This is refreshing as many on here want spoon-fed every minute detail...Originally Posted by skinnbones
Lonehiker (MRT '22)
equazcion, you won't know till you get out there and try. To the extent that "success" is as much a mental & emotional challenge as physical, you're no better or worse off than most other wannabe thru-hikers that show up at Springer each year. The vast majority have little or no idea of what lies ahead.
As long as you can keep yourself safe and injury-free, all options are open. Have fun and hike safe.
FWIW at our local high school girls are given a mechanical "baby" to care for and get a taste of the experience of mothering and challenges of it. For a week they have to give it the right kinds of attention (food, diapers, nurturing, etc.) and they must carry it everywhere and respond to its cries.
So the idea of seeing what you are getting yourself into by preparing ahead of time is not unreasonable.
That said. If you love hiking then follow your bliss!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
What are you waiting for.....onward into the fog!!
That's probably the thing to do. I mostly wanted to make sure impending misery isn't all that awaits unfit hikers who try the trail. Now that I know it's done by people like me I think I feel pretty good about it. Thanks!
While hiking and camping isn't exactly rocket science, it is a reasonably strenuous physical activity and there is a modest learning curve. Like any endeavor, the better prepared you are, the better your chances of success.
Starting out out-of-shape and with no experience puts you at a disadvantage right at the start. It doesn't mean you will fail, but it sure does increase the chances that you will. Trail Journals is full of stories of people who hurt themselves shortly after starting, be it by bad or infected blisters, sprained or twisted ankles, blown out knees or even broken bones. One unfortunate woman hurt herself getting out of the top bunk at the hiker hostel before even getting on the trail. Poor gear choices and inexperience using it can lead to frustration and a miserable initial experience. Heading out with an overloaded 50 pound pack in the cold rain and not even knowing how to set up your tent is not a good start.
There are people who do start out-of-shape and inexperienced and manage to muddle through it, but they are the exception. If your serious enough to put your life on hold and pack it up for 5 or 6 months to do a thru hike and live in the woods, shouldn't you do everything you can to make it a success before you start? And that means getting in shape and using all that fancy, expensive gear on at least a few 3 to 7 day trips first.
Follow slogoen on Instagram.
There will be some misery most likely. Par for the course. It would be cool if you reported back, one way or another.
Sure, logically I should prepare, thereby increasing my chances of success. The math does favor that approach. But as Spock was once told, "Who ever said the human race was logical?" (are people who recite Star Trek lines even permitted to hike by law?)
You're right of course. But as I alluded to in my original post, it's just not my way. Long-term methodical preparation lets all the air out of things for me. If it's not just a little crazy, it's not that exciting. To me. I might have issues.
I'm not sure where the assumption came from that I'll overload my pack and head out without knowing how to set up my tent. What I said was that I'm out of shape -- not that I'm an idiot. Although it could be both really. Put it this way, I'm not enough of an idiot to make those particular mistakes.
Here Here!(I'm seriously looking forward to the fog, I love that)
Not expecting misery-free, just making sure it's not all misery. Everything that's good hurts a little. Should I end up going through with this I do indeed plan to report back.
Alright, I have to ask the same question Another Kevin asked. Why the heck would you want to up-end your life for 5-7 months to do something that is mentally challenging, physically miserable, and possible the hardest thing that you will ever do without first figuring out if you actually like it?Hi, I'm new here. I was hoping for a bit of advice.
I've day-hiked on many easy/moderate trails, and gone tent camping often (only at campsites with facilities). I've never gone "primitive" camping or backpacking before. I'm also out-of-shape (not obese, just weak right now from sedentary living). Strenuous uphill hikes make me winded easily.
I don't want to work out beforehand. I'm kind of an all-or-nothing spontaneous sort of fellow
Some literature warns people like me from trying a thru-hike. My view is that if I take it slow and take longer than usual breaks, I'll adjust along the way, even if I have to rest off some charlie horse for days at a time in the beginning.
Am I nuts to think this is doable? Will I just injure myself, or be completely miserable, and should not even try this?
