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Spcshiznit
03-11-2008, 10:51
Here I am about 2 ½ months away from beginning my summer section hike of the AT. I’m looking forward to it, as I know it’ll be hard work and hopefully an experience that’ll keep me hiking for many years to come. Now granted I’ve never been hiking on the AT. The only hiking experience I have is down here in Florida (not many mountains here), and while I was in the military.

So my question for some of you vets is this… what was your biggest misconception of the AT? What were you expecting but it wasn’t there, or what did you not expect that came to light?

The reason why I ask is that no matter how much I research, plan, and train I know something will blindside me out of no where. I guess that’s part of the experience though.J I’m not looking to prepare for these things, but, I’m just interested in what some of you guys with a lot of miles on your boots have to say. Once again thanks for everything, and best of luck to all you hikers about to set out this season.

SPC

Lone Wolf
03-11-2008, 10:53
i didn't expect as many shelters, roads, people, blazes, hostels and towns. and i thought the trail would be tougher physically. and the number of hikers that DO NOT hike thier own hike. they worry about everybody else's

dessertrat
03-11-2008, 10:56
Surprised at how NOT hungry I was for the first few days of a backpacking trip.

Frolicking Dinosaurs
03-11-2008, 10:59
Impact of the social system on the overall experience and the sort of 'trail god / goddess' mentality associated with the AT, but not observed to any great extent on other trails.

dessertrat
03-11-2008, 11:00
What's a trail god? Should I pray to them?

max patch
03-11-2008, 11:02
Impact of the social system on the overall experience and the sort of 'trail god / goddess' mentality associated with the AT, but not observed to any great extent on other trails.
I've never noticed anyone act like "trail gods" on the trail; only on internet forums.

Tinker
03-11-2008, 11:03
Having been a section hiker for years (northeast, mainly), and having hiked the Whites while in both good and bad shape physically, I was surprised with the Georgia section, first, how tough the approach trail was, then how easy the rest of Georgia was relative to the White Mountains. Also, I was EXTREMELY surprised at how tough the Mahoosuc Mts. of southern Maine were after having hiked the Whites. Of course, I had the opportunity of hiking the northern mountains without being in "hiker shape".

fiddlehead
03-11-2008, 11:05
Maine was nicer than i expected. Very nice. So much so that i moved there after my first completion.

max patch
03-11-2008, 11:05
My biggest positive surprise was how incredibly good a hot shower and clean clothes feel.

My biggest negative surprise was how many hikers ignored the "rules of the house" when staying at hostel.

Almost There
03-11-2008, 11:08
That most of the planning and food drops are completely unnecessary. The learning curve for hiking the trail is not steep at all.

rafe
03-11-2008, 11:15
I was expecting to be spellbound by the never-ending scenic vistas. I was surprised at the difficulty in keeping my mind occupied in their absence.

Darryl G
03-11-2008, 11:33
I expected it to be more of a physical challenge than a mental one. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty physcially challenging, but as a college student in pretty decent shape to begin with, it wasn't the physcial challenge that I found difficult. It was the mental challenge of going on day after day after day....hiking in the rain for days on end, the boredom of some areas....just continually convincing myself that this was something I wanted to do.

It seems that a lot of people go thru the preparation of getting in physcial shape, getting all the right gear and planning their food drops and all without preparing themselves mentally for the trip......don't forget to feed your head, lol. You have to be firmly committed to doing it or you'll end up dropping out like so many others.

Red Hat
03-11-2008, 11:35
When I hiked central VA around the Dragon's Tooth, I was surprise to find that I was sometimes climbing more than walking. I expected a hiking trail to be a long walking trail. I definitely needed to improve my upper body strength.

jersey joe
03-11-2008, 11:39
I was expecting to be spellbound by the never-ending scenic vistas. I was surprised at the difficulty in keeping my mind occupied in their absence.
Especially in PA.

bredler
03-11-2008, 11:41
i didn't expect as many shelters, roads, people, blazes, hostels and towns. and i thought the trail would be tougher physically. and the number of hikers that DO NOT hike thier own hike. they worry about everybody else's


I too was a little disappointed by how "close" the trail felt instead of feeling like you're really out there. And yes, there are zillions of blazes, even where there is no doubt that you're on the only available trail for miles (60ft rock face on left, 70% grade on right...you do the math).

