anxiousness

[kaemac]

Hey folks
I'm getting ready to start my first thru and am getting extremely nervous/anxious....and it's still about 2months away. I'm excited because it's something new and something I have always wanted to do. I have been working with my dog with his training and it has improved substantially, which is always rewarding. I've just about finished compiling all of my gear, food, and first aid supplies...which is a relief. but now i'm nervous that i don't know what i'm doing, that i'm not ready for this...i'm beginning to doubt myself. i've hiked before ... and camped and backpacked, but nothing ever to this extent. i've never put my life on hold for 6 months. does every newbie thru-hiker go through this? is there a way to put myself at ease? am i nuts to be doing this?

[orangebug]

Nah, this is just an indication of what a loser you really are.

NOT!

You have never gone thru anything quite this momentus. 6 months off. Gear. Transport. Risk of injury. Dog. Weather. Economy.

All that stuff makes maps look pretty lame.

Enjoy the apprehension and anticipation.

[glacier48]

I start hiking in 3 1/2 weeks for a 3 month hike on the AT. I am terrified, excited, you know all those same feelings you have. I am hopefully taking the dog along. There is so much to do and to get ready. The anticipation is killing me. I can't wait to be done work. I am south bound.

Glacier

[Blissful]

Sure it's scary. That's normal. I was very nervous at SPringer, esp. when it looked as if we might have to bail out after one mile up the Approach Trail ( I had knee problems and my son was sick). But you put one foot after the other. Take the trail day by day. Learn as you go. And enjoy this fantastic experience.

[Time To Fly 97]

Once you start you will be thanking yourself every minute for making time in your life for you. You will be one of the oh so very few that get to experience this amazing gift of life. Don't worry about anything...be thankful and get psyched. You will also be joining a family who will welcome you and yeah....laugh with you if you do something silly...but then you'll get a trail name and that's a good thing.

I started with a 55lb pack that didn't arrive on the same airplane I flew down on - 2 errors, one my fault. A lot of the answers you figure out on the Trail, like 55lbs is not optimal lol. That is part of the journey. You won't have all the answers - but you will be hiking for 6 MONTHS!!!!

Happy hiking!

TTF

[Quoddy]

Before each long hike I read and re-read the following. Each hike the feeling becomes a little bit less... but it's still there.

"Always in the big woods when you leave familiar ground and step off alone into a new place there will be along with feelings of curiosity and excitement, a little nagging dread. It is the ancient fear of the unknown and it is your first bond with the wilderness you are going into. What you are doing is exploring. You are undertaking the first experience, not of the place, but of yourself in that place. It is an experience of essential aloneness; for nobody can discover the world for anyone else. It is only after we have discovered it for ourselves that it becomes a common ground and bond, and we cease to be alone.” -Wendell Berry-

[Captain]

excellent excerpt quoddy , i know im preparing for my first thru in july but one thing that majorly helped me deal is " day hikers hike for the destination" "thru hikers hike for the journey" not putting down day hikers but theres more of an adventure to be had and i for one want that adventure for myself. meet some new friends , make some stupid mistakes you will laugh about later, while your at it , catch up with me i have a friend in DC and she said she will make sure i always have plenty o banana bread and udf french roast to share,even if she has to enlist her boyfriend to help :-P all that said , there is not one magic switch to help you feel better, after all its the mindset not the body that ges you to the end alot of people just run out of will power just have to stay positive in the rain the muck and the sweat ( yes there will be lots) cuase if your mind taps out , your body will too, and hard not an expert ive just done alot of reading past two years in prep :-P good luck see you out there

[PJ 2005]

If it makes you feel any better, I cried like a baby the night before I started. Get the first few days under your belt and you'll be surprised how the anxiety falls away.

[Appalachian Tater]

Post your gear list, let people pick it apart, then you can get busy getting ready again!

[bloodmountainman]

There are alot of us here in cyberspace who would like to be in your shoes. Feel better?
If it don't have an element of risk, it ain't an adventure!

[elray]

This quote is used often on this site and I never tire of it.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain.

[Time To Fly 97]

One of my favorites is: Ships in harbor are safe...but that's not what ships were made for.

Happy hiking!

TTF

[Red Hat]

I was extremely anxious the first time I hiked on the AT. Even though I have nearly 1000 miles in, and I know what to expect, I still get anxious before a hike. The difference is that I do know what to expect. Some folks say that a bad day on the trail is better than a good day off the trail, but they are wrong! A good day on the trail is better than a good day anywhere else, but a bad day on the trail can feel worse than a bad day anywhere else! You have nothing to do but walk and think. And sometimes we over-think our problems. But every day is worth it, so I know to keep on keeping on.