View Full Version : Attempted Thru-hike AT
Since it seems there are a lot more people that attempt and dont finish than those who do I was wondering if you could share the reason you didnt finish. Was is weather, conditioning, will or anything else. It would be helpful for me to know why you decided to throw in the towel. Thanks.
stranger
01-21-2012, 08:55
I've made two attempts...in 1995 I reached Pearisburg (625 miles) before leaving the trail, in 2008 I reached Atkins (540 miles). I've also done a few shorter trails including the Long Trail and Northville-Lake Placid Trail, plus another 500 mile AT section hike. What I find is that 500 miles is about my speed, or atleast so far. I simply get bored and want to do something else after 4-5 weeks. I'm hiking the Long Trail again this year, and will be doing some more miles on the AT after I complete the LT, so it will be interesting to see if the 500 mile factor comes into play again.
I know a few people who pushed through and completed the AT despite not being very interested in hiking the second part of their trip, and they have the thru-hike, but some of them never hiked again. I've been long distance hiking since 1994 and do big trips every few years, and I'm happy with that. Deep down I will always want the thru-hike, but when I'm out there, and this has happened 3 times already, I run out of motivation around mile 500.
If it happens a 4th time I will let you know!
I think that Stranger's experience is very real but somewhat unique to him. Most restaurants go out of business in less than a year; if they make it a year, the balance tips in their favor. Thru-hiking success is much like this. Most folks that fail do so pretty quick. They are usually inexperienced backpackers who just dream of this grand adventure. They often carry way too much stuff and the trail is much more of a physical endeavor than they realize so they give up - usually pretty quick. For NOBOS this is often in GA or NC and for SOBOS, it often happens before they get to Monson, ME. I thin that a slightly higher percentage of SOBOS actually make it - less, of course start off. Maybe, they are a little more off-kilter than most (which is a good thing). My impression is that people who make it 200 or 300 miles can usually finish (Stranger being the exception). There are also plenty of outside forces pulling people away from the trail and very few forces pulling them back to it. You have to fall in love with the trail and with the concept of completing a thru-hike. It has to become your priority and you have to adapt yourself in many ways (conditioning, equipment, taking care of stuff at home and with family) in order to accomplish a thru-hike.
Lone Wolf
01-21-2012, 11:17
i quit walkin' in gorham, n.h. twice. was just plain tired of walkin'
While I don't mean to suggest that no new discussion should take place, this one was worked through not that long ago, FYI --- a good example of where use of the search function might reduce the number of similar if not duplicate threads?
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?77941-Why-don-t-most-people-finish
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?77928-You-won-t-like-thru-hiking
WingedMonkey
01-21-2012, 11:29
We have turned failure into a derogatory term that dissuades most attempted thru-hikers to return to White-Blaze and explain their failure.
The constant praise that there are no failures, that even a month on an attempted thru is success adds to this (I'm not referring to planned section hikes).
If an study were done of the announced thru hikes every spring on WB and the unsuccessful members that come back and say, "Damn... the trail beat my butt, and I didn't make it" those announcements would be about 2 % of the failures, if that many.
Why do people find it so hard to return to WB and say it didn't work? Why is failure a shame? I don't think it is. Even the loudest egos here have failed at something.
Instead they just don't come back on WB, or ask for a name change. I would encourage them to help other future hikers by coming back into the chat and letting others know of their failures.
Was it really a serious injury or did you just get tired of pain? Did you run out of money or did you plan wrong or over spend too early? Was the "crowd you were hiking with make your life miserable or were you really homesick?
Come back in the room...tell us why you failed with an honest appraisal of the trail, even if it did suck.
backtracker2
01-21-2012, 11:29
I, like stranger, attempted a couple of thru hikes several years ago. The first trip ended in Damascus and the second ended in Waynesboro. The reason for quitting both times was.... I had slept in a tent long enough and was ready to be home with family. Since then, I have section hiked the AT almost every year. I pick a starting point and hike until I am tired of being out there. Sometimes that turns out to be short mileage, sometimes longer. Longest trip being from Springer to Harpers Ferry. I have never had to come off the trail due to illness or injury, but at some point, I am always ready to pack up and head for home. For those that have the determination to see their hike through to the end, I am truly happy for them. I have been on Katahdin and seen the excitement of those finishing their thru hike. And yes I am a little jealous.
