View Full Version : worn out thru hikers
scout005
01-15-2008, 22:15
I've been reading AT NOBO thru hiker journals for several years and looking at all the great pictures they take. One thing kind of strikes me. A lot of the NOBO'S by the time they get to the New England sections seem kinda thin and worn out. Also lots of comments in their journals about their general condition. They seem weary or whatever Is that just my perception? I ask this because I'm planning to go NOBO in a couple years.
It's cuz thru-hiking is a tough thing to do. Proper nutrition is difficult. Very hard to carry enough food to generate the energy that's required. Plus, it just gets harder the further north you go. It doesn't let up until the end is practically in sight. Plus, up north, it's not as easy (as, say in VA or MD) to pop into town for a burger and milkshake and a few beers.
Appalachian Tater
01-15-2008, 22:22
Yes, many find it difficult to eat enough calories to maintain their body weight and the body doesn't really get a chance to thoroughly rest. Even minor cuts and scratches can take longer to heal. If you don't have any extra weight to lose, you should try to maintain adequate caloric intake from the very beginning. Even if you need to lose weight, you don't need to lose 0.5 pounds a day like I did the first month. Olive oil is a convenient and efficient way to add calories.
Other issues include long-term stress on bone and connective tissue, being dehydrated, not getting enough vitamins and minerals or protein, getting various gastrointestinal bugs, tick-borne disease, poor hygiene including oral and foot hygiene.
There are also psychological factors.
The weariness evaporates somewhere in Maine for NOBO hikers and resumes when they go home.
Lone Wolf
01-15-2008, 22:22
pretty much it in a nutshell. what terrapin said
dessertrat
01-15-2008, 23:15
The happiest thru-hikers I've run into in Maine were the ones who were not "weight weenies". I think it's because weight consciousness, for some thru-hikers, spills over into not only the hard gear they carry, but also into the food they carry. The happiest hikers seemed to be the guys who, no matter what else they carried, made sure to carry GOOD FOOD! You can get away with losing weight over a two or three week hike, but when you're out there for six months, you need to eat. The happy guys are the ones who are eating, weight be damned.
One valuable thing I learned on my first long hike was how to eat. I lost a lot of weight the first time around and got really fatigued and week during the last month.
I took what I learned the 2nd time around and ate a lot better, both more healthy and just more. I really went overboard making sure I ate lots of calories in town, and also on the trail. Fritos are your friend! This made a noticeble difference. I felt better, never ran out of gas and was able to keep my miles consistent and constant, even when the terrain got more difficult.
Gotta eat well, healthy and lots!
Pedaling Fool
01-15-2008, 23:30
I don't disagree with any of the above reasons for burnout, but I believe the biggest factor is the mental factor. I remember walking through the Whites, very slowly because of the terrain, but never getting physically fatigued. However, the mental fatigue was very prevalent. It’s a lot like the fatigue you experience from a job; a very redundant job.
Physically I was starving, as in my body was eating muscle because it ran out of readily available body fat, around Connecticutt. I would hurt to the point of feeling stomach cramps were about to hit every afternoon. I would then eat a solid snack/second lunch, and feel better.
Mentally, things were a mixed bag. I was ready to have a bit more stability, and I had to watch my budget more closely than when I began. I was wondering about re-entry and was a little uneasy. By the time I climbed Katahdin, I was ready to be done hiking.
A month later, I wanted to be out hiking again......... :o
Physically, hiking is pretty easy. People are built to walk long distances. Years of being sedentary can make getting in shape a long process. Without proper nutrition, thru-hikers can get pretty ragged. If you have good nutrition and take care of yourself (having a reasonably light pack is part of taking care of yourself, as is resting before hurts become injuries) you should be very strong at the end of your hike.
Pokey2006
01-16-2008, 01:54
It seemed to me the body really starts to break down in Pennsylvania (for NOBO). That's when I noticed some immune system deficiences -- things just weren't healing as quickly as they should. Then, the fatigue hit in Massachusetts. The kind of fatigue that sticks around even after a few days of rest. But hikers are able to fight through it every year and finish. Nutrition, and holding on to as much body fat as possible, are key. And not pushing too hard, too early, thereby wiping yourself out too soon.
wouldn't you get tired of taking pictures of trees and mountains after 6 months, and writing in a journal? You're just tired and want to be finished, and taking pictures just takes a backseat.
DuctTape
01-16-2008, 02:37
No matter how danged beautiful or peaceful it is, one sometimes gets tired of walking up hill after hill after hill after hill after hill for day after day after day after day after day.
