How have you/your hiking changed?

[FarmerChef]

Ok. So this is a bit broad but I'm curious about other's experiences hiking over time. What's changed for you?

When I started seriously hiking the AT I was full of excitement and pent up yearning. I had the AT fever bad. I obsessed with reading Trail Journals, found White Blaze, ordered my AT Guide and The Companion and more. Retirement was (and is still) far off and a thru hike was out of the cards but why keep waiting when a section hike could start now? So in we dove with each hike more exciting, more challenging, more comfortable, more-everything than the last. That beginning was two and a half years ago.

Since then, we've covered almost 3/4ths of the trail in hikes of ever-increasing duration and greater challenge but also greater fun and more wisdom. I know what the psychological toll is like on a thru hike, at least I've read about it - how much of the hike is a mental battle more than a physical one. And I've met several burned out hikers at many points of the trail who just weren't sure they should keep going (and some who didn't). I wonder if this can't also happen to a long distance section hiker too.

For me, I find that I am much more lazy about hike preparation and have a more relaxed, que sera, sera attitude. On our hikes, I'm less keenly worried about logistics and happier to just let it roll. I don't worry about the best new-fangled hiking toy anymore and just worry about having all the stuff we know works. And I care even less about making our section goal and more about stopping to smell the roses and enjoying the unexpected (getting caught in a blizzard last spring is one of the best/worst trips we've had). I've even been less of a tightwad about my grams :eek:. Ok, sort of less...;)

The one thing I've noticed that I hope is just a passing sentiment, is that I don't crave the next hike like I used to. Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather be hiking than...[fill in the blank]. But, now that we've done so much of it I think I'm feeling a bit of the "routine" that I read about in thru journals, where a hiker finds themselves just putting one foot in front of the other and whiling away the time. This doesn't happen to me ON the trail, it happens OFF. I miss some of that all-consuming fire before hopping in the car to get on the trail.

So, that's some of what's changed for me since I started. What's changed for you? Please share :D

[hikerboy57]

my section hike this spring was the longest ive spent on the trail(app. 6 weeks), and i didnt want it to end. that surprised me a bit, as a section hiker for so many years. to the extent I'm planning a thru hike beginning in april. i found if i just take it one day at a time, not worry about mileage and just hike for a certain amount of hours every day, i get the job done. i worry less about miles, and on my recent hike in maine,i shortened my hike due to the weather, and ended up having a much better time instead of pushing too hard.
i dont overthink things the way i used to. just let it happen.

[Astro]

After section hiking 630 miles over nearly 3 years the biggest change for me is that I have a much better clue of what I am doing now. My base weight has dropped in half and my gear is a whole lot better. I had previously been doing 3 to 8 day trips, but did 4 weeks this summer. Despite starting in a flash flood and having it rain nearly every day for the first 3 weeks, I now have more of a desire to do a Thru than ever before (I had given up that thought for at least another 10 years until now). I will do another 3-4 weeks this summer to get to Harpers Ferry, then I will have to sit down with my wife and see if a Thru in 2015 can become a reality. Of course if not, I guess with two more summers I can finish my section hike and still be a 2,000 miler.

[moytoy]

For me the AT was always there. I was born and raised in East Tennessee so the Appalachian Trail was part of my vocabulary. As a child I knew men who had helped build the trail. I started hiking it when I was 8 or 9 and when I was 13 I did all of the AT trail in the GSMNP. I went back to Tn to hike with my family over the years but never seriously thought about a thru hike. It was not until the 90's that I started doing longish hikes on the FT that I started to consider trying to do a thru on the AT when I retire. Now that I'm nearing retirement the desire is at a pitch. Although I'm in good condition with no health issues I still can't be sure my body is going to follow my brain:)

[joshuasdad]

Ok. So this is a bit broad but I'm curious about other's experiences hiking over time. What's changed for you?

When I started seriously hiking the AT I was full of excitement and pent up yearning. I had the AT fever bad. I obsessed with reading Trail Journals, found White Blaze, ordered my AT Guide and The Companion and more. Retirement was (and is still) far off and a thru hike was out of the cards but why keep waiting when a section hike could start now? So in we dove with each hike more exciting, more challenging, more comfortable, more-everything than the last. That beginning was two and a half years ago.

Since then, we've covered almost 3/4ths of the trail in hikes of ever-increasing duration and greater challenge but also greater fun and more wisdom. I know what the psychological toll is like on a thru hike, at least I've read about it - how much of the hike is a mental battle more than a physical one. And I've met several burned out hikers at many points of the trail who just weren't sure they should keep going (and some who didn't). I wonder if this can't also happen to a long distance section hiker too.

For me, I find that I am much more lazy about hike preparation and have a more relaxed, que sera, sera attitude. On our hikes, I'm less keenly worried about logistics and happier to just let it roll. I don't worry about the best new-fangled hiking toy anymore and just worry about having all the stuff we know works. And I care even less about making our section goal and more about stopping to smell the roses and enjoying the unexpected (getting caught in a blizzard last spring is one of the best/worst trips we've had). I've even been less of a tightwad about my grams :eek:. Ok, sort of less...;)

The one thing I've noticed that I hope is just a passing sentiment, is that I don't crave the next hike like I used to. Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather be hiking than...[fill in the blank]. But, now that we've done so much of it I think I'm feeling a bit of the "routine" that I read about in thru journals, where a hiker finds themselves just putting one foot in front of the other and whiling away the time. This doesn't happen to me ON the trail, it happens OFF. I miss some of that all-consuming fire before hopping in the car to get on the trail.

So, that's some of what's changed for me since I started. What's changed for you? Please share :D

I am in the same boat as you (distance hiked, geographic proximity, motivation). I could write a lot on this, but you pretty much covered it. Getting up to Maine and New Hampshire to hike from the DC area is very difficult, and then the hiking is even more difficult. Rewarding, but I (and my knees) can only handle so much of that "reward"...

Not ready to quit yet, but definitely curtailing my northern hiking for a bit, and will polish off some of the more Southern sections first.

[illabelle]

We started sectioning the AT in November of 2010 (for our 20th anniversary). By that time this year we will have completed about 620 miles, an astounding distance when I really think about it! I remember early trips where I had planned everything out in great detail, and maybe packed and repacked until it felt right. Now we too are much more relaxed about preparation, sometimes piling things in the car and packing on the way. (The trips that are far from home are still planned in detail - don't want to get there without our tent, or the wrong clothes for the climate!)

I do expect some sections to be ... well, boring. To keep it interesting, we skip around from state to state, mountain to valley, north to south. We don't have the opportunity to do more than a week at a time, so we don't face the kind of boredom a long-distance hiker does.

We just completed our first short weekend section after taking the summer off, and I felt the excitement returning after being dormant through the hot season. It felt good to load up the packs and get back out there. OTOH, I can definitely see the day coming when, like Joshuasdad, we may have re-assess whether those intimidating hills in NH and ME are really going to happen. In the meantime, we'll go to all the easier places to accumulate miles. Lots and lots of miles in Virginia to work on, and they're not far away.

[Pedaling Fool]

Thru-hiking is a great way to build a kick ass cardio base. Note, I did NOT say, Cardio System, for that you have to work on it after the trail and that includes going way past just simple aerobic exercise; one must also dabble in anaerobic exercise to build an all-around kick ass cardio conditioning. But before getting too much into anaerobic activities you need a good base and that's what my hike did for me.

Secondly, it changed my ability to run, both mentally and physically, never liked running. However, I knew it was an important part of physical activity. I had a suspicion that a thru-hike would change my aversion to running, because, as I see it, there are a lot of similarities in the biomechanics of running and hiking in the mountains; I don't believe hiking a flat trail, such as the FT would produce the same results. And sure enough I started running in Dec of 2006 and I haven't stopped since; I love it. Running is vital, IMO, to a healthy and strong body.

And lastly, and this was totally unexpected, I learned just how efficient the human body is and how much it can do on so little food. We always hear how Americans eat too much, so much so that it can be called a cliche. However, not only is it NOT a cliche to me, I now have a very different perspective on this "cliche". I not only know it's so true; I completely understand it from experience, which always increases one's understanding of knowledge, even simple concepts. It's good to go hungry once in a while and it is key to keeping the pounds off. When I start to gain a few pounds I always adjust my diet, because I just can't exercise enough to lose weight, unless I ration food.

So in summary:
- Kick ass cardio base
- Hiking in mountains translates to running
- I eat way less now; I don't eat when I'm hungry, always go a little further before stuffing my face.


P.S. I'm also now addicted to plain m&m's. Never liked them before, so not sure what to make out of that, but I can literally eat a pound bag in one night.

[daddytwosticks]

I hike because it's fun. :)

[Storm]

Sometime the years make the excitement dwindle some. And as you gain experience the fears will go away and you will know you can hike with less and do just fine. I guess the biggest change for me over the past few years is that my age is catching up to my body but my mind still doesn't believe it.

[mikec]

I've section hiked about 90% of the AT. My interest has waned because:

1) The section between Pinkham Notch and the NH/ME border looks brutal.
2) I am getting older and have had some minor health issues.

I don't know if I will be finishing the AT but I have the desire to keep trying. And I also have some fantastic memories and some great friendships from the trail that I will always cherish.

