View Full Version : Point of Low Morale
After reading a few books, online journals, and watching a few videos that cover stories of successful NOBO thru hikers, it seems to me that of those who suffer a point of low morale, it happens around NY/CT. Is there a reason for this happening specifically in this area? Has anyone else noticed this trend...or suffered through it?
I've heard of the Virginia blues but of the stories I've read, most people suffer their lowest point just before or right as they get into New England.
If I had to guess, I'd say it might be due to the lack of landmarks (unless crossing the Hudson, or entering New England/CT is important), the lack of high elevations (relative to the entire trail), and being in transition between the southern half of the trail and the finale of the Green/White Mountains & Maine.
Anybody have any input on this topic?
Another Kevin
03-12-2013, 18:56
The fact that you're hiking through barely concealed suburbia?
Or maybe that for many it's the hottest and most humid part of the hike?
The lack of privies at the shelters?
The presence of all the clueless weekenders?
hikerboy57
03-12-2013, 19:00
The fact that you're hiking through barely concealed suburbia?
Or maybe that for many it's the hottest and most humid part of the hike?
The lack of privies at the shelters?
The presence of all the clueless weekenders?
the answer is e.all of the above
Lone Wolf
03-12-2013, 19:06
plus you're just plain sick of damn walkin'. the novelty has worn off and the **** looks the same
yellowsirocco
03-12-2013, 19:13
I hiked Virginia this summer as a big section hike and even I got the Virginia Blues.
Chaco Taco
03-12-2013, 19:31
The heat in Virginia got me ONE day. Then I thought "hell atleast Im not at work" and it put a smile on my face.
I think the low morale happens when people realize that wont make it either because of money or health or whatever.
After reading a few books, online journals, and watching a few videos that cover stories of successful NOBO thru hikers, it seems to me that of those who suffer a point of low morale, it happens around NY/CT. Is there a reason for this happening specifically in this area? Has anyone else noticed this trend...or suffered through it?
I've heard of the Virginia blues but of the stories I've read, most people suffer their lowest point just before or right as they get into New England.
If I had to guess, I'd say it might be due to the lack of landmarks (unless crossing the Hudson, or entering New England/CT is important), the lack of high elevations (relative to the entire trail), and being in transition between the southern half of the trail and the finale of the Green/White Mountains & Maine.
Anybody have any input on this topic?
Slo-go'en
03-12-2013, 19:35
Yea. The heat, the humidity, not eating enough, the less then inspiring trail all comes to a head about there. Which is a shame, since it's about to get a whole lot better in a few 100 miles as you get into New England proper.
Chaco Taco
03-12-2013, 19:47
Yea. The heat, the humidity, not eating enough, the less then inspiring trail all comes to a head about there. Which is a shame, since it's about to get a whole lot better in a few 100 miles as you get into New England proper.
My motivation was the Vermont border. I knew that if made it to that point, it would all be worth it having never been to New England. Got my first glimpse of The Whites from Glastonbury and was stoked.
Mountain Mike
03-12-2013, 19:53
Was in VA for me when I sprained an ankle. Few other things went wrong. Almost bailed, but glad I didn't. Middle of the trail can get monotonous.
evyck da fleet
03-12-2013, 19:54
To be fair to NY/CT the trail gets boring in PA. By the time you get to NY/CT you've been hiking in heat and humidity without the benefit of the elevation you get from Virginia and without too many views.
As pointed out before, the novelty has worn off and you may just want to get to the Whites and finish my hike. Plus its harder, not impossible, to find trail friendly towns and people. Towns like Kent and Barrington MA which are a few hours from NYC are more high income locales as compared to some of the smaller friendlier towns in the south and the people have other interests than the AT.
Lone wolf nailed it. It's not the trail and it's not the weather it's you.
max patch
03-12-2013, 20:29
Everybody doesn't get the blues.
Lone Wolf
03-12-2013, 20:35
Everybody doesn't get the blues.
and most don't make it to maine. thru-hikin' is overrated
To be fair to NY/CT the trail gets boring in PA. By the time you get to NY/CT you've been hiking in heat and humidity without the benefit of the elevation you get from Virginia and without too many views.
As pointed out before, the novelty has worn off and you may just want to get to the Whites and finish my hike. Plus its harder, not impossible, to find trail friendly towns and people. Towns like Kent and Barrington MA which are a few hours from NYC are more high income locales as compared to some of the smaller friendlier towns in the south and the people have other interests than the AT.
I like this post. I especially like the theory that the hike through Pennsylvania possibly contributes to some people experiencing low morale in NY/NJ/CT. It makes sense. (Hiking through PA--and then hitting NY/NJ/CT seems like a bigger version of those times when you are so darn happy and relieved that you have just hiked up a huge, tough, hill--then you look up and realize that there is actually another huge part of the hill yet to climb. Demoralizing).
Blissful
03-12-2013, 21:26
Many get off in MA too. Mosquitoes.
Another Kevin
03-12-2013, 22:34
The fact that you're hiking through barely concealed suburbia?
Or maybe that for many it's the hottest and most humid part of the hike?
The lack of privies at the shelters?
The presence of all the clueless weekenders?
the answer is e.all of the above
Hey, I resemble that remark! (At least the last part of it.)
and most don't make it to maine. thru-hikin' is overrated
Following through on a goal is not.
Lone Wolf
03-12-2013, 22:49
Following through on a goal is not.
yeah. all about the destination and not the journey. thru-hikers miss out on a lot
Point of Low Morale
After reading a few books, online journals, and watching a few videos that cover stories of successful NOBO thru hikers, it seems to me that of those who suffer a point of low morale, it happens around NY/CT. Is there a reason for this happening specifically in this area? Has anyone else noticed this trend...or suffered through it?
