View Full Version : Why do people stop (quit) their thru-hike?
Just Plain Bill
06-08-2011, 13:26
I was wondering why people are quitting their thru-hikes. I'm doing some writing and fishing for ideas into the mind of someone who couldn't finish. Or even someone that finished, but on a second attempt.
I know people quit because of injuries, but what else is happening out there?
Thank you for your time in advance.
kayak karl
06-08-2011, 13:36
sometimes it just stops being fun..............
ShakeyLeggs
06-08-2011, 13:38
sometimes it just stops being fun..............
Yep that is one reason. They also quit due to financial reasons, injury, family issues.
Lone Wolf
06-08-2011, 13:42
I was wondering why people are quitting their thru-hikes. I'm doing some writing and fishing for ideas into the mind of someone who couldn't finish. Or even someone that finished, but on a second attempt.
I know people quit because of injuries, but what else is happening out there?
Thank you for your time in advance.
dreaming/fantasy and reality are two entirely different things
Just Plain Bill
06-08-2011, 14:14
sometimes it just stops being fun..............
I never thought of that. I didn't start my thru-hike with the idea that I'd have fun. I did have a lot of fun, but that wasn't my motivation for hiking.
Interesting ...
Thanks for your comment.
dreaming/fantasy and reality are two entirely different things
I agree. Most people think just because everyone is smiling in all those Trail Journal and WhiteBlaze pics hiking the AT is a piece of cake. Wrong.
I start missing my wife and kids after a few weeks.
Sometimes the suck factor just gets too high. I've been there on shorter hikes. Got off a 270 miler last week because between intense heat and muddy overgrown trail, I just didn't feel like doing it any more.
I'm hiking a number of different shorter trails over the summer. And I'll have a better time for it, guaranteed.
ChinMusic
06-08-2011, 15:15
My observations:
Young folks: Boredom, sick of it, better things to do, money issues
Older folks: Injuries
I was wondering why people are quitting their thru-hikes. I'm doing some writing and fishing for ideas into the mind of someone who couldn't finish. Or even someone that finished, but on a second attempt.
I know people quit because of injuries, but what else is happening out there?
Thank you for your time in advance.
This gets asked probably once a week or once a day.
I read a book called "Walking Home". The author quit her hike because she found what she was looking for. I watched many hike videos about the PCT. In one, one guy quit with only 60-something miles left because his boots hurt and nothing he tried would fix it. In another, the guy quit in an outhouse when he finally admitted winter was here and he'd never be able to finish. I quit my section hike of California because my feet were broken. I had been considering extending my hike into Oregon but couldn't go any further.
There are as many reasons as people.
I think why one starts may have a lot to do with why they quit. Some may have found what they were searching for (if anything) along the way and a completion became no longer necessary for them. Just a thought.
Disclaimer, I'm only a wannabe thru hiker so take what I say with a grain of salt :) Still dreaming!
I never thought hiking was fun. For me it's always hard work.
Panzer
Smooth & Wasabi
06-08-2011, 15:49
My wife and I started a thru-hike in early march 2002. We stopped hiking in the begining of July in NJ. We had many reasons and sub reasons:
Money: we ran out of cash and didn't want to charge the rest of the hike. Granted this our own fault underestimating the allure of cheeseburgers and hot showers. We started with a little more than 5K and now know that would be good for one person in the style we were hiking.
Time: we were spending much more time hiking than we thought. Sure we had several 20 + days but lots of nero's and zeroes. We were supposed to frame and dry in our house in Northern NH between returning and winter an impossibility if we continued(note to self , pursue one immense long term goal at a time)
Fun: by July it was in the upper 90's and hiking turned into a chore. We had incredible amounts of fun for the first several months. Between the less than spectacular scenery of the mid Atlantic( no offense to natives I was born in NJ) and incredible heat we decided hiking started to feel like a job, not a career you love but a job you wake up and go to because you have to.
Finally I believe we discovered that while we love long distance hiking we weren't quite thu-hikers. We continue to backpack, sometimes for long periods but I doubt we will thru-hike any really long trails. Maybe if we ever retire but who knows.
i knocked up my girlfriend that i met on the trail. she didn't feel so good.
jersey joe
06-08-2011, 16:23
I think that in general people in our society have become softened by all of the modern conveniences available. Once they hit the trail and they realize how soft they really are, they head home, back to those comforts. (or as some would say, it wasn't fun anymore)
Many Walks
06-08-2011, 16:26
People have the dream and sometimes plan for years. The books are read, the gear is bought (and replaced), mail drops are organized (and reorganized), and it all sounds so romantic while they sit in their comfy living room with all the convenience of home. Then when they step onto the trail the reality hits. The one that always come to mind is the girl who went through all the planning and quit on the approach trail because it just wasn't what she expected. The ones who make it up the trail realize it takes mental toughness and tenacity. Like others have said it can get to be like working on a hard job and not being fun. If you roll with the punches, maintain your curiosity, and appreciate the splendor with a good attitude the hike remains fun. Once you're mentally beat you're as good as gone.
I have to add it does help to hike with a partner who has the same goals, shares the work and is equally awestruck by the magnificence of the trail.
I never thought hiking was fun. For me it's always hard work.
Panzer
Wow, that is sad. I think hiking is great fun. I love the physical feeling of walking. I like the meditative aspect of walking. I like to hike up hill, flat or downhill. I like to see the views and hear the birds and discover amazing wonderful things around every bend in the trail. I love not being in the same place every day. I love sleeping somewhere new every day. I love the way my feet can take me anywhere. I love it that I've been places that the richest man in the world will never see. There's nothing I like more in the world than hiking.
Maybe your backpack is too heavy.
All good reasons.
I think another reason is that many people love backpacking for the camping. Roll in five miles, make basecamp and chill by a lake or a stream.
Even a 'short' day of 12 miles or so is still 6+ hrs of hiking every day. And then repeat it the following day.
Backpacking to hike more is not something everyone loves.
ChinMusic
06-08-2011, 16:43
I think another reason is that many people love backpacking for the camping. Roll in five miles, make basecamp and chill by a lake or a stream.
I guess I'm lucky. I like hiking more than camping, but I do take it slow and try not to punish myself to the point it is def work. I'd much rather take an hour, or two, nap midday on a rock with a view, than get in camp an hour or two early.
Unlike home life, I wake up on the trail ready to go in the morning.....gotta get moving. At home the dog and I can still sleep til noon......:D
These are all reasons why people will quit after a good attempt. I find that the most curious situation and one I have no reason for is that 15% or about 200 people quit a thru hike on or before Neel Gap. A 6 month journey is stoped in 3 days . Go figure--
I guess I'm lucky. I like hiking more than camping, but I do take it slow and try not to punish myself to the point it is def work. I'd much rather take an hour, or two, nap midday on a rock with a view, than get in camp an hour or two early.
True. But even if you 'only' hike five or six hours, that is 10-12 MPD.
If you want to thru-hike, 12 MPD average is suggested for a 6 month hike.
I think the average backpacker is good with 5 mpd and spending the majority of the time in camp.
Nothing wrong with that, but not conducive to thru-hiking.
And for many of us, hiking is not work. It is something we do when we are NOT working. ;)
Lone Wolf
06-08-2011, 20:39
These are all reasons why people will quit after a good attempt. I find that the most curious situation and one I have no reason for is that 15% or about 200 people quit a thru hike on or before Neel Gap. A 6 month journey is stoped in 3 days . Go figure--
it's like going to the starting line of the boston marathon having never run or trained because you always "dreamed" of running it. go figure
ChinMusic
06-08-2011, 20:39
I think the average backpacker is good with 5 mpd and spending the majority of the time in camp.
Nothing wrong with that, but not conducive to thru-hiking.
I hang with some pretty averages Joes and Janes and 8-12 AT miles are typical for our section/weekend hikes. I got some friends that do 15+ on section/weekend trips. I like those guys but that's just too much for me coming from behind a desk. I can't think of a trip were we only averaged 5. Maybe I gravitated into being friends with hikers instead of campers.......:confused:
I hang with some pretty averages Joes and Janes and 8-12 AT miles are typical for our section/weekend hikes. I got some friends that do 15+ on section/weekend trips. I like those guys but that's just too much for me coming from behind a desk. I can't think of a trip were we only averaged 5. Maybe I gravitated into being friends with hikers instead of campers.......:confused:
Ah..but you are section hiking..the goal of completing the AT! Different than many of the other backpackers I know who are, well, into camping. :)
By saying 'section' you are already implying a goal..they are doing a 'section' of the trail as opposed to backpacking to a cool overlook, a lake, etc. etc.
Come to Colorado on a weekend. Go to the lakes 5 miles or so in. See how busy they are. Or back in my old stomping grounds of the Whites. Go to Liberty Springs Campsite or the Garfield Shelter on a three day weekend and see how full they are! (Remember, the Pemi Wilderness is only 9 miles from a road at its furthest point! )
Finally, and this is a just a guess, not living near the AT, maybe when you come out to hike on the AT, perhaps you have a different goal in mind than typical weekend hiker? You and your friends have a goal of getting in a section of the trail?
Honestly not looking for a debate or even disagreeing with you and your experiences. I just think the vast majority of backpackers are in the five miles or so bracket with maybe some day hikes spread out from base camp. That's what I've found over the years. YMMV. Often literally! ;)
...and I think for many of these people, a long hike is a bit of shock for them at first.
