Characteristics of successful thru hikers

[prain4u]

What are some of the characteristics, habits, traits (etc.) of those who successfully complete a thru hike?

This question is inspired by Dogwood who posted the following response on another thread. (I will highlight certain parts):

"So far you have received five pages of answers given the question, "why people quit?" While these answers can provide insight, I believe a MUCH MORE EMPOWERING question would be, "what characterizes those who DO NOT quit?" Personally, making that MY PRIMARY FOCUS is MUCH MORE helpful in acheiving my goals, which in this context is completing my thru-hikes. There will always be an infinite amount of reasons why folks quit. However, there are also reasons why folks DO NOT quit. Either way, realize patterns of behavior(habits) are being created and strengthened."

[DeerPath]

What are some of the characteristics, habits, traits (etc.) of those who successfully complete a thru hike?

This question is inspired by Dogwood who posted the following response on another thread. (I will highlight certain parts):

"So far you have received five pages of answers given the question, "why people quit?" While these answers can provide insight, I believe a MUCH MORE EMPOWERING question would be, "what characterizes those who DO NOT quit?" Personally, making that MY PRIMARY FOCUS is MUCH MORE helpful in acheiving my goals, which in this context is completing my thru-hikes. There will always be an infinite amount of reasons why folks quit. However, there are also reasons why folks DO NOT quit. Either way, realize patterns of behavior(habits) are being created and strengthened."

Determination, physically fit, and financially able.

[Spirit Walker]

Determination is the prime thing, that can get you through a lot of hard days. You have to really want to be out there, either because you love the lifestyle or you want to meet the challenge, to put up with the rain and the pain.

When we were on the CDT in 1999, we started the trail with a friend who was much younger and more fit than we. One day he said, "You have the fire in the belly. I don't. You will probably finish, but I doubt that I will." He was right.

It also helps to really enjoy hiking. It's not a requirement, but since you will spend all day, every day, hiking - it is a lot more fun if it's something you enjoy doing. A friend's wife started the trail with him. She got off after 300 miles because she never did learn to enjoy the hiking. She liked the lifestyle and the people, but getting up every morning and starting another day of trudging up and down mountains just got to her. I have been a weekly hiker for 28 years. I love being outdoors and spending weeks or months totally immersed in nature. I love the feeling of hiking in the woods and up and down mountains. So, long hikes are a joy for me. OTOH, I've had friends whose only hikes were their long hikes, because they didn't really enjoy the walking, they just like the lifestyle and the challenge of completing a thruhike. YMMV

[wcgornto]

I see many people declare that this is the year of their thru hike attempt. I believe that word "attempt" plays a role in some percentage of the non-finishers. I believe if more people set out to thru hike the AT rather than setting out to attempt to thru hike the AT, the completion percentages would be higher. I believe that word "attempt" has a greater psychological impact than many realize.

[MuddyWaters]

I dont think a significant portion, or possibly the majority even, of people "attempting" really want to thru hike the trail.
They just want to go do something exciting for a change.

They are too poorly prepared, and give up too easily and quickly for there to be any other answer.

[prain4u]

A think another characteristic of successful thru hikers is "A LACK OF ENTANGLEMENTS". Allow me to expand upon that......

There are financial entanglements: A desire (or need) to hold onto a certain job. Large bills that must be paid. A need to keep health insurance in place. Alimony or child support payments. A mortgage.

There are relationship entanglements: A dependent child, a significant other that you want to be near (or who does not want you to be gone), parents who are ill or aged, parents who do not want you to hike (and you don't have the courage to make mommy or daddy angry).

There are cultural and lifestyle entanglements: A desire to sleep in a comfy bed, to shower daily, have frequent access to a TV or a computer, go to certain sporting events or activities, "I really don't want to miss attending (fill in the blank) while I am gone hiking". You feel committed to living a certain kind of lifestyle (and hiking is not part of that persona). You are overly concerned with what your peers, friends, co-workers or the neighbors think about you "abandoning" everything and going hiking for six months (you wish to stay in the good graces of these people and you don't want to be pushed out of the group).

Educational Entanglements: "I cannot start my hike until after graduation on May 22nd." or "I need to be back to college by August 16th".

Legal Entanglements or legal issues: They are on parole/probation. They are in the midst of a divorce or in the middle of a will/probate case. They have a visa which will expire soon (or they other immigration or border issues). They can't afford to pay for a thru hike until a financial settlement is reached (after a car accident, injury at work etc).

Medical entanglements: Recovering from a surgery or injury. They have a need for certain medications or medical treatments that they cannot access on the trail. They are not healthy enough for a thru hike right now.


A successful thru hiker has to pretty much be FREE FROM ENTANGLEMENTS or have a solid plan in place regarding how they will address such entanglements while on the trail.

[Monkeywrench]

You need a certain amount of stubbornness: I started this thing, so now I'm going to finish it.

No matter how much you love hiking, there are likely to be times when you are just fed up with it. Examples from my own thru-hike:

- As I got closer and closer to Harpers Ferry y excitement built as I approached the "spiritual half-way point." I was almost giddy on the beautiful morning I walked into Harpers Ferry. Then I left there and took a few days to reach the actual half-way point up in Pennsylvania, it rained a bunch, and I started to realize that I was only half way and had to do all this walking all over again. How depressing.