I think it's because all the smog and pollution from Manhatten and those BIG New England towns settles around the AT in that area. Or, maybe it's because the lack of strip joints, cute women with shweet southern drawls are no longer around, or it's all down hill after Hike Naked Day.
The AT is a very social trail. If you're not socializin' you're probably not having a great time.
I tried to mix it up. One night tenting near a shelter with all the socialization one could handle; the next night alone (or with my dawg) in between shelters in the woods. Worked well most of the time.
...mix it up. - Skyline
I've been conscientiously doing that on every hike. Never quit a hike using the lame excuse, "I was bored", yet.
I thought NY was great (deli run) but the water was really gross and it did bum me out a bit. I got over it by only getting and carrying water from the delis.
Train Wreck
03-23-2013, 01:08
Point of Low Morale
After reading a few books, online journals, and watching a few videos that cover stories of successful NOBO thru hikers, it seems to me that of those who suffer a point of low morale, it happens around NY/CT. Is there a reason for this happening specifically in this area? Has anyone else noticed this trend...or suffered through it?
I think it's because all the smog and pollution from Manhatten and those BIG New England towns settles around the AT in that area. Or, maybe it's because the lack of strip joints, cute women with shweet southern drawls are no longer around, or it's all down hill after Hike Naked Day.
I dunno. I wanna give a big shout out to NY Apizza and coming into a trail town every day in CT, yeehaw!!!!
yeah. all about the destination and not the journey. thru-hikers miss out on a lot
I did miss a big chunk of the journey because of focusing on the thru-hiking in my first long distance hike.
garlic08
03-23-2013, 09:55
I guess you're only talking about a low point for those who finish a thru hike. For the great majority of those who start a hike, the low point comes on the day they quit, and that happens pretty soon in the hike for so many.
I never had a bad day on my hike. Your hike follows your head. It's a crucial skill, I believe, to keep your head in a good place.
Overtraining syndrome is a well documented problem for many athletes and managing the effects of overtraining is a major issue. I've often wondered if the Virginia Blues is really overtraiining coming to rest. All the symptoms seem to match.
I struggled from northern PA to CT. The heat was brutal and PA rocks caused foot issues that gradually improved by CT.
....Your hike follows your head. It's a crucial skill, I believe, to keep your head in a good place.
There you go. That's coming from someone who probably has well in excess of 10,000 trail miles under his belt AND ISN"T SO ACCUSTOMED TO QUITTING! If folks want to know one of the keys to not being a thru-hike quitter and enjoying their thru-hikes here it is!
WingedMonkey
03-24-2013, 09:54
I often wondered if I was going to make it. After injuries I wondered if I could make it, after extreme weather I wondered if I could make it.
I can never remember wanting to go home.
I don't think the area, NY/CT, have anything to do with low moral. I think the repetitious of doing the same thing day in and day out finally starts to take it's tole. This hit me at Harpers Ferry. I had hiked some 850 miles with a guy I met on the trail. I enjoyed hiking with him and the days just past away. After he left the trail I continued on but it just wasn't the same. It wasn't fun anymore. The weather was hot, I was not enjoying my hike anymore. At Harpers Ferry I decided to call my wife and inform her that I was quiting and going home. I called, before I could tell her my plan she told me that my hiking partner had called her to tell me that he was comming back to hike. My whole attitude changed. It would become the hike I was hiking before he left. He returned. We hiked together for another couple of weeks it was once again enjoyable. Unfortunately he left the trail again, but he had recharged my spirit unough so that I was able to continue on to finish.
...mix it up. - Skyline
I've been conscientiously doing that on every hike. Never quit a hike using the lame excuse, "I was bored", yet.
Good philosophy. It is all about the experience. I guess it's easy to get hung up on a bad feeling and let it eat at you. People remember the hard times a lot better than the good ones, but you learn more during the hard times. What I take from this is that if you put yourself out of your element, or remember that you're there for the experience you're more likely to learn more about the things/people around you and take something from it for yourself. That's what it's all about. Remember what you're there to enjoy, and gotta see the good in the bad.
I carried IRS paperwork for the first 700 miles of my AT thru-hike. The letter from the IRS came in just as I was leaving for the AT and I really didn't want to open it up. So I carried a pound of my tax papers with me for the first 700 miles with the expectation that I was going to have to deal with the IRS letter sometime (yeah, I know -- you can't eat IRS tax paperwork). The perceived low point was the day in Virginia I'd set aside to deal with whatever the problem with the IRS was going to be.
Turns out they'd just denied my conversion to a Roth IRA and the accountant took care of the necessary adjustments for free. Whew.
Datto
I'd also had some nagging problems back home that I'd thought were taken care of prior to starting my AT thru-hike. I'd become aware of the "back home" problems at Fontana Dam and they'd plagued me off and on until Atkins, VA. Somewhere along the Trail out in the middle of nowhere I'd decided to put an end to the problems -- spotted a house up on a hill about a mile away and hiked/bushwacked over to their front door. Boy were they surprised to see an AT thru-hiker -- the nicest of people they were. After visiting with them for a while they let me make a couple of telephone calls with my calling card and I put an end to the problems back home.
For the Class of 2013 -- it'd be best to get potential problems back home straightened out before leaving for Springer Mountain so the problems don't nag at you during your AT thru-hike.
Datto
SOBO_Pace
03-29-2013, 15:01
Everybody doesn't get the blues.
and most don't make it to maine. thru-hikin' is overrated
Curious as to when you did your they hike?