ChinMusic
06-08-2011, 21:33
Ah..but you are section hiking..the goal of completing the AT! Different than many of the other backpackers I know who are, well, into camping. :)
By saying 'section' you are already implying a goal..they are doing a 'section' of the trail as opposed to backpacking to a cool overlook, a lake, etc. etc.
Ahh, sorry, no such goals, although I will admit I tend to like to do sections I have not seen before. We usu just pick out an interesting section (most recent Erwin to 19E) and just go point A to point B. I tend to like all the trail and don't constantly have to be "entertained" with views. I have a plan for a NOBO in 2013. I will NOT be doing the Whites as a section......too scared.......:cool:
...and I think for many of these people, a long hike is a bit of shock for them at first.
My first AT section certainly go MY attention.
I haven't backpacked in your beautiful Colorado. I will, just haven't selected it yet. Been to Inyo, Yosemite, Glacier, and Alaska out west. I will admit to a 5-mile itinerary in Alaska as we were not on a trail. THAT was f-ing hard work......but a blast.
mweinstone
06-08-2011, 21:34
family trouble.............
Badspeller
06-08-2011, 22:18
no anger Karnac .. its just absurd to make such silly statements I am merely illustrating absurdity with being absurd
Lone Wolf
06-08-2011, 22:29
Actually it's Carnac.................oh, never mind.
and karnac/carnac is what?
ChinMusic
06-08-2011, 22:32
and karnac/carnac is what?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Carnac.jpg
Jim Adams
06-08-2011, 23:47
I never quit the AT, completed both thrus that I started but I quit the PCT around the 1000 mile mark. Low on cash, hated the desert, liked the absolutely beautiful areas but hated the long ugly and boring stretches in between, hated the lack of available water, and finally hated NOT having others to hike with...I saw the most beautiful sights that I've ever seen in my life and yet had no one to share them with.
OTOH, I do like camping better than hiking. I like using a base camp and exploring and seeing sights better than constant hiking A-B, B-C, C-D, etc. I have always been able to hike a fast speed and take as many zero days as I want so that I get to enjoy the beautiful areas...but I was younger then. I have no desire to ever go back to California and yet I can't wait to thru hike the AT again....but that may never happen! My 2 AT thrus were at ages 37 and 49...the PCT was age 55 and I quit....I don't know if I can hike another AT thru like I want to do because of age...we'll see.
In 1990 Little Red Riding Hood thru hiked from Springer to Abol Bridge and quit because Mainiac II proposed to her there and she got in the car and went home with him....some people just find what the were looking for and go home!
geek
I am a section hiker currently, I tell people that " The romantic notion of this wears off at like day 2!"
The rain, 3rd big UP for the day, no views, rocky, bugs, etc, etc.
It is incredibly hard work, mentally and physically. We all get that.
To me the AT is a lot like life, ups, downs, easy times, brutal times, super sad times, jovial times, some sunsets are great and many are not. Its just life
PS Favorite comment above, "knocked up my girlfriend"...........must be true love! Any Chapter II's to that story General?
Just Plain Bill
06-09-2011, 07:48
Thanks all for the interesting conversation ...
I agree with Panzer, at least for me, I had to treat the AT as work. But I won't leave it at that ... it's the absolute best job ever and I had a lot of fun. When I use the word "work" it relates to the routine of the life, not the quality of it. And, I think if you want to finish, you need to put the effort in like a job ... a great job.
Reading through all the comments on this tread, it seems in general that many of the former (self identified) thru hikers said something like "they weren't tough enough," while people who actually quit and responded gave pretty specific detail: money and family issues being the two big ones.
I try not to be too judgmental about why people quit ... except for the people who quit at Neels Gap. They're wimps! ;)
Pedaling Fool
06-09-2011, 08:12
Thanks all for the interesting conversation ...
I agree with Panzer, at least for me, I had to treat the AT as work. But I won't leave it at that ... it's the absolute best job ever and I had a lot of fun. When I use the word "work" it relates to the routine of the life, not the quality of it. And, I think if you want to finish, you need to put the effort in like a job ... a great job.
Reading through all the comments on this tread, it seems in general that many of the former (self identified) thru hikers said something like "they weren't tough enough," while people who actually quit and responded gave pretty specific detail: money and family issues being the two big ones.
I try not to be too judgmental about why people quit ... except for the people who quit at Neels Gap. They're wimps! ;)
Good points. Here's more info on work (W=Fd) (http://zonalandeducation.com/mstm/physics/mechanics/energy/work/work.html) :)
Why do people stop (quit) their thru-hike? That's a good question. Everyone who does has an answer that they think fits the question.
In short: Most folks quit because they soon discover how hard it is. :-?
I'm surprised the usual suspects haven't dropped in to say it's because people hike too fast and don't smell the roses. :)
stranger
06-09-2011, 09:07
I've made two northbound AT thru-hike attempts, 1995 and 2008. In 1995 I reached Pearisburg (615 miles) and in 2008 I reached Atkins (540 miles) before stopping again.
Why? Well I think the reasons were quite different, in 95 I really wanted to thru-hike, I was overly confident, extremely confident, when the blues hit me in Virginia I was caught very off guard, there was also the love factor and I was missing my then girlfriend very, very much. I was also just 19 and had few life skills. I left the trail defeated, saddened and it took years to regain confidence to hike again, well atleast a serious hike.
In 2008 I started with an overall aim to complete the trail in a continuous journey, but took it more day by day. I had the time and money, had heaps of experience, great weather, etc...And I think I realized by Erwin that I was not going to thru-hike, simply because I no longer had any desire. Granted, I still wanted to hike, and would walk another 200 miles and have good times, but I remember sitting in the Relax Inn at Atkins watching the French Open in an air-conditioned room, one day went by, then two, three...and I knew it was not simply my love of tennis! I could have kept walking, no worries...however I didn't feel like that was appropriate for some reason.
I remember in 2001 hiking from Waynesboro to NY (500 miles) and running out of money, I had planned to hike to Killington I think with a friend who was thru-hiking. Anyhow, I remember sitting in Vernon, NJ talking with some hikers and telling them I was down to $300 and had to get off the trail. I don't recall being sad or bummed, nor was I happy to stop hiking...I do recall feeling somewhat satisfied or 'full'.
I don't personally find hiking overly difficult, even relatively high mileage days back to back to back...so it's not that. I don't go hiking for 'fun', because although hiking can be alot of fun, it's more than often not, I think words like 'satisfying' and 'rewarding' are more my cup of tea than 'fun' when it comes to long distance hiking. I also don't go hiking for a challenge, my real life requires more challenges than many people could imagine, for me...hiking is a vacation from real challenges, challenges that have real consequences when you get it wrong. There aren't alot of consequences for hiking 16 miles instead of 23 ya know?
I also thru-hiked the Long Trail (270 miles) and Northville Lake Placid Trail (123 miles) and never got that 'satisfied' or 'full' feeling, so I suspect I have some sort of personal threshold around the 500 mile mark.
For me...my whole life, I've always wanted to walk down that path, just to see where it goes, just because I can. I think that's why I hike, it's really that simple, I don't mind camping but wouldn't say I love it, who loves sleeping on a 1 inch mat in the rain! I camp so I can follow that path until I don't want to anymore, then go back to my real life feeling satisfied.
I no longer have any desire to thru-hike the AT, but I will return to it and hike a few hundred miles again, probably a few more times. But I'm not interested in piecing the trail together...to me that's pointless, it's goal orientated, I have enough of that in my real life.
Ahh, sorry, no such goals, although I will admit I tend to like to do sections I have not seen before. We usu just pick out an interesting section (most recent Erwin to 19E) and just go point A to point B. I
Think it is safe to say that is atypical.
Most weekenders don't hike from a town to a road.
Section hiking the AT ain't what most people have in mind for a weekend backpack. ;)
But people on WB are NOT the typical backpackers (For better or worse! :D)
Just Plain Bill
06-09-2011, 09:56
But I'm not interested in piecing the trail together...to me that's pointless, it's goal orientated, I have enough of that in my real life.
Thanks a lot for your story, Stranger. [as a side note, do you mind if I ask what you do for work?]
For some people, I think you're spot-on: we need a challenge. In part, that's why I did the trail. In fact, I wrote it down before I left: "I need to do something really hard."
But that's not the case for everyone. In 1990 I met an ex- Navy SEAL who was thru hiking (anyone remember his name? did he finish?). That dude had already had a lot of challenges. I kept up with him for a couple of days, but it was tough. He began his day doing calisthenics at 5am and ate nothing but Snickers the entire day until dinner. That dude was ripped with a lot of self motivated energy. The AT wasn't enough for him, he had to make it more difficult.
For my writing project I started re-reading some journals I wrote in 1990, which I haven't really looked at since. It reminded me, after awhile I didn't even like getting off the trail:
The only thing I don’t like is sitting around for too long; I found out after taking a “zero” day in Hot Springs that I don’t like resting like that … getting held up like this gets me out of my rhythm. There’s a certain pace to life on the trail and it’s nice when everything is going fine and you’re making progress.
I'd have to look it up, but I think I only took 4-5 zero days in 4.5 months.
Thanks again everybody.
Just Plain Bill
06-09-2011, 10:10
I'm surprised the usual suspects haven't dropped in to say it's because people hike too fast and don't smell the roses. :)
Yeah, "hike your own hike" seems to be easily forgotten. Or maybe some people don't believe it?
