PDA

View Full Version : Introduction!



Heater
04-11-2005, 23:38
Hi!

My name is James. AKA Austex. I live in Austin Texas. I am new to hiking and have just recently become aware of the AT. (go figure!) I'm tellin ya' after researching a couple of weeks, I am ready to pay off my house and go on to thru-hike the AT. It sounds like a wonderful experience. I just found out about this so I don't think I could be prepared enough to start in April '06 but definately by '07.

So I guess that will be my goal. April 16th, 2007. I will be 47 (and a half) y.o. at that time.

I may just decide to just DO IT. That is my immediate thought but I realize that I need at least a year to prepare. So, maybe I can do it in '06 but no earlier than 04-16-06. (Next season) If nothing else, I am sure that I have found the right place to best prepare me for the journey at hand. There is a wealth of info here on this forum. Everything that a new hiker needs to know... I think.

See ya around on the forum. I am gonna have a lots of questions so please be patient with me.

Thanks!
Austex

ArkVol
04-12-2005, 00:18
I'm with yah, would love to do it right now,wife and family and job are the only thing holding me back:)
Welcome

Heater
04-12-2005, 00:31
I'm with yah, would love to do it right now,wife and family and job are the only thing holding me back:)
Welcome
No wife or kids here. If you were me you'd prbably be gone by now! :)

I am not really attached so much as I know that some planning for this is required.

It'll be next spring at least but I hope to be prepared by then. :-?

attroll
04-12-2005, 00:58
wbdent I hear you. If I did not have a mortgage and a son still in the house I would be gone now. I have set my goal for the year 2010. I have a very understanding wife and she supports my goal 100%. I have been preparing for some time. I have hiked almost all the AT in Maine and some of it twice. I have all the gear I need now with the exception of a lighter sleeping bag. But I have 5 more years to get that. I know I can do the whole AT. That is not the issue for me. I think the issue I will have is to overcome it the psychological part of it. Being away form the wife and family and all my friends. I think if I can last one month that I should be all set. Right now the longest I have gone out hiking is a week at one time. I also know I will make many new friends on the trail that will help me out. I am really looking forward to this. Come On 2010.

Heater
04-12-2005, 02:22
I hear you. If I did not have a mortgage and a son still in the house I would be gone now. I have set my goal for the year 2010. I have a very understanding wife and she supports my goal 100%. I have been preparing for some time. I have hiked almost all the AT in Maine and some of it twice. I have all the gear I need now with the exception of a lighter sleeping bag. But I have 5 more years to get that. I know I can do the whole AT. That is not the issue for me. I think the issue I will have is to overcome it the psychological part of it. Being away form the wife and family and all my friends. I think if I can last one month that I should be all set. Right now the longest I have gone out hiking is a week at one time. I also know I will make many new friends on the trail that will help me out. I am really looking forward to this. Come On 2010.
OK! Y'all are making me feel bad here... :) Like nothing is holding me back.
Maybe I shold set a firm goal in the spring of '06. :D

I have family in Connecticut and Maine. They will play a big role in the last leg of my journey when the time comes. Probably just after NH. It is really beautiful country up there!

I am in the very beginning of my planning stage.

attroll
04-12-2005, 02:38
wbdent My suggestion is to make sure that you have done your research on hiking the AT before you set a date. Make sure you know what you are getting into. A lot of people have started it thinking it is just and extended hike. But when they got on the trail they realized it was more then just hiking. You need to make sure that you will be in good shape. When I say good shape I don't just me physical. I mean psychological, mental, and physical. The main thing is to know what your getting yourself into.

wbdent Granted I have not thru-hiked yet. But this is coming from doing a lot of reading and researching. I just hope I don't become one of the ones that does not finish my thru-hike. I am all excited about doing it just like everyone else is. But you don't know how it will be for you until you actually get out there and do it.

Heater
04-12-2005, 05:34
My suggestion is to make sure that you have done your research on hiking the AT before you set a date. Make sure you know what you are getting into. A lot of people have started it thinking it is just and extended hike. But when they got on the trail they realized it was more then just hiking. You need to make sure that you will be in good shape. When I say good shape I don't just me physical. I mean psychological, mental, and physical. The main thing is to know what your getting yourself into.

Granted I have not thru-hiked yet. But this is coming from doing a lot of reading and researching. I just hope I don't become one of the ones that does not finish my thru-hike. I am all excited about doing it just like everyone else is. But you don't know how it will be for you until you actually get out there and do it.
Yeah. I just read a post on the Colorado Trail by a poster on this forum called Mags. That is something I can definately do in the near future. I'll probably do several of these shorter hikes over the next couple of years before I am ready to go for the AT. This will also allow me to continue working while aquire the proper gear and knowledge to take on such a task.

Baby steps, right? :)

The Hog
04-12-2005, 06:27
Welcome, Austexs! You're in for (hopefully) the greatest time of your life. Remember, there are no dumb questions, just dumb answers, and you'll get a different response depending on who's doing the blabbing.