Throw insufficient calories/malnutrition into the mix, and attitudes will surely suffer.
Almost There
01-16-2008, 10:17
Get fat and happy before your hike, be active, but eat and put on a few pounds before you start if you are a skinny person. As for me, I have been training for the pat twenty years, I have plenty of stored energy for when I finally get to do my thru!:D
I've watched many a biker or marathon runner go by me flying in the morning only to pass them in the late afternoon as they're dragging and I've got my second wind. Endurance means more than fitness when hiking the trail.
wouldn't you get tired of taking pictures of trees and mountains after 6 months, and writing in a journal? You're just tired and want to be finished, and taking pictures just takes a backseat.
Well, the Whites and the Bigelows in Maine give you views that MAKE you stop and appreciate them, so it's not as hard to take a few photos as you might think.:)
Footslogger
01-16-2008, 10:25
I don't disagree with any of the above reasons for burnout, but I believe the biggest factor is the mental factor. I remember walking through the Whites, very slowly because of the terrain, but never getting physically fatigued. However, the mental fatigue was very prevalent. It’s a lot like the fatigue you experience from a job; a very redundant job.
========================================
Second the motion for mental fatigue/burnout. Even with the weight loss, your body does adjust to the diet of daily uphill/downhill drama. I remember many more hikers talking about losing the "desire" to carry on than I do them losing the physical endurance.
The weightloss does tend to make hikers look a little depleted as they make their way north/south but getting into a mental funk will take a much larger toll than the physical exhaustion.
I think the key is to pace yourself ...both physically AND mentally. Eat as best possible and suppliment with solid food in towns. Get adequate rest and listen to both your body and your mind. If you start to slip physically, adjust your diet and rest. If your attitude starts to go over to the dark side try and find ways to stay positive and keep it "fun".
'Slogger
SlowLightTrek
01-16-2008, 10:57
I started at 175 lbs. When I hit Conneticut I was 135 lbs. I had no energy and sat for 2 days in Kent eating bacon, butter, and milk. I started eating olive oil from there and carried butter with me. And eating more in towns. I gained 10 lbs back by the time I hit Katahdin.
========================================
.
I think the key is to pace yourself ...both physically AND mentally. Eat as best possible and suppliment with solid food in towns. Get adequate rest and listen to both your body and your mind. If you start to slip physically, adjust your diet and rest. If your attitude starts to go over to the dark side try and find ways to stay positive and keep it "fun".
'Slogger
I agree..Well said Slogger.
On the AT, I lost 50 (yes 50) lbs. While I was about 25 lbs overweight, I certainly was not 50 lbs overweight! :O
Heavier pack, body not used to extended time on the trail, no zero days for the second half of the trail, and I was not eating enough.
Fast forward to 2002 when I did the PCT with a lighter pack, more active lifestyle prior to the trail and more food (and overall easier terrain) and I looked pretty darn good at the end.
Similar story for the CDT.
My advice? Go as light as possible for your personal safety and comfort level and ,as other said, DON'T SKIMP ON FOOD. One advantage to having a lighter pack is that you don't mind carrying extra food as much. :) Your body will thank you.
========================================
The weightloss does tend to make hikers look a little depleted as they make their way north/south but getting into a mental funk will take a much larger toll than the physical exhaustion.
Ain't that the truth. :O The AT beat me up physically....but I was mentally drained on the CDT at the end for various reasons(extreme solitude, constant navigation, a touch of home sickness, weather, etc)
. The mental funk was far worse than the physical. (Still would not change the experience for anything though!)
katahdin kid 08
01-16-2008, 12:42
As a couple of older hiker, my fiance (64) & myself (66) are planning a 'leap frog' from Pearisburg VA to Kent CT so that we will be in "PEAK PHYSICAL CONDITION" when we reach the White Mountains & 100 mile wilderness sections. We are also planning (slack packing / day time section hiking hiking no overnight camping planned) to complete PA, MD & WV in Feb/Mar prior to our starting date of 4/8/08 so we can complete our GA - ME thru hike during the calendar year. On 1/8/08 we completed the section from Delware Water Gap - Wind Gap and will continue south ASAP (air temps > 40 degrees).
the_iceman
01-16-2008, 14:00
I had great bicycle legs when I started. I could bike 100 miles a day with 10,000 feet of vertical. I had recently biked the French Alps, etc. But hiking long distance I developed different legs. I lost 2" off my thighs and gained about 1" on my calves. All was well until the big mountains of New England.
