View Full Version : Digging Deep
Mother Natures Son
12-18-2010, 08:32
When the trail throws you a curve ball or when things get really tough, how do you get the drive to dig deep and finish the trail?
garlic08
12-18-2010, 08:38
I guess I think of the options, and not only on the trail. Will my life really improve if I'm not hiking/studying for a degree/am not married/etc anymore? The answer is always a resounding "No". For me, not making my goal has never really been an option.
fiddlehead
12-18-2010, 10:18
As with most things in life, you have to understand that things go in cycles and there's good times and bad. If you are in the middle of some of the bad ones, just realize that the only thing you can be sure about is change.
Keep in mind, this works both ways and when you are experiencing some of the best times of your life, (which for me, have happened on the trail more than other places) remember things are not always as good as they possibly can be and enjoy the moment.
What Fiddlehead said...
I try not to take things so personally. When I start feeling like things are happeniing to ME it really creates a lot of suffering.
The truth is, things happen to everybody, all the time.
Practice meditation, it will reshape the way you think about things.
What worked for me:
- I carried a Canadian flag on my pack. I wrote on it "Going to Canada from Santa Barbara". I specifically brought this as a reminder to never quit. Every time I looked at that flag it reminded me of my commitment. It's silly but it helped.
- I would remember what a friend of mine said: Never quit on a bad day. Wait a day or two and then go home on a good day. Another silly idea but it worked. You never want to go home on a good day.
- I kept an online trail journal. People would email me. I had fans. I couldn't let my fans down. I would think about how I could write about this in my journal, try to think up clever phrases to describe the agony just perfectly. (Did this with the good stuff, too.) It's exceedingly stupid and possibly narcissistic but I found it very effective.
- I would ask myself what I would be doing when I got home. Looking for a job? Working? Sitting around wishing I was back on the trail? This only worked for a while because eventually I was able to think of a lot of really enjoyable things I could be doing. Fortunately I was so close to the end I could simply look forward to those things and this helped me feel happy about finishing the trail.
Sugarfoot
12-18-2010, 12:00
I'm a serial section hiker and on many hikes I have faced times when I just don't want to go on, either because I'm hurting, the weather is nasty, the bugs are biting, or countless other reasons. The solution I've come up with is the three day rule. Tell yourself that if you still feel that way in three days, you'll go home. I can almost guarantee that by the end of three days, the rain will have stopped, trail magic will have happened, or you will otherwise have forgotten the three-day contract. There is an exception of course, when I have managed to injure myself in a way that isn't going to resolve itself.
Walkintom
12-18-2010, 12:08
I compartmentalize the bad things that are happening to me and mentally tackle each one individually. Five hundred bug bites might make me want to quit but not a bug bite. Not THIS bug bite. And not THAT one either. Or the next one.
After a few minutes of examining my challenges in this manner I am always good to go.
I don't remember where I heard it first, but when someone I am around starts acting overwhelmed I like to repeat it:
Q: How do you eat an elephant?
A: One bite at a time.
Rocket Jones
12-18-2010, 12:37
Find the silliness in a situation and laugh.
Find the silliness in myself and laugh.
Remind myself to count my blessings.
Look for the silver lining. There's always one if you look.
Agree with what has already been said.
Make a hard and fast rule. NEVER make a quick decision to quit. Wait two days, a week, two weeks. If you still feel like quitting, then perhaps it is best. Chances are, your perspective will have changed.
It's worked for me a couple of times. Just be stubborn enough to give yourself the time needed. You're planning this hike for months in advance, don't "un-plan" it and quit in only one or two days.
Blissful
12-18-2010, 16:40
Take it one day at a time. Tomorrow always looks better.
Old Hiker
12-18-2010, 17:23
I'm glad this thread came up - I'm planning 2012 and I worry about finishing. I'm trying to take to heart what SBHikes said as well: Never quit on a bad day. First time I saw that was in Bison's Trail Journal, I think. Also, my boss is letting me off for 3.5 months and I'll have my classes watching my hike. I don't want to disappoint them unless it's something I have no control over.
I'll be watching this thread with great interest.
max patch
12-18-2010, 17:29
When the trail throws you a curve ball or when things get really tough, how do you get the drive to dig deep and finish the trail?
I'd say if you're not having fun find something else to do. No reason to "suck it up and dig deep" -- hiking isn't a job.