While I don't mean to suggest that no new discussion should take place, this one was worked through not that long ago, FYI --- a good example of where use of the search function might reduce the number of similar if not duplicate threads?
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?77941-Why-don-t-most-people-finish
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?77928-You-won-t-like-thru-hiking
I dont want to know why most people dont finish. I feel like I already know that, as most people supposedly quit after the first 50 miles (inexperience). I want to hear from people who have personally quit and why. I want to hear why they decided to give up on a goal that probably meant alot to them. I am hoping to find out why experienced, well funded, and good conditioned hikers dont make it.
I dont want to know why most people dont finish. I feel like I already know that, as most people supposedly quit after the first 50 miles (inexperience). I want to hear from people who have personally quit and why. I want to hear why they decided to give up on a goal that probably meant alot to them. I am hoping to find out why experienced, well funded, and good conditioned hikers dont make it.
I'm not sure that there is some secret answer or un-told truth that answers to your question reveal - like you said, most people that quit are inexperienced and overwhelmed and leave quick. Those that leave after hiking more than about 300 or 400 miles probably leave for a myriad of reasons including problems at home, homesickness of sorts, illness or injury, etc. It seems unusual to me for someone to have done "this" for 500 miles and then just said, "oh heck, I'm tired of this." I'm going to chuck the whole year and duck out. I guess it does happen (thru hiking is hard) and I wouldn't hold that decision against anyone but it seems to be an outlier. I was very very lonely toward the end of my thru-hike - I ended up craving conversation with anyone - people at roads, gas stations, where ever - but I couldn't imagine having invested all that time and planning just to give up. There was a guy in '08 that hiked with some friends of mine that quit with 300 miles to go with no explanation whatsover - his name was 5-Stones. He re-hiked the whole trail last year - go figure. I know that to thru-hike you have to have sort of a love affair with thru-hiking - an affair that takes precedence over pretty much all else - anyone can just drive the roads around the trail and essentially see the "highlight film" which is a fine thing to do. Successful thru-hikers are a strange breed - no doubt. Maybe you have to have a screw loose to do it - I know I have several loose screws.
When you look at the failure rate it includes many folks that had no intention to dedicate their life to doing a thru for 5-6 months. Almost everynone who I met in the begining at Springer said that they were thru-hiking. Quite a few were recient college graduates "just looking for something to do." Many others were only out for a few months and had not alloted the proper time. Several hikers started without the proper funding. Not knowing where the money would come from.
The point I'm trying to make is that a lot of folks, starting, call them selves "thru-hikers" with no intention to be one. These hikers are counted as part of the failure number. In my estimation about 1/2 of those who start, properly prepaired and with adaquate time and money can and will finish. Of the others some had to leave the trail because of family issues or injury. Probably 20%.
Most folks underestimate what it takes to hike 2000 miles. It's not a big party, like some think, it's hard.
I thru-hiked at 66 years old. It was the hardest job I ever had to do. If you look at doing a thru, like a job. Every day isn't going to be a piece of cake. Some days you hate it but must of the time you love it.
For those who plan to thru. Talk to those who have. They know what it takes.
