View Full Version : All or Nothing
Tuckahoe
10-23-2013, 08:29
I have noticed often that there are those that seem to get a bug about doing a thru-hike, and its as though they have to do it right now. As an observer its an all or nothing proposition. For the idividual it really isnt the right time to attempt such a hike, but they dont seem willing to wait until it is the right time, or (gasp!) are not willing to consider long section hikes.
I guess its difficult for me to understand the all or nothing approach, especially when there are other options.
hikerboy57
10-23-2013, 08:38
ironically, many who complete thru hikes never go backpacking again.its a goal on the tick list, its been done, no need to do any more.i think many who pose the question here know the answer before they post.but for some, its a burning desire that will not go away until the itch has been scratched.for some, the itch is scratched by the time they hit neels gap and they go home.for others, it becomes a lifestyle,work to hike.ive found balance between my career, my home life, and backpacking. i consider myself lucky.
fredmugs
10-23-2013, 08:49
Having turned 50 this year and not being able to retire until 56 I'm getting the itch to do a thru. More so now that I've completed all the sections.
It is difficult to understand how anyone who doesn't just love hiking/backpacking would even consider thru hiking. The power of the imagination is staggering. Having done enough multiple day sections to appreciate the hardships and challenges, as well as the incredible beauty and joy of being out amongst such incredible beauty, I hope to thru hike. The day will come when I reasonably can, with my head, finances, and relationships in the right place. In the meantime I'll enjoy more sections, learn a lot here, lose some weight, and continue to marvel at those who go at the drop of a hat. The trail will be there.
Another Kevin
10-23-2013, 09:04
I'll probably never thru-hike in this lifetime. I've always had other responsibilities, and never had half a year to spend on what's essentially an extended vacation. But the trails are still there for weekends and short sections, and they keep calling me back.
So I'm totally clueless about what motivates non-hikers suddenly to thru-hike, as I am about most things of thru-hiker culture. That's a part of the 'clueless weekender' label that I assign to myself. (Another part is that I sound as if I know much more than I do. I'm basically a blowhard. Those looking for sound advice do best to ignore me.)
Lone Wolf
10-23-2013, 09:06
fantasy and reality of different animals
Cookerhiker
10-23-2013, 10:16
I started backpacking in the 1970s, mostly on the AT, never more than long weekends, e.g. 3-4 days, 35-50 miles. At some point in the 1980s, I developed the ambition to hike the whole trail, but it was long-term. Even after I had retired in 2003 having hiked about 700 AT miles, a thruhike didn't enter my mind at all. In fact, I couldn't even imagine a long section hike of over 100 miles.
When an old college friend told me his was thruhiking in '04, I joined him for some portions and finally did a 100 mile hike, followed by a 180 mile hike. So I became comfortable with a long section hike where resupplying and transportation had to be planned. Finished the AT in '05 when I hiked a series of section hikes totaling 800 miles. At no time did I ever consider a thruhike.
In the last 2-3 years, I've mused about a thruhike, thinking it might be a nice way to celebrate my 65th birthday. But then, there's so much else out there - so many trails, so little time.
I greatly admire those who thruhike. And I'm glad that I section hiked. HYOH although sometimes, I'll give advice to those whose thruhike falls short when they decide to try again - from the beginning. "Why don't you just resume from where you left off?" "No, it's gotta be a thruhike." OK - HYOH.
Tuckahoe
10-23-2013, 12:02
I hope no one takes this to be a thru-vs-sectioner thread because that is not my intent.
Rather there are times when someone finds their way onto WB with an interest in a thru, but it just does not fit into their life, they want to drop everything, run away, skip out etc. I just have a hard time grasping the seeming inability to hit the trail in the time available and accept that a thru should come later. And yet in turn, as HB pointed out and others mention, these are the folks that fail before they get out of GA, or they never hike again after their thru.