I think it's hard not to be judgmental about most things in life, and thru hiking probably more so. After all, we're the "elite" ;)
If you're NOBO by the time you get to PA or NY (for some, sooner) you might have a cocky swagger. I did. I remember meeting a trail maintainer in Duchess County who did a minor freak out when he saw me walking in shorts -- watch out for the ticks! I was such a dick, I laughed in the guy's face. I didn't say it, but I was thinking, "I'm a thru hiker, dude, I eat rocks for breakfast and walk more before lunch than you do in a week!"
So, once you get that swagger, I think, and you haven't got perspective yet, it's easy to judge people that don't do the trail "the right way" or simply quit for whatever reason.
Just Plain Bill
06-09-2011, 10:15
Good points. Here's more info on work (W=Fd) (http://zonalandeducation.com/mstm/physics/mechanics/energy/work/work.html) :)
Thanks, Jon. This is interesting and is stimulating some interesting ideas for my writing project.
ChinMusic
06-09-2011, 10:33
Think it is safe to say that is atypical.
Most weekenders don't hike from a town to a road.
Section hiking the AT ain't what most people have in mind for a weekend backpack. ;)
But people on WB are NOT the typical backpackers (For better or worse! :D)
Maybe I am odd in that way and have selected other odd friends......:D
The one style of hiking/backpacking that I find I do not like as much is base camping with dayhikes. I have no idea why. Something in my head NEEDS that point A to point B sense of accomplishment. If that is a neurosis, it may serve me well on a thru.......:-?
the goat
06-09-2011, 11:25
i finished a thru in '01. went back for another in '03, but got off the trail to donate bone marrow. just didn't seem right to have the recipient wait for two more months so i could hike 800 more miles i'd already seen.
helping someone beat lymphoma was much more gratifying than anything the trail could offer.
I have no idea why. Something in my head NEEDS that point A to point B sense of accomplishment. If that is a neurosis, it may serve me well on a thru.......:-?
I think it is a neurosis many of us have on a site dedicated to a long distance hiking trail! :)
I suspect the folks over at the Backpacker.com forums have a different mindset..
and it is all good.
ps. I don't like the base camp backpacking trips either. If I am going to do a base camp trip, I'd rather car camp. Backpacking trips base camp style seem to be car camping..but with weight restrictions and none of the goodies! :)
jersey joe
06-09-2011, 13:14
I was once told that if you quit something, it makes it easier to quit the next thing...Makes me wonder if people that quit the trail have higher tendency to quit other things in their lives!??
the goat
06-09-2011, 13:29
ps. I don't like the base camp backpacking trips either. If I am going to do a base camp trip, I'd rather car camp. Backpacking trips base camp style seem to be car camping..but with weight restrictions and none of the goodies! :)
truer words were never spoken!
I think it is a neurosis many of us have on a site dedicated to a long distance hiking trail! :)
I suspect the folks over at the Backpacker.com forums have a different mindset..
and it is all good.
ps. I don't like the base camp backpacking trips either. If I am going to do a base camp trip, I'd rather car camp. Backpacking trips base camp style seem to be car camping..but with weight restrictions and none of the goodies! :)
I would much rather walk a 20 mile line than a 20 mile loop myself.
I was once told that if you quit something, it makes it easier to quit the next thing...Makes me wonder if people that quit the trail have higher tendency to quit other things in their lives!??
There is no shame in quitting. Quitting is a result of reevaluation of goals and abilities, and many times results in success in another endeavor. Just attempting a through hike is a worthwhile achievement. I applaud you all.
I would much rather walk a 20 mile line than a 20 mile loop myself.
All depends.
On a weekend, I prefer a loop as logistics are easier.
On a long trip? Well, hard to do a 100 mile loop except in a few large wilderness areas. :)
All depends.
On a weekend, I prefer a loop as logistics are easier.
On a long trip? Well, hard to do a 100 mile loop except in a few large wilderness areas. :)
But you have to admit the Tahoe Rim and Wonderland Trails are pretty sweet loops!
warren doyle
06-09-2011, 14:42
Insufficient preparation. Spending too much time on the unimportant things.
Their level of comfort, temperament, and/or threshold of pain does not meet what the trail demands of a thru-hike.
All depends.
On a weekend, I prefer a loop as logistics are easier.
On a long trip? Well, hard to do a 100 mile loop except in a few large wilderness areas. :)
I said I would, not you would... :)
I said I would, not you would... :)
Really? Didn't know that ???? :D
Don't think I said "for you"..but "I". :p
Example "I prefer...."
Not "You prefer"....
Re: Wonderland Trail and TRT
The TRT was indeed a 165 mile long loop trail...
The Wonderland Trail is on my radar!
Really? Didn't know that ???? :D
Don't think I said "for you"..but "I". :p
Example "I prefer...."
Not "You prefer"....
Next time I'll be more specific.... :)
I was wondering why people are quitting their thru-hikes. I'm doing some writing and fishing for ideas into the mind of someone who couldn't finish. Or even someone that finished, but on a second attempt.
I know people quit because of injuries, but what else is happening out there?
Thank you for your time in advance.
I just got off yesterday. See postholer.com/skooch I know I found what I was looking for. :sun
I just got off yesterday. See postholer.com/skooch I know I found what I was looking for. :sun
Hi Skooch. I just read your blog and I must say It was very moving. It was beautiful what you wrote. I want to say I'm sorry that you're off the trail but in your case it just doesn't seem to fit. I can only pray that someday I'm able to climb to where you are. Congrats.....and take care of that foot! :)
hikerboy57
06-09-2011, 20:46
Maybe I am odd in that way and have selected other odd friends......:D
The one style of hiking/backpacking that I find I do not like as much is base camping with dayhikes. I have no idea why. Something in my head NEEDS that point A to point B sense of accomplishment. If that is a neurosis, it may serve me well on a thru.......:-?
I feel the same way. I get bored hanging around the same territory for more than a day. I always want to see whats over the next hill. Im totally convinced the grass is greener.Although I could probably hang around the Pemi in NH for a week or so.So much beauty!
Although this is off the original topic, since several people have now mentioned their dislike for "base camp" hiking, I would like to stick up for it in one particular situation. It's a great way to go if you are peak bagging in a remote area. For instance, in my upcoming hike in the Wind River Range in Wyoming I am planning one four day jaunt that features hiking into the Titcomb Basin area, setting up camp, then strapping on a small day pack for two days and scrambling to the top of Fremont Peak one day, and up to Bonney Pass the next. Likewise, I hope to do the same farther south, camping near Rapid Lake and then scrambling to the top of Bollinger Peak (in the Cirque of the Towers) one day and Wind River Peak the next. Hiking off trail to the top of mountains using non-technical class 2 and 3 routes is no fun with a fully loaded backpack.
For me...my whole life, I've always wanted to walk down that path, just to see where it goes, just because I can. I think that's why I hike, it's really that simple, I don't mind camping but wouldn't say I love it, who loves sleeping on a 1 inch mat in the rain! I camp so I can follow that path until I don't want to anymore, then go back to my real life feeling satisfied.
I totally resonate with what you wrote, Stranger. Maybe it's because I never thru-hiked an entire long trail, but I just don't see why such an arbitrary distance has to be so important that to not complete it all in one trip is a failure or that to not even set a goal to thru-hike is some sort of failure or weakness or whatever.
I have a friend who keeps trying to thru-hike the whole PCT but she just can't do it. She always quits. And then she agonizes over it. She has to start at the beginning again. She won't just pick up where she left off. She says that a thru-hike is important to her and it's what she wants and she won't be happy if she doesn't do that. She asks me what's my secret but I don't even have the same goal so my only answer is I have no secret. I just wanted to see the whole trail but I didn't care if it was a thru-hike. So I went out there and saw the whole trail. I'm not agonized that I didn't do it all in one year. My only regret was that I finished the trail. But I cured that by hiking sections over again. The trail is still there! I can keep hiking it forever! Yay!
The one style of hiking/backpacking that I find I do not like as much is base camping with dayhikes. I have no idea why. Something in my head NEEDS that point A to point B sense of accomplishment. If that is a neurosis, it may serve me well on a thru.......:-?
I don't like base-camp backpacking either. I'll do it if somebody else has it as the plan, but I won't plan that sort of thing for myself. I don't know why I don't like it. I think it's partly because I get lazy. If I don't have a reason to pack my stuff I just may as well just sit around and eat. Under these conditions, it would take another person wanting to do a day hike for me to do a day hike. Otherwise, if I don't have to pack my stuff, I'm not going anywhere.
I also hate car camping and I think basecamp backpacking is similar. You start to lose all your stuff. When you backpack you unpack to sleep and then you pack it all up right away in the morning (well, I do it right away anyway) and you have all your stuff right where you can get to it all day. Your stuff is always right where you know it is. You become like this efficient machine. Your backpack is like a cockpit or something. You can just reach and get what you need when you need it. When you are car camping or basecamping all your stuff just becomes this giant mess and you can't find anything and it's just a massive amount of frustration, always searching through junk that's strewn about or blowing away. I'm sure I'm not making sense, but that's how it is for me.