I had awful pain in my thighs and my legs ached. I talked to other hikers and they suggested protein powder. I had lost almost 40 pounds so far but I felt good except for my legs. I started with the protein powder from Wal-mart and mixed it with pudding and just shook it up and drank it 3 times a day. I also made sure I ate more meat.
In about a week the protein began to have a positive impact and my legs recovered. I was cruising up the mountains by Maine.
I think next time I would hit the protein about NY or NJ in order to prepare.
A lot of it has to do with the lack of sex. Hikers want to bump uglies just like anyone else. By the time they get toward the end, all the couples have already hooked up, so the remaining ones suffer.
If you want to stay on top of your game, keep an eye out for hiker groupies when you're in town.
Hiker groupies? damn, I've never seen those.
A lot of it has to do with the lack of sex.
LOL. Hadn't thought about that. You may be onto something. :D
Lone Wolf
01-16-2008, 15:01
masturbation is like blue-blazing. everyone does it but no one admits to it.
masturbation is like blue-blazing. everyone does it but no one admits to it.
Explains your disdain for shelters, maybe? :D
.... it's sex with someone I love.
-- Woody Allen (from Annie Hall).
Would it be advisable to try and pack on a few pounds before you leave, or is that just extra weight? Having been a wrestler the idea of putting on weight seems weird, but I'll be curious to see the parallels between wrestling and thru hiking, mentally and physically that is.
Lone Wolf
01-16-2008, 15:16
Explains your disdain for shelters, maybe? :D
shelters don't stop some guys. and gals
doggiebag
01-16-2008, 15:18
masturbation is like blue-blazing. everyone does it but no one admits to it.
You can save money by just blue-blazing I guess.:D
Would it be advisable to try and pack on a few pounds before you leave, or is that just extra weight?
I don't agree with that idea to be honest. Unless you are uber skinny (which most of us aren't, myself included), you probably already have enough poundage.
Remember, we lighten our packs so you don't have to carry it over the mountains. Do you really want to carry an extra 10 lbs on your frame over those mountains too?
Better to be in good shape psychically to start rather than pound cheeseburgers and milk shakes (save that for the trail! :D)
I suggest reading this article:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=184425#post184425
Just my opinion anyway.
Would it be advisable to try and pack on a few pounds before you leave, or is that just extra weight? Having been a wrestler the idea of putting on weight seems weird, but I'll be curious to see the parallels between wrestling and thru hiking, mentally and physically that is.
I wouldn't worry about it one way or another. Putting on pounds (prior to a hike) doesn't make much sense to me, but I know for sure I'll start losing pounds, big-time, on the trail.
masturbation is like blue-blazing. everyone does it but no one admits to it.
both will make you go blind. And to hell
Lone Wolf
01-16-2008, 15:47
both will make you go blind. And to hell
and you won't get a patch and certificate
both will make you go blind. And to hell
Not according to these findings..
Masturbation Reduces Cancer Risk (http://www.waukster.com/masturbation-reduces-cancer-risk/)
For the longest time, Masturbation has been viewed upon as a sinful negative act by our society. Maybe because the Philippines is a Catholic Christian country and our religion here really has an impact on society and the way we live our lives. However, a recent study done in Germany shows that Masturbation at least 5 times a week cuts the chances of having Prostate Cancer by 1/3 later on in your life. Yes… this is truly a OMG***BBQ moment.
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/8831/omgaa7.jpg (http://imageshack.us/)
Here’s the full article:
Australian researchers questioned over 1,000 men who had developed prostate cancer and 1,250 who had not about their sexual habits. They found those who had ejaculated the most between the ages of 20 and 50 were the least likely to develop the cancer. The protective effect was greatest while the men were in their 20s.
Men who ejaculated more than five times a week were a third less likely to develop prostate cancer later in life.
Previous research has suggested that a high number of sexual partners or a high level of sexual activity increased a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer by up to 40%.
But the Australian researchers who carried out this study suggest the early work missed the protective effect of ejaculation because it focussed on sexual intercourse, with its associated risk of STIs.
Graham Giles, of the Cancer Council Victoria in Melbourne, who led the research team, told New Scientist: “Had we been able to remove ejaculations associated with sexual intercourse, there should have been an even stronger protective effect of ejaculations.”
The researchers suggest that ejaculating may prevent carcinogens accumulating in the prostate gland.
The prostate provides a fluid into semen during ejaculation that activates sperm and prevents them sticking together.