Thanks for any advice -- especially from out-of-shape people who've tried this before, if there are any; it would be cool to hear those stories. PS. If this post violated some etiquette or is in the wrong section I apologize, it's my first one here.
You don't have to answer this question in writing, you don't owe me or anyone else on this site a justification, but you'd damn well better be able to ask yourself that question and have an answer that is acceptable to you.
I'd seriously suggest that you take Kevin's advise and go hit Harriman for three to four days. If you don't own gear yet, I know that the flagship REI in manhattan rents gear, I think the East Mountain Sports location does the same. Go hit the trail for a few days, preferably when the forecast calls for rain for a least part of it. Then imagine doing that for six months straight. If you do that and come off of that hike wishing for more, then go for it if it's what you want. But for your own sake don't wait until you've sold all your worldly possessions (so to speak) and flown to Georgia just to see if you actually enjoy backpacking.
Understand this isn't meant to be discouraging, if you do end up in Georgia I'll wish you the best either way.
Last edited by Sarcasm the elf; 04-03-2016 at 01:02.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
Yes. That is the comparison I was making.
equazcion -- I imagine everyone here would like to see you succeed and complete an AT thru-hike. It's a wonderful, fantastic experience. Each person here offering advice does so from their unique viewpoint as they see the world individually. Not everyone sees the world the same way and that is a great benefit to you because you get to hear multiple viewpoints and then sort out what works for you and you'll employ, what parts you'll keep in the back of your mind and what parts you'll discard.
Before my AT thru-hike I received loads of information -- most of it interesting, much of it contrary, some so ethereal I didn't understand. After completing my AT thru-hike I found the advice I had received from past thru-hikers (thanks to all of you who are here on Whiteblaze) was the best and truest. That advice wasn't necessarily the most intuitive or easily understood pre-hike (the past thru-hikers were trying to keep the facets of an AT thru-hike a surprise for me and I am glad they did that).
Datto
When it's not always raining there'll be days like this
When there's no one complaining there'll be days like this
When everything falls into place like the flick of a switch
Well my mama told me there'll be days like this
When no one steps on my dreams there'll be days like this
When people understand what I mean there'll be days like this
When you ring out the changes of how everything is
Well my mama told me there'll be days like this
-Van Morrison
-Days Like This
Good luck to you. If you do start as slow as you should you might well be more comfortable knowing there's nothing wrong with hiking an alternative thru hike... I suggest you consider starting in Georgia as soon as you can, and that you walk home to New York for a well deserved couple of days off, then head to katahdin for a walk south back to home. You might even plan to make the switch point the bear mountain bridge. There is something appealingly ironic about finishing the trail at its lowest elevation point - twice!
Lazarus
Go for it. No doubt you will fall in with other slo-goers moving from shelter to shelter, from time to time. Moving slow and rest stops give you the chance to look behind you and see all the views.
Its the journey not the destination. So enjoy.
Some folks buy lottery tickets and expect they will win. They are going to ignore common sense and some might win, many wont.
You can substitute money for experience to a limited extent. I would suggest not buying a lot of specialized gear and stop by Mt Rogers Outfitters in Damascus on your way down to pick up the latest gear. If you dont, I expect you will be changing out your gear a few days into the hike at Mountain Crossings which is literally right on the trail. There are plenty of entrepreneurs that will offer to shuttle you around so you can slack pack which will allow you to get in shape. Unfortunately the saying "no rain, no Maine" can not be done away with a credit card, you may go days or weeks where it rains everyday and if you dont find a way to deal with it you may reconsider your plan.
Last year I started the trail 50 pounds overweight and out of shape. Nobody thought I would make it out of Georgia. Prior to that weight gain, I had been a long distance runner most of my life so I did have some muscle memory. I started as a back packing virgin- never had done it before. I was very slow in the beginning (but in my brain I was still that athlete so I was pushing myself) My pack was way too heavy-typical newbie mistake. Anyway, just as I was about to climb up Sassafras in GA, a southbound guy told me this was the first real mountain of the trail. He looked at me and said-"baby steps-rest often". That was the very best advice I got on the trail. I walked all the way to Kadahdin-lost 43 pounds and baby stepped much of the hard parts. I agree with Wolf- just start walking. It isn't really complicated physically. Its hard- you already know that. Your body isn't your enemy though- your brain is. Your brain is going to tell you many tales about why you can't do it as you walk. Take it slow in the beginning and resist the urge to lay down those big miles. Be like Forrest Gump. Rest when you are tired, eat when you are hungry.