Hi Skooch. I just read your blog and I must say It was very moving. It was beautiful what you wrote. I want to say I'm sorry that you're off the trail but in your case it just doesn't seem to fit. I can only pray that someday I'm able to climb to where you are. Congrats.....and take care of that foot! :)
Thanks Fortis. I really glad I did it. I still love the trail.
it's like going to the starting line of the boston marathon having never run or trained because you always "dreamed" of running it. go figure
only the boston marathon will not let you enter without qualifying, anyone is allowed to hike
Lone Wolf
06-09-2011, 22:00
only the boston marathon will not let you enter without qualifying, anyone is allowed to hike
and over 90% fail the hike. ATC should run a qual school. section hikers have the right idea. it was how the trail was meant to be
to me not finishing a marathon that I planned on would be a failure, not finishing a hike is a change of plans
Lone Wolf
06-09-2011, 22:21
to me not finishing a marathon that I planned on would be a failure, not finishing a hike is a change of plans
explain........
marathon is a set one day event with a detailed strategy, a hike is a longer, versatile, evolving event that can start and stop at any convenient access point
wcgornto
06-09-2011, 22:50
I would much rather walk a 20 mile line than a 20 mile loop myself.
I am impartial between line and loop, as long as I don't walk a ten mile line and then hike the same line again on the way back. I do plenty of out and backs, but I prefer not to cover the same ground twice if I don't have to.
wcgornto
06-09-2011, 22:51
But you have to admit the Tahoe Rim and Wonderland Trails are pretty sweet loops!
Tour du Mont Blanc in the Alps also.
DrRichardCranium
06-10-2011, 01:02
I agree with what map man said, sometimes base camping can work out great. My brother and my friends and I used to do that in the White Mountains. In the higher elevations it's hard to find a campsite because the ground is covered with mossy logs and boulders. So you hike up most of the way on Day 1 to your base camp, the next day you just take daypacks etc and bag a bunch of peaks, somme on the AT, some not, then return to your basecamp in the evening.
I am impartial between line and loop, as long as I don't walk a ten mile line and then hike the same line again on the way back. I do plenty of out and backs, but I prefer not to cover the same ground twice if I don't have to.
You know, 10k was talking about himself..right. :p Make sure you put the word "I" in bold letters so there is no confusion. ;)
If this thread has shown anything, there are many different ways people to be outside...and it is all good. [1]
Oddly enough, I enjoy car camping in destinations that aren't really backpacking destinations. (http://www.pmags.com/high-plains-drifting-pawnee-buttes-pawnee-national-grasslands)Really lets me take in an area that is not meant for backpacking. A day trip just does not cut it.
Different mentality, different trip and it is all good.
I have enjoyed base camp style backpacking trips at times (in particular, a few trips in the Winds (http://www.pmags.com/v/wyoming/winds07)) and have to admit it was spectacular. Definitely makes sense for scrambling oriented and/or climbing trips. But my first love is traditional backpacking.
[1] (And that I'm a sarcastic BB at times...but we all knew that :sun )
I When you are car camping or basecamping all your stuff just becomes this giant mess and you can't find anything and it's just a massive amount of frustration, always searching through junk that's strewn about or blowing away. I'm sure I'm not making sense, but that's how it is for me.
All about organization. Everything has its place, put back appropriately and then a person can hike/bike/climb for the day without everything blowing away.
Or maybe I'm just anal... :)
I quit after 850 miles because having fun was more important to me than crossing an arbitrary finish line. I figured you don't get many opportunities in life to take a vacation of several months in one stretch, so I was going to have some fun and not make it into a grueling athletic challenge.
Going back through my journal, by the time I got to Erwin, TN I had an inkling that I probably wasn't going to finish. I left Erwin and it took me 4 days to make it to the first shelter. I spent 3 of those days reading a book camped by that little creek just outside of town.
I had already taken many, many days like that, and at the rate I was going there was no way I was going to make it all the way in time. It took me 4 months to make it to Waynesboro. I took almost all of my zero days on the trail rather than in towns. Matter of fact, the only zero I took in town was in Pearisburg due to an illness. If I got up in the morning and hiked 2 miles and found a really cool spot to camp, I set up my tent and quit for the day.
I got to Max Patch before noon, but I was still there at 10 o'clock at night laying on my back looking up at the stars.
I was never in a hurry to get anywhere unless my food bag was getting empty. And I learned to carry a 5 to 7 day food supply even if the next town was 3 or 4 days away, because I'd usually need it...I had 3 or 4 days of wiggle room built into every resupply because I knew if I found a good book in a shelter I might lay in my tent a couple days and read it, or I might have some short days if I found cool campsites.
For awhile I felt pressured to try and do more big mile days in order to "catch up" and allow myself enough time to go the whole way. But doing that made the hike seem too much like work to me, so eventually I made the decision to just have fun and hike as far as I wanted to. As long as I was having fun I'd stay on the trail and when I got bored I'd quit.
By the time I got to Waynesboro the heat of the summer was coming on and it wasn't as fun as it used to be so I bought an inflatable boat at Kmart and floated from downtown Waynesboro to Port Republic (took 6 days to cover 18 miles as the river was way down and I spent a good deal of time walking in water less than knee deep) and then hitched into Harrisonburg, VA and took a bus home.
I started my thru with a partner, we grew together and had taken many trips all over. Great Guy, great hiking partner. He made it to Perrisburg and just lost the urge to see what was around the corner. The Green tunnel made him clausterphobic. He liked the lifestyle though and stayed at Rusty's for a long time, years actually and still lives in the Blue Ridge, he found his "place" and didn't need to keep going. His quitting did send me into a funk that almost derailed my hike, but my GF, now wife, got on after in Port Clinton and we finished together.
I'd be interested to see what personality type has a higher finishing perecentage.
Andy
Lone Wolf
06-10-2011, 06:37
I quit after 850 miles because having fun was more important to me than crossing an arbitrary finish line. I figured you don't get many opportunities in life to take a vacation of several months in one stretch, so I was going to have some fun and not make it into a grueling athletic challenge.
Going back through my journal, by the time I got to Erwin, TN I had an inkling that I probably wasn't going to finish. I left Erwin and it took me 4 days to make it to the first shelter. I spent 3 of those days reading a book camped by that little creek just outside of town.
I had already taken many, many days like that, and at the rate I was going there was no way I was going to make it all the way in time. It took me 4 months to make it to Waynesboro. I took almost all of my zero days on the trail rather than in towns. Matter of fact, the only zero I took in town was in Pearisburg due to an illness. If I got up in the morning and hiked 2 miles and found a really cool spot to camp, I set up my tent and quit for the day.
I got to Max Patch before noon, but I was still there at 10 o'clock at night laying on my back looking up at the stars.
I was never in a hurry to get anywhere unless my food bag was getting empty. And I learned to carry a 5 to 7 day food supply even if the next town was 3 or 4 days away, because I'd usually need it...I had 3 or 4 days of wiggle room built into every resupply because I knew if I found a good book in a shelter I might lay in my tent a couple days and read it, or I might have some short days if I found cool campsites.
For awhile I felt pressured to try and do more big mile days in order to "catch up" and allow myself enough time to go the whole way. But doing that made the hike seem too much like work to me, so eventually I made the decision to just have fun and hike as far as I wanted to. As long as I was having fun I'd stay on the trail and when I got bored I'd quit.
By the time I got to Waynesboro the heat of the summer was coming on and it wasn't as fun as it used to be so I bought an inflatable boat at Kmart and floated from downtown Waynesboro to Port Republic (took 6 days to cover 18 miles as the river was way down and I spent a good deal of time walking in water less than knee deep) and then hitched into Harrisonburg, VA and took a bus home.
now that is the way to walk the trail
Finished 1,000 mi. southern half in Nov. '10. My body just broke down. I was doing standing 8-counts up every hill. It ultimately became too painful. the last 200 miles were very difficult-3 & 4 day zeros, but I was comitted to finish through Harpers Ferry... I am glad I did it. won't do it again---looking to do the Colorado or Long Trail. In the end--I acomplished my goal and am better for it!!!
Leanthree
06-10-2011, 17:41
Tour du Mont Blanc in the Alps also.
Heh, tried this one and had to be ambulanced out because of a front country fluke accident where I smashed my head on a hanging cast iron flower pot and got knocked out (so I am told by witnesses, I woke up staring at a nice blue sky laying on the ground). Oh the memories, or lack thereof.
Beautiful hiking of course. I should go back to show that flower pot.
This is vaguely related to the OP, it was only a planned 10 day hike but ended after 4 because of a totally fluke event totally unrelated to and I wasn't allowed to do any athletic activity until I got cleared by a neurologist 3 weeks later. Hikes end for all sorts of reasons.
WingedMonkey
06-11-2011, 00:15
Every time this question is asked the answers by those that didn't make it, which is valuable advise for future attempts is over shadowed by those that have no intention of a thru hike, and a dozen reasons why they are never going to do a thru hike or how pointless a thru hike is. For those of you that actually explained why or what made you stop it gives future hikers a reality check to learn from.
long island bob
06-11-2011, 04:21
Lines? Loops? Out on a line and then re-trace back to your starting point?
They are all fine with me.
My favorite hikes are those on a hot, hot summer day that end at a beach or swimming hole.
Every time this question is asked the answers by those that didn't make it, which is valuable advise for future attempts is over shadowed by those that have no intention of a thru hike, and a dozen reasons why they are never going to do a thru hike or how pointless a thru hike is. For those of you that actually explained why or what made you stop it gives future hikers a reality check to learn from.
you bring up an excellent point....I have in years past jogged for fun or fitness and even ran in a few 5K and 10K races. I never dreamed of running a marathon, just never had any appeal to me. But then again, I also know I would not have gone onto a forum of running enthusiasts and point out how ridiculous it is to go out and run that far. But it seems to be fairly common practice here in the time I have been looking at this site and I truly don't understand this.
actually all the reasons for quitting a thru hike have been pretty well discussed here in this thread and many others. like wingedmonkey said, trying to understand this question is important for the mental preparation.however, the completion % being rather low, whatever one thinks that number actually is, was a compelling reason imo to attempt it for myself. I seriously doubt I would have even given it much consideration to a thru-hike if the ratio's were reversed. I'm sure others feel differently about this.