Then again I am probably just incoherently rambling.
lush242000
10-23-2013, 12:10
I have never really wanted to spend the 4 or 5 months away from my wife and children. To me I would be giving up too much of the little time we have on this planet. Now with that being said. I would make an attempt at one if one or all of my children wanted to do it with me.
Basically a thru hike is just a bunch of section hikes with hotel/hostel breaks in between. I would say it is probably rare that people actually hike the entire trail and sleep every single night in the woods. I'm sure some do though. I wouldn't do it that way. I would want a good shower with hot water at least every 7 to 10 days.
Sent from somewhere.
Spirit Walker
10-23-2013, 12:41
I have met a lot of people who intended to do something important to them "someday". They waited until the time was right. It never was. Life can and often does get in the way of realizing dreams. People who are really aware of life's uncertainties, and who really care about whether or not they achieve their goals, are probably more willing to do whatever it takes to do so, even if it seems crazy to outsiders.
For younger hikers, careers, marriage, children can mean having to wait 20 years or more before there is time and money for a long hike. It's hard to pay a mortgage when you're not working. Hard to give up the security of a good job for the uncertain future of a LD hiker. For older hikers, age, illness, family pressures, finances may mean that when the time is available, the ability to do the hike no longer is. Bad knees, hips, arthritis in the joints or chronic disease make it very difficult, if not impossible, to hike all day every day. A lot of people who hike after retirement find themselves wishing that they had done so years earlier, when the body was more resilient.
When my husband and I were wondering whether we should quit our jobs to do another long hike after we hiked the AT, we got word that his younger brother had had his 2nd or 3rd heart attack and was undergoing bypass surgery. We quit without thinking twice. I met a woman who had dreamed of travelling the world with her husband when he retired. He died before they could go, and she could barely handle the walking that was necessary to truly enjoy the places she visited alone. She said she really wished they had gone years earlier, but the time and money never seemed right.
If you just enjoy hiking, but don't really care about doing a thruhike, then being a section hiker or weekend hiker is enough. Hiking is just another vacation activity, like touring Disneyland, sunning yourself on the beach, or watching a NASCAR race. A thruhike is different. For some of us, the total immersion experience that you get with a thruhike is the goal, more that just climbing Katahdin or hiking bits and pieces here and there. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It's hard to explain, but when your entire existence is focused on your present moment experience, it really can be life altering. Weekend hikers rarely get that kind of total immersion. Many don't want it.
For most folks doing a Thru-Hike it's just to get the bragging rights,Most folks don't even like hiking it's a Symbol, I am one of the work to hike types, work a couple of years do a thru-hike, and repeat, i have completed Three AT thru-hikes and right know i am planning my 2015 P.C.T thru.
I have met a lot of people who intended to do something important to them "someday". They waited until the time was right. It never was. Life can and often does get in the way of realizing dreams. People who are really aware of life's uncertainties, and who really care about whether or not they achieve their goals, are probably more willing to do whatever it takes to do so, even if it seems crazy to outsiders.
For younger hikers, careers, marriage, children can mean having to wait 20 years or more before there is time and money for a long hike. It's hard to pay a mortgage when you're not working. Hard to give up the security of a good job for the uncertain future of a LD hiker. For older hikers, age, illness, family pressures, finances may mean that when the time is available, the ability to do the hike no longer is. Bad knees, hips, arthritis in the joints or chronic disease make it very difficult, if not impossible, to hike all day every day. A lot of people who hike after retirement find themselves wishing that they had done so years earlier, when the body was more resilient.
When my husband and I were wondering whether we should quit our jobs to do another long hike after we hiked the AT, we got word that his younger brother had had his 2nd or 3rd heart attack and was undergoing bypass surgery. We quit without thinking twice. I met a woman who had dreamed of travelling the world with her husband when he retired. He died before they could go, and she could barely handle the walking that was necessary to truly enjoy the places she visited alone. She said she really wished they had gone years earlier, but the time and money never seemed right.
