View Full Version : To those who have completed a thru, two questions.
Was it one of the most difficult things you've accomplished?
Was it one of the most gratifying things you've experienced?
maybe clem
02-08-2011, 11:39
No.
Yes.
Lone Wolf
02-08-2011, 11:41
no.......
no.......
fiddlehead
02-08-2011, 12:32
i gotta tell you a little story about this theme you are asking about.
I finished my thru in '95 and took up long distance running a short time later.
I ran my first marathon about a month after the completion of the thru.
I ran the first half ok and was running with 2 girls who were telling me how this would be the most amazing, and gratifying thing in my life. Especially at the finish line.
Later on, I hit the wall and really suffered.
Most importantly, I found out (what i already knew) that i couldn't go 26 miles without eating and they don't give you food. I had to stop at a grocery store and buy some snickers and was really hurting at the end and in a terrible time of like 4 1/2 hour or something.
So, I'm about 300 yards from the end and the crowd starts cheering me on.
The closer I got, the louder the cheers.
I didn't know what to think as they weren't cheering for anyone else and they didn't know me.
About 5 yards from the finish line, the cheers really really hit their peak and they were all going nuts.
I was then passed by a 70 year old lady.
I felt awful.
In every way!
Those girls lied to me.
But now, my first 100 mile race? I think THAT was the hardest thing and probably the most gratifying thing I ever did.
Finishing a long distance trail is a really great feeling.
But maybe not my best one.
After all, in hiking, it's the journey not the destination.
In ultra running, the end is more important IMO. (but not that 1st marathon)
I won't achieve maybe_clem's brevity here, but I pretty much agree.
"Was it one of the most difficult things you've accomplished?"
Sort of --- no one particular day was. If I climbed a very tall ladder, taking some rests along the way, I wouldn't consider it an amazing athletic accomplishment; each rung wasn't a big deal. Staying on the ladder and getting to the top takes some perseverance, however.
Rather than "most difficult", I might say "required some determination".
"Was it one of the most gratifying things you've experienced?"
Yes, I guess so --- hard to compare to a variety of gratifying experiences in life to say "most", but finishing thru-hikes is definitely well up there.
FargoBill, those are interesting questions. Over the past several years I've completed dozens of marathons, three ultramarathons, and even rode a loaded touring bicycle cross country. They were all difficult at the time and gratifying in the end.
However, looking comparatively at my other adventures and the thru hike I can say it was the most difficult and yet the most gratifying.
Weird huh? Let us know how you answer those questions when you complete yours.
Cheers!
absolutely the single most difficult thing I've ever done. Nothing else comes remotely close.
Most gratifying? No...being married and raising two children (now grown) exponentially more gratifying than walking to Maine.
no.......
no.......
being associated with the whiny, needy thru-hikers. What has happened bro?:)
wrongway_08
02-08-2011, 20:06
No.
Yes.
Was awesome and I want to do the A.T. again or CDT.
QuarterPounder
02-08-2011, 23:06
Not the most difficult thing I've ever done, but it was tough... Mainly due to the duration.
And, it was an awesome trip.
I don't consider it my most significant accomplishment, but it certainly was a high point in my life.
SassyWindsor
02-08-2011, 23:56
In respect to hiking long distant trails ONLY
NO, but the time committed is the biggest negative.
NO, but the trail has to be the most social, safe, and convenient long trails to hike.
It just interests me the varying degrees of opinions regarding the difficulty of an actual thru-hike.
Seems like people who finish it seem to think it wasn't THAT difficult, but it must be pretty hard considering less than 20% of people who set out to do it accomplish their goal.
I'm set to leave Mid-March, can't wait to see if I can hack it!
SassyWindsor
02-09-2011, 01:31
.......Seems like people who finish it seem to think it wasn't THAT difficult, but it must be pretty hard considering less than 20% of people who set out to do it accomplish their goal.....
You're assuming the 80% that quit are really hikers and not tourist.:)
You're assuming the 80% that quit are really hikers and not tourist.:)
True, but isn't the respective hiking experience in thru-hike finishers quite drastically different?
Mueser's book "Long Distance Hiking" said 1 in 5 thru-hikers that completed the trail, it was their first time backpacking in general, with another 10% just day-hiking before their thru-attempt.
What separates the finishers from the quitters?
NiteRaven
02-09-2011, 02:17
Here's something to consider FargoBill: you've only asked people who actually completed an A.T. thru-hike to answer. I bet if you asked the other 80% who didn't you'll get a very different answer. For lots of various reasons, it's the ones who finished found it easier to finish. Perhaps they were in better physical shape to begin with or their very attitude on how hard something is is vastly different than mere mortals. It's like asking Superman how hard it is to throw a car 200 feet. :)
Either way, I too look forward to the challenge or lack thereof. ;)
Cheers!
Nice points NiteRaven, and I believe you are right.
I think I've done lots of tough things in my life, even if I don't have the most hiking experience, so I think the will to accomplish something so great and the pride not letting me quit will keep me going.