Monkeywrench
06-12-2011, 11:24
Completing a thru-hike is not always fun. If fun is your goal, you're probably not going to finish. Sometimes it is just hard work. But it is deeply satisfying work and completing a difficult but attainable challenge brings with it immense satisfaction.
My memories of my thru-hike bring a deep longing for the southern half of the trail. It was a glorious life-style. By the time I got to New England y body was breaking down on me, and my memories include a lot of frustration. But I finished, and I am thrilled with myself for persevering and attaining my goal. If I had quit and gone home, the whole experience for me would have been tarnished.
My goal was to hike the entire trail in one year, and to not do so would have been a failure for me. That doesn't mean that needs to be anyone else's goal. But if that is your goal, know that there are going to be times when the hike is nothing but a job to do. It is not always going to be fun.
When it has been raining for five days, everything you own is wet to some degree or another, you have been wearing the same wet, dirty, smelly socks for days, your feet are puffy and sore, you're eating the same few Lipton noodle and tuna dinners over and over until the idea of choking it down makes you flinch, but you're so hungry you actually fantasize about food, it's not all that much 'fun'.
But when you get to that point, pause for a moment and listen to the rain falling in the forest. If you close your eyes and listen, it's amazing what you can hear going on around you. It is so peaceful. How can you give all that up just because you're wet and uncomfortable and hungry?
Allen
P.S. One of my daily blog entries from my thru-hike was titled "Misery!" It was the absolute low point of my hike. Lucky for me it happened in western Massachusetts, and since I live in Massachusetts, I went home for a couple days and regrouped.
Completing a thru-hike is not always fun. If fun is your goal, you're probably not going to finish. Sometimes it is just hard work.
Bear in mind...I don't think these types of statements are allowed or tolerated by the some of the more outspoken and dogmatic "enthusiasts" here. Remember, every day from Ga. to Maine was sunshine and gentle breezes and rainbows and kittens and waterfalls. that's the official party line, please stick to the script my friend.;)
Bear in mind...I don't think these types of statements are allowed or tolerated by the some of the more outspoken and dogmatic "enthusiasts" here. Remember, every day from Ga. to Maine was sunshine and gentle breezes and rainbows and kittens and waterfalls. that's the official party line, please stick to the script my friend.;)
And for gods sake hike slow.....
(and quit your job and leave your SO if you have to)
:)
I think there are many reasons people leave the trail. We have just left because I, Tas, tore my calf muscle, but it could have been a dozen other reasons. We hit a 'brick wall' no reason, we are very experienced long distance hikers, but different terrain, different hiking food to our own country, tiredness, etc, etc.
It is important to remember that whatever distance one does, it is their hike and their achievement.
For me, coming off the trail was a mixture of intense muscular pain, frustration and even relief. Walkabout Roo and Tas
max patch
06-12-2011, 18:19
My favorite hikes are those on a hot, hot summer day that end at a beach or swimming hole.
My fav AT day hike is a loop that starts/ends at Lake Winfield Scott; good swimming lake.
kayak karl
06-12-2011, 18:52
(and quit your job and leave your SO if you have to)
:)
quit a relationship to complete a hike. some people ARE that screwed up.
allwen, how different is the food here from Australia? What do you guys eat on hiking trips over there?
Cookerhiker
06-12-2011, 21:23
and over 90% fail the hike. ATC should run a qual school. section hikers have the right idea. it was how the trail was meant to be
The ATC's newly designed website has a pretty good pro-con analysis of thruhiking vis-a-vis section hiking (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiking/thru-section-hiking) as well as factors to consider regarding direction (NOBO, SOBO, flip-flop et. al).
Old Hiker
06-12-2011, 21:47
Bear in mind...I don't think these types of statements are allowed or tolerated by the some of the more outspoken and dogmatic "enthusiasts" here. Remember, every day from Ga. to Maine was sunshine and gentle breezes and rainbows and kittens and waterfalls. that's the official party line, please stick to the script my friend.;)
So..... with all the kittens, I DON'T have to plan on food resupply very often? :-?
Monkeywrench
06-12-2011, 22:26
And for gods sake hike slow.....
(and quit your job and leave your SO if you have to)
:)
I did quit my job, but I didn't have to leave my SO. She was amazingly supportive.
CrumbSnatcher
06-12-2011, 22:58
in 2002 my dog and me hiked from GA-PA before heading home.
2-3 months later we were in maine heading south. at the time we went home we just wasn't into the hike, i couldn't enjoy it, because she seemed to be struggling a little,and she was over heating! so we hitched back to my car at miss janet house, from northern virginia to take a little break and to move my car up the trail, closer to us, in case we wanted/needed it, and then hiked into PA. before heading home for the summer
i finished a thru in '01. went back for another in '03, but got off the trail to donate bone marrow. just didn't seem right to have the recipient wait for two more months so i could hike 800 more miles i'd already seen.
helping someone beat lymphoma was much more gratifying than anything the trail could offer.
Good for you! I hope everything went well with the donation - for both you and the recipient.
So..... with all the kittens, I DON'T have to plan on food resupply very often? :-?
alright but if you are planning for a 2012 hike, you have plenty of time to go ahead and dehydrate your own for your mail drops. saves time and hassle (packing out 4 -5 days of carcasses is no fun and is stinky even by thruhiking standards) and there's alot of good cat recipes in the food forum.Include a few packets of tabasco and terriyaki sauce too! Have fun and send me a summitt photo!:D
sherrill
06-13-2011, 08:00
peanut butter
dzierzak
06-13-2011, 10:27
So..... with all the kittens, I DON'T have to plan on food resupply very often? :-?
Hopefully kittens. I love cats, just can't eat a whole one...:p
I had to get off the CDT for medical/financial/time reasons. I was in the ER with a dislocated shoulder about 48 hours before I was supposed to start. The desert was fine, but the ice axe mountaineering stuff and the scrambling up and down of the bushwacking caused 1-2 full on dislocations on a daily basis. Then I got giarda (yes I was chemically treating my water--it still happens sometimes, no method is 100% effective), and the medical bills+time lost meant that to keep hiking I'd have to deal with daily shoulder dislocations and re-locating it myself on the trail, hike on a credit card, AND finish too late to work the job I had lined up for the fall.
Shoulder finally got fixed this fall and is healing well, hopefully I'll be able to put myself in a position to do the CDT in the next few years.
Han Solo (95)
06-14-2011, 20:53
I don't know if Just Plain Bill is still reading this, but I'll offer my take. I've heard the same sentence from many different sources as to why they quit: "It wasn't what I expected." Whether these people didn't read enough about the AT, or didn't do a shakedown hike in preparation, or found their hiking partners intolerable, or were expecting true secluded wilderness, I'm not sure.
As for me personally, I spent a week in Buena Vista with the "Virginia Blues" on my first thru-hike. I went to the AT alone, but fell in with a group right away. After 6 weeks, I split from them because I wanted to do Trail Days and they didn't, but then I was suddenly a solo hiker trying to find my own motivation, and in a void with few other hikers around me. I got a little depressed and hitched into Buena Vista for R&R. One night became two, three ... seven. I strongly contemplated quitting, but forced myself to get back on the Trail. Of course, I was way behind everyone I knew at that point, but over time I became okay with solo hiking -- happy even. There were major floods in the Shenandoahs and 100+ temps and dry springs in Pennsylvania, but I was good with it, and I eventually caught up to some folks I knew in New England, and had a group to finish with. I hope that sheds some light.
WingedMonkey
06-14-2011, 22:47
There were major floods in the Shenandoahs and 100+ temps and dry springs in Pennsylvania
Yep, that was '95 all right.
;)
DaveSail
06-20-2011, 00:19
I have never done any of the Georgia / N.C. Tenn trail .
But , there are a lot of climbs to the 3000' or 4000' level
before the first road - crossing at Neels Gap . Most are
carrying way too much . I'm guessing a lot of those who
quit early have imagined something like a long , " Garden
Path " . They have no idea what it is like to carry a
heavy pack up a steep hill !
Just read Warren Doyle's 13 points , ( as in the biginning
of " Becoming Odyssa " ) , and you will see that most
beginners would not have the right attitude or mental
mind - set .
DVW
This thread is a bit dated, but since I just got back from the trail I thought I'd throw in my thoughts.
I made it to Harpers Ferry before I quit, and had to get off for financial reasons. I was attempting to hike on a budget of about $3000 which I still believe is possible, but not the kind of hike I ended up wanting to hike. I found myself with a great group and ended up going into towns and drinking, etc etc. I realized about a month into the trip I either needed to change my hiking style or just run out of budget and go home. I opted to just have fun until the money ran out. I knew going into the hike it would be hard to make a thru-hike work on that budget - but this was my chance (leave of absence approved at work) so I decided to try. To cap it off my wife's company went bankrupt right before I left so it made it harder to justify hiking all summer while I had a job waiting for me at home (and a suddenly cash poor wife).
Getting off the trail was the hardest thing I've ever done. But the 2 months I spent on the trail were the two best months of my life. So I'll be back in a couple of years to finish and possibly do a flip flop and re-do the southern AT. It's impossible to stop thinking and dreaming about the hike now... of course I'm sitting in a cubicle right now.