Amberalicia
12-18-2010, 17:51
Long distance hiking is hard work -- physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The rewards are difficult to describe. For me it is best to decide to stop hiking when I'm out in the woods and not in town. And then my rule is to wait a few days before actually throwing in the towel. Negative thinking is just not in me and if I'm out in the woods hiking along, then I am in the element I want to be in. I'm sure there are many who go home and then wonder what the hell they are doing home.
hikerboy57
12-18-2010, 18:03
I'd say if you're not having fun find something else to do. No reason to "suck it up and dig deep" -- hiking isn't a job.
This is probably the best advice. I finally decided last summer, after meeting and talking to hundreds of thru hikers over the years, that although my life goal has been to thru-hike the whole trail. I'm breaking it up over 2 years.I'm not that goal oriented and driven to try to push 15-20 miles through the whites and Mahoosucs just to get done.If you're not enjoying it, then theres no reason to be doing it. Yeah, sure ther are some issues when you have to hike a week in the rain, and even over the 3 months I'll be on the trail, I'm sure I'll have some down moments- but then I'll ask myself- 'Is there anything else in the world I'd rather be doing?' and if the answer is other than hiking the trail, well then thats what I'll do
When I hiked the PCT, there was one section in SoCal where I had to do some digging. I wad been hiking in solitude having fallen behind the herd due to injury. I was still hurting some physically. It was really hot with little shade. I was also really tired due to getting up everyday before dawn to get some miles in before the midday desert heat and once found myself hiking the wrong direction after a break due to this. Yeah, I wasn't really feeling so good about the trail at that moment.
But I knew good food was only a few days away (Before I started, I had committed to never quitting on the trail as I knew a few zeros and eating well could easily change my mood) and I knew there was some great scenery ahead. If I found myself thinking of quitting, I would start talking to myself out loud that I was hiking all the way to Canada and refused to say anything different. And things did improve shortly after that day and I enjoyed almost every day of the rest of the hike. It would have sucked if I had gotten off instead of pushing through a bad few days as I had the time of my life after that.
Many Walks
12-18-2010, 21:16
A bad day hiking is still better than a good day at work. IMO Any problems or challenges always seem to work out. Eventually the bugs quit biting, the rain stops and the reasons for being out there just keep coming. I am always curious to see what is around the next bend or over the next hill. If it takes a little pain to get there so be it.
I'm glad this thread came up - I'm planning 2012 and I worry about finishing. I'm trying to take to heart what SBHikes said as well: Never quit on a bad day. First time I saw that was in Bison's Trail Journal, I think. Also, my boss is letting me off for 3.5 months and I'll have my classes watching my hike. I don't want to disappoint them unless it's something I have no control over.
I'll be watching this thread with great interest.
Hope to see you out there. :)
I'd say if you're not having fun find something else to do. No reason to "suck it up and dig deep" -- hiking isn't a job.
I think you are wrong. To have a sucessfull thru you should look at a thru-hike as a job. Just like a job there will be days that you enjoy, what you do, very much. Like a job you will have days when you won't be happy with what you are doing. Like a job you will have days when you would like to tell the boss to shove it. Like a job you just suck it up and come back the next day, punch in and go back to work.
After my thru-hike I would tell folks , "It's the hardest job I ever had."
Happy trails to you...
The weight eventually recedes and you become free. It is invaluable.
You may see things from a wildly different perspective.
You will see things as true.
There are people up ahead who will quietly amaze you. How could you miss that? You'll think of it all the rest of your days.
You will find you too are amazing. Even if you don't know it true when you start. A lady in Oquassic, Maine stopped me in a laundromat -- a terrible rainstorm had been pouring for days. She told me she admired me and my kind. Said she didn't know how we did it. I wanted to tell her I couldn't imagine doing anything else -- I wanted to tell her how much I loved this Trail but didn't know how to explain it to her. She sat across from me in a chair, for a minute or so, waiting for the dryers to finish.
Instead, I eventually just told her thank you.
There are breathtaking views up ahead that are even more beautiful. Stark raving beautiful. What would you say to yourself if you labored and toiled all your remaining life and missed the beauty and tranquility of Pierce Pond? How could you choose to miss that?
Those people you first met at Springer? There's a good chance you'll see them at Katahdin. Yeah, that many months later, thru-hikers amazingly converge. Amazing. Some of them I didn't recognize behind their beards until they told me who they were -- God, I couldn't believe it. We laughed and laughed coming down into Rainbow Springs Campground.
The people you'll meet will likely be some of the best people you'll meet in your entire life. You'll enjoy such positive company you may never experience again. Ever. How could you choose to miss that?
