View Full Version : Thoughts on giving up
Linesman
01-28-2009, 15:34
I am seriously thinking of thru hiking the trail after I graduate high school. One of my biggest concerns about doing it is the chance of me changing my mind and giving up. Some things that I think will keep me going are the fact that I will have been seriously thinking about doing it for two years and I will have had wanted to do it for three times that (my mom read me A Walk in the Woods when I was around 10). Just that it will have been on my mind for so long I think will make it easier for me to stay on the trail. What other motivations do people have to keep them going in the hard parts? Do all thru hikers think about giving up at one time or another?
4eyedbuzzard
01-28-2009, 15:46
Just start hiking if you want to. If you quit after 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, or go all the way to Katahdin and turn around and yo-yo, in the end you'll have hiked all you wanted to. It isn't a job, it isn't college, it's recreation, a vacation, it's supposed to be fun even while being challenging.
Just go hike until you don't feel like hiking anymore. I'm not saying quit the first time you get down, but if you've been miserable for a week or two and it's not just because you're wet and cold or hot and dry, it's time to go home. Maybe you'll go back, maybe you won't. Just go and start without worrying about "what if I don't finish", because it just isn't that important if you don't.
Basic advice. Do as many trips as you can between now and when you graduate. The longer the better. This will tune you into gear preferences and give you a more realistic view of what you are getting into. At your age, the hard parts are gonna be mental weakness more so than physical. Hiking the AT can be hard but, physically, it's not that hard. The best advice I can give would be to start with the pack, around April 1. A lot of people like to stay away from the herd, but I think having many people around you to share in the experience and that you can learn from would be most beneficial to a younger hiker like yourself. And then, just find the people you enjoy hiking with. Hiking with friends can be a great motivator.
And if after all of that, you wanna quit. Quit. It's won't be the end of the world and besides you will still have gotten some hiking in. Of course, coming from NY, to quit in GA or NC might be a let down, if you get to Damascus or Harpers Ferry and you don't feel like going on, having done those sections is a great thing by itself.
I'd just get out there hike the long weekends (NY is a great place to learn, steep hills but shorter than most) and see if you like being out on that 3rd or 4th day.
Happy Hiking.
My emotions were running high when I wrote this letter. Had only come off the trail a few months before and was missing it terribly. In fall of 1998, was very active in helping prospective new hikers with questions about their own thru-hike in the Spring of ’99. Wrote this letter, posted it on the AT-L mailing list and in turn someone forwarded it to the editor of the Appalachian Trailway News. This letter was published in the March/April 1999 issue.
“The wildest dream is the beginning of reality”–Norman Cousins
Anyone who is a “Class of ‘99” thru-hiker has a dream, a dream to complete a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. By daring to have this dream, you will be creating a reality that involves happiness, frustration, sadness, excitement, anger and joy. It is an experience you will not forget, and one that will have an effect on you long after Springer or Katahdin is reached.
The key to a successful thru-hike is not what boots you wear, how many ounces you shave off your pack, what stove you use, or what brand of socks worn. No, they key to a successful thru-hike the making use of the most important piece of equipment: the gray matter, the ole noggin’, the brain.
A thru-hike is more of a mental challenge than a physical one. After 13 days of rain, do you still have the urge to hike? Can you stomach the umpteenth dinner of Ramen noodles? Are you ready to have your body go through something that will leave it aching for rest, wanting to stop? If you can say yes to that, then you can also see a moose wading in a pond around sunset, hear the shriek of an owl at night, smell pine needles on a sunny day. Enjoy the trip, revel in everything that happens. All these experiences that make an Appalachian Trail thru-hike memorable.
If you are feeling low, ask yourself “What is the alternative?” You could be working in the office again, filing out yet another memo. Instead, you are on the Trail, experiencing nature, in all its raw beauty. Again, it’s an experience that will have an effect on you long after the journey is completed.
If you feel that your journey is complete, and Katahdin or Springer have not been reached, don’t feel that you have failed. There are no real failures on the trail. Daring to dream is a rarity in itself. Daring to live out your dream is something that many people are afraid to do. If you do not reach Katahdin or Springer, you will still have an experience that most people would not even bother to dream about. It does not take a thru-hike to learn the lessons of the trail. The lessons come from trying, and your Katahdin might come at Harpers Ferry, Damascus, or earlier. If you know in your heart that you have pushed yourself to your physical, mental and emotional limit, then you have done more than most people have even attempted.