If you just enjoy hiking, but don't really care about doing a thruhike, then being a section hiker or weekend hiker is enough. Hiking is just another vacation activity, like touring Disneyland, sunning yourself on the beach, or watching a NASCAR race. A thruhike is different. For some of us, the total immersion experience that you get with a thruhike is the goal, more that just climbing Katahdin or hiking bits and pieces here and there. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It's hard to explain, but when your entire existence is focused on your present moment experience, it really can be life altering. Weekend hikers rarely get that kind of total immersion. Many don't want it.
Well put.:)
I think a lot of people have thoughts that they just want to achieve something remarkable, and get that feeling of accomplishment. And it probably doesn't even matter what it is, just as long as it is a real challenge, a chance to truly test themselves. It might be the AT, it might be Everest. It might even be a chance at beating Apollo Creed. :)
I have never really wanted to spend the 4 or 5 months away from my wife and children. To me I would be giving up too much of the little time we have on this planet. Now with that being said. I would make an attempt at one if one or all of my children wanted to do it with me.
Hit the nail on the head here. I would love to through hike if my kids wanted to come with or were just grown up and setup in their own lives and my wife wanted to come with. But I wouldn't want to give up that much time away from either of those things. At least not at this point in my life.
Cookerhiker
10-23-2013, 14:45
...Rather there are times when someone finds their way onto WB with an interest in a thru, but it just does not fit into their life, they want to drop everything, run away, skip out etc.... they never hike again after their thru.
This puzzles me too, but it shows that there's a variety of motivations for people to thruhike. I can't fathom how someone who hikes 5-6 months in the woods at one time never hikes again. Perhaps Jefals has the best answer. My questions is: if you didn't like the experience, if it "wasn't what you expected ala Bill Bryson, then why complete the hike? If you complete the hike, didn't you enjoy it? Don't you want to revisit the woods at some point, if not the AT then other trails so that you can savor the outdoors?
But again, I'm imposing my own values and preferences.
QHShowoman
10-23-2013, 15:38
I used to be one of those people. And then I actually went backpacking.
I love the idea of being able to "give it all up" and spend six months on the trail, but the reality is that after 3-4 days, I'm tired, and sore, and cranky, and ready for a hot shower and a comfy bed.
I still entertain thoughts of hiking the entire AT, but I know it will most likely be in sections.
If I could expand on my post a little, when I first became aware of the AT, 30 something years ago, that's what it would have been to me...A great sense of accomplishment at the end, something I could always look back on and say "I did that!". Of course, I was pre-occupied, then, in a boring job, raising a family with a loving wife, providing a home that I came to at the end of the day, with happy, noisy kids....
Well, the kids are grown, and the wife has passed on. And the career is now over after 40+ years, and the AT is coming back up to the front burner. But, it's no longer the same dream as it was in my earlier days. Now, I look at it and know that if I did a thru-hike -- even the fastest one ever -- , it would pale in comparison to what I've already done. ( That probably sounds corny, but I truly believe it!).
So now, I still think of the AT as a great adventure, but it's just going to be a real HMOH experience, and I still might get from Springer to Katahdin, but it will most likely not be in one year....OR, maybe it will! Just depends, but whether I make it in one year or not, or all the way at all -- it just isn't that important anymore.
Traffic Jam
10-23-2013, 19:45
If I could expand on my post a little, when I first became aware of the AT, 30 something years ago, that's what it would have been to me...A great sense of accomplishment at the end, something I could always look back on and say "I did that!". Of course, I was pre-occupied, then, in a boring job, raising a family with a loving wife, providing a home that I came to at the end of the day, with happy, noisy kids....
Well, the kids are grown, and the wife has passed on. And the career is now over after 40+ years, and the AT is coming back up to the front burner. But, it's no longer the same dream as it was in my earlier days. Now, I look at it and know that if I did a thru-hike -- even the fastest one ever -- , it would pale in comparison to what I've already done. ( That probably sounds corny, but I truly believe it!).