The fluid has high concentrations of substances including potassium, zinc, fructose and citric acid, which are drawn from the bloodstream.
But animal studies have shown carcinogens such as 3-methylchloranthrene, found in cigarette smoke, are also concentrated in the prostate.
‘Flushing out’
Dr Giles said fewer ejaculations may mean the carcinogens build up.
“It’s a prostatic stagnation hypothesis. The more you flush the ducts out, the less there is to hang around and damage the cells that line them.”
A similar connection has been found between breast cancer and breastfeeding, where lactating appeared to “flush out” carcinogens, reduce a woman’s risk of the disease, New Scientist reports.
Another theory put forward by the researchers is that ejaculation may induce prostate glands to mature fully, making them less susceptible to carcinogens.
Dr Chris Hiley, head of policy and research at the UK’s Prostate Cancer Charity, told BBC News Online: “This is a plausible theory.”
She added: “In the same way the human papillomavirus has been linked to cervical cancer, there is a suggestion that bits of prostate cancer may be related to a sexually transmitted infection earlier in life.”
Anthony Smith, deputy director of the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University in Melbourne, said the research could affect the kind of lifestyle advice doctors give to patients.
“Masturbation is part of people’s sexual repertoire.
“If these findings hold up, then it’s perfectly reasonable that men should be encouraged to masturbate,” he said.
http://www.waukster.com/masturbation-reduces-cancer-risk/
masturbation is like blue-blazing. everyone does it but no one admits to it.
and when eating Cheetos it is like yellow blazing.
Footslogger
01-16-2008, 16:53
both will make you go blind. And to hell
====================================
Is it blind or deaf ??
'Slogger
the_iceman
01-16-2008, 17:17
1) The trail will sculpt your body into a hiker machine during a thru hike. No matter what muscles you think you have or need the trail will decide.
If you start out in shape the sculpting may be a mere finishing touch here and there. However if you start out of shape the initial sculpting is like taking a jack-hammer to a block of marble (or blubber).
2) Sex weakens athletic performance in the short term. This is why Tour de France cyclists are not allowed conjugal visits during the 20+ day race. The Tour de France has been dubbed as the most difficult athletic competition in the world. Thru-hiking per se is not competition but the athletic endurance needed is somewhere in the top 10% of all sports.
Footslogger
01-16-2008, 17:30
[quote=the_iceman;503347]1) The trail will sculpt your body into a hiker machine during a thru hike. No matter what muscles you think you have or need the trail will decide.
===========================================
True ...but based on percentage body fat and muscle mass (in general) the men end up looking somewhat like concentration camp survivors and the ladies take on the physique of aerobics instructors ...
'Slogger
2) Sex weakens athletic performance in the short term. This is why Tour de France cyclists are not allowed conjugal visits during the 20+ day race.
If this were true (and I'm quite convinced...) there wouldn't be any need for a rule in this regard -- abstinence would be self-imposed by all serious contenders.
But seriously, back to thru-hiking... at the end of the day, with every joint aching and body covered with sweat, grime, pine resin and DEET, I'd guess that sex takes a back seat to a steaming hot bowl of noodles. In town, things may be different. :D
Someday I'll have a hike like the movie SOUTHBOUNDERS (http://www.southbounders.com/) and meet an attractive blonde who finds me as deep, dark and mysterious as the man in that movie.
Then I'll realize that I am not that deep, I can be a puzzle to women..but not in a good way, and any dark features I have are as much dirt and sweat as anything else :)
One valuable thing I learned on my first long hike was how to eat. I lost a lot of weight the first time around and got really fatigued and week during the last month.
I took what I learned the 2nd time around and ate a lot better, both more healthy and just more. I really went overboard making sure I ate lots of calories in town, and also on the trail. Fritos are your friend! This made a noticeble difference. I felt better, never ran out of gas and was able to keep my miles consistent and constant, even when the terrain got more difficult.
Gotta eat well, healthy and lots!
Oh so true! I suspect that the number one reason for people dropping off the AT is that they get behind on calories. Then the fatigue and loss of interest sets in.
spittinpigeon
01-16-2008, 20:58
Someday I'll have a hike like the movie SOUTHBOUNDERS (http://www.southbounders.com/) and meet an attractive blonde who finds me as deep, dark and mysterious as the man in that movie.
Then I'll realize that I am not that deep, I can be a puzzle to women..but not in a good way, and any dark features I have are as much dirt and sweat as anything else :)
I was in that movie, in the Monson scene.