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slowroller
07-05-2004, 14:20
I have been reading a lot about depression on the AT. Does this seem to be an issue with most hikers at some point along the trail? The trail seems to be 90% mental, 10% physical..

eldwayno
07-05-2004, 14:48
When the Virginia Blues hit... they hit me hard! I was absolutely miserable when I got into Troutville.

MOWGLI
07-05-2004, 15:21
The AT is a microcosm of our larger society. There is certainly a unique sub-culture that forms among the hikers out on the trail. Particularly those out there for a month or longer.

I think if you are predisposed to depression, it'll probably crop up on a long distance hike. Rain for a long period of time, tug of family far away at home, blisters and other physical irritations can all chip away at your psyche.

I tried to remember, that however I was feeling, "this too shall pass". That was true for the real high times and the lower moments too. In other words, it is a VERY dynamic exeerience. Each bend in the trail can bring on a new range of emotions. If you find yourself in a persistant funk, and you're not emerging from it, perhaps it's time to reexamine why you are out on the trail.

One very telling coversation I has was with Carla LaFleur (sic) aka Mother Goose. She was handing out cookies & lemonade at the road crossing near Glenclif, NH in August 2000. Her husband had done a SOBO hike a few years earlier. I was asking her how his hike went. She talked about how difficult it was for him, and how he got lonely. She painted a very good picture of someone who was really challenged by the metal aspect of the hike. I asked her how he characterizes the hike now, a few years after it was complete. She said that he only talks about how "wonderful" the experience was. In other words, time seems to wash away the more difficult aspects of the hike, and the wonderful memories tend to be the ones that we dwell on. For me, I find that to be very true.

Jeffrey Hunter

slowroller
07-05-2004, 19:25
I think if you are predisposed to depression, it'll probably crop up on a long distance hike. Rain for a long period of time, tug of family far away at home, blisters and other physical irritations can all chip away at your psyche.

I think you have hit the nail on the head MOWGLI16.... thanks for the input guys.

Lone Wolf
07-05-2004, 20:08
Do the same thing damn near every day for 5-6 months with little deviation and tons of time to think, and fkn Katahdin always on your mind, one is bound to become depressed. Comes with being goal oriented. Me? I'm a bum thank Christ. :D

celt
07-05-2004, 20:47
I think if you are predisposed to depression, it'll probably crop up on a long distance hike. Depression comes in many forms so I agree with MOWGLI16 but hiking can also be a good anti-depressant. I went through a period of depression on the trail that made me want to give up. It was completely different from the blue-funks I'd been through before and after my thru hike. Thru hiking is definitly a strain psycologically but it was a completely different demon than the one I usually face. Now days when I get blue I go hiking.

A-Train
07-05-2004, 23:10
Fortunately I dealt with little depression on my AT hike, but others have a much tougher time. Even with the rain I was able to stay upbeat the majority of the time.

I found that setting goals was key for me in staying happy and level-headed. Many a hiker will tell you they come out to the woods to escape schedules and timetables and that they don't know where they will end up sleeping. Although this vagabond, Keroacian-notion in a romantic part of long distance hiking, I really found picking a town or food stop every few days to be a good motivator when I was searching for a pick me up. When you break up 2170 miles into 2-5 day "sections" it seems a heck of a lot more obtainable, at least for me.

A source of music (mini disc player) and good friends always seemed to break the funk too.

Bear Magnet
07-06-2004, 09:59
I found that setting goals was key for me in staying happy and level-headed. I really found picking a town or food stop every few days to be a good motivator when I was searching for a pick me up. When you break up 2170 miles into 2-5 day "sections" it seems a heck of a lot more obtainable, at least for me.

Setting little goals can really help you out. I was having a difficult time in Virginia (Look, more trees. Another ridgeline. Whoo Hoo.), and one day I stopped at 3 in the afternoon with the understanding that I would get up early and hike strong to get to the Dutch Haus.

I pulled 21 miles or so to get to the Dutch Haus the next day, and then another 20-21 to get to Rusty's the day after. The accomplishment of setting a small goal, accomplishing it, and getting a "reward" at the end got my motor going and got me out of my funk.

Bear Magnet
Jonathan Amato