One more thing - don't ever believe to anyone's description of the trail. And Virginia is rarely flat.
Instead of asking "why do hikers quit their hikes?" a MUCH better question, IMO, is to explore the condition/mindset/preparation, etc of those that DO NOT QUIT! Ask, "what is common among those that safely and joyfully complete their intended journeys?" I think, by asking that better question it's more likely to raise your understanding to an even higher level.
johnnybgood
06-27-2011, 18:51
Ask, "what is common among those that safely and joyfully complete their intended journeys?" I think, by asking that better question it's more likely to raise your understanding to an even higher level. More than likely those that finished the intended thru were better prepared mentally for the days where walking in nature was gratifying enough .
Those who find inspiration from their inner soul will conquer the daily mundane task of merely walking long miles without the all of the hoopla.
Just Plain Bill
06-28-2011, 07:53
Instead of asking "why do hikers quit their hikes?" a MUCH better question, IMO, is to explore the condition/mindset/preparation, etc of those that DO NOT QUIT!
Not to be argumentative, but who's that a better question for? Not me. That isn't what I wanted to know. I already know why people don't quit and the "condition/mindset/preparation" it takes -- I'm a thru-hiker!
I'm working on a writing project and was wonder why people quit, so ... everyone that has contributed to this thread has been very helpful. Thank you.
Just Plain Bill
06-28-2011, 08:20
Instead of asking "why do hikers quit their hikes?" a MUCH better question, IMO, is to explore the condition/mindset/preparation, etc of those that DO NOT QUIT!
Not to be argumentative, but who's that a better question for? Not me. That isn't what I wanted to know. I already know why people don't quit and the "condition/mindset/preparation" it takes -- I'm a thru-hiker!
I'm working on a writing project and was wonder why people quit, so ... everyone that has contributed to this thread has been very helpful. Thank you.
Pedaling Fool
06-28-2011, 08:57
I'm working on a writing project and was wonder why people quit, so ... everyone that has contributed to this thread has been very helpful. Thank you.
So did you have a theory before you opened this thread and has it (if you had one) change as a result? If you didn't have a theory, do you now have one?
ROFL - Obvious troll post people.
It all boils down to preparation. If you do your homework beforehand, have all your ducks liined up its hard to fail. In the beginning of 10' I decided I was thru hiking in 12' after graduation in december of 11'. My requirements before leaving (with my dog) were simply this: $5500, a mail drop system planned and routed, and 1200 overnight trail miles. Finance, food, and conditioning. Learn it, know it, live it. HAHA
It all boils down to preparation. If you do your homework beforehand, have all your ducks liined up its hard to fail. In the beginning of 10' I decided I was thru hiking in 12' after graduation in december of 11'. My requirements before leaving (with my dog) were simply this: $5500, a mail drop system planned and routed, and 1200 overnight trail miles. Finance, food, and conditioning. Learn it, know it, live it. HAHA
That's about all you can do to ensure your 'success.' There's a lot of what ifs. What if a family member gets terminally ill--would you rather finish or spend time with them? What if a thru-hike is going to ruin an important personal relationship? What if you get bit by some weird insect and half your body gets paralyzed? What if you like hiking, but not hiking for months straight? THe above all happened to people on that were on the trail when I was thru-hiking, and they all made the right decision by cancelling their trip. A 500 mile trip is far, far superior to a 2000 mile trip that ruins your life.
It all boils down to preparation. If you do your homework beforehand, have all your ducks liined up its hard to fail. In the beginning of 10' I decided I was thru hiking in 12' after graduation in december of 11'. My requirements before leaving (with my dog) were simply this: $5500, a mail drop system planned and routed, and 1200 overnight trail miles. Finance, food, and conditioning. Learn it, know it, live it. HAHA
75% of people who attempt a thru-hike quit. All the preparations in the world for a future thru-hike may go out the window when you are on the trail. 1200 overnight miles a weekend or a few days a time is different than a multi-month hike (even with short towns stops interspersed like the AT).
Before saying its "hard to fail"..walk the walk first. :) A 75% rate of quitting says is it is easier to "fail" than you may think. ;)
Just Plain Bill
06-29-2011, 10:46
So did you have a theory before you opened this thread and has it (if you had one) change as a result? If you didn't have a theory, do you now have one?
Thanks for the question, John. No, I didn't have a clear theory before asking the question. I had my guesses, which were pretty much covered in the responses to the question (thanks for all the responses!).
I do have a theory now. It's not based on any one thing that someone wrote, but rather something that was missing from the posts by people who felt they had to quit. This obviously doesn't apply to everyone (social theories rarely do), and I realize that it might sound harsh or judgmental to some people, but this is a working theory. It's also based on my experience of overcoming obstacles that might have tripped-up others.
I think before beginning to walk any long distance trail -- or other adventure that's going to take 4-6 months -- there has to be a NEED. You NEED to be out on that trail. If that need is in your bones, then there isn't much that's going to stop you. Having that need also means you're prepared for most everything. And the obstacles that can't be prepared for (like when I had an abscess in my heel), become tiny bumps on the journey.
With a NEED there are no money problems, no boredom, no family problems (within reason), no health problems ... nothing will stop you from finishing. Even during the months prior, preparing, are 100% obsessed with finishing (friends and family might take a dislike to you during this period). You can't think about anything else for months before you step foot on the trail.
If you've got the need to walk the AT, eating away like a cancer in your stomach, then obstacles become fun to overcome because you KNOW you're finishing.
With a NEED in your stomach, it doesn't make a difference how much hiking experience you have. We all know many thru-hikers with little to no experience. I bought the first backpack in my life 6 months before walking, strapping it on maybe a half dozen times before getting on the trail. It made absolutely no difference.
So what I found missing from most of the people who responded to this thread was a need to finish. And that's okay! Though, I would think it would be better to figure that out before starting, but that's just me.
Monkeywrench
06-30-2011, 07:55
You need to be ready for days like this, and STILL want to hike the AT:
Windsor Furnace Shelter to Allentown Hiking Club Shelter (http://allenf.com/blog/?p=159)June 26, 2009 at 10:43 pmAllen (http://allenf.com/blog/?author=1)Comments off (http://allenf.com/blog/?p=159#comments)
Friday, 6/26
AT Miles = 16.5 / 1229.8
Other Miles = 0.4 / 43.8
Total Miles = 16.9 / 1273.6
I HATE PA ROCKS!
There, I got that out of the way. There was absolutely nothing even remotely enjoyable, interesting, or fulfilling about today. There was just mile after mile after mile of rocks.
By the time I got here this afternoon I was cursing the state of Pennsylvania, the AT in Pennsylvania, and evryone in any way connected to the trail.
My feet look okay, but they hurt like hell. I think if I stayed home and just hit my feet with a hammer for 8 or 10 hours a day, that would be nearly, but not quite, as bad as hiking, stumbling, and twisting over the PA rocks.
Of course, anyone crazy enough to spend their days injuring themselves with a hammer would be whisked away to a hospital for evaluation, but for some reason people call it a vacation when you do it outside in the heat and humidity with gnats and mosquitoes and brattlesnakes all around you. Where's the logic in that?
If you haven't figured it out yet, I am just a wee bit disillusioned with the trail today. I want to get the hell out of Pennsylvania. Three more days of flaggelating my feet on the rocks, and I will be in New Jersey, more than ready to take a zero day and hopefully regain my enthusiasm for the trail.
It is amazing how long it takes to get anywhere with these damn rocks. I didn't get in until 4:00 this afternoon, and it was only a 16.5 mile day. I plan to cover a similar distance tomorrow and Sunday, then on Monday I have to cover 20+ miles to get to Delaware W@ater Gap, then go to the post office to collect my bounce box and my food drop, then continue another 1.2 miles across the bridge to the DWG Visitors Center on the NJ side. Paul, I am going to do my best to get there by 4:30, but it is going to be a long, difficult day and I can't promise.
–
"Home is where I hang my food bag"
Monkeywrench
Allen Freeman
[email protected]
www.allenf.com (http://www.allenf.com/)
allenf.blogspot.com (http://allenf.blogspot.com/)
Monkeywrench
06-30-2011, 07:55
You need to be ready for days like this, and STILL want to hike the AT:
Windsor Furnace Shelter to Allentown Hiking Club Shelter (http://allenf.com/blog/?p=159)June 26, 2009 at 10:43 pmAllen (http://allenf.com/blog/?author=1)Comments off (http://allenf.com/blog/?p=159#comments)
Friday, 6/26
AT Miles = 16.5 / 1229.8
Other Miles = 0.4 / 43.8
Total Miles = 16.9 / 1273.6
I HATE PA ROCKS!
There, I got that out of the way. There was absolutely nothing even remotely enjoyable, interesting, or fulfilling about today. There was just mile after mile after mile of rocks.
By the time I got here this afternoon I was cursing the state of Pennsylvania, the AT in Pennsylvania, and evryone in any way connected to the trail.
My feet look okay, but they hurt like hell. I think if I stayed home and just hit my feet with a hammer for 8 or 10 hours a day, that would be nearly, but not quite, as bad as hiking, stumbling, and twisting over the PA rocks.
Of course, anyone crazy enough to spend their days injuring themselves with a hammer would be whisked away to a hospital for evaluation, but for some reason people call it a vacation when you do it outside in the heat and humidity with gnats and mosquitoes and brattlesnakes all around you. Where's the logic in that?