ATTroll is right, mental preparation is one of the keys. I started in GA (on April 16th) with a couple who had trained physically for a year and a half and had all the logistics down to a tee. Right from the start, the weather was awful (cold rain, sleet, gale winds, lightning on the ridge). It was physically and mentally very tough, and the couple (who had planned to marry at the end) caved. They left the Trail on the sixth day (well before the North Carolina border).

It's important to mentally accept that you're going to be wet and miserable for extended periods. I don't care what kind of gear you have, you're going to be pushed towards your breaking point on the Trail. And you have to deal with it or quit.

It's not the gear that's important, it's what's inside your head.

The rewards for sticking it out are great and lifelong. Twenty years after thru hiking the AT, I'm constantly reminded that I did it and that I enjoyed it immensely. It's a constant wellspring of strength for me, knowing that I could persevere and live the Trail dream to the hilt.

"ME & U"
04-12-2005, 08:45
Welcome Austexs:welcome

We thru hiked in 03. My partner, "ME" never really hiked a stich before we met and know she's a thru hiker and proud of it! I'm just a psyco! Our planning was way over-board. 2 years round about... just my style of doing things. Next time around, we're just going for it. Pack a fist full of money in our pockets and see where it leads. It really all depends on how you want to do it and how stoked you get about it (planning I mean)
These guys are right, it is a mental game. My saying was always, "man, if you ain't loving this... you're hating it!"
'06 is not that far out. A little of this and some of that and your on your way. Put it in your head that your going to do it and you will. Got questions or just want to talk trail, feel free to e-mail
"U"

Dances with Mice
04-12-2005, 09:18
Austin, Texas: A cool town despite having too many politicians and way too many damn Longhorns. (Gig'em!)

Have you checked out the Big Bend? Long trip but Springtime there is a true wonder.

K-Bear
04-12-2005, 09:21
bitten by the trail bug hua? I started last spring after a year of prep and training and only made it 700+ miles cuz short hikes (2 or 3 days) are very different than long hikes. If you can, try to take 7 days here...8 days there. Focus on learning how to eat well (and easily) on the trail. Go barefoot on tough terrain whenever possible to toughen up those soles. Find a stadium or somewhere with a LOT of stairs and go up and down til you almost puke...then keep going. Try to "overtrain", you'll be glad you did. Just find what works for you! In the end, we are all just walking around in the woods. Day by day.
I'm most likely going to take another crack at it in march 06, I am already training. I hope to meet ya out there and welcome to the family!
K-Bear

Stoker53
04-12-2005, 09:54
Welcome Austexs.....I'm a newbie too and already feel almost home. I'm not allowed in the shelter yet but it's nice here on the poarch.

I'm in Austin 8-10 times per year and it is an interesting place. Only place I've been where the I35 pan handlers are unionized. :welcome

Heater
04-12-2005, 17:00
Welcome Austexs:welcome

We thru hiked in 03. My partner, "ME" never really hiked a stich before we met and know she's a thru hiker and proud of it! I'm just a psyco! Our planning was way over-board. 2 years round about... just my style of doing things. Next time around, we're just going for it. Pack a fist full of money in our pockets and see where it leads. It really all depends on how you want to do it and how stoked you get about it (planning I mean)
These guys are right, it is a mental game. My saying was always, "man, if you ain't loving this... you're hating it!"
'06 is not that far out. A little of this and some of that and your on your way. Put it in your head that your going to do it and you will. Got questions or just want to talk trail, feel free to e-mail
"U"
Hey U! Say H to Me for me, U. Hehe... I read you post on trailnames.

Planning is half the fun! It always has been for me, too. Whether it's a long camping or fishing trip, I love getting ready for it. I usually over spend and have things I never use. I understand that I must resist the urge to over pack. That is a part of planning this trip. And it does stoke you up.

Just a fistful of greenbacks, huh? :D
I like your minimalist strategy. Just take what you will absolutely need to get to to your final destination and restock perishables along the way. (And shoes) Am I getting this right?

I have people in New England that I can upgrade my gear for the last leg if needed. I am thinking cooler weather gear. Before or after the White Mountains, I don't know. I am just in my third day of planning.

Heater
04-12-2005, 17:13
Welcome, Austexs! You're in for (hopefully) the greatest time of your life. Remember, there are no dumb questions, just dumb answers, and you'll get a different response depending on who's doing the blabbing.

ATTroll is right, mental preparation is one of the keys. I started in GA (on April 16th) with a couple who had trained physically for a year and a half and had all the logistics down to a tee. Right from the start, the weather was awful (cold rain, sleet, gale winds, lightning on the ridge). It was physically and mentally very tough, and the couple (who had planned to marry at the end) caved. They left the Trail on the sixth day (well before the North Carolina border).

It's important to mentally accept that you're going to be wet and miserable for extended periods. I don't care what kind of gear you have, you're going to be pushed towards your breaking point on the Trail. And you have to deal with it or quit.