Also, I've done most of my hiking in SNP and I didn't expect as much of the trail to be oddly positioned rocks. Most pictures you see of the trail are either of a stretching landscape from some cliff, or are of a trail that's dirt/grass going through the "green tunnel," but in the shennys it's a lot of rocks sticking up about four-eight inches four a walking surface (not terrible, but it gets annoying on the downhills).

jersey joe
03-11-2008, 11:43
I was surprised by how many female hikers there were out there attempting a thru.

Mrs Baggins
03-11-2008, 11:45
Perception vs realty. I had read all of the books and watched all of the videos. I done some sections in Maryland and Pennsylvania. I believed I knew the trail. I was so wrong. I was not at all prepared for how steep some of it was or how mentally beaten down I'd get so quickly. It's like seeing photos of the Grand Canyon or seeing it on TV - - you really think you've "seen" it, but you will never really get it until you're standing on the rim in person. Never .

The Weasel
03-11-2008, 11:55
I was a bit surprised, at the start, at the number of "needy" people I met. For the first couple of weeks, it seemed as if all the people I was walking with had just divorced, or just lost their job, or graduated and couldn't find a job, or any of a number of other problems. Shelters seemed a bit like old Newhart show, with people sitting around and talking about their ex-husband, their last boss, their horrible co-workers and more, almost like it was some kind of wilderness group therapy session. After about 3-4 weeks, most of that seemed to stop, or the people with the problems disappeared, but it was a little gothic for a while.

That caused a related problem: If I wanted to stay at a shelter, I sort of had to be part of that "pod" of people, and listen to their troubles. If I got uneasy with it, I had to pass up the shelter and tent elsewhere, which was inconvenient in terms of water sometimes, and other times I would get questions/comments about 'being away' from 'the group'. So I sort of felt sometimes like I had to join the therapy sessions. I finally solved it by taking a few extra zero days when the others went on, on one occasion.

TW

Appalachian Tater
03-11-2008, 11:58
There's a lot of climbing, sometimes hand-over-hand.

mixinmaster
03-11-2008, 12:12
The crowds....... And the cliques........And the dicks....... And the seemingly never-ending rush to out-do........

Mags
03-11-2008, 13:29
How nice New Jersey was.

Great ridge walks with open views, mountain laurel in bloom, surprisingly rural feel.

New Jersey a very pleasant surprise and my previous ideas of NJ were taken away.


(I try to focus on the positive. :sun)

rafe
03-11-2008, 13:45
How nice New Jersey was.

Yes! And how un-awful PA was, for that matter. :-?

emerald
03-11-2008, 13:50
Maine was nicer than i expected. Very nice. So much so that i moved there after my first completion.

I attended UMO and often wish Maine weren't so far from Pennsylvania. I chose to be there because it was what I expected.

emerald
03-11-2008, 14:04
Especially in PA,

look within and look more closely at what's all around you. It's a more subtle beauty here, not everyone has the ability to see.

To successfully navigate Pennsylvania, you need to understand summer hiking strategy and remember an AT hike isn't just about what you see, but what you learn about yourself too.

emerald
03-11-2008, 14:11
I suspect many people who talk of hiking with dogs really know little about the AT and have never been to New Hampshire or seen a picture of a log ladder. Got a few pics to link _terrapin_?

emerald
03-11-2008, 14:46
i didn't expect as many shelters, roads, people, blazes, hostels and towns.

I've heard one becomes what one dwells upon. I expect you found something else.

winger
03-11-2008, 14:47
Like the original poster I too am digging into my psyche and challenging my mental reserves regarding the long trip ahead.
This post struck a nerve, and reinforces my intention to do zero shelter stays:

"I was a bit surprised, at the start, at the number of "needy" people I met. For the first couple of weeks, it seemed as if all the people I was walking with had just divorced, or just lost their job, or graduated and couldn't find a job, or any of a number of other problems. Shelters seemed a bit like old Newhart show, with people sitting around and talking about their ex-husband, their last boss, their horrible co-workers and more, almost like it was some kind of wilderness group therapy session. After about 3-4 weeks, most of that seemed to stop, or the people with the problems disappeared, but it was a little gothic for a while.