- As I got into New England I started to have problems with my knees. The hiking got harder and harder for me. I went through the Presidentials in New Hampshire in glorious weather -- the day I summited Washington it was in the 70's, sunny, with a light breeze. I hated every second of it. My body just hurt too much.

- I went home for 5 days, got back on the trail, and my knees just hurt too much to continue. I went back home dejected, having decided my hike was over. After another week or 10 days at home I decided I had to give it one more try. I got back on the trail and made my way slowly northward. I modified my hike and slack-packed as much of southern Maine as I could. It was a compromise, but I finished my thru-hike.

There are those that say when it stops being fun you should go home. Maybe they're right. But for me, if I hadn't finished it would have spoiled all the good memories I have from my hike. Sure I wish the end of my hike hadn't been so difficult, but I did finish and I feel a strong sense of accomplishment from that. I feel like I earned all the wonderful memories I have. Now I dream of the PCT in 2019...

[Monkeywrench]

You need a certain amount of stubbornness: I started this thing, so now I'm going to finish it.

No matter how much you love hiking, there are likely to be times when you are just fed up with it. Examples from my own thru-hike:

- As I got closer and closer to Harpers Ferry y excitement built as I approached the "spiritual half-way point." I was almost giddy on the beautiful morning I walked into Harpers Ferry. Then I left there and took a few days to reach the actual half-way point up in Pennsylvania, it rained a bunch, and I started to realize that I was only half way and had to do all this walking all over again. How depressing.

- As I got into New England I started to have problems with my knees. The hiking got harder and harder for me. I went through the Presidentials in New Hampshire in glorious weather -- the day I summited Washington it was in the 70's, sunny, with a light breeze. I hated every second of it. My body just hurt too much.

- I went home for 5 days, got back on the trail, and my knees just hurt too much to continue. I went back home dejected, having decided my hike was over. After another week or 10 days at home I decided I had to give it one more try. I got back on the trail and made my way slowly northward. I modified my hike and slack-packed as much of southern Maine as I could. It was a compromise, but I finished my thru-hike.

There are those that say when it stops being fun you should go home. Maybe they're right. But for me, if I hadn't finished it would have spoiled all the good memories I have from my hike. Sure I wish the end of my hike hadn't been so difficult, but I did finish and I feel a strong sense of accomplishment from that. I feel like I earned all the wonderful memories I have. Now I dream of the PCT in 2019...

There was also the day in Pennsylvania when I was so fed up with all the damned rocks that I was ready to chuck my pack off a ledge and go home. I sat down and figured out how long it would take me to get out of Pennsylvania, and that became my goal.

Never quit on a bad day!

[Papa D]

Here is my top 5 list:

Time (time in one's life to make it fit in - usually between school (high school and college or college and grad school or college and job or after retirement)
Money (the budget isn't so expensive - where else can you live for 5 months on about $4000 - in this country? but you have to have that put away in advance - plus your front-country life "managed")
Support (support of your family and friends is best - - people "running away" from family and friends often get lonely and return when the going gets tough)
Physical Fitness (hiking the AT is much more of a physical endeavor than people think - those in good shape have a much easier time of it)
Mental Fitness (this includes backcountry know-how but also characteristics such as perseverance and general ingenuity and knowing how to manage problems that arise)

[brian039]

I knew people who hated virtually every minute of it and still made it. There are all different types who make it, I see myself as a goal-oriented person. For me, the mistake would have been looking at Maine as the goal so I made all of my goals short-term. I only thought about making it to Neel Gap, and from there the next goal was Dick's Creek Gap and so on. You just have to find something that works for you and you'll have bad days but it always works out if you let it.

[SawnieRobertson]

To use the word "attempt" does not at all mean that one has less resolve. It is to admit that there is a possibility that the odds will somehow get you. It is an admission that though strong and determined, one will have battles within occationally along the trail. To say that one will do a "thru" rather than a "thru attempt" is just a matter of semantics with a little humility blended in. Yeah, with God's help, I will do a thru this year. And I hope to enjoy it.

[aficion]

Successful thru hikers generally are of the hardheaded sort. It also helps if you habitually eschew obfuscation, work hard, and embrace reality. Many sport a refined sense of humor and a big heart. Most find things to appreciate in every circumstance. Mainly though, they are pig headed.

[Dogwood]

My comments are going to offend some folks. My comments may not be embraced by everyone. If you wish to float through life, be mediocre, sit on the sidelines, not expand the boundaries, or not acheive the supposedly impossible this message is not for you.

I believe there are threads in common among those who acheive, who perservere, who survive, who reach their goals, who complete their missions, and who DO NOT quit! I believe success leaves clues. When we choose to focus on these common threads and incorporate them into our individual lives, when we have decided to allign ourselves with these common threads, whether it be in beliefs, thoughts, words, behavior, or other attributes, we put ourselves in the best possible place to acheive our goals. Be willing to count the costs. Notice what's working, and what is not, to move ourselves closer to who we choose to be. So MANY PEOPLE want things, whether these things be tangible or not, but will not do what it takes to put themselves in the BEST possible place to attain them.