If you haven't figured it out yet, I am just a wee bit disillusioned with the trail today. I want to get the hell out of Pennsylvania. Three more days of flaggelating my feet on the rocks, and I will be in New Jersey, more than ready to take a zero day and hopefully regain my enthusiasm for the trail.
It is amazing how long it takes to get anywhere with these damn rocks. I didn't get in until 4:00 this afternoon, and it was only a 16.5 mile day. I plan to cover a similar distance tomorrow and Sunday, then on Monday I have to cover 20+ miles to get to Delaware W@ater Gap, then go to the post office to collect my bounce box and my food drop, then continue another 1.2 miles across the bridge to the DWG Visitors Center on the NJ side. Paul, I am going to do my best to get there by 4:30, but it is going to be a long, difficult day and I can't promise.
–
"Home is where I hang my food bag"
Monkeywrench
Allen Freeman
[email protected]
www.allenf.com (http://www.allenf.com/)
allenf.blogspot.com (http://allenf.blogspot.com/)
Monkeywrench
06-30-2011, 07:59
Not sure why the above was double-posted. My apologies for that.
Why do people quit their AT thru hike? In a nutshell, poor planning. Run out of money? that's poor planning. No excuse there. Not what you expected? hey haven't you been hiking before? I would think it is basic to do a one -two week backpack before tackling a 2000 mile trail. Tired of being in the woods all the time? gee didn't you read about the trail?
Now if it rains every day for 30+ days.. well that you can't plan for and that I can see killing a thru hike. Beyond that, I don't see how folks didn't know what to expect. This is one of the most known and over publicized trails in the world!
DavidNH
stranger
06-30-2011, 10:11
Why do people quit their AT thru hike? In a nutshell, poor planning. Run out of money? that's poor planning. No excuse there. Not what you expected? hey haven't you been hiking before? I would think it is basic to do a one -two week backpack before tackling a 2000 mile trail. Tired of being in the woods all the time? gee didn't you read about the trail?
Now if it rains every day for 30+ days.. well that you can't plan for and that I can see killing a thru hike. Beyond that, I don't see how folks didn't know what to expect. This is one of the most known and over publicized trails in the world!
DavidNH
Planning and preparation only takes you so far, I agree with much of your post, however I've been unsuccessful at two thru-hike attempts, but can walk 500 miles in my sleep, I can hike back to back to back 28 mile days, through snow, rain and heat, I've done it on the AT, across New Zealand and Australia.
However, I get bored after 500-600 miles, it's happened 3 times, completing a thru-hike is more than just being able to go for a long hike, the monotomy and boredom is what gets to me...not anything else, although 30 days of rain would send me packing haha
JPBill, I don't know if you have hiked the trail yourself, but I don't think your theory fits. And I think it would help a lot to figure out why people succeed, what it is they have that others do not, rather than find out why people quit and form a theory from that.
I would say that the most successful people who hike the long trails don't have any particular need. What they do have is a positive attitude and a love of the long trail lifestyle. Because I did hike a long trail, and struggled with it, I had a chance to see what the difference the positive attitude makes. That person who wrote about the rocks in Pennsylvania? Contrast it to this entry about Pennsylvania:
"I covered 30 miles Thursday leaving only 15 miles to Port Clinton Friday for a rendevous with family....It seems incredible to be back out here on the trail again after such an amazing whirlwind event. The thunderstorms evaporated with the daylight and just now a waxing crecent moon is lighting up the white rocks that surround my little home for the night. I am in my favorite place; a stealth camp high atop a ridge with an eastern exposure. I have organized things to capture an epic sunrise view of the Pennsylvania countryside 1,500 feet below. I feel content as a fat rat laying here in my nest with a belly full of town foods! Well, there is only a little bit of Pennsylvania left so i hope to snap a few special pictures..
...I wonder if they need rocks in Jersey cause PA has plenty! Oh yea, i got some great sunrise/PA rocks pictures." - Iceaxe.
No complaining whatsoever. The rocks are barely a footnote. That positive attitude, the focus on the beauty and the good things is the key.
When I was hiking the PCT I struggled with the mosquitoes. They really brought my morale down. I wanted to go home, but I kept going. Then in Washington I struggled with the rain. I was at my wits end. I couldn't muster a positive attitude at all. I forced myself to finish the trail. On my way home, I stopped to pick up a hiker and give him a ride. I asked him facetiously how he liked the weather in Washington. He looked puzzled for a minute, then he said, "Oh you mean the rain? I don't mind the rain. It makes me walk a further each day". That positive attitude, being able to face adversity without a complaint, embrace adversity as a positive force in your hike. That's the key.
Anybody I met who had a NEED to be out on the trail usually learned pretty quickly that what they were looking for wasn't on the trail. Joy seems to work better as a motivator.
JPBill, I don't know if you have hiked the trail yourself, but I don't think your theory fits. And I think it would help a lot to figure out why people succeed, what it is they have that others do not, rather than find out why people quit and form a theory from that.
I would say that the most successful people who hike the long trails don't have any particular need. What they do have is a positive attitude and a love of the long trail lifestyle. Because I did hike a long trail, and struggled with it, I had a chance to see what the difference the positive attitude makes. That person who wrote about the rocks in Pennsylvania? Contrast it to this entry about Pennsylvania:
"I covered 30 miles Thursday leaving only 15 miles to Port Clinton Friday for a rendevous with family....It seems incredible to be back out here on the trail again after such an amazing whirlwind event. The thunderstorms evaporated with the daylight and just now a waxing crecent moon is lighting up the white rocks that surround my little home for the night. I am in my favorite place; a stealth camp high atop a ridge with an eastern exposure. I have organized things to capture an epic sunrise view of the Pennsylvania countryside 1,500 feet below. I feel content as a fat rat laying here in my nest with a belly full of town foods! Well, there is only a little bit of Pennsylvania left so i hope to snap a few special pictures..
...I wonder if they need rocks in Jersey cause PA has plenty! Oh yea, i got some great sunrise/PA rocks pictures." - Iceaxe.
No complaining whatsoever. The rocks are barely a footnote. That positive attitude, the focus on the beauty and the good things is the key.
When I was hiking the PCT I struggled with the mosquitoes. They really brought my morale down. I wanted to go home, but I kept going. Then in Washington I struggled with the rain. I was at my wits end. I couldn't muster a positive attitude at all. I forced myself to finish the trail. On my way home, I stopped to pick up a hiker and give him a ride. I asked him facetiously how he liked the weather in Washington. He looked puzzled for a minute, then he said, "Oh you mean the rain? I don't mind the rain. It makes me walk a further each day". That positive attitude, being able to face adversity without a complaint, embrace adversity as a positive force in your hike. That's the key.
Anybody I met who had a NEED to be out on the trail usually learned pretty quickly that what they were looking for wasn't on the trail. Joy seems to work better as a motivator.
ChinMusic
06-30-2011, 11:21
PHowever, I get bored after 500-600 miles, it's happened 3 times, completing a thru-hike is more than just being able to go for a long hike, the monotomy and boredom is what gets to me...not anything else, although 30 days of rain would send me packing haha
I do not get bored easily. Monotony is somewhat soothing. I am counting on that as a positive trait.
Monkeywrench
06-30-2011, 14:16
That person who wrote about the rocks in Pennsylvania? Contrast it to this entry about Pennsylvania:
"I covered 30 miles Thursday leaving only 15 miles to Port Clinton Friday for a rendevous with family....It seems incredible to be back out here on the trail again after such an amazing whirlwind event. The thunderstorms evaporated with the daylight and just now a waxing crecent moon is lighting up the white rocks that surround my little home for the night. I am in my favorite place; a stealth camp high atop a ridge with an eastern exposure. I have organized things to capture an epic sunrise view of the Pennsylvania countryside 1,500 feet below. I feel content as a fat rat laying here in my nest with a belly full of town foods! Well, there is only a little bit of Pennsylvania left so i hope to snap a few special pictures..
...I wonder if they need rocks in Jersey cause PA has plenty! Oh yea, i got some great sunrise/PA rocks pictures." - Iceaxe.
No complaining whatsoever. The rocks are barely a footnote. That positive attitude, the focus on the beauty and the good things is the key.
Sure, but I would venture to guess that very few hikers keep such a positive attitude every day no matter the circumstances. The point I was trying to make, and apparently failed at, was that if you intend to complete a thru-hike you need to be prepared to push on through the bad days instead of throwing in the towel when things are tough and going home. A good dose of realism is needed to leaven the bucolic images of ones imagination.
Yeah, but what do you use to motivate yourself? Brute force determination or a positive attitude? You can brute force your way through or you can grateful your way through and it seems that there are way more people at the end of the trail who gratefulled their way through. At least that's how it is on the PCT.
I, with my attitude of brute force in the face of adversity, had a pretty negative attitude toward the thru-hikers I met in Washington. How could they be so darn happy, peaceful and grateful? How could they just sit there all happy and mellow like that? God how I hated them. Why weren't they frustrated and sad like me? Why did they do the entire trail all at once and I only did one half each time?
The only thing different between me and them was their positive attitude. Otherwise, I was every bit as strong, motivated, endowed with money, free from injury and pain and abundant with free time. Attitude is the key.
Why do people quit their AT thru hike? In a nutshell, poor planning. Run out of money? that's poor planning. No excuse there. Not what you expected? hey haven't you been hiking before? I would think it is basic to do a one -two week backpack before tackling a 2000 mile trail. Tired of being in the woods all the time? gee didn't you read about the trail?