The Appalachian Trail is a special experience. Hard to describe unless you have attempted it. No matter how little or how much time you take to hike the trail, it will be over before you know it. It will never be far from your thoughts. In between Springer and Katahdin are some wonderful memories; savor every one of them.
Your mom read you "A Walk in the Woods" when you were just 10??????
I hope you remembered all the GOOD words................ :D:p
Seriously, don't worry yourself at your age about what you will accomplish and what you will not. Quitting a hike (even a thruhike) is no big deal. You'll have plenty of time to cross that bridge when you get to it. Meanwhile, enjoy life!
Linesman, the 3 preceeding postings form 4eyedbuzzard, Yahtzee and Mags says it all about hiking the AT. Everyone thinks about quiting some time before they finish. Using myself as an example, last year I hiked from Springer to Maine hwy 26, about 88% of the trail....then quit and came home.
I simply got tired of hiking. Wanted to go home and do something else. Wanted to return to my normal life. That's no crime, no sin or betrayal of the trail. I don't feel like a failure, nothing of the sort. I could have finished but my priorities had changed. All the hard stuff was behind me. The last remaining 12% was just more slogging thru the rain and mud, something I had been doing for the last 3 weeks.
To quote my wife, "go as far as you can go, then come home".
The good part is that I get to return this summer, totally rested, to finish my hike. I think I will enjoy it more now. In fact I know I will.
Happy hiking. :sun
I wouldn't worry about quitting just yet. The 1st things you have to do are get your gear together, save enough to finish and get to the trail.
Lone Wolf
01-28-2009, 16:37
Most everyone loves to eat pizza. Most everyone doesn't want to eat it every day for 5 or 6 months
Linesman
01-28-2009, 17:18
I recently reread it and I think my mom must have edited out some of the more colorful language.
Thanks for the replies, I guess the lesson to keep in mind is don't be afraid to try. I wouldn't want to take a year off before college and waste it but then again attempting a thru hike wouldn't really be wasting it under any circumstances.
Many Walks
01-28-2009, 17:41
You get it! The trail is a lot like life, a wonderful journey with really great times and some not so great. The important thing to remember is no matter how beat up, wet and tired you get along the way there is always something pretty cool just up around the bend. It all depends on your attitude and how you deal with it to make the most of this opportunity. If you have the urge, give it a try. You'll learn a lot along the way, but most of all have fun doing it. Best wishes on your hike.
RockStar
01-28-2009, 18:45
I wanna quit hiking the A.T. right now and I'm on a couch in Denver, Colorado drinking an overpriced highly caffienated beverage. Which means I'm ready to hike some more of the A.T..
Usually when I start thinking about giving up, I have just started. When I DO GIVE IN, it's usually because I was ignoring my body and did too much too fast and am HURT. I go home, kick myself and a Dr. tells me I am banged up and ask's why I didn't stop sooner?
Well, because I'm crazy. :D
The Will
01-28-2009, 19:33
Just be fair to the experience. If things are going bad on many levels and you are considering quitting, rather than saying, "I'll give this just one more day", give it another ten days. Be fair to the experience.
Be fair to yourself. During my hike I encountered people who were succeeding in hiking from Georgia to Maine but were completely failing at having an enjoyable time. If it's not working for you don't force it. Give the experience a legitimate chance, than be fair to yourself.
If you really know that is what you want to do AND have some 100+ miles under your belt first, it is better to try than question yourself later in life.
Blissful
01-28-2009, 20:16
Not sure there wasn't a thru hiker out there who didn't want to at least stop and go home. :) It passes through your mind, but it helps to have support people who believe in what you are doing as well as self motivation to keep going, no matter what. And having a dream to accomplish this goal helps too.
But on the other hand my 16 yr old had no real plan or dream to do it and yet he did anyway (guess I may have helped him in that area).
TrippinBTM
01-28-2009, 20:22
The trick is to not look at it all at once. This applies to whatever you're doing, flipping hamburgers even. If you think about all the hamburgers you'll have to flip in the next year of work, you'll freakin' lose it, man. Just focus on the burger you're working on now. Be right there with it. That way it's the only one you ever have to grill.
Hiking's the same way. Sure, there's nothing forcing you to do it. But if you want to complete your goal of a thru, you can't look at it as a thru. Just take the step you're taking. One day at a time. Don't even think about Katahdin.
