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Thread: Any regrets?

  1. #1

    Default Any regrets?

    What is one thing you wish you had known or done differently on your thru-hike? Any regrets? Not taking enough pictures, writing memories, etc?
    Great blog site for new and/or female hikers! www.appalachiantrailclarity.com

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by twistwrist View Post
    What is one thing you wish you had known or done differently on your thru-hike? Any regrets? Not taking enough pictures, writing memories, etc?
    I had none, other than stepping foot on the AT and then refusing to step off it until many months later. Common answers from a previous similar thread revealed...

    Writing/recording more about the journey.
    Taking more pictures.
    Taking more zero days (in the woods, as well as in towns).
    Swimming more often.

    And so forth.

    To these I say: the trail always awaits, as do many others.

  3. #3
    Registered User Christoph's Avatar
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    Long story, I'm in a talkative mood haha...
    Probably not slowing down a little bit. I started on April 19th and made it just past Daleville/Troutville area in 43 days (right around 750 miles). I was trying to finish the whole thing by Aug 19th and last year was our 20th wedding anniversary. I figured if I didn't make it home by our anniversary, I probably wouldn't live to see a 21st (whether I finished the trail or not). But, next attempt I'll slow down a bit though and use what I learned from the 1st try. Ultimate reasons I pulled off trail was I lost 46 pounds in 43 days and that scared me a little, my hiking partner (who I met on the trail and am still in touch with) called it quits for that same reason, uncle passed, and you know how everything seems to break when you leave home and wife is stuck fixing everything. So I'm going to try again and hopefully I'll make it. Honestly, I think that was really my only "regret" I had, if you call it that. I really had a great time and met a lot of fun people though and still have that insane drive to get back out there and do it again, hopefully seeing all of the blazes this time.
    - Trail name: Thumper

  4. #4
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    I would have started blue blazing earlier. I never really identified as a "purist" but basically figured i was gonna hike the white blazes minus retracing my steps from the privy etc. When I hit Gulf Hagas it sounded too good to pass up and sure enough it was great. Now I did almost all the out and back blue blazes along the way and had some great times on those, but skipped all the actual detours like Mau-Har in VA which I heard great things about later in the hike.

    I would have started cowboy camping earlier. Took me till southern ME to finally relax about having something over my head on a night with a crystal clear forecast.

  5. #5

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    1) I wish I had taken notes in my guidebook like my partner did, because as much as I want to be able to keep a journal, I didn't keep up with a journal, but my partner wrote down the date he stayed at each shelter, next to the shelter name in the guidebook, and the names of the hikers who were there with him. I think that is a quick simple documentation you can look back on and remember what was happening.

    2) I knew how to hang a bear bag before my hike, and had done so many times on many other trips, but I was one of those people who ties their line to a rock to throw it over a branch. And my line got irreversibly wrapped around a branch, never to be used again, and this lead to a very unfortunate series of events that ended with a bear stealing all my, and my hiking partners food, and all our gear that was near our food that was not hung because of said rock throwing incident. But the very very very simple solution is to WRAP your line around a rock many times, then throw it, the rock will always be released and never tangle your line around a branch the way mine was. I hope someone out there learns from my mistake!
    Long distance hiking made simple at https://www.youradventurecoach.com

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by MalloryMalarkey View Post
    1) I wish I had taken notes in my guidebook like my partner did, because as much as I want to be able to keep a journal, I didn't keep up with a journal, but my partner wrote down the date he stayed at each shelter, next to the shelter name in the guidebook, and the names of the hikers who were there with him. I think that is a quick simple documentation you can look back on and remember what was happening.

    2) I knew how to hang a bear bag before my hike, and had done so many times on many other trips, but I was one of those people who ties their line to a rock to throw it over a branch. And my line got irreversibly wrapped around a branch, never to be used again, and this lead to a very unfortunate series of events that ended with a bear stealing all my, and my hiking partners food, and all our gear that was near our food that was not hung because of said rock throwing incident. But the very very very simple solution is to WRAP your line around a rock many times, then throw it, the rock will always be released and never tangle your line around a branch the way mine was. I hope someone out there learns from my mistake!
    Just put the rock in a sack. Why bother tying rope around a rock?

  7. #7
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    I won't call it a regret, but I learned from it. Carrying too much weight. Next hike I will make the investment in lighter stuff. Something I did that I am so happy about- I journaled everyday. Journaling is not something that is in my wheelhouse and it was almost as big an effort as the hike itself. But I am just now reading that journal and I am so grateful that i wrote it. My thru hike was my first backpacking experience so obviously I had a lot to learn. I like that I still feel very much like I have a lot to learn, even though I completed the hike. Learning the hard way, in my opinion, is good stuff.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by GreenBlaze View Post
    Just put the rock in a sack. Why bother tying rope around a rock?
    I gather that it hit the branch like a batarang tied to a batrope and quickly wrapped itself around the branch multiple times resulting in a kite eating tree situation. I expect the lesson learned should have been about having appropriate slack in the line as the rock/sack/thrown object reaches the branch.





    That's right, I'm mixing Batman and Peanuts references.

  9. #9

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    I kept a journal and was very glad I did. Took lots of pictures - again, I'm glad I did. I carried too much weight and a lot of the wrong gear, but that didn't really matter. I was a bit more uncomfortable, but not enough to go home.

    Only regret was that I didn't camp out more. I stuck to the shelters most of the time. When I started camping more (on my second thru) I felt much more a a part of nature instead of apart from nature. Camping gives you a lot more flexibility in mileage. If the shelters are 6 miles apart, that means either short days or long days. Out west I learned that where I eat dinner doesn't have to be where I sleep. And in fact, walking in the twilight can be one of the best times to hike (as long as you aren't scared of bears.)

  10. #10

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by MalloryMalarkey View Post
    1) I wish I had taken notes in my guidebook like my partner did, because as much as I want to be able to keep a journal, I didn't keep up with a journal, but my partner wrote down the date he stayed at each shelter, next to the shelter name in the guidebook, and the names of the hikers who were there with him. I think that is a quick simple documentation you can look back on and remember what was happening.

    2) I knew how to hang a bear bag before my hike, and had done so many times on many other trips, but I was one of those people who ties their line to a rock to throw it over a branch. And my line got irreversibly wrapped around a branch, never to be used again, and this lead to a very unfortunate series of events that ended with a bear stealing all my, and my hiking partners food, and all our gear that was near our food that was not hung because of said rock throwing incident. But the very very very simple solution is to WRAP your line around a rock many times, then throw it, the rock will always be released and never tangle your line around a branch the way mine was. I hope someone out there learns from my mistake!

    Great tip!
    Great blog site for new and/or female hikers! www.appalachiantrailclarity.com

  11. #11

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    Yes, my regret is that I'm not doing this year the PCT or the CDT

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