Now if it rains every day for 30+ days.. well that you can't plan for and that I can see killing a thru hike. Beyond that, I don't see how folks didn't know what to expect. This is one of the most known and over publicized trails in the world!
DavidNH
I take issue with that first statement "run out of money? poor planning". Yeah not everything is in your control. The day before I started the trail my wife lost her job, so my vacation budget became her "buying groceries" budget. Somethings in life you cannot plan, that was half the fun of hiking the trail. Peace.
Why do people quit their AT thru hike? In a nutshell, poor planning. Run out of money? that's poor planning. No excuse there. Not what you expected? hey haven't you been hiking before? I would think it is basic to do a one -two week backpack before tackling a 2000 mile trail. Tired of being in the woods all the time? gee didn't you read about the trail? <br style="-webkit-box-shadow: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; "><br style="-webkit-box-shadow: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; ">Now if it rains every day for 30+ days.. well that you can't plan for and that I can see killing a thru hike. Beyond that, I don't see how folks didn't know what to expect. This is one of the most known and over publicized trails in the world!<br style="-webkit-box-shadow: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; "><br style="-webkit-box-shadow: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; ">DavidNH<br><br>I take issue with that first statement "run out of money? poor planning". Yeah not everything is in your control. The day before I started the trail my wife lost her job, so my vacation budget became her "buying groceries" budget. Somethings in life you cannot plan, that was half the fun of hiking the trail. Peace.
Sorry about the weird double post. Forum foul.
Also I would add that, the people that had the most "plans" this year were often the ones to quit first. All the plans went out the window on day 2 anyway. The people I saw having the most fun were the ones with no plans, and plenty of budget and time.
Monkeywrench
06-30-2011, 17:34
Yeah, but what do you use to motivate yourself? Brute force determination or a positive attitude?
Really? Are those the only two choices?
I vote for maturity and reasonable expectations. I think the biggest lesson I've learned in life is that things change. Life is cyclical. Tough days pass and good days follow. I had some memorably miserable days during my hike, but I knew whatever the misery of the day was would be only temporary. Maybe that's what you meant by a positive attitude, but I don't think so. With my spirit at its nadir I wasn't thinking about the beauty of the rocks, which your post suggest to me I should have been, but I did know that after a good night's sleep I'd start again with a likely different outlook.
i finished a thru in '01. went back for another in '03, but got off the trail to donate bone marrow. just didn't seem right to have the recipient wait for two more months so i could hike 800 more miles i'd already seen.
helping someone beat lymphoma was much more gratifying than anything the trail could offer.
Hard to argue with that reason to quit. Good on you.
Firefighter503
07-05-2011, 00:06
I attempted a thru hike this year and after having to get off the trail for almost a month after one month (340 miles) on it put a big damper in my plans. I got back on and did another 310 miles (about a month) and got off at The Captain's place. It was one of the hardest things I had to do in my life - admitting defeat. My time home (to spend time/help my brother recover from a traumatic brain injury) ate up a lot of the funds I had saved for the hike. Also, when I got back on the trail to continue, it was a whole new group of people that I was hiking with, and just wasn't enjoying the same camaraderie as I was before. Great people, just not on the same wave length as me.
Including that long section, I have completed about 1/3 of the trail total now. I will continue to section hike, and hopefully thru hike it a couple of years down the road from now. Oh well, such is life.
chrisjrabe
07-05-2011, 03:31
Personally I got sick about mile 860 and while I laid in bed I crunched some numbers and realized I was underfunded. So a combination of getting sick and not wanting to go into debt just to finish was my reasons. Finishing was the only goal I didn't accomplish in my grand scheme of things so I am pretty happy.
stranger
07-05-2011, 04:04
I attempted a thru hike this year and after having to get off the trail for almost a month after one month (340 miles) on it put a big damper in my plans. I got back on and did another 310 miles (about a month) and got off at The Captain's place. It was one of the hardest things I had to do in my life - admitting defeat. My time home (to spend time/help my brother recover from a traumatic brain injury) ate up a lot of the funds I had saved for the hike. Also, when I got back on the trail to continue, it was a whole new group of people that I was hiking with, and just wasn't enjoying the same camaraderie as I was before. Great people, just not on the same wave length as me.
Including that long section, I have completed about 1/3 of the trail total now. I will continue to section hike, and hopefully thru hike it a couple of years down the road from now. Oh well, such is life.
I know this probably won't help a whole lot, but the whole admitting defeat thing probably has more to do with your age (and headspace) than what actually occurred. You hiked about 700 miles of the AT. It's real tough to get off the trail and attempt to re-enter into a scene with people you've just met, I know that feeling as well. Not to mention your brothers condition which would be hard for anyone to deal with.
I do find it strange that we often talk about what we have not done, as opposed to what we have accomplished, I think our society today is more about what you don't have than what you do have...so it's hard to get away from that.
seabrookhiker
07-18-2011, 13:12
I caught Lyme last year and got off the trail for a month. When I got back on, my hike was already turned into a section hike - I knew I couldn't finish in time. I skipped sections I had done before so I could hike new trail. Even with that, I ran out of time before the end. I went home from Woodstock, VT because I had made a commitment to be back to my job in September. I was still having fun on the trail despite not hiking with others - all my early trail friends were well ahead of me. It was a sad day for me when I left the trail.
If I get to do it again, I will definitely schedule more time. And I'll probably flip-flop, because more time doesn't mean I could make it to Katahdin before it closed. :)
I attempted to thru-hike the AT in 2006 and quit after 800 or so miles. When I initially decided to hike I was in a mental place where I simply couldn't deal with the life on life's terms and a thru-hike seemed to be the answer to my feelings of discontent. In hindsight it was just an escape done up as a "life goal" or "dream". I began to realize that the trail had its own "terms" and that even here I would have to walk through the same emotional pain I thought I had left behind me. What little money I had saved to hike with soon began to dwindle as I spent more time in towns drinking with the party crowd. Inevitably, I petered out and quit.
I plan on thru-hiking in 2012. Will I quit? Lord willing, no. But I don't know the future. The best that I can do to ensure that I make it is prepare financially, logistically, physically, and most importantly spiritually/mentally/emotionally. For me this last part means making sure that I am hiking because for solid reasons and not to engage in escapism. Yet all things being equal god damn it, I plan on redeeming 2006 by making it to Katahdin next year. Time will tell.
In hindsight it was just an escape done up as a "life goal" or "dream". I began to realize that the trail had its own "terms" and that even here I would have to walk through the same emotional pain I thought I had left behind me. What little money I had saved to hike with soon began to dwindle as I spent more time in towns drinking with the party crowd. Inevitably, I petered out and quit.
That's a pretty common story from what I observed. Your honesty is appreciated and would serve many people well. If you haven't been thinking about doing a thru for a significant portion of your life then it really probably isn't a 'life dream" as you suggest. On the other hand, some people do just show up and hike the thing from start to finish but their focus is on hiking the trail, not escaping something. Liking the town scene better than the actual hiking is an almost guaranteed recipe for not finishing a thru-hike.
Just Plain Bill
07-19-2011, 07:54
Thanks very much for your response, Nathan. It sounds like you've thought through the issues and are clear why you quit. Honestly, I think some people aren't even that self aware, so you've got a leg up!
paistes5
07-19-2011, 09:31
This thread is very helpful to help all of us prospective thru hikers. For me personally it is making me think and consider what feelings I may have while out there so I can prepare for them and push on.
That would be exactly the kind of positive attitude I'm talking about. You don't take your cues for how to feel from the external situation. You are more balanced than that. Plenty of stuff to get miserable about but rather than force yourself to feel something you don't (ooh, the rocks are so pretty!), you have acceptance and move on. We don't even know what Iceaxe felt about the rocks in PA. Obviously they weren't as important to him as other things, and most-likely after 3 long distance trails he knows not to let a few bad days end your hike.
Really? Are those the only two choices?
I vote for maturity and reasonable expectations. I think the biggest lesson I've learned in life is that things change. Life is cyclical. Tough days pass and good days follow. I had some memorably miserable days during my hike, but I knew whatever the misery of the day was would be only temporary. Maybe that's what you meant by a positive attitude, but I don't think so. With my spirit at its nadir I wasn't thinking about the beauty of the rocks, which your post suggest to me I should have been, but I did know that after a good night's sleep I'd start again with a likely different outlook.
I attempted to thru-hike the AT in 2006 and quit after 800 or so miles. When I initially decided to hike I was in a mental place where I simply couldn't deal with the life on life's terms and a thru-hike seemed to be the answer to my feelings of discontent. In hindsight it was just an escape done up as a "life goal" or "dream". I began to realize that the trail had its own "terms" and that even here I would have to walk through the same emotional pain I thought I had left behind me. What little money I had saved to hike with soon began to dwindle as I spent more time in towns drinking with the party crowd. Inevitably, I petered out and quit.
I plan on thru-hiking in 2012. Will I quit? Lord willing, no. But I don't know the future. The best that I can do to ensure that I make it is prepare financially, logistically, physically, and most importantly spiritually/mentally/emotionally. For me this last part means making sure that I am hiking because for solid reasons and not to engage in escapism. Yet all things being equal god damn it, I plan on redeeming 2006 by making it to Katahdin next year. Time will tell.
Nathan2, Hiking the AT is such a learning experience. You learned much, on your firist try. May your 2012 thru-hike bring a more enjoyable experience. The knowlege you have gained in 2006 will greatly help you to reach your goal of Katahdin.
Happy trails.