Plus, I heard a great plan on the trail last year, from Cannibal. He said he'd quit if he felt like quitting seven days in a row. I took that as my own rule, and though I got close once, it never got that far. Because hiking is like life: there's good times, and bad times. The trail taught me patience; those bad times usually didn't last more than an hour or so, if I didn't let myself obcess over them and drag them out longer. You learn to just let things flow, and wait for them to turn up again.
But to quit because you have a couple bad days is a little like committing suicide because you had a bad month. Sure, it sucks for that month, but if you don't cling to the bad experiences in your mind, they tend to turn around. (Ok, super-extreme example, but I'm making a point here). The discipline of it all is to let go of the bad times when they're done; keep your spirit strong, it will not only keep you going, but will keep you enjoying it.
By the way, go thank your mother for reading to you as a kid. My dad did that with me, I especially remember he read the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy to me. It's a good thing.
TrippinBTM
01-28-2009, 20:25
*I will admit, the bad times sometimes lasted a couple days, mainly due to rainy weather. Notice I didn't say "bad" weather; for the problem wasn't the weather, it was that I couldn't just go with it; I fought it and thus had some pretty miserable days. Even after 1500 miles, it can be hard to learn to live with discomfort. But you can do it.
SGT Rock
01-28-2009, 20:54
Yep, you think about it. Interestingly enough to me it wasn't during the bad weather or anything like that. One day I just sort of got tired of walking every day and started thinking about family and stuff. I hiked through it and was glad I didn't quit that day.
Then there is the chance you will end up like I did later, having to get off when you didn't wan to. On the whole I would say that giving up on it when you feel like giving up is probably better than having to get off when you don't want to. I guess what I am saying is that if you decide to quit, give it a few days before you do. If you do decide not to hike anymore then it is better to get off the trail because you want to than to force yourself to finish something because you feel you have to. Seems a few multi-thru hike folks on here didn't finish their first either.
Most everyone loves to eat pizza. Most everyone doesn't want to eat it every day for 5 or 6 months
I must be different. :D
I don't like hiking for only a few days. I need to be out there months and have always regretted when the hike is over.
Lone Wolf
01-28-2009, 21:50
I must be different. :D
I don't like hiking for only a few days. I need to be out there months and have always regretted when the hike is over.
you've had more free time in last few years and you ain't done much walkin'.
Lone Wolf
01-28-2009, 22:00
every day. you?
Some walk 5 times and never finish?
Nearly Normal
01-29-2009, 02:20
Some walk 5 times and never finish?
That sounds great!
I hope I never get finished.
By the way,
Bad cheap shot if that was your intention.
stranger
01-29-2009, 02:53
Here's my two cents:
If you do not attempt a thru-hike because you are afraid of not completing it then you have failed, without a doubt, absolutely
If you head to Springer and start walking north then you are a success with that first step, without a doubt, absolutely.
Having thoughts of quitting and you haven't started? No need to start a thru until you get your mind right:-?
jersey joe
01-29-2009, 09:34
All through hikers do not think about giving up at one time or another. If you really want to complete your thru hike, make the commitment and follow through, no matter how hard it gets.
Chenango
01-29-2009, 11:32
My emotions were running high when I wrote this letter. Had only come off the trail a few months before and was missing it terribly. In fall of 1998, was very active in helping prospective new hikers with questions about their own thru-hike in the Spring of ’99. Wrote this letter, posted it on the AT-L mailing list and in turn someone forwarded it to the editor of the Appalachian Trailway News. This letter was published in the March/April 1999 issue.
“The wildest dream is the beginning of reality”–Norman Cousins
Anyone who is a “Class of ‘99” thru-hiker has a dream, a dream to complete a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. By daring to have this dream, you will be creating a reality that involves happiness, frustration, sadness, excitement, anger and joy. It is an experience you will not forget, and one that will have an effect on you long after Springer or Katahdin is reached.
The key to a successful thru-hike is not what boots you wear, how many ounces you shave off your pack, what stove you use, or what brand of socks worn. No, they key to a successful thru-hike the making use of the most important piece of equipment: the gray matter, the ole noggin’, the brain.