That caused a related problem: If I wanted to stay at a shelter, I sort of had to be part of that "pod" of people, and listen to their troubles. If I got uneasy with it, I had to pass up the shelter and tent elsewhere, which was inconvenient in terms of water sometimes, and other times I would get questions/comments about 'being away' from 'the group'. So I sort of felt sometimes like I had to join the therapy sessions. I finally solved it by taking a few extra zero days when the others went on, on one occasion."

That would drive me off the trail for sure.

Lone Wolf
03-11-2008, 14:48
I've heard one becomes what one dwells upon. I expect you found something else.

wow. deep.

emerald
03-11-2008, 14:50
winger, sounds like those folks you mentioned brought with them what they left behind.

Tin Man
03-11-2008, 15:00
I was surprised how the thru hikers were fixated on their next party in town stop, while the sectioners/weekenders (us) were fixated on their next party in the woods stop.

max patch
03-11-2008, 15:03
I was surprised how the thru hikers were fixated on their next party in town stop,

I was surprised how many hikers would hitch 100s of miles ahead or behind to go to a party.

-MYST-
03-11-2008, 15:21
After all the pre-trip prep. I thought Virginia was going to be the longest and most boring part of the trip.

I found quite the opposite to be true, from Damascus/trail days, grayson highlands/ponies, dragons tooth, tinker cliffs, shanandoah Natl. Park/wildlife, the people of Virginia/hostels, it was full of surprises and happy days hiking.

emerald
03-11-2008, 15:22
I was surprised how some people seemingly devoted much of their day to thinking about what they'd eat that night.

emerald
03-11-2008, 15:27
After all the pre-trip prep. I thought Virginia was going to be the longest and most boring part of the trip.

I found quite the opposite to be true, from Damascus/trail days, grayson highlands/ponies, dragons tooth, tinker cliffs, shanandoah Natl. Park/wildlife, the people of Virginia/hostels, it was full of surprises and happy days hiking.

I think AT long-distance hikers need to break down Virginia into smaller more manageable chunks. It works on the minds of at least some. Too much thinking is focused upon those invisible lines that separate AT states.

-MYST-
03-11-2008, 15:47
After hearing all the horror stories of Pennsylvania's rock covered trails, yes the rocks do seem to start there, but I was surprised to find some of the longest and flatest portions of the entire trail also there. Nobody seems to talk about that though.

I also loved the climb at Lehigh gap, even if it is an ecological waste land.

Frolicking Dinosaurs
03-11-2008, 15:51
I think AT long-distance hikers need to break down Virginia into smaller more manageable chunks. It works on the minds of at least some. Too much thinking is focused upon those invisible lines that separate AT states.Excellent point.

Sly
03-11-2008, 16:02
I think AT long-distance hikers need to break down Virginia into smaller more manageable chunks. It works on the minds of at least some. Too much thinking is focused upon those invisible lines that separate AT states.

Maybe for some. Resupplies and towns break up hikes. I think all the states on the PCT and CDT are longer than VA. California alone is 1700 miles.

Whoever coined the term Virginia Blues did all that follow a disservice.

Frolicking Dinosaurs
03-11-2008, 16:11
Maybe for some. Resupplies and towns break up hikes. I think all the states on the PCT and CDT are longer than VA. California alone is 1700 miles. Good point. PCT and CDT hikers tend to be hardier souls and have far more experience than AT hikers - the hiking doesn't center around the next shelter, the next town, the next hostel, the next party like it does for many on the AT.

ASUGrad
03-11-2008, 16:13
How freaking fast hikers can walk. I thought everyone just moseyed down the trail. Some people hiked like they had a meeting with the VP of the AT in 5 minutes.

emerald
03-11-2008, 16:26
Don't know where you were at the time. Maybe those hikers did have a meeting with the VP.

Egads
03-11-2008, 17:12
That it is wilderness. Much of it runs in someone's backyard.

jersey joe
03-11-2008, 17:16
look within and look more closely at what's all around you. It's a more subtle beauty here, not everyone has the ability to see.