So now, I still think of the AT as a great adventure, but it's just going to be a real HMOH experience, and I still might get from Springer to Katahdin, but it will most likely not be in one year....OR, maybe it will! Just depends, but whether I make it in one year or not, or all the way at all -- it just isn't that important anymore.
Made me cry. You are an amazing person.
Blissful
10-23-2013, 21:52
For some reason thru hiking is the "in" thing. More than once I talked to some hikers who thought I was thru hiking last March down in GA and said to me - Oh, Im just a section hiker. Just? I told them flat out - a thru hiker is no one special. They are a hiker, same as anyone else.
ChinMusic
10-23-2013, 22:02
I think a lot of people have thoughts that they just want to achieve something remarkable, and get that feeling of accomplishment. And it probably doesn't even matter what it is, just as long as it is a real challenge, a chance to truly test themselves. It might be the AT, it might be Everest. It might even be a chance at beating Apollo Creed. :)
I wanted/needed/craved that feeling I had when I got to The Sign. The journey was great but the destination was greater. YMMV
And I can't take a punch............
MuddyWaters
10-23-2013, 22:13
I think some are enamored by the concept that they could do something adventurous that few do.
Problem is, its not real wilderness, its not remote, its not dangerous, or risky. Its not really even very adventurous after a few days on trail. And there are (seemingly) lots of people doing it.
I think most would realize that if they took a little hike first for a couple days.
I think some are enamored by the concept that they could do something adventurous that few do.
Problem is, its not real wilderness, its not remote, its not dangerous, or risky. Its not really even very adventurous after a few days on trail. And there are (seemingly) lots of people doing it.
I think most would realize that if they took a little hike first for a couple days.
It is difficult though, and at times very rewarding. Parts of it are genuinely beautiful while others just plain suck. Worth doing? Well yeah... kind of like life itself.
hikerboy57
10-23-2013, 22:24
I wanted/needed/craved that feeling I had when I got to The Sign. The journey was great but the destination was greater. YMMV
And I can't take a punch............
you did it wrong.:eek:
ChinMusic
10-23-2013, 22:27
you did it wrong.:eek: Maybe on WB
hikerboy57
10-23-2013, 22:36
Maybe on WB
too bad i never met you.but it was great following along here and on tj. you did it so right. i especially loved your misguided trip from mt. washington to madison.that could have become an epic.it gets hairy up there when its nasty.
ChinMusic
10-23-2013, 22:43
i especially loved your misguided trip from mt. washington to madison.that could have become an epic.it gets hairy up there when its nasty.
I was OK. I could still get on FaceBook.........
I wanted/needed/craved that feeling I had when I got to The Sign. The journey was great but the destination was greater. YMMV
I'm with ya, CM. At an earlier stage in my life, and for many years, I would have agreed 100%; The journey would have been a great adventure, but actually getting to that Sign would have been incredible. At a different point now, though, and if I ever do get to that Sign, I'll certainly feel great about it, I'll enjoy the view, I'll smile, I'll climb down, spend a night or two in town and buy a train ticket (I HATE planes!) back home. But for me, where I'm at now, the main focus will be the people, encounters and whatever I experience along the way.
I think some are enamored by the concept that they could do something adventurous that few do.
Problem is, its not real wilderness, its not remote, its not dangerous, or risky. Its not really even very adventurous after a few days on trail. And there are (seemingly) lots of people doing it.
I think most would realize that if they took a little hike first for a couple days.
You hit on something here, MW, that I've been thinking about also. When I first started thinking about this hike, there weren't that many people that had done it. Now "everybody and their brother" starts it, and even if only 5% finish, that's still a lot of people. So, it doesn't hold some of the allure it once did to some of the folks like me who haven't actually experienced it, and that's probably even more true for younger generations thinking about this for the first time.