4eyedbuzzard
01-21-2012, 12:25
I started with every intent to thru-hike. But there is the romantic notion of thru-hiking vs the reality of it. Even though I had hiked and climbed pretty extensively as a teenager, I quit in Damascus, so I don't think inexperience or being overwhelmed was a factor. I just got plain old tired of it, bored, and wasn't having fun. Wet and cold certainly factored into that to some degree, but hot and dry later in the hike (had I continued) would likely have had the same psychological effect. Living day after day in the outdoors for weeks on end and doing nothing but walking day in day out is a lot different than going off for a week or even two. It gets old fast. So for me, 6 weeks was enough - make that too much. Do I regret quitting? Perhaps a little, but not enough to make me want to try again, because I know myself better now. Wasn't exactly the same AT though, especially in the social sense, back in the 70's. Gear was heavier, resupply more difficult, it was definitely lonelier (plusses and minuses perhaps), etc. I wouldn't say necessarily harder though - just harder in different ways. There's nothing easy about a 2000 mile hike.
I think most people quit for the same reason I did - for many of us it just becomes pretty boring and pointless after a while.
The good thing though is that I still like hiking - some thru-hike and never hike again, which kind of puzzles me. And some take the challenge and accomplishment of thru-hiking a lot more seriously and differently than I do obviously. To me, hiking is an enjoyable escape from civilized life - not a life challenge of some sort, or a vision quest or life-changing thing. I just walk around for no purpose, make some fires, relax and take some pics, and come back home.
This is a sort of interesting topic but not as much as one regarding the emotional problems experienced by successful thru-hikers when they return home - that is something that is very, very hard and something that very few people understand - missing the trail and trail life after a thru-hike might be one reason people go thru and never go back - for some, it's just too sad.
bamboo bob
01-21-2012, 13:09
In 2000 I got to Connecticut and I had plantar fascitis, which is on foot bottoms and hurt too much. i hobbled on to MA at 1 mph and went home. I came back in 2001 and went MA to Maine and then in 2002 went back to Springer and had no problems all the way to Katahdin. :)
TOMP,
For me it was an injury.
I did finish my thru last year but when I got to Franconia Notch, NH I went home thinking I was done because of an ankle injury that was getting progressively worse. I had been to an orthopedic in Hanover that took x-rays and found nothing but I was convinced I had a stress fracture and was afraid I would do permanent damage. I was very disappointed that I might not finish but I was not having fun getting up every morning and hiking in pain all day even though I was taking maximum doses of Vitamin I. I went home to my ortho guy who did an MRI and found a bone bruise and tendentious. He gave me a cortisone shot and I was good to go. I went back and finished and am glad I did.
I wise multiple thru-hiker told me that there are two type of people who finish a thru. Those that love being on the trail every day and would rather be no where else and those that just refuse to quit. I started off as the former but ended up as the latter.
bamboo bob
01-21-2012, 13:18
This is a sort of interesting topic but not as much as one regarding the emotional problems experienced by successful thru-hikers when they return home - that is something that is very, very hard and something that very few people understand - missing the trail and trail life after a thru-hike might be one reason people go thru and never go back - for some, it's just too sad.
I never really understand that. I have developed a love for Long Distance Hiking from my time on the trail. If you had emotional problems before the hiking I doubt they go away because you have hiked. I agree that it sucks when you get home and there is no one who understands what you've done for a lot of people. You say, " Hi Chuck longtime no see, I've been hiking the App Trail for five months and it was quite a trip" He replies wow that must have been something. So how about those Patriots? You think they'll make to the Superbowl this year? And that's the interest level most non hikers have in the AT. They just cannot relate to it. That's also why for hikers it so much fun to go to ALDHA meetings and do trail magic and various Rucks etc. It's the only place you get to talk the talk. And thankfully WB and Trailjournals where you get to chat with like minded people while waiting for Spring.
So far 3 people just didnt care about hiking it anymore and 1 injury. I guess it is more mental than physical. A couple people mentioned that they know a guy who finished a thru but never hiked again. That kind of reminds me of the countless marathon runners who never lace up again. I think they see the marathon or thru-hike as a feather in thier cap and nothing more. They probably like the trophies more than the sports too. Just an interesting psychology behind thier motivation.