I started last year a bit overweight (for me). I didn't end up making it for a few reasons but the first week or so is going to be quite a shock to the system. I've never been long distance hiking before I started either and was "sort-of" in shape with treadmilling it every day for a few weeks prior. You're right though, that few weeks of preparing just seemed to drain my mental thinking so I'm with ya on that one. Take it slow, go with the flow, and listen to your body. You'll do great, so good luck!
- Trail name: Thumper
How many floors are the sky scrapers in NYC? I googled 102 in the Empire state building. Try walking up the stairway to the top, and then down again, every day. When you get to the top, step outside and take in the view of the city, no matter the weather. That will give you an idea of how hard it is. Most days on the AT you will be hiking 3 times that in elevation gain and descent.
Its more fun in the woods.
I'm one of those people that are always advocating exercise. I know a lot of people, including many here see that as a bad thing, i.e. with remarks, such as: “I never exercise for the sake of exercising...”. However, that's a misunderstanding of the importance of exercise. I also never exercise for the sake of exercise; I exercise to maintain quality of life. Hiking on its own is not sufficient to maintain a strong healthy body – no one form of exercise is. But enough on exercise.
On your particular question: Am I nuts to think this is doable? Physically speaking, it's very doable. Since you're not asking anything very specific in physical achievement; you're simply asking if you can walk from Georgia to Maine, starting out very slow and taking it very easy. Many people ask if they can do it in a very short period of time, but since your plan is to take it very slow and slowly build up, than I think you'll find that the body will adapt(under those conditions) very nicely.
However, your mental state is more of an open question and that's where the mental vs physical hardships come into play. And those mental hardships are only made tougher by simple discomforts like basic injuries that are nearly impossible to avoid, things like sore muscles, blisters and general bodily discomfort. Note that these discomforts are normal on the trail and they are not enough to end your hike from a physical standpoint, but they make the mental hardships much tougher, which are tough enough just from the so-called boredom of hiking, i.e. doing the same thing day after day,not to mention all the creature comforts that are taken from you on a hike. Then you got the food you eat, which can be somewhat bland and so many other factors that go into making your life so much more difficult. These are the things that make a thru-hike such a mental challenge.
From a bio-mechanical angle, hiking thru the mountains is very similar to running, much more similar than simple walking on flat ground. Hiking from Georgia to Maine may seem somewhat like a romantic notion to many; however, that romance rubs off very quickly and becomes very monotonous.
It really is not much different than taking up running, except I would say that taking up a serious regimen of regular running for six months would be easier than a thru-hike, at least with running you are home every night with all your creature comforts.
Try and do this and see how long you last; chances are you'll give it up,not because of injury, rather, because of the mental fatigue. The same reason many hikers quite a thru-hike. http://www.nytimes.com/well/guides/how-to-start-running
Recipe for failure. . My question, if you do not like to workout why long distance hiking? . The AT is like working out every day for months. . Injuries are a real possibility. This I will guarantee, you will suffer for weeks.
Posting here is "preparing" for your hike. So just load your pack, try and keep it somewhat light, get some shoes that don't blister on steep grades, and let us know how it goes.
The AT is much easier than many other long trails for logistics. Many trails you simply can't just show up and hike without proper prep, mail drops, etc. But you can try that here... and if get a minor injury, they'll be a herd of people passing you frequently I'm sure!
This argument is had over and over. The reality is that for a long distance hike, what is the difference if you train for a month and do a 5 month hike or if you just hike for 6 months? Just consider your first month on the trail your training period. If you stay on the trail and continue to make forward progress you will be in shape within 3 to 4 weeks...about the time you reach Hot Springs.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote