Hiking the AT will change my life by.........

[jbrecon2]

Hey all. I posted a question on here back in August about "How to make the AT a reality", while I was contemplating a thru hike with my brother. It's not exactly new, I spent 5 weeks on the AT in 2005, so I know I like it. Since than, I have decided on thru hiking, and taken steps into making it a reality (many recomended by you). I got rid of my cable, completely changed my spending habits, and developed a pretty good plan to ensure finances while paying off all of my debt before I leave. So thats exciting!!

However, at times I find myself getting really nervous. Now that its getting close and there are solid plans. I'm not exactly sure what the nervousness is. Perhaps the big leap. Leaving my job as an RN at a big hospital in which I am comfortable and have alot of great friends and help change alot of lives. Leaving my girlfriend with plans to marry her while I go off hiking spending my money and not contributing to our future. But mostly the uncertainties that surround it. Where will I go when I am done? I'm not really sure I even want to go back home. This along with a million other "what if's". What if I fracture my leg the day i lose my insurance benefits and have life long debt.....what if what if what if what if. Im not obsessively nervous......I am obsessively excited. However, I am used to having a ton of contingency plans. When I was in the Army, we would have our plans memorized, along with a million back up plans for a million possible "what if's". At the hospital, I already know in advance how I will respond to anything that goes wrong. I assess my patients, and prepare mentally for the biggest risks they face. In the case of hiking the AT......there are alot of "what if's" that are hard to answer. At least hard to answer with any certainty. I keep reminding myself how much this will enrich my life, how for the rest of my life i'll always know that all i need to be happy is a pack on my back and a trail in some woods.

So, sorry for the long post but here is what I was hoping for. Answer this question with your opinions. I think I could some good thoughts along these lines to help dwell on the reasons I wanted to do this in the first place.

Hiking the the AT will change my life by.............

[FritztheCat]

Hiking the AT will change my life by...

- Allowing me to spend more alone time with myself than I have since I was a kid. I'll be able to reflect on the things I have accomplished in my past; enjoy the beauty of nature, the comraderie of other hikers, and the punishment and reward of hiking in the present; and will allow me to plot and plan my future.

- Giving me the confidence to push forward with other plans. I have accomplished quite a lot in my life but this would be more of a personal accomplishment rather than a team thing (even though a thru-hike involves an awful lot of teamwork!).

[BrianLe]

I don't anticipate really significant changes, other than to either confirm or correct the idea that I like this sort of long distance hiking lifestyle. I.e., if I finish reasonably uninjured and still love it, I'll start considering a CDT trip next; if not, maybe I'll back off a bit on backpacking and find something else to love and obsess about.

I think there are some lessor changes that come about from getting used to making do with relatively little. For example, I did a month long trip to China recently and was comfortable doing this with just carry-on baggage, everything in one good sized book bag. Another way of saying this might be that I've become more comfortable living a sort of (well-to-do) hobo lifestyle when that makes sense...

But major revelations about life, the universe and everything --- haven't come across any of those as of yet.

[crl2010]

It will allow me to redifine myself and give me the oppertunity to be in fellowship with the wilderness.

[Pacific Tortuga]

Who really knows ? Get out and find what it will do, for you.
At the very least, you may find things about you, that you never knew.
Likes and dislikes, hard to tell.

[AggieAl]

I would not drop my health insurance. Inquire at work about being able to continue your group coverage. If not, there are several companies that offer short term health insurance at reasonable rates. Just look on the internet. If any questions about the company email me.

[Mags]

I can honestly say that if I had not done the AT in 1998, I would not have the courage, desire or flexibility to move to Colorado one year later.

I moved sight unseen to a new state without knowing anyone. People in my conservative, blue-collar family just don't leave the family fold.

Having done the AT, I wanted to see something different, experience another new facet of life and explore something beyond the confines of my home area.

Since doing the AT, I've learned to backcountry ski and push further into the mountains during winter, explored the canyon country of Utah, hiked two additional multi-state trails, have had the confidence and desire to hike-off trail and have made the outdoors not just a hobby for me but it is large part of how I define myself.

Since doing the AT, I consider one of my closest friends an Israeli, had a Nigerian girlfriend, associate with more people than I can think of who have PhDs in back of their name, now attend more Jewish than Catholic holidays, and most importantly have learned that family is not just biological but also a bond that transcends mere blood relations.

Pretty common type of story for many people. Nothing special.

But for a blue-collar kid from RI, doing the AT opened up my eyes to a much different world. It gave me the desire to see that world.

If I had not done the AT none of the above would happen. My peers would continue to be the people from my background. I'd probably be working at the IT dept at the local hospital where I had been working since I've been 16 (and many of the people I started off with in the hospital kitchen are still there be they nurses, IT staff, HR, administrative staff, etc almost 20 yrs later), probably be 40 lbs heavier and own my own ranch-style home in the 'burbs and taking vacations to work on the house. (As a side note, I still keep in touch and consider two of my closest friends people I worked with at the hospital)

Not a bad life per se, but I think I would know there was something different. Something more. Something I could not quite put my finger on. (And as my Dad and I get closer as the years go on, he confessed he had those thoughts, too, as a younger man.)

So doing the AT did change my life. Those initial steps from Springer led not only north to Katahdin, but to the life I have now.

Will the AT change your life? Maybe. Maybe not.

It did for me though.

And I am thankful for that fact everyday.

[sbhikes]

I came home from my hike and my life was more-or-less waiting for me. I'm in the same house with the same people and all of my messy junk is right where I left it. My same hangouts are down the street, the seasons are the same, the same classes are being offered at the college, the jobs available around here are the same only there are lots less of them. The places where I always hiked before are still there, only more of them are burned to a crisp. All the weight I lost came right back so I'm just as fat as I was before the hike.