I never really understand that. I have developed a love for Long Distance Hiking from my time on the trail. If you had emotional problems before the hiking I doubt they go away because you have hiked. I agree that it sucks when you get home and there is no one who understands what you've done for a lot of people. You say, " Hi Chuck longtime no see, I've been hiking the App Trail for five months and it was quite a trip" He replies wow that must have been something. So how about those Patriots? You think they'll make to the Superbowl this year? And that's the interest level most non hikers have in the AT. They just cannot relate to it. That's also why for hikers it so much fun to go to ALDHA meetings and do trail magic and various Rucks etc. It's the only place you get to talk the talk. And thankfully WB and Trailjournals where you get to chat with like minded people while waiting for Spring.
For a long time after my thru-hike, I missed the trail in a longing and homesick way - people at my college were interested in football and hooking up - I liked the hooking up part fine but I really missed the trail so much that I didn't even want to go on weekend backpacking trips - I thought, well, if I'm not thru-hiking, why bother? So, I took up climbing and later kayaking and other stuff. Working for (and later heading) summer camp programs brought me back to backpacking and just enjoying a few days in the woods - that combined with long distance running brought me back to long distance hiking. I can't wait to thru-hike again now (and do other trails - the CT is on my very short list) but this was a long process. I could see it going much differently for a former thru-hiker.
stranger
01-21-2012, 19:13
All I can say is that while I've managed to 'fail' at thru-hiking in my early hiking years and come back to continue to do more and more long distance hikes, it was for a long time a very, very difficult thing to deal with....I'm talking in particular about my 1995 hike here.
I can more or less pinpoint my decision to leave the AT in 1995 to the beginning of a long and bad time in my life - what would have happened if I kept walking? I asked that question for years and years, I even tried to go back in 1996 but realised before I got to Springer that I didn't really want to be there. I didn't have another 'successful' hike until October 1998 when I hiked the Susquehannock Trail in PA, that helped restore some confidence. Finally in 2001 I got back out on the AT and did another big hike, from Waynesboro to NY, about 500 miles. That restored most of my confidence, that trip was very, is very, important to me. I remember sitting in Front Royal taking a zero and watching a documentary on Pearl Harbor and thinking "thanks for the opportunity to do this again", was just so very grateful.
Also, this year I'm hiking the Long Trail with someone I met in 1995, we hiked together for about 400 miles. After the Long Trail I'm going back to Pearisburg and walking up to Waynesboro or Front Royal, just to try out a few things and figure some things out. There is a reason why I chose Pearisburg of all AT towns...it's important to face it in a positive light. Plus I've never hiked from Pearisburg to Waynesboro so it just makes sense.
Today my life is amazing, and if I could go back in time to Pearisburg and make another decision...I would quit again. Not because it wasn't very painful and said for a while, but because of where it led me as a person. I believe I am where I am today because of all of my experiences, good and bad, and as the great Lennox Lewis says "you learn when you lose than when you win".
Everyone leaves the trail for different reasons, but I don't think (for everyone) it's cause it's too tough or challenging, I have far greater challenges in my life than hiking, for me hiking is a break away from real challenges. Perhaps those who quit at Suches, Neels Gap and Hiawassee didn't understand what they were getting into, but atleast they made a commitment and went for it - they didn't make excuses. But for some hikers, and I consider myself in this category, hiking is a beautiful, amazing experience...and it has a personal limit of about 500-600 for me (so far). However I will always test those boundries, and I'm going to again this year...things will be different this year for a number of reasons so it will be interesting to see if I want to get off the trail around mile 500, maybe I will post from Waynesboro and let you know!
Regardless...I just hope everyone learns from their experiences and keeps going hiking, because while it's alot of soggy socks, blisters and sweat, it's just the f'ing best!
stranger
01-21-2012, 19:17
Correction...
"You learn more when you lose than when you win" - Lennox Lewis
quilteresq
01-21-2012, 19:25
Interesting thread for me, as I'm sure my husband and I will do some long distance biking when we retire, but very unlikely to do long distance hiking. We do have the Whites nearby, so it isn't like we won't hike at all, though.