I probably disagree with you about the dangerous aspect. I think that might be a matter of perspective, because to me, a so far very inexperienced hiker/camper, it seems that it could be dangerous as hell! And I think I get your point that long days of walking might not be adventurous. But then, I think I'm really going to enjoy the interactions with new people, hearing their stories and just bouncing off their personalities. And I really want to get back into the Smokies and see if they still are as I remember them.
And, just to say one last thing -- I DEFINITELY DO agree with your last line. I know, FOR SURE, once I get out there, after a couple of days, I very well might say, "The hell with this!" -- and call it quits! :)
Well put.:)
Amen!, I'll 2nd that...well put, Afi!
Made me cry. You are an amazing person.
thanks, ITri... Well, I'm not all that amazing, but I really appreciate the kind words...
Now, STOP CRYING! :)
I wanted/needed/craved that feeling I had when I got to The Sign. The journey was great but the destination was greater. YMMV
And I can't take a punch............
btw, Chin, just curious...when did you see that Sign?
and I'm with you on that punch thing..dukin it out with anybody like the old Apollo is definitely not anywhere on my list of priorities!
hikerboy57
10-24-2013, 07:33
You hit on something here, MW, that I've been thinking about also. When I first started thinking about this hike, there weren't that many people that had done it. Now "everybody and their brother" starts it, and even if only 5% finish, that's still a lot of people. So, it doesn't hold some of the allure it once did to some of the folks like me who haven't actually experienced it, and that's probably even more true for younger generations thinking about this for the first time.
I probably disagree with you about the dangerous aspect. I think that might be a matter of perspective, because to me, a so far very inexperienced hiker/camper, it seems that it could be dangerous as hell! And I think I get your point that long days of walking might not be adventurous. But then, I think I'm really going to enjoy the interactions with new people, hearing their stories and just bouncing off their personalities. And I really want to get back into the Smokies and see if they still are as I remember them.
And, just to say one last thing -- I DEFINITELY DO agree with your last line. I know, FOR SURE, once I get out there, after a couple of days, I very well might say, "The hell with this!" -- and call it quits! :)
not dangerous. buddy backpacker is 5 yrs old.sassafras is 13 yrs old.men and woman in their 70s and 80s have done it.
can you get hurt?absolutely. can you die? slim possibility. nh and me have some pretty hairy scrambles, and the ridgeline in the northern smokies is cool. outside of that the trail is pretty benign.as far as wildlife. a tick is much more likely to end your hike than a bear.
Traffic Jam
10-24-2013, 11:36
thanks, ITri... Well, I'm not all that amazing, but I really appreciate the kind words...
Now, STOP CRYING! :)
Ha ha! It was a brief moment of misty eyes.
not dangerous. buddy backpacker is 5 yrs old.sassafras is 13 yrs old.men and woman in their 70s and 80s have done it.
can you get hurt?absolutely. can you die? slim possibility. nh and me have some pretty hairy scrambles, and the ridgeline in the northern smokies is cool. outside of that the trail is pretty benign.as far as wildlife. a tick is much more likely to end your hike than a bear.
thanks, HB, this is very encouraging. But, a couple of words about "Buddy" and "Sassy".. First -- it's not a fair comparison, cause KIDS CAN DO ANYTHING! :) (Until some old person tells them they can't, that is). But, 2nd they were, at least I'm pretty sure they were, with very experienced supervision.
One thing your post has helped me with, as well as several others since I've been on WB, is that my fear of the bears has diminshed from a level of maybe calling the whole thing off, to just a "healthy respect".
hikerboy57
10-24-2013, 13:06
thanks, HB, this is very encouraging. But, a couple of words about "Buddy" and "Sassy".. First -- it's not a fair comparison, cause KIDS CAN DO ANYTHING! :) (Until some old person tells them they can't, that is). But, 2nd they were, at least I'm pretty sure they were, with very experienced supervision.
