View Full Version : Too much planning?
This may scream NOOB but....
These forums are obviously a wealth of information. I think that that is WONDERFUL. One worry I have though, is that I'm going to find myself posting a thread asking what kind sunglasses I should buy. Or what kind of CAMP shoes I should get. Light ones obviously. For sunglasses.. ones that keep the sun out of my eyes? I don't know... call me crazy.
In some cases, I can see where the forums would afford more controlling people the opportunity to do something they normally wouldn't because they can plan such minute details.
HOWEVER COMMA
For me, part of the reason to do the AT is to have to make fewer of such petty decisions. Arriving to point B from point A safely, in the end, is really the only thing that should be 'Worried' about. Right? For a great deal of information, this will be my main source. I'm just not sure if I'm going to want to linger and find myself checking for different levels of SPF in sublock.
Does this make sense? Or do I sound ignorant?
smokymtnsteve
03-28-2008, 11:56
don't worry about it;)
If I can quote Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, "Plans are useless, planning is indispensable." It is best to be as prepared as possible but leave yourself open to whatever the trail may offer.
My group made at least 5 plans a day only to break all but the last one.
Be prepared and you'll be fine.
Some people love to plan and plan and then, plan some more. Trimming grams, saving a dollar or two, ideas on gear selection; it's part of the process. There are posts on the minutia of preparing for a hike. This is a great resource for those people.
Others just want to hike. There are posts that deal with hiking. This is a great resource for those people, too.
You seem to be more of a hiker than a planner. Go HIKE! (-:
TWS
Thru Hiker Wife
03-28-2008, 12:02
Make sure you cover all your bases in preparation and then hike your own hike.
Appalachian Tater
03-28-2008, 12:07
Having the right equipment will save you frustration and replacement costs and discomfort and possibly even injury or death. I agree that having a couple of dozen maildrops or a daily hiking schedule made up is over-planning and those sorts of plans inevitably get trashed.
But you will be glad on a thru-hike to have a tent that doesn't leak, a sleeping bag that is lightweight and warm, and shoes that don't fall apart in 200 miles. There is a wide range of gear in all qualities and price ranges and the choices are bewildering for someone inexperienced. Nothing wrong with learning from others' experiences.
wilconow
03-28-2008, 12:27
Probably best to have a reference book on backpacking. It'll keep everything organized for you. Chris Townsend's book on backpacking (http://www.amazon.com/Backpackers-Handbook-Chris-Townsend/dp/0071423206) is very good. Good for beginners but isn't too basic either
For some people, planning is a big part of the fun. For others, planning helps fill in the time between having the idea of wanting to thru-hike, and the time of departure for the hike.
The AT is a very forgiving trail, though, with loads of people to learn from, and loads of vendors who will sell you solutions to your problems. You can get pretty far--maybe the whole way--with youth and strength and determination. Ingenuity and money help, too.
PS--I don't even bring sunglasses on the AT. There are hardly 50 unshaded miles on the whole thing, and chances are it'll be raining or snowing or socked in with fog while you're hiking half of that.
But you will be glad on a thru-hike to have a tent that doesn't leak, a sleeping bag that is lightweight and warm, and shoes that don't fall apart in 200 miles. There is a wide range of gear in all qualities and price ranges and the choices are bewildering for someone inexperienced. Nothing.
I agree wholely. I didn't mean to belittle the valuable information that the boards have to offer. Especially on such detrimental decisions like foot gear and shelter. Instead, I was attempting to note satirically that decisions such as types of pencil's to bring or kinds of ziplock bags seems to be ALMOST defeating the point (for me), of hiking the AT.
Not to derail the thread..
But what do people do it for? to say they've done it? To enjoy themselves? to test themselves? Honestly.
Planning SUCH miniscule details seems to almost take the fun out of daydreaming the hike, and bring more uncessacary details to the nightmare that already is and will always be known as Logisitcal Planning.
As for everyone elses speedy responses.
Thank you.
(not to say that your response wasn't speedy or unappreciated Tater ;))
I'm pretty sure from here on out, I'll be looking forward to exactly what I want to look forward to :) And as I've said before, it's not like I'm lacking time to work out kinks or daydream about this! HAHA!