You will learn to live quietly with yourself. It will serve you well all of your days.
Datto
When the trail throws you a curve ball or when things get really tough, how do you get the drive to dig deep and finish the trail?
Good question!
I like to laugh a lot. It keeps me from getting too serious or off track at times.
I change my focus. I'm consciously aware of my moods and thought patterns. When I notice I'm starting to get down, bitchy, impatient, condescending, arrogant, egotistical, snappy, unappreciative, etc I realize I'm focused on the wrong things(thoughts)! I change my thoughts and my beliefs and behavior follow!
If something is tough I remind myself that few things in this life last forever. I also try to realize that during those toughest most trying times in the past have also been the most memorable and, ultimately, the times when I grew the most!
I live with passion actively believing and living with the thought - CARPE DIEM! Having that inner knowing that I'm in the exact place in a specific time doing what I was meant to be doing during this existence keeps my soul alive to and in unison with the universe. When living this way tough times just don't seem so tough! At no time is it so overwhelmingly tough that I don't believe there is a solution. It just may mean I have not YET found solutions.
I attempt to live up to my potential. That is best accomplished when I treat my mind, body, and spirit with the respect it deserves! When I know I'm doing this the tough times never seem that tough!
If you approach long distance hiking as a job or hard work you might want to consider Gandhi's words - Find a job you love and you will never have to work again.
Different Socks
12-26-2010, 02:56
If I get in a bad way and thoughts enter my head about not finishing, I simply go see a sunset, sunrise, or think about all the things I've seen up to that point and what I'd miss or not encounter if I left.
When having a tough time, I can't seem to overcome at first, or my thoughts and/or behavior are headed in the wrong direction I remember I've probably been feeding myself the wrong food or the "wrong wolf!"
I then recall the old Cherokee Indian story:
One evening an old Cherokee father was teaching his grandson about life. He said "My son, there is a battle going on inside each of us between two wolves.
One is evil. It represents anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is good. It represents joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
When having a tough time, I can't seem to overcome at first, or my thoughts and/or behavior are headed in the wrong direction I remember I've probably been feeding myself the wrong food or the "wrong wolf!"
I then recall the old Cherokee Indian story:
One evening an old Cherokee father was teaching his grandson about life. He said "My son, there is a battle going on inside each of us between two wolves.
One is evil. It represents anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is good. It represents joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
Sometimes I like to get off of the trail for a little while, even if it's only a couple of hours. If I was having a bad day, and there was a town nearby, I would sometimes go into the town for the afternoon and hang out. One of my favorite things to do is hitch into town, find a gas station or general store, get some coffee, hang out in front and talk to locals coming in and out. This always put me in a better mood, and I got to meet a lot of great people this way. It was a great way to experience America.
After crossing the James river, I hitched into Glasgow and camped by the river just outside of town. The next morning I got breakfast at the gas station, and then sat outside drinking coffee for about two hours. Apparently there was a factory, or construction site nearby and from about 6:15 until 6:45 the gas station was overrun with people in work uniforms getting coffee, cigarettes, breakfast and gas before heading to work. Nearly all of them were expressionless, clearly not awake, and dreading the next 8-12 hours of their day.
I used a tarp for my hike, and had foolishly forgot about bug netting. After a week of cool weather, high temperatures hit the Mid-Atlantic on the Fourth of July, and simultaneously the mosquitos came out. I can assure you that being zipped up in your sleeping bag when it's 85* at night while a bloodthirsty swarm of mosquitos hover all around you, occasionally biting you on the lips, is no treat. Perhaps the most miserable experience of my life. Yet laying there in a soaking wet sleeping bag listening to the constant buzz of insects all around my head, I thought about how bad it would suck if when I got up in the morning I had to get in my car, drive to some gas station to get coffee and smokes, then spend the rest of my day working in some factory. I reminded myself of this whenever I started to feel sorry for myself. If you are fortunate enough to have the time and money to hike the trail, then don't take it for granted. After that morning outside the gas station in Glasgow, I never even considered quitting the trail.
soulslosher
12-26-2010, 20:23
You will find you too are amazing. Even if you don't know it true when you start.
This made me laugh but it is SO true!!
I find that is the very reason I am out on the AT. I am out there to be challenged (physically, mentally, spiritually..). I am also out there to see what is around the next bend, hill, or mountain. It just could be something or someone that makes you want to push on.
I'll agree 100% that you should never quit on a bad day.
Also, the people... imagine all of the people you will meet that will make your journey that much more enjoyable on the trail ahead.