It's not the gear that's important, it's what's inside your head.

The rewards for sticking it out are great and lifelong. Twenty years after thru hiking the AT, I'm constantly reminded that I did it and that I enjoyed it immensely. It's a constant wellspring of strength for me, knowing that I could persevere and live the Trail dream to the hilt.
Hi Hog!

Mental more than Physical. I think I can do that. If I set a goal to achieve I will acheive it. Cold, rain, sleet, hail, wind... Hey you get used to it, right?
Kind of like hitting your self in the head with a club. If you do it enough times and it wont bother you as much. :datz

:jump
I think that if the lightning don't get me and I don't break something I'll be OK! Tomorrow is another day and sunny days will eventually come. :cool:

Heater
04-12-2005, 17:18
Austin, Texas: A cool town despite having too many politicians and way too many damn Longhorns. (Gig'em!)

Have you checked out the Big Bend? Long trip but Springtime there is a true wonder.
Hook'em! :D

Yes Beg Bend is nice. Had a friend that would go there 2-3 times a year. (Boquillas.)

That is on my list too.
Thanks! :)

Footslogger
04-12-2005, 17:25
Yes Beg Bend is nice. Had a friend that would go there 2-3 times a year.That is on my list too. Thanks! :)=====================================
Yeah ...definitely check out Big Bend. Wife and I (we were dating at the time) did a one week loop there, starting off in Chisos Basin. Amazing diversity but we hit it during a dry period and had to stash water along the way (at the Wilson Ranch) before the hike.

'Slogger
AT 2003

Heater
04-12-2005, 17:52
bitten by the trail bug hua? I started last spring after a year of prep and training and only made it 700+ miles cuz short hikes (2 or 3 days) are very different than long hikes. If you can, try to take 7 days here...8 days there. Focus on learning how to eat well (and easily) on the trail. Go barefoot on tough terrain whenever possible to toughen up those soles. Find a stadium or somewhere with a LOT of stairs and go up and down til you almost puke...then keep going. Try to "overtrain", you'll be glad you did. Just find what works for you! In the end, we are all just walking around in the woods. Day by day.
I'm most likely going to take another crack at it in march 06, I am already training. I hope to meet ya out there and welcome to the family!
K-Bear
Thanks K-Bear.

I get a lot of time off work so I think I can take one 20 day trip and one or two 14 day trips. I am fortunate to be in the Texas Hill Country so a multitude of one dayers in the works. But I need to get "out there" long enough to be able to become self-sufficient. Just what I have on my back for days at a time. Day trips just won't do that but they are good for the excercise and scenery.

Good luck on '06. Finances probably won't allow me to make it by then but '07 is a great possibility.

Heater
04-12-2005, 18:02
Welcome Austexs.....I'm a newbie too and already feel almost home. I'm not allowed in the shelter yet but it's nice here on the poarch.

I'm in Austin 8-10 times per year and it is an interesting place. Only place I've been where the I35 pan handlers are unionized. :welcome
I have been here a day and I can tell it's a great bunch of people.

The panhanders are in abundance here. Not nearly as bad as it used to be, though. They used to almost mug you for money on the street. :(

Heater
04-12-2005, 18:04
=====================================
Yeah ...definitely check out Big Bend. Wife and I (we were dating at the time) did a one week loop there, starting off in Chisos Basin. Amazing diversity but we hit it during a dry period and had to stash water along the way (at the Wilson Ranch) before the hike.

'Slogger
AT 2003
What time of the year did you go? I think around this time if year might be best.

Footslogger
04-12-2005, 18:19
What time of the year did you go? I think around this time if year might be best.=======================
Well ...she was a high school teacher at the time and it was Spring Break. Pretty sure it was mid March. Aside from the scarcity of water it was a great hike. Had freeze 3 or 4 of the nights but daytime temps were in the high 70's. Air was clear and when you were on high ground you could see well into Mexico. One of the more memorable hikes I've ever taken ...maybe second only to the AT.

'Slogger

HikerHobo
04-12-2005, 18:27
I like to hike 6th street
and stay at the Austin Motel on South Congress Ave.

Heater
04-12-2005, 23:32
I like to hike 6th street
and stay at the Austin Motel on South Congress Ave.
6th street was cool in the 80's and up until the mid 90's but the noise ordinances killed it. No fun no mo'.

The Austin motel... I dunno... never stayed there. But... ya know there have been a lot of changes on S. Congress as well. Hoe long has it been since you lived here?

Abner007
05-30-2013, 14:07
Welcome to you dear. I am also new here.I would like to introduce myself. My name is John Abner and I am doing my Graduation in Food Science and Human nutrition. My hobbies are reading and also love to play games. In Books mostly I like to read Novels also interesting in fashion magazine. I hope you all are really nice and it's good to join you all. Thanks.

treesloth
05-30-2013, 14:14
So far, this is the oldest thread that I've seen get resurrected - 8 years! Not too shabby.

Abner: Do you like movies about gladiators also?