That's why I'm going solo in 2013 - he has no interest in long distance hiking. Long distance biking is just as fun - but your butt hurts instead of your feet. I went through 4 saddles on my 3300 mile trip. Was ready to pitch them off a mountain at times.
Another funny thing about thru-hiking success that I think is somewhat true: the least likely to succeed folks sometimes make it and the most likely to succeed folks sometimes don't make it. I made it in '85 - one of the most proud accomplishments of my life - what chance would you have given a solo 18 year old kid from GA that couldn't even figure out the bus stations in Maine - I was green in every way - completing a thru-hike - it just wasn't going to happen - I had a bunch of LL Bean gear for crying out loud - it just shouldn't have happened, but it did - you can go see my skinny little long-haired picture in short soccer socks, long socks and boots at ATC Headquarters - a real polaroid - it took me a long time to find it - I though they had lost it, but it's there. So, don't believe everything you think. You can do more than you think you can.
kevperro
01-21-2012, 19:56
I've hiked the northern half but didn't set out to do it all, just as much as I could in 3 months. I've done another 600 mile hike and several week long trips. My observation about my sweet-spot is that I'll probably never plan another >500-700 mile trip. For one I have other obligations that prevent it and second... I get bored after 500-600 miles. I don't have a strong desire to do the entire thing just to say I've done it. I'd rather hike an amount that I enjoy and stop when it becomes a chore.
stranger
01-21-2012, 22:15
I think it really comes down to getting past the 'quit points'. I seriously doubt from southwest Virginia onwards it's just a slog, alot of people I know who've made it tell me for them it was getting past 3 or 4 points where they were ready to quit, once past them the trail opened up again, until the next quit point. Perhaps I haven't gotten past the first one?
My brother and I attempted a SOBO thru hike in 1976. We got to Matts Creek shelter in VA and quit after about 1400 miles and 100 days on the trail. We just got tired of walking in the rain and cold and climbing mountains and not having any views. A week after we quit we regretted it. We went back the following year and started at Springer and headed north. I also finished a NOBO thru hike in 2010. I think thru hiking requires more mental than physical fitness.
RyanK817
01-21-2012, 23:22
My wife and I were SOBOs this past summer, and she had been having knee & back pain the whole way. By the time we got to NY she started having some severe foot pain, so when we got to Pawling she caught a train home. I was very motivated to keep going, and I aimed to pick up the mileage and make it to Springer earlier than originally planned. Three days later she was driving our car up to Southfields to pick me up. We had hiked together for about 750 miles, and aside from the obvious fact that I love her, it's really hard to stay motivated and keep going when your partner of that long leaves. By NY the SOBO crowd has spread & thinned out, and I didn't see one SOBO in the 3 days that I kept going. It definitely wasn't a physical issue, and even though (IMHO) CT and NY were pretty dang boring (and I still had PA to go), I was still enjoying the walking and the experience. Loneliness is a killer though. I'm going back out some day to try a NOBO thru-hike, partially because there are more people, and if one friend decides to go home you probably won't be far from others who are still going.
My wife and I were SOBOs this past summer, and she had been having knee & back pain the whole way. By the time we got to NY she started having some severe foot pain, so when we got to Pawling she caught a train home. I was very motivated to keep going, and I aimed to pick up the mileage and make it to Springer earlier than originally planned. Three days later she was driving our car up to Southfields to pick me up. We had hiked together for about 750 miles, and aside from the obvious fact that I love her, it's really hard to stay motivated and keep going when your partner of that long leaves. By NY the SOBO crowd has spread & thinned out, and I didn't see one SOBO in the 3 days that I kept going. It definitely wasn't a physical issue, and even though (IMHO) CT and NY were pretty dang boring (and I still had PA to go), I was still enjoying the walking and the experience. Loneliness is a killer though. I'm going back out some day to try a NOBO thru-hike, partially because there are more people, and if one friend decides to go home you probably won't be far from others who are still going.
this is a (no doubt) true but outlier experience I spoke of earlier
From what I saw last year it seemed a lot of people dropped out for the following reasons.