One thing your post has helped me with, as well as several others since I've been on WB, is that my fear of the bears has diminshed from a level of maybe calling the whole thing off, to just a "healthy respect".sassafras could hold her own with people ten years older than her.and ive had occasions to laugh, when after finishing a particularly difficult stretch, along comes a man or woman 20 yrs older than me, sometimes even looking a bit frail, that just did the same section.
but really, if you're hiking the usual schedule, starting in march or april, you'll have plenty of company. no worries.its a travelling community that looks after each other,nothing really quite like it.you're gonna be fine.
Another Kevin
10-24-2013, 13:25
its a travelling community that looks after each other,nothing really quite like it.you're gonna be fine.
And that's true on just about any trail. My last few trips in the Catskills have been solo, but I never lacked for a spotter at the tough rock scrambles. I was on popular routes, there were always people ahead and behind me, and we all spotted for one another, hauled each other's packs, and generally gave what help we could. You'll get the wrong impression here, because we're rude sons-of-bitches here, but the trail brings out the best in most of the people who use it.
ive had occasions to laugh, when after finishing a particularly difficult stretch, along comes a man or woman 20 yrs older than me, sometimes even looking a bit frail, that just did the same section.
I've always found Willem Lange's TV series (http://www.nhptv.org/windows/) inspiring. In the general theme of 'if that old coot can do it, surely I can do it.' Then again, my first introduction to the outdoors came from an uncle who was fifty years my senior and who was still getting out there well into his eighties, bad heart and all. (A cardiologist gave him six months to live when he was still in his forties. He got fifty more years on that prognosis - outliving half a dozen doctors who pronounced it.)
I think the reason that you have a lot of people who are in the 'all or nothing' category, (particularly people who don't hike, camp or backpack) attempt a thru hike is that a thru hike is much more than hiking. Its a challenge and an achievement. Its something not a lot of people do (comparatively). Its a very long vacation. Its a life experience. Its an escape. And the people who are after those things wouldn't necessarily be interested in a weekend hike...that's not what interests them about the whole thing.
And that's true on just about any trail. My last few trips in the Catskills have been solo, but I never lacked for a spotter at the tough rock scrambles. I was on popular routes, there were always people ahead and behind me, and we all spotted for one another, hauled each other's packs, and generally gave what help we could. You'll get the wrong impression here, because we're rude sons-of-bitches here, but the trail brings out the best in most of the people who use it.
I've always found Willem Lange's TV series (http://www.nhptv.org/windows/) inspiring. In the general theme of 'if that old coot can do it, surely I can do it.' Then again, my first introduction to the outdoors came from an uncle who was fifty years my senior and who was still getting out there well into his eighties, bad heart and all. (A cardiologist gave him six months to live when he was still in his forties. He got fifty more years on that prognosis - outliving half a dozen doctors who pronounced it.)
The Catskills -- I never even thought about that. I bet that really is beautiful country. Before I actually do my hiking, I have a long, meandering, cross-country road trip planned -- mainly thru the southern states where I grew up, but also will include New England. There was an old move with Liza Minelli ... "The Sterile Cuckoo" --- with lots of beautiful scenery from that part of the country.
That's fantastic about the uncle!
Odd Man Out
10-24-2013, 22:47
I'll probably never thru-hike in this lifetime. I've always had other responsibilities, and never had half a year to spend on what's essentially an extended vacation. But the trails are still there for weekends and short sections, and they keep calling me back.
So I'm totally clueless about what motivates non-hikers suddenly to thru-hike, as I am about most things of thru-hiker culture. That's a part of the 'clueless weekender' label that I assign to myself. (Another part is that I sound as if I know much more than I do. I'm basically a blowhard. Those looking for sound advice do best to ignore me.)
AK and I are on the same page today! Another +1 from OMO.
Maybe we chould add "It sounded like a good idea at the time" to the Saying and Aphorism Heard on the Trail thread.