View Full Version : Newby needs encouragement
Both me and my wife are new to this as we just moved to the mountains several years ago. We have done day hikes of most of Tenn. We average about 10 miles, that is our limit. We bought all our equipment, have read all I can and now we are ready to hike from Springer to Fontana Dam. Sounds good right? But we have never had the tent up, never sleept outside, cooked, or been on any trail over night. We have been trying to get up the nerve for years to just do an overnighter,,but we are just to scared. ! I think its the darkness, animals, or just the unknown. We have been to campgrounds and that's fine beacuse there are others there, lights, water, food, etc..We really want to get over this fear and just do it, our goal is to section hike the whole trail. Any advise for the city folks to get over this fear? I thought if we went with an experienced hiker we would feel safer.:-? I know all this sounds silly, but all I think about is hiking, but just can't take that first step.
mweinstone
02-24-2010, 08:46
same. wow. me too. i did that. been their. was scared of the dark and animals. remember that you are king of the jungle. even an infant is. all animals fear us with a fear you cannot know. charge any angry bear you like so to say.and dark is just day with the lights off. it sounds creepy cause you cant identifi all the sounds. just relize that noise never hurt anyone. and you never heard the night noises so dont act scared cause you cant be scared of what you dont know . unless you generate your own fear. witch is weak and easily overcome by centering your thaughts on your power and streangths . furthermore, an overnighter with an easily prepared meal and a short walk is childs play and both of you have allready made it into much more simply by putting it off. i would suggest that a simple planned trip will be of no use to you. after this much stalling, you should add the extra idea of not planning. get in the car and go tonite, unplanned. forget a few critical things and learn your lessons. you plan way way way too much.
act, dont react. you want very much to be at home in the wild places and to enjoy the comradery of matthewski. repeat each quarter hour after sunset.
Why don't you start with an overnight in the backyard..that will at least let you start with basics (tent set-up, cooking a meal, etc.) with the security of being in known territory. I wouldn't want to try to do this AND confront the issues you mentioned but that is just my opinion. But once you feel comfortable with the basics, there is only one way to deal with the fear and that is to go. You can overcome that if you want too. At least to the point it will not make you uncomfortable. I respect your candor about this issue...I was fortunate enough to get started as a boy when it didn't occur to me to be afraid of the woods.
oso loco
02-24-2010, 09:52
I agree about having a trial run in the backyard first. Then maybe try a campground. Get comfortable with your gear. Then go on a short backpack.
When I started backpacking, I went alone. I was lucky that my first couple of trips happened to be on nights of a full moon. When I heard noises in the night, I was able to look around to see what was happening (skunk investigating my cook pot). The bright light made me feel fairly safe. It did keep me awake the first night or two, somewhat, but I was okay with that. By the second or third trip, I slept like a baby.
With a little experience, you learn how little there really is to fear. I feel safe in the woods now, completely at home. It took a few days to get there though.
oso loco
02-24-2010, 09:53
Sorry - that last post was Spirit Walker's. Forgot to sign Jim out.
Backyard is a good idea.
Maybe tag a long with a more experience person or couple too.
There may be some local hiking groups doing overnighters that would surely be welcoming as well.
Since you're close, you might want to trek up to Damascus and pack along the Creeper Trail north in say late March or April before bicycle season starts, and camp right along the trail which parallels the AT.
It has less a feeling of remoteness and might make a good intro to wilder places.
JustaTouron
02-24-2010, 10:19
I would echo the idea of start with backyard and then a car camping trip but add one thing. Add in a day hike or two with all your gear (or equivalent weight) Hiking 10 miles with 7 lbs of gear on your back is different than hiking with 30 -50 lbs.
Why I say equivalent weight is you might want to try the day hike without the gear but with sand or water to replicated the weight that way if it turns out to be too much you can dump it. Abandoning a tent is both expensive and littering. Abandoning a gallon of water leaves a harmless puddle and doesn't cost anything)
You might want to combo the two.....Take a day hike, car camp over night, take another day hike. Gives you the safety that if the stove doesn't work or you can't figure out the tent you can go home or a motel but simulates the backpacking experience.