Earlier, in GA and NC it was injuries, mostly knees, due to pushing too hard when they weren't in trail shape yet.
Latter in VA and north some ran out of money.
In NH and ME I saw some leave the trail because of just being worn out and done with hiking combined with the trail getting significantly more difficult.
MedicineWoman2012
02-28-2012, 10:20
Thanks! This thread has been very insightful ! Looking forward to many miles and smiles while laughing at myself or my mistakes along the way.
Start in shape with enough time and money to finish. Take care of your body: rest when you're injured and eat right.
If you don't finish it will be because you had bad luck or don't enjoy thru-hiking, neither of which is a failure. Finishing a thru-hike while hating it is a far worse decision than enjoying a 4 week hike and then going home.
turtle fast
02-28-2012, 15:21
Had to get off the trail in Harpers Ferry and took the train home. Was informed at Bears Den Hostel that my father had died unexpectedly. It was my father who was keeping track of my wife and I as to where we were AS WELL as signing the paperwork as a POA for selling our home! My sister contacted the AT in Harpers Ferry and they gave her some leads as to where leave messages. We got in to Bears Den and I tried calling my Dad, no answer. Then called sister, nothing...then called everyone I knew and no one answered! Several hours later got a hold of my sister...I could not get anyone because that day was my Dads funeral. Luckily, the folks at Bears Den were awesome and we got a ride to Harpers Ferry and took the train home. Luckily, we got a private funeral showing and we were there for the burial which was put on hold until I got there.
We have turned failure into a derogatory term that dissuades most attempted thru-hikers to return to White-Blaze and explain their failure.....
As B.F. Skinner once said "All learning is a series of successive approximations"
Mrs Baggins
02-28-2012, 16:29
My arches started to collapse - unbearable foot pain. I went to a podiatrist and he told me that I had kept going I would have destroyed my feet. And trust me, there were those telling me to "tough it out." We only made it out of Georgia. We'd sold our house, sold or otherwise gotten rid of most of our furniture and other things, sold a car.....we were dead serious about doing this. But like others have said, the reality turned out to be a very different thing from the dream of years. We had to be honest with ourselves - we were section hikers at heart. We were deep down glad that the thru-hike attempt was over. Nonetheless it was still heartbreaking to have to make those phone calls to family and friends to tell them that it was over. We'll finish it all someday - a piece at a time. Since hubby still had 5 1/2 months of his leave of absence, we decided on Plan B, loaded up our van and drove from Maryland to Alaska and back over 3 months. That was the trip of a lifetime and one we may not have done had we not left the trail.
stranger
03-01-2012, 18:07
My wife and I were SOBOs this past summer, and she had been having knee & back pain the whole way. By the time we got to NY she started having some severe foot pain, so when we got to Pawling she caught a train home. I was very motivated to keep going, and I aimed to pick up the mileage and make it to Springer earlier than originally planned. Three days later she was driving our car up to Southfields to pick me up. We had hiked together for about 750 miles, and aside from the obvious fact that I love her, it's really hard to stay motivated and keep going when your partner of that long leaves. By NY the SOBO crowd has spread & thinned out, and I didn't see one SOBO in the 3 days that I kept going. It definitely wasn't a physical issue, and even though (IMHO) CT and NY were pretty dang boring (and I still had PA to go), I was still enjoying the walking and the experience. Loneliness is a killer though. I'm going back out some day to try a NOBO thru-hike, partially because there are more people, and if one friend decides to go home you probably won't be far from others who are still going.
You won't be lonely leaving Springer early-mid April, sounds like a good plan. Also it's different when you lose a partner on a hike who is your partner in life, that's different than your 'buddy' leaving cause he's bored, etc...
I've only done one hike with my partner (we don't use the term girlfriend in Australia), and she was thinking about quitting at one stage, I would have got off the trail with her. WE were doing a hike, and if she left I would have left as well. A solo hike is completely different, much easier in a number of ways, harder in others.