A thru-hike is more of a mental challenge than a physical one. After 13 days of rain, do you still have the urge to hike? Can you stomach the umpteenth dinner of Ramen noodles? Are you ready to have your body go through something that will leave it aching for rest, wanting to stop? If you can say yes to that, then you can also see a moose wading in a pond around sunset, hear the shriek of an owl at night, smell pine needles on a sunny day. Enjoy the trip, revel in everything that happens. All these experiences that make an Appalachian Trail thru-hike memorable.
If you are feeling low, ask yourself “What is the alternative?” You could be working in the office again, filing out yet another memo. Instead, you are on the Trail, experiencing nature, in all its raw beauty. Again, it’s an experience that will have an effect on you long after the journey is completed.
If you feel that your journey is complete, and Katahdin or Springer have not been reached, don’t feel that you have failed. There are no real failures on the trail. Daring to dream is a rarity in itself. Daring to live out your dream is something that many people are afraid to do. If you do not reach Katahdin or Springer, you will still have an experience that most people would not even bother to dream about. It does not take a thru-hike to learn the lessons of the trail. The lessons come from trying, and your Katahdin might come at Harpers Ferry, Damascus, or earlier. If you know in your heart that you have pushed yourself to your physical, mental and emotional limit, then you have done more than most people have even attempted.
The Appalachian Trail is a special experience. Hard to describe unless you have attempted it. No matter how little or how much time you take to hike the trail, it will be over before you know it. It will never be far from your thoughts. In between Springer and Katahdin are some wonderful memories; savor every one of them.
Nice Mags. This is very encouraging.
Nearly Normal
01-29-2009, 11:58
Hike until you get want to stop.
Repeat...
superman
01-29-2009, 12:57
"If thru-hiking isn't the most important thing in your life at the time
you are doing it, then stop doing it and go do what is." --Wingfoot
Early in my AT hike there was a guy about my age who was a great hiker. He knew all the flora and fauna. He could name the mountains and up coming intersecting trail. he had all the things that you would think would make hiking the AT easy for him. However all he talked about was what his family was doing back home. He'd click off their schedules and the things that were coming up in their lives. One day I said to him "Y'know you don't have to do this. You can be at home doing the things you want to do." It was like it hadn't occurred to him. He was out of there like rocket man. He could have hiked the AT but it just wasn't where he wanted to be.
Linesman
01-29-2009, 14:25
Having thoughts of quitting and you haven't started? No need to start a thru until you get your mind right:-?
I would say I'm just delicately aware of the fact that 3/4 people quit.
"delicately aware"? Has your mom been editing your posts again?
On my first thru, I never thought of quitting. On my second, I thought about it often and finally did in CT. Take it as it comes.
Lone Wolf
01-29-2009, 14:33
i quit my first 2 years in a row in N.H. no biggie. was sick of hikin'. katahdin is just a mountain
I would say I'm just delicately aware of the fact that 3/4 people quit.
You're not off to a good start. 1st you have to get on the trail before you can think about quitting.
bigmac_in
01-29-2009, 14:40
I was going to post this - "'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all." as something of an answer, but thought it over.
Instead I'll say this - if you quit at some point on a thru hike, it's not really a failure. (IMHO)
You went out and walked. You stopped. Go back and start again when you're ready. Lots of people do the same thing every day. No biggie.
Outdoor activity, like hiking or fishing or camping, is perhaps the best way in the world to contemplate and figure out what you really want to be doing, or what you should be doing, or might be able to do, or whatever. When I am stuck at home or at work I mostly want to get outdoors, preferably well outdoors and for 3-5 days or more, but even a short walk is better than nothing. When I finally get around to it I am almost always glad I did, except for the separation from family, and responsibilities. I have never made the time yet for a really long hike. Perhaps someday. Mostly now I am just integrating outdoor activities into daily living as much as I can, and trying to make it as much of a healthy part of my families life as I can also. When I was younger I did a 6 month competitive sailing campaign where the fitness and practicing between competitions got to be a bit of a grind. I probably slacked off more than I should have, but I worked at it harder than most. A thru-hike would be different though because it isn't really a competition, though it could be, it doesn't have to be. The sailing didn't have to be competitive either. I thought about that. Towards the end I though I might prefer solo adventure sailing rather than organized structured competive sailing. Part of the reason I took up hiking and paddling. Its more man against nature, or perhaps just man amongst nature. It's nice work if you can get it. Cheers.
superman
01-29-2009, 14:53
On the other hand, you can just stick with the idea of thru hiking. You can call it "pre-quitting." You can save yourself all that bother of getting gear, going to Spinger then pick a reason to quit. You can just stay at home and chat about hiking. A lot of people do that. :-?