In short, barely anything really changed.

But somewhere deep inside there was a shift. I think the easiest way to describe it is that before my boss could threaten to fire me and that would fill me with fear over how would I take care of myself. Now it doesn't scare me. It's hard to describe the sense of peace I feel without fear crunching away in the background of my thoughts. I'm no longer afraid, period.

[RedneckRye]

Just roll with it.

Question:
If you just sit there and think, "What if?.... What if?.....What if?" where do you end up?

Answer:
Sitting there thinking, "What if?" And then eventually your heart stops.

A long hike will open your eyes up to so much of the BS that is piled onto you and around you and so many of the fears that you are concerned with and the worries of the future.

What if you DON'T break your leg and end up having the time of your life?

When you were in the Army, what was your plan if someone at shot you?
After all, you were surrounded by folks with guns, any one of them could have been unstable and opened up on you and the rest of your platoon as you stood there in line.

When you drove away from your house today, what was your plan if someone went thru an intersection right as you did and smacked head on into you?

Go out and hike, have fun, maybe when you get back you will realize that your fears were way overblown and you may end up fearless.

And what Mags said. He is the smartest guy here.

[Manwich]

Hiking the AT will change my life by...

making my legs stronger. That's about it.

[ShelterLeopard]

Hiking the AT will change my life by...

Who knows? I'll tell you after I've come down from Katahdin.

I think for me, it'll get me in shape, and I'll just love it. (Well, for the most part) For me, I have something to do afterwards. First of all, I'll be joining my family in our summer place in Michigan, so I can have an in between place to adapt to not hiking (but still being active and all) before going home and having life suddenly come to a screeching halt.

And after I return home (home in New Jersey) I need to do all sorts of stuff for college. So it'll be stressful, but I won't be sitting at home and twidling my thumbs. And I can keep hiking a bit. Might even do the Long Trail Thru before college (maybe while waiting to hear where I got in).

I think it'll change everyone differently.

So I expect to get in shape, get healthier, (well, get stronger... hopefully healthier), less tired, and "renew my soul".

[chief]

You know hiking the AT has changed your life when...

1 - Your friends stop inviting you to parties.


2 - No one comes to your house anymore because of the stench of hiking gear.

4 - You are unemployable because of big holes in your resume.

5 - You can't get a date because you only shower once per week.

[Bearpaw]

Don't go in expecting the AT to change your life. If you anticipate something like this too much, you'll likely just disappoint yourself.

There will most likely be some changes. But you likely won't even know it until a while after you've finished your hike.

[JAK]

Good thread. Here's my 1/2 cents worth.

Best way to change your life is to live your life.

Good job on ditching the cable. Lot's of stuff in life is designed to suck you in. I've resolved to spend more time outdoors. It's still a struggle to get out and do it, even though so much better than staying in and watching TV and stuff. Time outdoors, and time with family, that is living. TV, internet, stuff like that, ain't. Doing more of what is real hasn't changed my life so much as just made it more real. But it's a lifelong struggle, keeping it real. Hiking the AT is definitely keeping it real in my books, if you can swing it. Good luck to you.

[Chaco Taco]

. Hiking the AT is definitely keeping it real in my books, if you can swing it. Good luck to you.

So have you actually been on the AT?

[Chaco Taco]

....by giving you confidence that you can start something and finish it

[jbrecon2]

yeah, i hiked for 5 weeks after my last deployment in 2005. hiked from pearisburg to just short of harpers ferry when i had to go to my sisters wedding. it was hard to stop but thats all the time i had. LOVED IT!! this is why i am doing so much research on gear and stuff. i remember how miserable it was with a heavy pack. i packed like an army guy!! by the second mile i was dumping water!! first town, sent half my stuff home!! but every night i remember looking up at those stars and just feeling so relaxed and content.....and happy

[Tinker]

yeah, i hiked for 5 weeks after my last deployment in 2005. hiked from pearisburg to just short of harpers ferry when i had to go to my sisters wedding. it was hard to stop but thats all the time i had. LOVED IT!! this is why i am doing so much research on gear and stuff. i remember how miserable it was with a heavy pack. i packed like an army guy!! by the second mile i was dumping water!! first town, sent half my stuff home!! but every night i remember looking up at those stars and just feeling so relaxed and content.....and happy

Hiking changes the hiker - weekend, long distance, or thru. It's already affected you I'm sure.
Your last sentence gives it away.
The most obvious is that you'll see new things and meet new people. You may even find out "someplace special" for you and your future spouse. You may, however, become addicted to thruhiking and obsess about other long distance trails.
Being young gives you more options, obviously. If I ever thru, it will be the AT and that may be all I'm able to do.

[Lumberpat73]

I think what you should look at is how has preparing for your hike already positively changed your life.
-You've started saving money.
-You've cut back on materialistic things, which you've further determined don't really improve your life.
-You're working on becoming debt free.
-You've probably exercising to get in shape for your hike.

There's probably even more changes than that, and you haven't even stepped foot on the trail. Did you think all that would happen when you first had the idea to hike? Maybe, but probably not... don't worry about what will change because it will change for you.

[Chaco Taco]

I think what you should look at is how has preparing for your hike already positively changed your life.
-You've started saving money.
-You've cut back on materialistic things, which you've further determined don't really improve your life.
-You're working on becoming debt free.
-You've probably exercising to get in shape for your hike.

There's probably even more changes than that, and you haven't even stepped foot on the trail. Did you think all that would happen when you first had the idea to hike? Maybe, but probably not... don't worry about what will change because it will change for you.

Nicely put dude. I agree, the planning is what prepares you for the what will happen. I dont think my hike really "changed" me. I do think it helped me in alot of ways. You have to go in with no expectations, if not, you will be disappointed.