To successfully navigate Pennsylvania, you need to understand summer hiking strategy and remember an AT hike isn't just about what you see, but what you learn about yourself too.
I didn't say it wasn't beautiful, just that the "never-ending scenic vistas" were few and far between.

Appalachian Tater
03-11-2008, 17:17
How freaking fast hikers can walk. I thought everyone just moseyed down the trail. Some people hiked like they had a meeting with the VP of the AT in 5 minutes.After a couple of months, each individual leaf somewhat loses its allure.

Nean
03-11-2008, 17:19
I used to think EVERYONE:eek: connected to the trail was a pretty decent human being.:o Turns out, it's like the rest of the world; there are some real scumbags out there.:(:confused::mad:

DavidNH
03-11-2008, 17:22
I thru hiked North Bound in 2006

I was very surprised of:

How many people where out for beer and ciggargettes and not for nature

The crowds. I had no idea how crowded it would realy be in the southern half

I knew there was to a degree an ultralight high milage machismo but I never expected it to be as rampant as it was.

I was very impressed with the trail magic in the South. Free meals!!
Best trail magic in MHO was Mother Nature and Friend's BBQ in Georgia, Cooker Hiker's feed in Maryland, who ever put on the trail magic at Max Patch on Easter Sunday, The guys who did the Hiker picnic in Falls Village, CT on that 100 degree day!

I really really really wish more thru hikers could just take some time and smell the roses so to speak. But oh well.. HYOH as they say.

The 100 mile wilderness in Maine was everybit as spectacular as I had hoped. And what wonderful weather for the most part.

Lastly, I had a misconception that somehow Katahdin would be a wild lonely experience like on all those pictures of guys completeing their hikes with arms up in triumph. There were hundreds of folks up there..you had to wait your turn just to touch the damn sign!

David

emerald
03-11-2008, 17:24
Some who think they'll meet many other people like themselves end up meeting all kinds people, some they never knew existed.

Sly
03-11-2008, 17:25
I didn't say it wasn't beautiful, just that the "never-ending scenic vistas" were few and far between.

Who ever said the AT had "never-ending scenic vistas"? :rolleyes:

Lone Wolf
03-11-2008, 17:26
I was very impressed with the trail magic in the South. Free meals!!
Best trail magic in MHO was Mother Nature and Friend's BBQ in Georgia, Cooker Hiker's feed in Maryland, who ever put on the trail magic at Max Patch on Easter Sunday, The guys who did the Hiker picnic in Falls Village, CT on that 100 degree day!



that's not trail magic. thems planned feeds

wakapak
03-11-2008, 17:27
my biggest misconception was that i would get the bug of wandering out of my system after my first time in '99......notice i said my first time...it didnt get out of my system, i think it's lodged deeper than ever!!

GGS2
03-11-2008, 17:30
Sometimes I get the feeling LW wants a "Don't feed the hikers!" sign at all the trailheads. ;)

max patch
03-11-2008, 17:53
Lastly, I had a misconception that somehow Katahdin would be a wild lonely experience like on all those pictures of guys completeing their hikes with arms up in triumph. There were hundreds of folks up there..you had to wait your turn just to touch the damn sign!



I finished on a day Katahdin was closed (with the Rangers permission) with only one other hiker. Deep blue sky and you could see forever. Awesome way to finish.

JAK
03-11-2008, 17:57
"What was your biggest misconception of the trail?"

Ummm. It's a nice place to drive under on the way to Albany?

rafe
03-11-2008, 17:59
Who ever said the AT had "never-ending scenic vistas"? :rolleyes:

Nobody did, but I imagined it... possibly because I'd done a lot of hiking in the Whites, and Katahdin twice, before my attempted thru. :-? Kinda like having dessert before the main course, I guess.

rafe
03-11-2008, 18:02
I suspect many people who talk of hiking with dogs really know little about the AT and have never been to New Hampshire or seen a picture of a log ladder. Got a few pics to link _terrapin_?