"If thru-hiking isn't the most important thing in your life at the time
you are doing it, then stop doing it and go do what is." --Wingfoot
Early in my AT hike there was a guy about my age who was a great hiker. He knew all the flora and fauna. He could name the mountains and up coming intersecting trail. he had all the things that you would think would make hiking the AT easy for him. However all he talked about was what his family was doing back home. He'd click off their schedules and the things that were coming up in their lives. One day I said to him "Y'know you don't have to do this. You can be at home doing the things you want to do." It was like it hadn't occurred to him. He was out of there like rocket man. He could have hiked the AT but it just wasn't where he wanted to be.
That's exactly why I left the trail. I thought of the upcoming bow hunting season which I had't missed in 38 years. Along about the 1st of August I got to thinking: If I get an opportunity to take a big 8 or 10 point buck this fall and I miss the shot because I am unprepared, the let down that I will feel will be far greater and last longer than the lift I will get from finishing this hike. So, when I reached the point of the trail where I wanted to be, I quit, came home and immediately started bow practicing. As it turned out, it was the right decision for me. I hiked from GA to ME and got a 10 point, and an 8 point with the bow and arrow in the same year. Not a bad year for accomplishing goals. Very happy with my decision.
So, hike your own hike and make your decisions based on what is right for you. What everyone else thinks is simply not important.
Frick Frack
01-29-2009, 15:10
We never thought of quitting on our MEGA but surely hated hiking more than once. We looked at it as a series of section hikes; 1st get through 100 Mile Wilderness, 2nd get to Stratton for my 39th, 3rd get to the NH border, then the Whites, then Hanover, etc, etc. All the sudden we were in VA, back in the South, and then we were crossing Bly Gap into GA. The 1st half went by slow & the 2nd half flew by. Only injury, or trouble off the trail, would have caused us to quit and we were blessed neither happened. The end will seem so far away at first & it is hard to comprehend so just focus on small goals that will get you there and knock them out one by one. Before you know it you will be invincible!
And by the way, plenty of hikers we met on the way had never spent a night in the woods before they started & had not equipped themselves with cute little trail runners, alcohol stoves, paper thin tarps, etc. & most of them finished. Read Skywalker's book Close Encounters of the Appalachian Trail...it is awesome (and hilarious) and shows how someone unfamiliar with the woods finishes a 2175 mile hike by adapting to it along the way even with bears out there.......;)
Now if you do quit along the way just remember you accomplished more than most people do and at least you tried. No biggie. I got so sick of hearing people we met on the way saying "gosh, I wish I could do that...", well they could if they really wanted to...
On the other hand, you can just stick with the idea of thru hiking. You can call it "pre-quitting." You can save yourself all that bother of getting gear, going to Spinger then pick a reason to quit. You can just stay at home and chat about hiking. A lot of people do that. :-?The hiking up here isn't that bad really.
I am seriously thinking of thru hiking the trail after I graduate high school. One of my biggest concerns about doing it is the chance of me changing my mind and giving up. Some things that I think will keep me going are the fact that I will have been seriously thinking about doing it for two years and I will have had wanted to do it for three times that (my mom read me A Walk in the Woods when I was around 10). Just that it will have been on my mind for so long I think will make it easier for me to stay on the trail. What other motivations do people have to keep them going in the hard parts? Do all thru hikers think about giving up at one time or another?
I hiked when I was 19. Don't worry, I had those exact same fears about quitting and not liking hiking. Well, it never really happened. Go out and give it a shot. Worst thing that happens is you had a learning experience and come home. Totally legitimate questions to be having. Sorry people forgot what it was like to be 16 and a bit anxious about a big endevor. Do a shorter hike first, do your HW and you should have little to worry about.
That sounds great!
I hope I never get finished.
By the way,
Bad cheap shot if that was your intention.
No cheap shot,they flat out QUIT.
Quitting the AT ain't like giving up on your family. It's just a trail.
superman
01-29-2009, 19:31
Quitting the AT ain't like giving up on your family. It's just a trail.
It depends on the family. My family is funny looking and they say stupid stuff. I never liked 'em anyways. Families are over rated. Hiking is my life.:D
I understand family comes first for sure,but to quit and have to live with that inside must be hard.