Here's the great news! Even if we've failed miserably repeatedly through our lives up to now, we've developed the habit of being a quitter, and of being our own worst enemy, we can start developing new more empowering ways of believing, thinking, and behaving TODAY, IF we so choose! Emulate success! Study success! Make success, however you define it, your primary focus! Accordingly, successful results will occur. Positive desired outcomes are the result of positive actions! Negative undesired outcomes are the result of poor negative actions! Although it may be stated in different ways, don't be fooled - we reap what we sow!

[SawnieRobertson]

Successful thru hikers generally are of the hardheaded sort. It also helps if you habitually eschew obfuscation, work hard, and embrace reality. Many sport a refined sense of humor and a big heart. Most find things to appreciate in every circumstance. Mainly though, they are pig headed.

Oink! Oink! Wee, wee--all the way home. So much for being "pid hgeaded." Being a Taurus though, that can surely help one plow through a lot of misery (not that there is any of that b'twixt Georgia and Maine

[SawnieRobertson]

Wow! Dogwood. That was good. Please leave such helpful words on our trail journal message boards. Would you mind our copying you into some of the trail registers? Like I said, that was good.

[RodentWhisperer]

I suspect that those who go long distances really like hiking-- that is, they enjoy walking through the wilderness, in and of itself, simply for the sheer thrill of seeing what's out there. On that line of reasoning, Thru-hiking the AT means 6 months of constant entertainment.

[4shot]

Thru-hiking the AT means 6 months of constant entertainment.

this is precisely why people don't finish - they are looking for 5-6 months of 'constant entertainment'.

Here is the Cliff notes version: assuming (a big assumption) one did the proper preparation in regards to finances, relationships, etc., completing the trail comes down to these 2 things:

a) the hiker enjoyed his or her self for the duration and was lucky to avoid a serious injury/illness/or emergency back home.

b) the hiker was unaware of what the had signed up for but persevered out of desire to accomplish a goal and had the same amount of luck as the hiker in scenario a.

everything else is extra verbage.

[HikerMom58]

My comments are going to offend some folks. My comments may not be embraced by everyone. If you wish to float through life, be mediocre, sit on the sidelines, not expand the boundaries, or not acheive the supposedly impossible this message is not for you.

I believe there are threads in common among those who acheive, who perservere, who survive, who reach their goals, who complete their missions, and who DO NOT quit! I believe success leaves clues. When we choose to focus on these common threads and incorporate them into our individual lives, when we have decided to allign ourselves with these common threads, whether it be in beliefs, thoughts, words, behavior, or other attributes, we put ourselves in the best possible place to acheive our goals. Be willing to count the costs. Notice what's working, and what is not, to move ourselves closer to who we choose to be. So MANY PEOPLE want things, whether these things be tangible or not, but will not do what it takes to put themselves in the BEST possible place to attain them.

Here's the great news! Even if we've failed miserably repeatedly through our lives up to now, we've developed the habit of being a quitter, and of being our own worst enemy, we can start developing new more empowering ways of believing, thinking, and behaving TODAY, IF we so choose! Emulate success! Study success! Make success, however you define it, your primary focus! Accordingly, successful results will occur. Positive desired outcomes are the result of positive actions! Negative undesired outcomes are the result of poor negative actions! Although it may be stated in different ways, don't be fooled - we reap what we sow!

I LOVE THIS COMMENT!! Agree with every word of it!

[fiddlehead]

Just like most things in life: You gotta love it.
If not, go something else. Something you really love.

All good things take a lot of determination, work and planning.
"It's more head than heal"

[Papa D]

My comments are going to offend some folks. My comments may not be embraced by everyone. If you wish to float through life, be mediocre, sit on the sidelines, not expand the boundaries, or not acheive the supposedly impossible this message is not for you.

I believe there are threads in common among those who acheive, who perservere, who survive, who reach their goals, who complete their missions, and who DO NOT quit! I believe success leaves clues. When we choose to focus on these common threads and incorporate them into our individual lives, when we have decided to allign ourselves with these common threads, whether it be in beliefs, thoughts, words, behavior, or other attributes, we put ourselves in the best possible place to acheive our goals. Be willing to count the costs. Notice what's working, and what is not, to move ourselves closer to who we choose to be. So MANY PEOPLE want things, whether these things be tangible or not, but will not do what it takes to put themselves in the BEST possible place to attain them.

Here's the great news! Even if we've failed miserably repeatedly through our lives up to now, we've developed the habit of being a quitter, and of being our own worst enemy, we can start developing new more empowering ways of believing, thinking, and behaving TODAY, IF we so choose! Emulate success! Study success! Make success, however you define it, your primary focus! Accordingly, successful results will occur. Positive desired outcomes are the result of positive actions! Negative undesired outcomes are the result of poor negative actions! Although it may be stated in different ways, don't be fooled - we reap what we sow!

Why would this be offensive? It's a little intense maybe but not offensive. Thanks for the post.