I wish. The biggest ladders I encountered were somewhere in that stretch between Gorham and Grafton Notch -- but I forgot my camera in the car. :o I haven't hiked the AT in NH or ME for a while -- except for Franconia Ridge, and a short day hike up Webster Cliffs and Tuckermans, last spring.

rafe
03-11-2008, 18:11
That caused a related problem: If I wanted to stay at a shelter, I sort of had to be part of that "pod" of people, and listen to their troubles. If I got uneasy with it, I had to pass up the shelter and tent elsewhere, which was inconvenient in terms of water sometimes, and other times I would get questions/comments about 'being away' from 'the group'. So I sort of felt sometimes like I had to join the therapy sessions. I finally solved it by taking a few extra zero days when the others went on, on one occasion.

Learning to deal (or not deal) with ones fellow hikers on a thru is... part of the trip. Moderation in all things, I say. There are times for solitude, and times for company. I never did find a group or hiking partner that I could travel with for very long. And I learned (too late, alas) that "comparing" myself to other hikers was 100% counter-productive. I was much happier as a section hiker, but even there, I had a lot to learn.

emerald
03-11-2008, 18:15
I didn't say it wasn't beautiful, just that the "never-ending scenic vistas" were few and far between.

Odd you should say you thought the vistas were few and far between. It was once suggested to me I was overly fond of creating them were there were none. You will be happy to learn some were reopened a bit last year.

Bare Bear
03-11-2008, 18:17
Misconception? Probably since I had done over a thousand miles of the AT in two sections prior; and over a 1000 on the PCT in three sections, and lots of other week longs I thought I knew what to expect but it was totally different just knowing you were not going home until you finished. It was definitely a mental thing.
I was also impressed with the number of people I met with different views than me (Hey Tater; Dick Tracy, Shasta, Jelly Bean, et al. ) but I still found I enjoyed listening to. Somehow the Trail made listening to different views more meaningful than at home. It just seemed like the right place to hear others.

TOW
03-11-2008, 18:21
I misled myself into believing that I could live off of the land if I needed to. But how does one live off the land unless they are aware of what is edible and what is not?

Another thing I misled myself into thinking was that everyone in every trail town that I happened to stop in was as happy for my adventure as I was at telling them about it.

wakapak
03-11-2008, 18:22
...... Somehow the Trail made listening to different views more meaningful than at home. It just seemed like the right place to hear others.

Funny really, isn't it?? Kinda gets ya wonderin why listening to different views at home or off trail isn't quite the same.....I know I experienced some of that myself while out there...

walkin' wally
03-11-2008, 18:40
I wish. The biggest ladders I encountered were somewhere in that stretch between Gorham and Grafton Notch -- but I forgot my camera in the car. :o I haven't hiked the AT in NH or ME for a while -- except for Franconia Ridge, and a short day hike up Webster Cliffs and Tuckermans, last spring.


Possibly you were thinking of the ladder on the west side of Goose Eye? I saw two lab retrievers come down that ladder quite easily without falling over they almost knocked me down while they sped by. The ladder must be about 12 feet high with a fairly comfortable pitch.

Appalachian Tater
03-11-2008, 18:45
Possibly you were thinking of the ladder on the west side of Goose Eye? I saw two lab retrievers come down that ladder quite easily without falling over they almost knocked me down while they sped by. The ladder must be about 12 feet high with a fairly comfortable pitch.You think a Basset Hound might have little problem with it? Yes, there is someone posting in the dog forum who wants to hike with theirs.

emerald
03-11-2008, 18:49
Maybe things have changed since I last hiked there. I have a hard time visualizing any dog on some of the steeper terrain.

rafe
03-11-2008, 18:51
Possibly you were thinking of the ladder on the west side of Goose Eye? I saw two lab retrievers come down that ladder quite easily without falling over they almost knocked me down while they sped by. The ladder must be about 12 feet high with a fairly comfortable pitch.

I don't remember exactly -- it was probably 10 years ago. IIRC, there was more than one. They seemed more than 12 feet high. And if my memory serves right, I just can't imagine how a dog could walk down it, let alone up it. Very steep!

hnryclay
03-11-2008, 19:02
You think a Basset Hound might have little problem with it? Yes, there is someone posting in the dog forum who wants to hike with theirs.