PS--I don't even bring sunglasses on the AT. There are hardly 50 unshaded miles on the whole thing, and chances are it'll be raining or snowing or socked in with fog while you're hiking half of that.
From what I've read, it's been known to be an issue ocassionally going SOBO, which is likely what I'll be doing. Given that it may only be for a short period of time.. I still may bring a pair :P
And by the way I LOVE your Mark Twain sig. I didn't know he said that but it's one of the things I live by :D
max patch
03-28-2008, 12:51
I wore a pair one day; they filtered out blue (didn't realize it at the time) and it took me a while to figure out why I kept missing all the blue blazes to water and shelter sites!
They blew off when I sat in the back of a pickup headed for Gatlinburg.
Haven't worn em on the AT since.
... going SOBO, which is likely what I'll be doing.
What year?
SOBO Pride!
Johnny Swank
03-28-2008, 13:01
If you're going SOBO, you kinda want to have your stuff in gear from the start because there's no gear store 3 days in to bail you out, but don't stress yourself out about it. Take more food than you think you'll need, plan on 10-12 miles/day, carry good raingear and bug stuff, and take off. The biggest thing I'd say is to just put in as many backpacking trips on the weekends before, no matter what the weather, and figure it out that way.
SOBO 4-eva!
gsingjane
03-28-2008, 13:47
Some people deal with anxiety by planning. Especially if I'm going to be responsible for other people, which I am 99% of the time I hike, I'm an obsessive planner. I try to brainstorm everything that could reasonably go wrong, and then figure out what I'd do if that happened. It's not to say that I don't like the unexpected or serendipitous on the trail, or that from time to time things go wrong that I didn't expect, but it also helps me feel more of a sense of control over what's going to happen. I know I *can't* control it, but I also feel I can leave with more of a good conscience, knowing that at least I tried to do the best for myself and for my hiking companions that I could.
Jane in CT
Jim Adams
03-28-2008, 13:51
I've always said that your first thru hike takes 6 months to plan
...the second one takes 20 minutes!
15 minutes to pack and 5 minutes to call your boss and tell them that you wont be in!
geek
Plan just enough, and then plan some more if its fun.
canoehead
03-28-2008, 14:00
As an Outdoor Educator, Expedition Guide we are always playing the
"WHAT IF' :eek:
Game.
It helps to keep you on your feet, and paying attention.............
Thats a good thing.
I've always said that your first thru hike takes 6 months to plan
...the second one takes 20 minutes!
15 minutes to pack and 5 minutes to call your boss and tell them that you wont be in!
geek
How about the 3rd??? :eek:
Jim Adams
03-28-2008, 15:15
How about the 3rd??? :eek:
well, you're already there....but keep talk'in!:D
geek
well, you're already there....but keep talk'in!:D
geek
LOL!! yeah, i am already there!!! Once i have these few newer gear pieces bought, it's all gonna be soooo easy!!! :sun Just tried to go set up a Hubba at the outfitters, but they didnt have any there...doh! but did see the BA Seedhouse SL1 set up...pretty nice!! and trying to decided between a 20 or 35 degree down bag...
Prior planning is a large part of the fun of the hike long before the first step of the hike is even taken.
And, it doesn't even mater that those same plans almost never work out. The fun was still had anyway.
Planning SUCH miniscule details seems to almost take the fun out of daydreaming the hikeThen you shouldn't do it. What's so hard aobut that?
No one is forcing you to plan anything.
Those who plan a lot are those who get a lot of enjoyment from planning a lot.
Worry more about what YOU should be doing to have the fun YOU want to have, and worry less about how other people are planning.
It's a big thing among the anal-retentive to ridicule any hike that doesn't match how THEY think people should hike. Blue blazers mock the purists, purists look down on slackpackers, and slackpackers are okay with slackpacking with a shuttle but go beserk if you mention doing it with a van instead of a shuttle.
As Rudyard Kipling said, "Who gives a flying crap?"
(Actually, Kipling said:
But my Totem saw the shame; from his ridge-pole shrine he came,
And he told me in a vision of the night:
'There are nine and sixty ways of constructing tribal lays,
And every single one of them is right.'
But what he was getting at was, "Who gives a flying crap?"