Lone Wolf
01-29-2009, 19:38
I understand family comes first for sure,but to quit and have to live with that inside must be hard.
not at all. only if you're OCD :D:banana
I understand family comes first for sure,but to quit and have to live with that inside must be hard.
Quitting a mile walk would be hard. Quitting one of the hardest endurance tests that few pass is simple. Most do quit and they shouldn't feel bad about it, at least they gave it a shot.
Quitting a mile walk would be hard. Quitting one of the hardest endurance tests that few pass is simple. Most do quit and they shouldn't feel bad about it, at least they gave it a shot.
Good point.:)Some make it and some fall short for some reason.
Quitting a mile walk would be hard. Quitting one of the hardest endurance tests that few pass is simple. Most do quit and they shouldn't feel bad about it, at least they gave it a shot.
I don't think it's that big of an endurance test, unless you try to do it in record time. I planted 54,000 trees by hand in the winters of 98 and 99. I sweated profusely in 25 degree weather for hours at a time. As a test of endurance that was much harder than hiking the AT. If if was hard, Grandma Gatewood couldn't have done it. I don't think she was an athlete.
It's not really quitting- quitting is an ugly word - how about you just change your mind and decide not to hike anymore :)
I hope you work through this conundrum!
I don't think it's that big of an endurance test, unless you try to do it in record time. I planted 54,000 trees by hand in the winters of 98 and 99. I sweated profusely in 25 degree weather for hours at a time. As a test of endurance that was much harder than hiking the AT. If if was hard, Grandma Gatewood couldn't have done it. I don't think she was an athlete.
5,000,000 steps is and endurance test, some folks body can take it easily, others can't ...and the AT thru-hike ain't just a physical test...
5,000,000 steps is and endurance test, some folks body can take it easily, others can't ...and the AT thru-hike ain't just a physical test...
Maybe some quit,due to not being head strong on the 1st or 10th try?
Feral Bill
01-29-2009, 21:18
Are you in the city? An hour or two on the bus or train will get you to the trail. Do short sections, roam around Harriman SP on weekends, get up to the Catskills if you can. Do a hard trip or two. If you know you can do it you will be less likely to quit.
stranger
01-29-2009, 21:19
I think whether or not someone finishes a thru-hike is not nearly as relevant as the experience along the way. I've never finished the whole trail in one attempt but I've had heaps of great times along the way, it's those times that keep bringing me back to the trail.
Of course, if thru-hiking is a box to tick off, then finishing is very relevant.
Montana Mac
01-29-2009, 21:19
Never quit in the rain - never quit when in pain - if you are going to quit do it on a sunny day when everything is going fine. That way you will know at the time it is the right thing to do.
There is only one person you have to answer to and that is the one you see in the mirror.
Jim Adams
01-29-2009, 21:23
Just go have fun.
When it stops being fun you will make the correct decision for you. You may push on and go thru several "down" times and still make it to Katahdin or you may just quit right then...no problem as long as it is your decision...it is just the end, whether you are at Katahdin or Gooch Gap.
geek
Your right,it's just walkin.Have fun till you want to quit.:D
peeps are too focused on two points on a map - springer and katahdin. that ain't the point at all: "it's not the destination, it's the journey"*
*read it on the back of a short bus
But if you start something ,even in life,you should finish.:-?
SGT Rock
01-29-2009, 22:48
Not always sure on that. If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
Frick Frack
01-29-2009, 22:49
Never quit in the rain - never quit when in pain - if you are going to quit do it on a sunny day when everything is going fine. That way you will know at the time it is the right thing to do.
There is only one person you have to answer to and that is the one you see in the mirror.
That is excellent! Perfectly said.
You have some stunning pics on WB too
But if you start something ,even in life,you should finish.:-?
I absolutely agree but your statement is subjective. If what a person starts has important consequences then it should be completed. Too many people these days take the easy way out, eg. marriage. When the flame flickers a time or two, they split. All of us have started things only to find out it's not our cup of tea. Closets and garages are full of sporting equipment people purchased because someone made it sound so good that they just knew it would be fun. Then when they tried it a few times they didn't like it and the result is a lot of lightly used equipment and wasted money. This is especially true of young people between ages 16 and 30. It's an age of experimentation. When I was that age I thought I wanted to duck hunt, so I went out and bought several hundred dollars worth of equipment, guns, calls, waders, and insulated this or that. What I found out is that I do not like staying out all day in a boat and not seeing much to shoot at, and usually getting wet and cold. So I quit duck hunting. No foul. That's the way people are.
