Biggest Fear On The Trail

[Grandscale]

What's your biggest fear on the trail? Twisting an ankle, bears, snakes, ticks, hypothermia, etc...

Mine are spraining an ankle (especially living and hiking in PA), and tick born illnesses (especially living and hiking in PA).

[Ktaadn]

Blisters. I have had a handful of hikes ruined by them. If I had been chased by a bear or bitten by a snake, those fears might be more real for me, but they just aren't right now. I'm more concerned about mentally ill humans than any of the natural threats. Again though, blisters are the bigger fear for me.

[RangerZ]

The possibility of stepping in a rocky hole and breaking a leg/wrenching a knee really started to bother me in my section hike on the Tuscarora Trail this year.

[Elder]

Blisters. I have had a handful of hikes ruined by them. If I had been chased by a bear or bitten by a snake, those fears might be more real for me, but they just aren't right now. I'm more concerned about mentally ill humans than any of the natural threats. Again though, blisters are the bigger fear for me.

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[johnnybgood]

Falling is my fear because I often hike alone .

Becoming incapacitated due to injury or illness (which has happened ), ie. kidney stone episode is number one.

Dehydration -- loss of electrolytes during hot days causing confusion , dizziness, and general lethargy is a close #2
Also has occurred once me .

[Traillium]

I don't know what it's like to be alone with myself for a long time. I'm invigorated by the thought, but I wonder …
I'm thruhiking the Bruce Trail here in Ontario, inviting friends to join me for day(s), and flopping with friends and family various times along the way. I'll be taking about five days doing a semi-circle around home mid-hike and will be slack-packing that part thanks to my wonderful supportive wife of 43 years, so that will blunt my fear.
I'm thinking / hoping that the other gains from this bucket-list venture will temper my trepidation of relative solitude.


Bruce Traillium

[4eyedbuzzard]

Hands down, ticks and Lyme disease. Even given being able to mitigate the risk somewhat using permethrin treated clothing and DEET, contracting a disease that often lasts for years and can be very debilitating freaks me out a bit. I figure that if I fall or get ill, and unless I die from it, I will be found and recover pretty much fully. Same goes for most common ailments like Giardia and Noro, etc. - I'll live to hike again. Bears, moose, hypothermia I have much more control over. I've heard horror stories regarding Lyme. Some 50% of people who get it don't even recall getting bit by a tick. And some don't respond to the antibiotic treatments. I HATE TICKS!

[Jake2c]

Hands down, ticks and Lyme disease. Even given being able to mitigate the risk somewhat using permethrin treated clothing and DEET, contracting a disease that often lasts for years and can be very debilitating freaks me out a bit. I figure that if I fall or get ill, and unless I die from it, I will be found and recover pretty much fully. Same goes for most common ailments like Giardia and Noro, etc. - I'll live to hike again. Bears, moose, hypothermia I have much more control over. I've heard horror stories regarding Lyme. Some 50% of people who get it don't even recall getting bit by a tick. And some don't respond to the antibiotic treatments. I HATE TICKS!

X2 on this. By far my biggest concern.

[Goatgas]

Hands down, ticks and Lyme disease. Even given being able to mitigate the risk somewhat using permethrin treated clothing and DEET, contracting a disease that often lasts for years and can be very debilitating freaks me out a bit. I figure that if I fall or get ill, and unless I die from it, I will be found and recover pretty much fully. Same goes for most common ailments like Giardia and Noro, etc. - I'll live to hike again. Bears, moose, hypothermia I have much more control over. I've heard horror stories regarding Lyme. Some 50% of people who get it don't even recall getting bit by a tick. And some don't respond to the antibiotic treatments. I HATE TICKS!

Agree. Its almost a toss of the dice when it comes to ticks, everything else there is some sort of control

[jdavis7590]

Scooting along with my earbuds in a stepping on a rattler.

[capehiker]

Ticks. Period.

[damskipi]

Cold and ticks. I know cold is easily mitigated but I'm cold sitting in a warm dry house with the thermostat set to 75, so carrying enough clothing to keep me warm gets heavy. Ticks for all the reasons described above.

[1234]

No sleep, I just do not sleep for days, then I wipe out. Long nights of not sleeping are my biggest fear. I also agree with the ticks fear, my close 2nd

[Tipi Walter]

Scooting along with my earbuds in a stepping on a rattler.

Rattlesnakes always sober me up fast. I get out of my usual hiking hippie bubble and exhibit a sort of Dick Cheney frown---not good and not fun. This friend above caught me coming down the Big Fat Gap trail in a terrible heatwave on a backpacking trip and I stopped to clip a briar out of my face with my pruners and heard a cicada-like buzz.

"Hmm . . . ." I said and wondered about the buzz. Looked down at my feet on the trail and ZAPPO! There he is. I saw two on the same day.

[jimmyjam]

In order: yellow jackets, ticks, running out of toilet paper.

[GoldenBear]

A leg injury that would take so long to heal that I, presently at age 61, would not be able to finish The Trail. I've already had one torn MCL that cost me half a year in hiking, and I know there are even worse injuries that could take me off back-packing for a longer time. I'm thus SUPER sensitive to knee & joint pains, and never take risks that might result in a long-term damage.

[JumpMaster Blaster]

A leg injury that would take so long to heal that I, presently at age 61, would not be able to finish The Trail. I've already had one torn MCL that cost me half a year in hiking, and I know there are even worse injuries that could take me off back-packing for a longer time. I'm thus SUPER sensitive to knee & joint pains, and never take risks that might result in a long-term damage.

Me too. I'm currently rehabilitating a chronic hamstring condition that's been getting worse the last year. I used to be able to knock out 12-15 mile days. Right now I can't do more than 4-5 without being in excruciating pain the next day. Doc says I need 2 more series of injections before I can really go back out.

So for me:
1- chronic injury that'll keep me from hiking like I used to
2- getting hurt (twisting an ankle/knee, or bashing my head open on a rock- I hike solo)
3- ticks. Ticks. TICKS. I'm dark-skinned, so I'd have a harder time noticing one on me. *shudder*
4- non-hikers who wish to cause trouble/harm others

[Tipi Walter]

Me too. I'm currently rehabilitating a chronic hamstring condition that's been getting worse the last year. I used to be able to knock out 12-15 mile days. Right now I can't do more than 4-5 without being in excruciating pain the next day. Doc says I need 2 more series of injections before I can really go back out.

So for me:
1- chronic injury that'll keep me from hiking like I used to
2- getting hurt (twisting an ankle/knee, or bashing my head open on a rock- I hike solo)
3- ticks. Ticks. TICKS. I'm dark-skinned, so I'd have a harder time noticing one on me. *shudder*
4- non-hikers who wish to cause trouble/harm others

So do a 20 day trip at 4 miles a day and punch out 80 good miles and with some fantastic loops.

[JumpMaster Blaster]

So do a 20 day trip at 4 miles a day and punch out 80 good miles and with some fantastic loops.

I'm saving my vacation time for the next 4 months until I punch out of the Army and retire.

After 4 April 2016 (when I take all my extra vacation)? Game on.

[Dogwood]

GOD...always, everywhere.