I've been cold and wet and miserable before, with less exciting views (commercial fishing in AK) so I think I'll be set!
Thanks to everybody who has chimed in so far.
fiddlehead
02-09-2011, 03:47
What separates the finishers from the quitters?
Enjoyment!
What separates the finishers from the quitters?
people have very different perspectives on the challenges of a thru-hike. For some hikers, I got the impression that it really wasn't a challenge for them (and I was a bit envious too!;)). They were young, fit, able to avoid injury or illness. Another thing, I noticed that for some, life on the trail was better than the life they had waiting on them back home - a lot of folks faced with the prospect of going back home to live in the parent's basement while looking for a job or trying to get into school or whatever. Or they were dealing with other unpleasant life circumstances that the trail provided some release or relief from.
For the rest of us (or at least the group of hikers that I knew along the way), we were goal oriented i.e. we set out to finish the trail and knew that we would barring injury. I respect the mindset of those that say they are going to hike the trail until it "quits being fun" but the reality of it for some ( alot? most?) of us was that the novelty of a long distance hike wears off somewhere around Va. or so (the Va. blues). Then it turns into an endurance contest. Fortunately there are plenty of great times and great people along the way so it's not always bleak and I don't want to paint that picture. I considered those (the relationships and good times) my "paycheck" for doing the work that it took.
My advice - you may be one of the lucky ones and get to Katadihn and never struggle. However, just in case, meet and partner with people that are driven to meet their goal. They don't have to be type A people either and you don't have to hike together all the time (and probably won't). I met 5 people on days 1 and 2 and we all finished within a week of each other. Having a close bond with a "support group" was invaluable (at least to me). Good luck if you are attempting one this year.
max patch
02-09-2011, 09:42
No
No
If you asked something along the lines of "Was this one of the best vacations you've ever had?" then I would have said "Yes".
garlic08
02-09-2011, 10:22
I put my first thru hike in the top five most important things I've ever done, along with (in chronological order) 1) getting a college degree, 2) getting married, 3) joining a volunteer fire department, and 4) staying married. College and the fire department were more difficult than hiking, thankfully marriage has not been, but all have been more gratifying and more important than hiking. I can't deny that hiking long trails has changed my life, but not more than many other things I've done. I'd also definitely put hiking in the "best vacation" category, because I keep doing it.
Here's something to consider FargoBill: you've only asked people who actually completed an A.T. thru-hike to answer. I bet if you asked the other 80% who didn't you'll get a very different answer. For lots of various reasons, it's the ones who finished found it easier to finish. Perhaps they were in better physical shape to begin with or their very attitude on how hard something is is vastly different than mere mortals. It's like asking Superman how hard it is to throw a car 200 feet. :)
that Tom Lavardi (sp?) said on this subject at his place in Dalton.BTW, he is one of the all-time super great trail angels and my two nights there in Dalton were some of my favorite times on the entire trail. Tom said, and I hope that he doesn't mind me sharing his opinion here with the hiking community, that he believes that people who complete a thru-hike have a much higher tolerance for pain than the typical person or WTTE. Not saying that he is right or wrong but I imagine Tom has met as many thru-hikers as most anyone around. If you have made it to Dalton whether NOBO or SOBO you have logged plenty of miles and/or some of the toughest miles on the trail.
After compleating my thru at 67 years old, I told folks that it was the hardest job I ever has...And most rewarding, bar none.:sun
Jim Adams
02-09-2011, 15:00
most difficult...no
gratifying...very. not the most gratifying but up there on the list.
I think the difficulty is in staying in the hunt...yes it is beautiful but heat, cold, rain, snow, ice, missing home, never eating enough, etc. are not real difficulties over a few days. The difficult part is dealing with them all of the days.
geek
Granted I was not a thru hiker, but I did hike 1200 miles the first year and met my goal to complete the trail the second year (logging 1800 miles to do so.)
It was not the hardest thing I ever did. I think college was harder.
It was one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. I've done other rewarding things, but this one seemed to mean more for some reason. College was probably more rewarding because it has had the most lasting life-changing effects.
I think part of my reason for success was staying away from other people. The drama bugs me after about 3 days.
. I think college was harder.
extremely difficult (for me). I had a tough major (engineering) at a very hard academic school. The reason I placed the trail above college in terms of difficulty is...I could have made school alot easier and stress free by switching majors and/or schools. You do not have a 'bail out option" for an AT thru hike. Secondly, school had a very specific payout - a degree which has opened a lot of doors for me professionally. That was motivation for me to gut it out at school. The payout for a thru? A certificate from the AT if you apply for it.Lastly, college never exposed me to physical dangers such as hypothermia, strains, fractures, giardia, heat stroke, etc. Of course the hangovers were tough but those were self induced.;) Not saying that you are wrong - just saying these are reasons why I felt a thru was more difficult for me.
Thank you for some responses, some great food for thought here.
jacquelineanngrant
02-15-2011, 22:08
Yes and absolutely. It's as challenging as you want it to be and an awsome experience!