-25-2007, 16:28
Pain is temporary; pride, forever.

This (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=142649) is what it could be like for you when you start back after some time off in Virginia and set off for points farther north where still more good times await.

The power of positive thinking and enthusiasm will propel you up the A.T. like nothing else. It won't be easy for you at first, but it will get better as you accumulate miles and the confidence that comes with them.

The A.T. saves its greatest rewards for those NOBOs who follow it all the way to Katahdin.

Johnny Swank
02-25-2007, 18:31
Wear clean underwear.
.
.
.
..
OK - just kidding. Cut out any liners you have in your shorts. Air circulation is the key to combating chafe. Take a battery-powered fan if it helps!

Appalachian Tater
02-25-2007, 22:05
Thru-hiking may be the closest thing to absolute freedom that you ever experience. Don't mess it up with by trying to stick to a schedule or by trying to adapt to someone else's. And spend at least a few nights out in the woods alone.

tomman
02-27-2007, 00:24
I am a few years past 16, only about 55, but I enjoyed all the great information. In fact I have made a copy of all the suggestions and shall read it daily until I know each and every one. I will then use all of it on the trail.

I hope I can find ways to get on to Whiteblaze from the trail at various times. I am sure I will be able to use and need your help from time to time.

Tomman

emerald
02-27-2007, 21:46
Early-starters, hang tough, for when red-eyed vireos return from South America to their Appalachian haunts, they will rally northbound A.T. hikers by repeating in a loud, clear, encouraging voice 'you can do it, go for it!' Through these efforts, they have converted some of the most timid doubters into the strongest, most capable believers.;)

bfitz
02-27-2007, 21:50
Hey y'all.

As most of you may know, i am almost ready to start my first thru-hike. Only 9 days to go before i'm off on the trail. I was just wondering if any of you more experienced hikers could give me some advice before i start?

Take to heart your byline...

"Fixed fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of man."
General George S. Patton Jr.

It's agood one.

Jack Tarlin
02-27-2007, 22:03
*Take your "itinerary/schedule" (you know what I mean, it's that piece of paper that tells you where you're gonna be at four-thirty in the afternoon of your 139th day)......take that piece of paper and start a fire with it.

*Whatever your plans are for the trip in terms of a timetable, add two or three weeks. This will give you extra time to go slower, take unexpected time off, etc.

*When you're at a waterfall, or scenic view, or beautiful campsite, whenever
you find yourself mentally saying "Great spot, but I gotta get movin' and
make the miles!" Well, whenever you catch yourself saying that, pause for
a minute and resist the temptation to get up and hike. If you want to sit
on a rock and enjoy the view for two hours, well do it. If you wanna go
swimming three times in one day, well do it. If you camp at a place that's
so fine you don't want to leave, well stay there all day the next day, it'll
affect your trip schedule not at all. Remember that of the places you visit,
and the things you see, in all likelihood, you'll see most of them ONCE. Slow
down and enjoy it.....very few people look back at their trips years later and
say "Geez, all in all, I wish I'd finished the trip faster!"

*Even if you're dog tired at day's end, be willing to make one climb at the end
of the day and camp up high somewhere. That's where the sunsets are.

emerald
02-27-2007, 22:21
Georgia will be hard, but it must be to prepare you for North Carolina. Plan to get snowed on in the Smokies. By the time you reach Hot Springs, it will be easier for you and Virginia will not be far away.

When you reach Damascus, you're going to be home in the sense I was when I reached Pen-Mar Park. Hiking from Pen-Mar to my home before I moved to the A.T. was a breeze! After that, I knew I had what it would take to finish.

Big projects, like hiking the A.T. need to be broken down into smaller tasks or goals and taken one step at a time.

It's okay to think about what will come, but only to the extent that it contributes to your hike. Thinking can help you prepare for what will come, but too much thinking causes one to lose focus on what must be done in the present to advance up the A.T.

Bunyan, time to stop thinking about it.:rolleyes: Go down to Georgia and walk home.;) You'll be glad you did.:)

emerald
02-27-2007, 23:03
I had meant to post the link to where I believe those words may be found elsewhere, but it will mean more to Joshua now that you have posted it here yourself.

Besides, time is short, I don't know if he will see either of our posts before he departs, but I hope he will.

Blissful
02-27-2007, 23:14
Besides, time is short, I don't know if he will see either of our posts before he departs, but I hope he will.

Paul Bunyan will. He ain't going anywhere. He has a fever right now, and when he gets a fever, he really gets one. Our start date is delayed. In fact, we're all down with something in one form or another.

(I guess too much partying on Sunday. When will I ever learn. ha ha)

emerald
02-28-2007, 13:34
I wouldn't think it could be Springer fever from which he's suffering, since he has yet to hike the A.T. Whatever it is that's got you down, I hope he and the rest of you will soon be well enough to begin your journey.

emerald
03-02-2007, 18:01
Bunyan, fever getting better or worse?

Paul Bunyan
03-02-2007, 19:52
Well, fever is gone, but now i have bronchitis. I can't stop coughing. Uggh...

I want to be Hiking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bfitz
03-02-2007, 22:04
S'okay. It's a bit too early anyway. Get better and go in a couple weeks. You'll enjoy the weather more.

emerald
03-03-2007, 10:38
Well, fever is gone, but now i have bronchitis. I can't stop coughing. Uggh...

I want to be Hiking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not sure if that's better or worse! All things in their proper time and place, my friend.

Remember, you are Paul Bunyan, you can do anything;), but even you cannot you can defy the laws of physics, except perhaps in your own mind and the minds of those who love legends. (No!:eek: Please, say it isn't so!:D)

Paul Bunyan
03-03-2007, 21:25
Well about the laws of physics ;) ............................

I think we are finally leaving tomorrow to go down. After only a few days of recovery. Thankfully, because i had such bad bronchitis yesterday, my stomach muscles hurt everytime i try to cough. Hopefully by monday, i will be fine and hiking.

Thanks ti everyone who has been supporting me and looking out for me.

Cheers.

PB

Frolicking Dinosaurs
03-03-2007, 21:43
Loving you from afar, youngun. You be careful out there and take care of your mom. In fact, go give her really big hug from the female dino.

Paul Bunyan
03-10-2007, 15:46
Hey, i would just like to thank everyone for your advice, its really helped. Thanks.

emerald
03-10-2007, 16:36
Update your journal. The day will likely come when you will wish you had if you don't.

We need to see the axe. Post a pic.