Once you feel comfortable that you can both camp and hike with backpacking weight...venture a bit further.
same. wow. me too. i did that. been their. was scared of the dark and animals. remember that you are king of the jungle. even an infant is. all animals fear us with a fear you cannot know. charge any angry bear you like so to say.and dark is just day with the lights off. it sounds creepy cause you cant identifi all the sounds. just relize that noise never hurt anyone. and you never heard the night noises so dont act scared cause you cant be scared of what you dont know . unless you generate your own fear. witch is weak and easily overcome by centering your thaughts on your power and streangths . furthermore, an overnighter with an easily prepared meal and a short walk is childs play and both of you have allready made it into much more simply by putting it off. i would suggest that a simple planned trip will be of no use to you. after this much stalling, you should add the extra idea of not planning. get in the car and go tonite, unplanned. forget a few critical things and learn your lessons. you plan way way way too much.
act, dont react. you want very much to be at home in the wild places and to enjoy the comradery of matthewski. repeat each quarter hour after sunset.
To summarize, the only thing to fear is fear itself. He's right, just go, don't plan to go. Take the first step and the rest will follow. You will no doubt learn some stuff along the way you probably wish you knew going in, but the truth is that you will have fun in the process of learning AND doing.
Let's see, here in civilization I've been assaulted by perverts, hit by cars, annoyed by crazy people, have skunks in the back yard, been identity thieved, have to go to work and deal with sociopaths in the workplace, been bitten by dogs, etc.
Out in the wilderness it's been peaceful and calm, almost everyone is so nice, no cars, no money is needed, the animals are all so afraid of me that after a while I start to take it personally, the air is clean, the surroundings are beautiful and I feel fresh, restored and at home.
Do set up your stuff in the back yard and make some meals with your stove. Test everything. You want to know how it works before you go out, and the practice will make you want to to out there all the more. I even tested out a tent I got halfway through my big hike last summer because I didn't want to be out in the mosquitoes trying to figure it out. Tested it out on the lawn at the lake resort I was staying at. One time I was with some people and we tested setting up our gear on the lawn at the hospital in Palm Springs! That was a hoot.
Once you get ready, try and find a river or stream that makes white noise. That will put you right to sleep.
Blissful
02-24-2010, 10:30
I'd do a weekend trip first to get out the kinks = see how your gear works, get used to the great outdoors, before you try a long distance hike (of which the hike you are planning is a rather tough part of the AT, imo). If I were you, I might try another section, like Shenandoah.
I too will suggest a sleepout in your yard, if you have a yard.. But also, you say you've been doing day hikes.. Well, start carrying your stove with you on day hikes and cook a few meals on your day hikes, to learn what you need and what you don't.. Fine tune your kitchen set up on these day hikes, and learn what you like to eat and what you don't with simple just add hot water meals.
Now for the sleeping outdoors part.. There is no secret to it, other than controlling your imagination.. I too was lucky to be introduced to the outdoors as a young boy so never really developed any real fear of sleeping outside. You'll hear lots of noises when your laying still in your sleeping bag, and your mind will play lots of tricks on you if you let it.. Just try to remind yourself that humans began our existance living outdoors and we thrived... And even today millions and millions of humans escape to the wilds for recreation and rarely, very very rarely do they have problems.. Start small and build your comfort level.. Come April there will be loads of traffic on the AT so you could do a one or two night trip planning to camp near shelters where there will be others around to learn from and give you a feeling of not being alone.. Which in reality you rarely are really alone, especially on the AT..
Good luck and happy trails!
Interesting thread. Please bear in mind that you're in your 50's and as such, are an adult. You're not going to be hacked to bits by Jason, eaten by cannibals or sacrificed to a volcano. Put on your big boy pants and go hike for goodness sake. :rolleyes::D
garlic08
02-24-2010, 10:43
It sounds like you're fine with car camping and the gear set-up, but the solitude of the woods is the issue.
Camping with an experienced hiker would be ideal, but maybe hard to schedule. If it were easy, I'm sure you would have done that already.
I can think of one or two county or state parks around my house that allow backcountry camping. Anything like that near you? You could get away from people and out of your comfort zone, with the ability to easily bail out for ease of mind. Bring a light strong enough and with enough battery power to allow a hike out at night, or wait for a full moon.
I can almost guarantee that you'll face your fears successfully, and after your section hike you'll be spoiled and will not like camping in campgrounds again.
Nearly everyone goes through this in some form, I'll bet. For me, it was winter camping--I was afraid of it and had to gradually move up to backcountry camps with a succession of backyard and car camping tryouts.