Quiting a thru-hike is no different. If everyone who tried hiking stayed with it, there wouldn't be trails enough to hold em.
The best advice regarding when to start (and when to quit) a thru hike, probably comes from FORREST GUMP:
"That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run....So I ran to the end of the road, and when I got there, I thought maybe I would run to the end of town....And, when I got there, I thought maybe I would just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I'd run this far, maybe I'd just run across the Great State of Alabama. And, that's what I did, I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason, I just kept on running clear to the ocean. And, when I got there, I figured since I'd gone this far, I might as well turn around and just keep on going.....When I got tired, I slept. When I got hungry, I ate. When I had to go, I --you know--went."
Forrest kept running back and forth across the U.S. several times.
"My Momma always said, 'You got to put the past behind you before you can move on.' And, I think that is what my running was all about. I had run for three years, two months, fourteen days, and sixteen hours.'"
Forrest then suddenly stopped running and said:
"I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now."
"And, just like that, my running days was over. So, I went home to Alabama".
This all sounds like excellent advice for how to do a thru hike--and a great way to tell when to quit.
When you have finally put the past behind you--when you are tired of hiking and are ready to move on with your life--GO HOME!
Lone Wolf
01-30-2009, 04:36
But if you start something ,even in life,you should finish.:-?
uh, no. :rolleyes:
neighbor dave
01-30-2009, 07:34
:-?focus on the tree and you'll hit it.:-?
But if you start something ,even in life,you should finish.:-?Is there any other time to start something? :-?
It is our nature to be schizophrenic, within reason. ;)
What I found out is that I do not like staying out all day in a boat and not seeing much to shoot at, and usually getting wet and cold. So I quit duck hunting. No foul. That's the way people are.
Quiting a thru-hike is no different. If everyone who tried hiking stayed with it, there wouldn't be trails enough to hold em.
Technically, "no fowl" would be more apt.
Is there any other time to start something? :-?
It is our nature to be schizophrenic, within reason. ;)
If you have time in the game and Quit...well.:-?
I am seriously thinking of thru hiking the trail after I graduate high school. One of my biggest concerns about doing it is the chance of me changing my mind and giving up. Some things that I think will keep me going are the fact that I will have been seriously thinking about doing it for two years and I will have had wanted to do it for three times that (my mom read me A Walk in the Woods when I was around 10). Just that it will have been on my mind for so long I think will make it easier for me to stay on the trail. What other motivations do people have to keep them going in the hard parts? Do all thru hikers think about giving up at one time or another?
The knowledge that the best part of the trail far and away comes at the end with NH and ME. If you get to a point of total despair and exhaustion with no motivation left, then check into a motel at first opportunity. Shower, eat hearty and sleep solid. It is really worth it. you will be renewed. Finally, try to look at the positive aspects of your situation. At least you are in the woods and mountains and away from the daily trials and tribulations of cities and daily American life.
David
Is there any other time to start something? :-?
It is our nature to be schizophrenic, within reason. ;)
Yes,going lite ...more would step on the big K.But you have the old time ,i dont need that.... BUT QUIT.:D
Never quit in the rain - never quit when in pain - if you are going to quit do it on a sunny day when everything is going fine. That way you will know at the time it is the right thing to do.
There is only one person you have to answer to and that is the one you see in the mirror.
"I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways..."
SHAMONE!
seriously though, a new friend told me "live life like a lion or live life like a lamb."
That's not to say if you don't do the AT you are a lamb (I'm starting my first attempt at a thru in 5 weeks).
If this is something that you have always wanted to do then you owe it to yourself to try. Because if you don't, you'll always regret it. Be a lion...there's no shame in trying...
"gonna be iron, like a lion, in zion..."...must sleep now.
Lone Scout
02-03-2009, 02:10
Never give up. If things aren't working out, try again another day.
jersey joe
02-03-2009, 10:35
But if you start something ,even in life,you should finish.:-?
Some of the most rewarding experiences are those where you wanted to quit but pushed on and achieved a goal.
Alligator
02-03-2009, 10:40
Slugfest is over.