Hike with my Basset Hound all the time, he enjoys the walk quite a bit. Would not take him on a hike in the White's but in Virginia he has done several miles with no problems.

Pony
03-11-2008, 19:09
I'm taking my miniature dachshund (no lie, I really have one). She should make it, right?

Appalachian Tater
03-11-2008, 19:10
I'm taking my miniature dachshund (no lie, I really have one). She should make it, right?You can carry it. It's hard to carry a Basset.

Sly
03-11-2008, 19:11
On the AT having "never-ending scenic vistas"...


Nobody did, but I imagined it... possibly because I'd done a lot of hiking in the Whites, and Katahdin twice, before my attempted thru. :-? Kinda like having dessert before the main course, I guess.

You imagined it? LOL Starting at a trailhead, any trailhead, should have provided a clue. :rolleyes:

Frolicking Dinosaurs
03-11-2008, 19:49
I'm taking my miniature dachshund (no lie, I really have one). She should make it, right?Just do what LW does when he takes his little dog
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b47/lowcarbscoop/LWolfdog-1.jpg

Lellers
03-11-2008, 20:04
I'm not a thru hiker. Not sure if you'd even call me a section hiker. I just like to get on the AT from time to time, because I live relatively close to it. The first time I hiked any of the trail, I was 18 and it was 1979. Back then, I think it was more or less what I expected it to be. It was quiet on the trail, and even in SNP I didn't meet tons of people along the way. Once I married and had kids, I wasn't on any trail much for a very long time, so I had a long break from the trail. In the past few years, I've gotten back to doing some solo and some longer trips. When I'm on the AT now, I'm amazed at how many people are out there and how many people know about the trail. It's definitely a more social place than it used to be. And more people mean a wider range of personalities.

rafe
03-11-2008, 21:52
You imagined it? LOL Starting at a trailhead, any trailhead, should have provided a clue. :rolleyes:

Why the sarcasm, Sly? My point was straightforward. I began my hiking career in the Whites; the Whites were my stomping ground for 15 years before I arrived at Springer. Well, that plus a handful of hikes in the Cascades (OR, WA) and in Europe... oh, yeah... some hikes in the DAKs as well.

So the rest of the AT (except for Maine) was a bit underwhelming, in terms of "scenic views." That's all.

Maybe it's just me, but after I've hauled my ass up to some peak, I kinda like a little reward -- in the form of a view. When that fails to happen, repeatedly, I get annoyed.

emerald
03-11-2008, 22:06
Maybe you have not yet discovered a close-up view of trees you can reach out and touch isn't inferior to a distant view of trees most would be hard pressed to identify and the more you wish for distant objects the less satisfying close-up objects become.

Erin
03-11-2008, 22:21
As a first time section hiker last spring I was shocked at the water situation. I did imagine cooling my tired feet in gushing streams, not pumping water at a trickle pipe. No dunking of feet in water source, so I was grateful for the wet wipes just so I could clean my feet. We were excited to get to wet a bandana. I was grateful for the water sources, but I learned how dry it truly was last year in North Carolina.

rafe
03-11-2008, 22:52
Maybe you have not yet discovered a close-up view of trees you can reach out and touch isn't inferior to a distant view of trees most would be hard pressed to identify and the more you wish for distant objects the less satisfying close-up objects become.

Well yeah, there's that... but from that point of view, there's no need to leave my back yard.

http://www.terrapinphoto.com/backyard_trees_1_B.jpg
.
. . .

Erin
03-11-2008, 23:04
Now that is one beautiful back yard!

rafe
03-11-2008, 23:19
I was surprised how the thru hikers were fixated on their next party in town stop, while the sectioners/weekenders (us) were fixated on their next party in the woods stop.

Sectioners party in the woods? Damn, I knew I was missin' something.

Tin Man
03-11-2008, 23:31
Sectioners party in the woods? Damn, I knew I was missin' something.