DawnTreader
02-24-2010, 10:50
Can't overstress others input on sleeping in the yard.. Most of my backpacking blunders have taken place 10 steps from my backdoor.. I once almost set fire to my mothers wooden swing... better her swing then a shelter in the middle of the woods!
JustaTouron
02-24-2010, 10:54
Interesting thread. Please bear in mind that you're in your 50's and as such, are an adult. You're not going to be hacked to bits by Jason, eaten by cannibals or sacrificed to a volcano. Put on your big boy pants and go hike for goodness sake. :rolleyes::D
I doubt their concerns have anything to do with Jason, cannibals or volcanoes...but more to do with bears, rattlesnakes and hypothermia.
Go out on a weekend on the AT, there will be plenty of people. The only way to get over the fear is to go out and do it.
bigcranky
02-24-2010, 11:09
If you can camp happily in a car campground, then the next step is to camp away from the car, but not too far away.
My thought would be to drive up to Shady Valley on TN 91, and park at the trailhead where the AT crosses over to Osborne Farm. Hike north on the AT for a few miles to the Double Springs Shelter and spend the night there. You have water and a decent tentsite just up the hill from the shelter. You're only a few miles from the car, and it's relatively level hiking.
There are probably a dozen other places near you where you could do the same thing. Heck if you want a back yard, go up to Kincora Hostel on Dennis Cove Road and ask Bob Peoples if you can camp in his yard. That'll be close to the trail, and more "out there" than your own back yard.
Once you've done this the first time, the rest is easy.
berkshirebirder
02-24-2010, 11:24
we have never had the tent up --rrsmith
At the very least, I think you should set up the tent a few times at home or in a park so that you can do it easily when you do that first overnight. And you will do that first overnight. Big Cranky's idea of camping near a hostel might be just the thing to make it happen.
WalkingStick75
02-24-2010, 11:36
Lots of positive notes here, they are all saying start slow and "just do it". My question is why does anyone have to tell a 53 year old man (or women) .... anything? Advise questions on gear, locations to hike, hiking clubs in the area to take some overnight trips with others all reasonable. But, if you are so scared of the boogie man in the woods best to stay at home.
CrumbSnatcher
02-24-2010, 12:03
do your springer to fontana section in late march and you will have plenty of company every night(THRUHIKERS). some seek solitude, some stay at every shelter for strength in numbers and or good(hopefully)company. 14-19 day are the avg. time taken for this section. you can play with all your gear on the trail just make sure you're very efficent with the tent so you have no trouble pitching the tent at night
WELCOME TO WB and HAVE A GREAT HIKE!
garlic08
02-24-2010, 12:16
do your springer to fontana section in late march and you will have plenty of company every night(THRUHIKERS). some seek solitude, some stay at every shelter for strength in numbers and or good(hopefully)company. 14-19 day are the avg. time taken for this section. you can play with all your gear on the trail just make sure you're very efficent with the tent so you have no trouble pitching the tent at night
WELCOME TO WB and HAVE A GREAT HIKE!
Ditto all this, too. If you hike the AT in "season", solitude will be a little hard to come by, and the shelters will be a microcosm of humanity!
climber2377
02-24-2010, 12:28
i didnt read all the posts, but i figured i could put my 2 cents in none the less. first i d set up my tent in the back yard and camp out in the yard, using my gear and trying it all out. cooking with my camping stove and the whole nine. then i d do a hike that ends at a campground or a shelter that is near a road with one car at the drop off and the other at the pick up. so you can choose to hike to either car on the second day. and if there is a reason to get out early, you can hike to the close car, but i ll bet that you wont need it. the outdoors are fantastic! have a great time.
Many Walks
02-24-2010, 12:51
Monsters live under your bed at home, but there's no room for them under your tent. You'll be safe in the woods.
I doubt their concerns have anything to do with Jason, cannibals or volcanoes...but more to do with bears, rattlesnakes and hypothermia.
Ah, I was wondering when the humorless would arrive. Thanks for getting here so fast and not disappointing. :rolleyes:
JustaTouron
02-24-2010, 13:01
Ah, I was wondering when the humorless would arrive. Thanks for getting here so fast and not disappointing. :rolleyes:
Humor works better when it is actually funny. What your "joke" lacked was humor, might want to try adding some humor to your jokes next time.
Just say'in.
rambunny
02-24-2010, 13:10
Do or not do. Good luck to you. Soon your equipment will be like your arm and a deer snorting around your tent will be music.
