How hard was it to return to society after a thru-hike?
How hard was it to go back to a job and be surronded by people who may have had no interest for what you did, or an appriciation after a thru hike?
limboprofessional enthusiast:banana
Most folks have no "appreciation" or real interest in your thru-hike....and why should they?
The key is to go back and find work you enjoy, and to spend time with people you like.
Don't be surprised if you discover you have little in common with many of your old friends and acquaintances.....and most of your new ones will be hikers or other outdoorspeople, and this isn't necessarily a bad thing.
on going back...
For me it was really a combination of "i wish the world were more simple and primitive" and "it took months..." I've been back in 'society' for almost 4 and a half months now, and i'm not comfortable with it. But I knew that I was uncomfortable with the world before I got on the trail. I had a feeling already that the way we organize society isn't exactly the one that produces the most human happiness. And I kind of knew that there were lots and lots of people in the world who spent their life in the rat race, doing meaningless work, and barely getting by and not being satisfied.
I was fortunate to have a group of friends who DO understand the AT and the mentality that one has when on the trail. And who have dedicated their lives to making the world a better place - more simple and happy. So I returned knowing that it was my job to try and make the world more like the trail - hard work that's fullfilling. There are, of course, a LOT more thoughs here... but I don't want to waste too much of your time.
Go hike the trial. Don't listen to people who try and tell you what to do, or how to behave. Also don't fall into friendships or relations that you maintain the whole time on the trail because it's comforting - break out. Be yourself. Be at peace with yourself and the world around you.
-Jay
Not hard at all.
There is a time to be 'on-trail' and be alive and a time to be 'off-trail' and be alive. Both worlds can flow beautifully together like when my wife and I waltz. I celebrate being able to experience both worlds.
i hate society,i would spend my whole life in the woods if i couldneo
I resemble that remark!Originally Posted by neo
i hate society,i would spend my whole life in the woods if i could
"We wanderers, ever seeking the lonelier way, begin no day where we have ended another day; and no sunrise finds us where sunset left us."
Kahlil Gibran
how hard was it to return to society after a thru-hike?
well I usually only go out for 3to 4 months and end up anywhereI just like traveling but like to come back to society and its rewards like good fashion cooking,nice showers blaugh blaugh blaugh,but my need for the mts is like drugs
just need them.ky
how hard wuz it???
LimboHiker:
Limbo LOWER now....hehehehehehe...
i'm just a LOWLY SECTION-HIKER...but after my 3 weeks & 3 days of hiking this past Spring (April-May 2005) it was good to be back home....but had some adjustments to make!
i really enjoy the peace & Serenity of Nature.
It is not something peculiar to long-distance hiking. This summer I joined the volunteer crew of a square-rigged tall ship and found it was SO like the trail community. Again, a sort of family detached from the outside world but with ships instead of trails, and no one on the outside really comprehends the experience; going aloft to furl sail or standing watch on a spray-lashed deck in heavy seas is something hard to really capture without being there. I bet after a round the world voyage reentry would be just as odd as after the AT.
The funny part is our crew had FOUR thruhikers!
Ever since I first experienced the Trail I was HOOKED! When I'm not hiking I'm making AT Hiker stuff. SO ...I guess (FOR ME) the Trail has become a HUGE part of my life! The experiences of the last 3 yrs have changed my life so much! There's Magic in those Mts. and it will find ANYONE who seeks it!
Its funny how a trek in the woods can open your eyes to a simpler ,less stressful kind of life and whats really cool is nobody gets it until they've tried it themselves! I look around at others (non hikers) and think to myself how lucky I am to have been touched by the Magic of the MT.s. I think I'd rather be poor and homeless than to get caught up in the ole RatRace again! Looking forward to spring and a new adventure !
What Bugged me most after getting home was "Friends and family" who couldnt even take the time to sit and see some of the cool photos that I took along the way....but thats ok ...They Have'nt a Clue!!
Happy Trails ALL and may the Magic of those Mt.s find you along your way!
FF
http://Fishinfreds.com
I, for one, adjust to change slowly. When I move or start a new job it always seems foreign at first and home much later. I would imagine leaving the trail after a long hike would be no different. After my annual section hike, I do feel a little depressed, but quickly rebound when I begin planning for the next section and start hanging here on WB.
Amen to eveyone's response, Jack can probebly relate to mine,after so much time out there i think there are things that almost make you an alien here.
Just about everything on this side that bothers me begins with Dis- Distraction, disorder,disrespect,ect.
When i hike out west i feel like i'm going out on my lover.At least 30 or 40 percent of my thoughts are about trail memories,places,people,future hiking the AT, doing more for the trail community, dreaming of a hostle i'm believing for some day. Reading AT books, watching trail videos, and i have the good fortune to have many section hiker and thru hiker friends. This forum is a life savor too thanks to the people who facilitate it and those who participate.
I do feel this is a subject that is of interest to future long distance hikers. The more we demystify it the less likely will be a wooooo Albert Mt. Scarey time for newbies. I know on my 1st thru hike i started worrying about it in Georgia. I felt so blessed to be where i felt i belonged i couldn't imagine not being there.
Never did return to society. I live in a house in the woods and sometimes go to town. The violence/money world holds no interest for me.
yeah baby....
"I'd rather kill a man than a snake. Not because I love snakes or hate men. It is a question, rather, of proportion." Edward Abbey
right on man. haven't been to town in a couple of weeks myself.
driving is somewhat of a challenge after only walkin' or ridin' for months.
that same sickness goes the opposite way as well. i can remember walking across the road in Franklin NC and forgetting to look for traffic after hiking for only a few weeks.
there is no turning back. I felt pretty lost coming home in 2003 after getting so close and bailing out. a lot of personal energy and resources to get so far and to have to quit. and yet this year after a restart and a good finish I'm not so sure where home is any more. coming back to south florida and having to deal with all these folk unprepared for no power, water, gasoline, or food after wilma was anti-climatic...distressing...comical. the hikes have made big changes to my value system. I think they are permanent changes.
It wasn't hard for me either. The trail is just a step in the grand walk of life.
After the PCT, I had a hard time sleeping indoors at first. That was about it as far as difficulties go. Reentry was more about rediscovering all the little things I forgot to appreciate on a daily basis.
I had no problem coming back to live in a world of running toilets and such. Now tho, I live full time in a motorhome so the trail life is not much different from it. I do miss hiking miles everyday tho....PCT in 07 here I come!
Jojo Smiley :)
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