You ain't missing nuthin'. Hikers just hike to the next party, wherever that might be. :)

rafe
03-11-2008, 23:33
You ain't missing nuthin'. Hikers just hike to the next party, wherever that might be. :)

Yah, I'm just high on life.... :rolleyes:

Tin Man
03-11-2008, 23:36
Yah, I'm just high on life.... :rolleyes:

Us too. Well, maybe a little scotch. ;)

Sly
03-11-2008, 23:40
Why the sarcasm, Sly? My point was straightforward. I began my hiking career in the Whites; the Whites were my stomping ground for 15 years before I arrived at Springer.

Oh come on, you must have known beforehand not all the trail was like NH or Katahdin. That's it's not all above tree line. Didn't they call it the long green tunnel in '91?

rafe
03-12-2008, 00:01
Oh come on, you must have known beforehand not all the trail was like NH or Katahdin. That's it's not all above tree line. Didn't they call it the long green tunnel in '91?

Yeah, some did. I'm not sayin' I was misled, exactly... maybe fooled myself somewhat. I didn't expect so many viewless climbs, though. Didn't expect to get bored by the trees and hills, but it happened.

I'm telling you what's the truth: I hauled my ash to the summit of Snowbird Mountain on some hot muggy day. Back then there was no clearing, no view at all -- just that same damned humming VORTAC station. To say I was pissed would be an understatement.

Not saying my reaction was smart or healthy or rational -- but this thread is about misconceptions, you see. ;)

fiddlehead
03-12-2008, 03:38
People who have picked the AT for it's views need to try some different trails.

Terrapin, where have you hiked in Europe? I've done a bit of hiking over there but haven't found anything longer than 350-400 miles.

highway
03-12-2008, 07:15
People who have picked the AT for it's views need to try some different trails.

Terrapin, where have you hiked in Europe? I've done a bit of hiking over there but haven't found anything longer than 350-400 miles.

Spain's Camino de Santiago, ~600 miles with the Finisterre, Muxia loop to the Atlantic from Santiago or the S-N route Via de la Plata which is further

earlyriser26
03-12-2008, 07:16
I've only done half the trail, but one thing that has surprised me is how things have changed over the last 40 years. Back in the late 60's you didn't see too many female hikers. Now maybe a third? The other thing that has surprised me that in over 40 years on the AT and maybe 100 hikes I have only seen 1 Black hiker? I never have been able to figure out why.

Tin Man
03-12-2008, 08:09
I've only done half the trail, but one thing that has surprised me is how things have changed over the last 40 years. Back in the late 60's you didn't see too many female hikers. Now maybe a third? The other thing that has surprised me that in over 40 years on the AT and maybe 100 hikes I have only seen 1 Black hiker? I never have been able to figure out why.

Scroll down to page 3 and there is an article about low participation by minorities in the wilderness. It doesn't draw any firm conclusions, but it has some interesting ideas.

http://www.nps.gov/training/tel/Guides/21st_Century_Related_Articles.pdf

rafe
03-12-2008, 08:26
People who have picked the AT for it's views need to try some different trails.

I agree.


Terrapin, where have you hiked in Europe? I've done a bit of hiking over there but haven't found anything longer than 350-400 miles.Just day hikes and overnights. A couple dozen miles on the Coastal Path in England, with my wife. She loved it. Back in the early 1970s, my friend and I walked up Vesuvius (camped overnight on top.) Hiked the foothills of the Matterhorn near Zermatt, Switzerland. A crazy hike down a wadi (between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea) with my cousin in Israel. No long-distance stuff.

DavidNH
03-12-2008, 09:55
I finished on a day Katahdin was closed (with the Rangers permission) with only one other hiker. Deep blue sky and you could see forever. Awesome way to finish.

If I ever do the whole trail again or try to..I would like to finish the way you did.

There really isn't an October 15 deadline..there is only a deadline for overnight camping in BSP. That is a major misconception I think.

David

Grampie
03-12-2008, 11:46
I guess my biggest misconception was that I thought most of the folks I would meet would be dedicated to doing a thru-hike. I was wrong. Quite a few hikers were just out for a good time and were not concerned with thru-hiking. I'm talking about the yellow blaze crowd. It was much larger than I expected. Especialy in the Spring and early summer months.
By mid June and Virginia the thru-hikers left were the dedicated ones who were determined to finish.