[snifur]

I no longer plan in detail. I just throw stuff in a pack and go. I only replace gear when it absolutely must be retired. Instead of obsessing about the gear, i now think more of the trail. I am comfortable during 4 seasons and enjoy challenging myself physically. For me it is not the gear that makes the hike. it is the trail.

[johnnybgood]

Reading your initial post FarmerChef, it seems very similiar to my experience also.
My planning these days is not given much thought after the preliminary measures of working through what I want to eat for x number of days on the trail.
My backpack will be packed the early morning hours before heading out the door . My checklist is a play on the KISS approach to backpacking. No gadgets -- no frills.

I now too have a more relaxed attitude in planning that goes directly against the preparation madness of only 3-4 years ago.

Honestly, the early section hikes were the ones I enjoyed a bit more , so much so that the next hike was already in the planning stages in the days following that hike.

As it goes , I still can't wait to get back out there ,just to put in some miles.

In the end --it's all good.

[Tractor]

I have hiked north to Hanover, so far, but it has taken a few years. I learn a bit each section and now the getting there and back is part of the adventure. Planes, trains, buses, shuttles, all somehow Great. The first hundred miles were "well scheduled". From then on I was less concerned with daily miles but always aware of an end date, a scheduled flight or other transport option and a return to the other world. I have that long narrow map on my office wall, with the trail I have traveled marked with a red sharpie. My employer knows I wish to head out next year to add a bit more on that map. My time on the trail has changed me. Looking forward to other ones after this one is in the bag.

[Tractor]

Oh. Failed to mention I came home from hiking Vermont with pneumonia and Fat Man Walking came home with both ears infected and a double case of "trenchfoot". Looking forward to New Hampshire and Maine! What has come over us?

[MuddyWaters]

Its exciting at first. New, different, a grand adventure just to go hike 40 miles in 4 days or so.

After that wears off, it doesnt seem adventurous anymore, even to go hike 200 miles.

So just have to look for new ways to make it interesting and challenging and a bit scary again.
Higher miles per day, night hiking, lighter packs and less gear, winter conditions.
The only thing that limits you, is you.

[icemanat95]

I thru-hiked in 1995, at the beginning of the ultra-light thing. I was not part of that thing. My pack weighed in at 75 pounds or so at Amicolola, and didn't seem to bad to me at the time...but I came out of a military perspective and that's just not that heavy from an infantryman's perspective. During my hike I shaved something like 25 pounds off my expected pack weight for a week's worth of food and such. Stripped down my clothing alottments, got rid of extra food prep stuff, replaced my largish tent with one weighing half as much, etc. Today I'm probably a bit heavy by most standards, but I still like clean socks and a few comforts. I can pack a week's worth of backpacking gear into a much smaller, and lighter pack (35 pounds give or take) and have shifted from heavy, full-leather boots to breathable and dryable lightweight boots/shoes. I no longer carry lightweight aluminum poles though, and opt for a nice hand prepped hiking stave. I do have a tungsten tip on it, but it's a less aggressive one than on Leki poles. I've experimented a bit with alcohol stoves, but I'm not comfortable with them yet. I've got an interest in some of the new wood burners though.

The biggest change is in me. I'm 45 years old and the mileage has been hard. My life doesn't have the freedom in it that it once had for just picking up and going for a hike, so it takes planning now. My hikes tend to be a lot shorter to accomodate my available time and the capabilities of my wife and kids. Also my knees hurt, so do my shoulders and ankles...too many broken bones, too many minor injuries, etc. Just cannot do what I used to and that is hard to adapt to.

[joshuasdad]

Its exciting at first. New, different, a grand adventure just to go hike 40 miles in 4 days or so.

After that wears off, it doesnt seem adventurous anymore, even to go hike 200 miles.

So just have to look for new ways to make it interesting and challenging and a bit scary again.
Higher miles per day, night hiking, lighter packs and less gear, winter conditions.
The only thing that limits you, is you.

Higher MPD (check), night hiking (often do this, check), lighter packs/less gear (intended to do Gorham to Grafton in a frameless pack, but had to bailout, check), winter conditions (did this in after the first month, check).

The most dangerous thing I do is driving home after the long hike.

That being said, night hiking in Southern Maine is not necessarily a good idea. My last hike a few weeks ago, I almost ended up sliding over a 30 foot cliff descending Speck Mtn (after doing the Notch earlier in the day) because the slickrock parallel to a stream looked like a trail. Luckily I:

1) Slipped down prior to the cliff (put a slip and slide on a hill, that kind of fall).
2) Had microspikes to get me off the slickrock.
3) Knew that someone behind me had just hiked up the trail, and they knew the correct way down.