.......if you are so scared of the boogie man in the woods best to stay at home.Agreed. That was the point I was trying to make in the first place.
Humor works better when it is actually funny. What your "joke" lacked was humor, might want to try adding some humor to your jokes next time.
Just say'in.Bless your heart. :rolleyes:
Do or not do. Good luck to you. Soon your equipment will be like your arm and a deer snorting around your tent will be music.“Do or do not. There is no try.” - Yoda
srestrepo
02-24-2010, 14:33
just dont try and go backpacking solo for the first time in a hammock like i did. i swore all night long that there were animals nipping at my butt all night. now i just sleep like a log. nothing out there but you... and if there is, you're more than likely bigger than it.
what i did to get over it was get to the trail with 3 hours of sunlight. hike for two hours so you're into it far enough into the woods where you dont want to hike out in the dark... anyway i pretty much scared myself into staying. and while i didn't enjoy it the first time, the morning sunrise was totally worth it. i mean completely worth it.
just get out there and do it, no two ways about that.
It does not surprise me that urbanites can freak over night noises.
A visiting doc moved here from London. Was gone in less than a month. Too quiet. The night time background noise here is a pile more than in the boondocks.
Snowleopard
02-24-2010, 15:05
It does not surprise me that urbanites can freak over night noises.
A visiting doc moved here from London. Was gone in less than a month. Too quiet. The night time background noise here is a pile more than in the boondocks.
It works the other way too. When I went to college in Cambridge, MA, it was hard for me to sleep because of the city noises.
Agreed. I once lived 1/2 mile from a good sized hospital. Now that was a brilliant decision.
Earplugs are great if you are having trouble sleeping at night. They help block out some (but not all) of the noises that might keep you awake or make you apprehensive about sleeping in a tent.
Start by car camping. Drive to a campsite close by, and camp by your car. If you get worried, you can always leave, and sometimes just having the option of being able to leave will give you enough confidence to stick it out in the woods all night. It won't take long for you to realize that it isn't that bad out in the woods.
LIhikers
02-26-2010, 18:21
Join a local hiking club.
Participate in their activities so you get to know people.
Then once you're comfortable with that group, go with them when they do an easy backpacking trip for a day or two.
In many things in life apprehension, even fear, can turn into passion.
For me it was that way with sailing, running, hiking, other stuff. ;)
Camp near a shelter, you won't be alone and can socialize around a campfire, then you can retreat to your tent to play
just dad
02-26-2010, 21:13
When you do your first overnight, if your schedule permits pick a night when there will be a full moon, or at lease some moon. Otherwise it can be really dark at night. Before you go to sleep you should also put your headlamp or flash light where you can find it by feel. For example in your tent's corner pocket or in a boot.
I've also just decided to do my first hike on the AT. While I'm very comfortable camping in a state park or on the farm where we spend alot of time, it's the sheer size of the trail that scares the bejeepers out of me. Do I have the right gear? Will someone be laughing at me because I'm only doing one little part? I hope I don't break trail etiquette!! After reading a few books and poking around on this web-site, I realize that I'm my own worst enemy. Hike Your Own Hike, right?
I have about 12 days off at the end of May and plan to hike from Delaware Water Gap to as far south as I can get (or start at the Maryland border and head north). Between now and then I hope to buy most of what I need, then do a couple 1-2 nighters locally to work all the bugs out. Most importantly...I won't be at work.
Good luck to you and I hope you work through your fear.
ridgerunninrat81
02-26-2010, 23:33
Take a couple of local over nights, test out the equipment, hike a little bit. I started with only boy scout experience. Take it slow at the beginning and enjoy your selves.
Freedom Walker
02-27-2010, 00:55
Check out the local Sierra club and do some hikes and short backpacking trips with them. Besides getting used to sleeping in the woods, you need to experience backpack hiking a few miles going up and down peaks, hopefully in different weather before you begin the big trip. Get some experience.
I want to thank all you for the fantastic advise,we feel more confident to just do it !!! You all are great, wish I could hike with everyone of you.
Blissful
02-27-2010, 19:49
Interesting thread. Please bear in mind that you're in your 50's and as such, are an adult. You're not going to be hacked to bits by Jason, eaten by cannibals or sacrificed to a volcano.
Hate to say it but the 50 yr old guy at Mt St Helens was a few weeks back...
No one is immune to danger at any age.