Scariest part of hiking the AT

[Cheers]

The few days before leaving were the scariest. I always go all quiet and reflective before heading out for a long hike. Once the feet hit the trail its down to business and i'm back to my old self.

Cheers

[sofaking]

bear mtn. n.y. scared me...5th of july, thousands of people, one pitbull that wanted to see how fast i could run, people trying to ask ME for directions and the darn zoo was already closed when i got there.

[Rain Man]

hiking along with my eyes pealed on the ground out of fear of snakes. an irrational fear, but its my fear. HATE snakes

It's called "ophidiophobia" and is irrational, yes. But I suppose no more irrational than those so afraid of the dark that they have to carry guns, even if they are felons for doing so. Ahhhh, the irrational human mind! THOSE are the weirdos who scare me the most on the AT, those who consider themselves above and thus outside normal, decent, law-abiding society (no matter how they rationalize their superior, above-the-law attitude and illegal behavior).

RainMan

.

[Buster2261]

Almost stepping on a timber rattler after crossing a creek in the Smokies. Fortunately, it was rattling at me, and I saw it and was able to freeze and slowly back away. It was scary, since it was only a foot so away from my leg and coiled up, ready to strike. Taught me to pay better attention, especailly when scrambling up a creek bank after crossing. Also taught me that snakes try their darndest to avoid encounters with those foolish humans.

[fiddlehead]

Finishing.

[Lauriep]

Running out of money and having to choose between begging money from parents and friends or returning to the real world.

[The General]

Going back to the real world at the end.

[Maddog]

im goin' with lightning and lyme disease!

[Maddog]

oh yeah...and blowdowns!

[The General]

Lightning and Blowdowns mmm yep their instant killers, Lime Disease is not much more than an iritation. But Springer Fever is a slow and painful dihabilitating condition for which the only cure is more trail.

Thankfully plenty of cure centres around

[Spokes]

Slipping on wet rocks!

People say it takes 5 million steps to hike the AT but they never tell you how many falls.

[Dogwood]

Scariest part of hiking the AT? - that s easy - Taking the Greyhound from Atlantic City NJ to Atlanta GA!

[weary]

Slipping on wet rocks!

People say it takes 5 million steps to hike the AT but they never tell you how many falls.

I fell just twice on my 2,000 mile walk in 1993. Falls result from going too fast for conditions, either yours or the terrain -- something like most auto accidents. The first time was most embarrassing. I was pretending to be half my age -- or was trying to -- and wasn't looking where I was going. I carried a scar on my forehead for a week. The second time occurred when I bought new boots with slipperier soles than my old ones. I skidded on a wet rock.

Though my sense of balance, never very good, has since deteriorated, I still haven't fallen in years, despite many hours a week on trails in the woods and hills.

Weary

[wudhipy]

I've been wondering what this near anxiety I'm feeling on occasion as the time approaches. This seems to be the scarry part...the trail of life before the access trail.

[Kerosene]

Falls result from going too fast for conditions

They also happen when you're overtired, undernourished, under-hydrated, over-confident and/or inattentive. Carrying a very heavy, poorly balanced pack can contribute also.

Weary is obviously much more in-tune with his body than I am. I probably average a slip/fall every 30 miles or so, with two minor injuries (a small elbow cut and a minor groin pull). Of course, I learned how to fall back in high school playing a soccer goalie!

[Spokes]

....Falls result from going too fast for conditions, either yours or the terrain -- something like most auto accidents. The first time was most embarrassing.
....

They also happen when you're overtired, undernourished, under-hydrated, over-confident and/or inattentive. Carrying a very heavy, poorly balanced pack can contribute also.
....

Yeah but the girls like scars.........

[Tinker]

On my section hikes hitch-hiking has always been the scariest part. Avoiding getting hit, wondering about some of the folks picking me up (of course you're not obligated to get in), but a couple of times I had a bad feeling which was unwarrented - a carload of young kids, for one, the occasional person who's had one too many, and once in a while, a person with ulterior motives. So far, so good, though.
Then there's the DRIVE to and from the trailhead, and crossing major roads.
FACE IT - LIFE is unsafe - it's terminal .

[weary]

They also happen when you're overtired, undernourished, under-hydrated, over-confident and/or inattentive. Carrying a very heavy, poorly balanced pack can contribute also....

Those things are among the "conditions I was thinking about when I said "Falls result from going too fast for conditions," I clarified what I meant, a minute or so after my initial response, when I added," both yours and the terrain."

Weary

[AUhiker90]

Having to get off the trail forsure

[weary]

Yeah but the girls like scars.........

Well, she was not really a girl, just a very delightful woman 20-years younger than me. But she didn't seem particularly impressed by my face-down fall.

We did have a delightfull (platonic) hike together for the next few weeks. She left to go home to the midwest, at Harpers Ferry, a slim legacy from a deceased long time companion having been exhausted.

We had more honest conversations than anyone I've ever talked with, before or since. Such encounters are the real magic of the trail.

Weary