I have not hiked since. The fall was not the reason, but it definitely has decreased my motivation to get out there.

[ChinMusic]

Ok. So this is a bit broad but I'm curious about other's experiences hiking over time. What's changed for you?


I am too close to the end of my thru (last week) to give a good answer to how I'll feel by next year (or next week for that matter). Right now I have no desire for the trail but I'm sure that will come back at some point.

I can state what changed DURING my thru. I have good gear and my pack weight is very low but I became almost uninterested in pack weight. I would carry into the field whatever I felt like I wanted. Within reason (under upper 20s) I couldn't tell the difference between slackpacking and carrying a full pack. I just didn't feel the weight difference and my speed, or lack thereof, never changed.

[scope]

Since I got bit in 2004 or so, here's what has changed:
1) pack size of 5500ci to 3000, sometimes less
2) pack weight of 40+ lbs to approaching 20, sometimes less
3) I hammock now instead of tent, therefore I sleep better
4) I don't take as many pics... sometimes I don't even take a camera
5) I have less hair

Here's what hasn't changed...
1) the cravings for the next trip right after getting back from one; but I seem to obsess a minute bit less
2) "preparation madness" is what keeps me virtually tied to the trail while I'm not out there
3) the feeling I get when I step out of the car into the fresh cool air at the trailhead
4) the people I meet on the trail - great camaraderie from folks who understand what you're doing
5) I talk a lot less about my gear; seems, though, that I listen to others talk about their gear more

[peakbagger]

My partner for most of the time sectioning the AT had ankle issues (he had one rebuilt at one point). After doing one or two week sections for several years mostly backpacking, his ankle was pretty rough and we had to cut daily miles after a few days. For the final two week long sections we did slackpacks with two cars and then keyswaps with one car. We were down south so the logistics were bit easier than Maine but there is a lot to be said for doing a 16 or 18 mile day with daypack and when key swapping, we were solo most of the day and would meet at lunch. it was always interesting to hear about the special places we both encountered and then discuss what we missed in the evening. I also enjoyed the drives to and from each days hike as we got to explore places that thruhikers probably don't even know exist. Some of the back roads in NC and TN and the various secluded mountain valleys we had to find and drive through were really special. Sometime we stayed at hostels and sometimes we figured out how to get to AT shelters that were inevitably easy to get to from nearby roads. Frequently this would allow us to clean up the shelter site and haul out the inevitable foil balls and trash from the campfire ring to the car in the AM

Over the years of sectioning my gear got simpler and my meals got pretty standardized. I ate variations of the same thing basic menu most days and waited until the end of the each trip to have fancy meals. When I first started getting serious I would usually bring some extra gear and get bit fancier for meals (blueberry corn muffins with an ultralight oven and home made pizza on the Pacific Crest come to mind). It was a nice while it lasted but food became fuel. In general whatever pack I had seemed to grown over the winter as I pared my gear down. The most radical gear change and the reason I finished the AT was the switch to trail runners after years of heavy boots. My years of hiking started with New Balance 801s and went through succeeding models up to 811s and I still use them in the whites.

I also learned after awhile that hiking in the fall usually beat the heck out of early spring hiking. Pretty much across the board whatever state I went, spring hikes usually were 1 or two days of rain or damp and one sunny day while fall hikes were 4 or 5 days of sun and maybe one day or rain.

We also tended to get exposed to the "gear of the year" and over 10 plus years it was interesting what was popular every year. One year it was Tikka LED headlamps, another year it was Aquamira (beat the heckout of Polarpure). We also saw the birth of the "Ray way" ultralighting and how it didn't exactly match up with the weather on the AT initially. In the last few years the only new gear was to replace worn out stuff that just couldn't last another year.

One bad habit is not taking enough pictures especially of campsites and photos of other hikers and myself. I have boxes of view shots but few of people shots and over the long run the view shots all seem to be the same.

[FarmerChef]

Oh yeah, PB. Fall hiking is totally better than Spring. Let's see. Over the last two years we were a. baked in roasting hot weather with no leaf cover yet or b. frozen in a 3-day blizzard event or c. both. Ding, ding, ding. Both! In the fall we have had consistently fabulous weather. And to be perfectly fair, we loved aspects of both spring hikes.

And my meals have become less made from scratch/bought on trail. In the beginning we shipped these massive drops. It was expensive, more expensive than buying it in stores. So we stopped doing that. Now we just carry a bit of extra food we know we'll want to add to the dried soup mix, lipton sides, etc. And we take every opportunity to eat in town (only when it's close) to calorie up. We still lose weight but not as much as we used to. I should add that with towns, we've learned we really need to stop around 6 or 7 days into a hike and take a half day to rest. Everyone's spirits are much higher that way.