Why do people stop (quit) their thru-hike?

[allwen]

I think there are many reasons people leave the trail. We have just left because I, Tas, tore my calf muscle, but it could have been a dozen other reasons. We hit a 'brick wall' no reason, we are very experienced long distance hikers, but different terrain, different hiking food to our own country, tiredness, etc, etc.
It is important to remember that whatever distance one does, it is their hike and their achievement.
For me, coming off the trail was a mixture of intense muscular pain, frustration and even relief. Walkabout Roo and Tas

[max patch]

My favorite hikes are those on a hot, hot summer day that end at a beach or swimming hole.

My fav AT day hike is a loop that starts/ends at Lake Winfield Scott; good swimming lake.

[kayak karl]

(and quit your job and leave your SO if you have to)

quit a relationship to complete a hike. some people ARE that screwed up.

[sbhikes]

allwen, how different is the food here from Australia? What do you guys eat on hiking trips over there?

[Cookerhiker]

and over 90% fail the hike. ATC should run a qual school. section hikers have the right idea. it was how the trail was meant to be

The ATC's newly designed website has a pretty good pro-con analysis of thruhiking vis-a-vis section hiking as well as factors to consider regarding direction (NOBO, SOBO, flip-flop et. al).

[Old Hiker]

Bear in mind...I don't think these types of statements are allowed or tolerated by the some of the more outspoken and dogmatic "enthusiasts" here. Remember, every day from Ga. to Maine was sunshine and gentle breezes and rainbows and kittens and waterfalls. that's the official party line, please stick to the script my friend.

So..... with all the kittens, I DON'T have to plan on food resupply very often?

[Monkeywrench]

And for gods sake hike slow.....

(and quit your job and leave your SO if you have to)

I did quit my job, but I didn't have to leave my SO. She was amazingly supportive.

[CrumbSnatcher]

in 2002 my dog and me hiked from GA-PA before heading home.
2-3 months later we were in maine heading south. at the time we went home we just wasn't into the hike, i couldn't enjoy it, because she seemed to be struggling a little,and she was over heating! so we hitched back to my car at miss janet house, from northern virginia to take a little break and to move my car up the trail, closer to us, in case we wanted/needed it, and then hiked into PA. before heading home for the summer

[shelb]

i finished a thru in '01. went back for another in '03, but got off the trail to donate bone marrow. just didn't seem right to have the recipient wait for two more months so i could hike 800 more miles i'd already seen.

helping someone beat lymphoma was much more gratifying than anything the trail could offer.

Good for you! I hope everything went well with the donation - for both you and the recipient.

[4shot]

So..... with all the kittens, I DON'T have to plan on food resupply very often?

alright but if you are planning for a 2012 hike, you have plenty of time to go ahead and dehydrate your own for your mail drops. saves time and hassle (packing out 4 -5 days of carcasses is no fun and is stinky even by thruhiking standards) and there's alot of good cat recipes in the food forum.Include a few packets of tabasco and terriyaki sauce too! Have fun and send me a summitt photo!

[sherrill]

peanut butter

[dzierzak]

So..... with all the kittens, I DON'T have to plan on food resupply very often?

Hopefully kittens. I love cats, just can't eat a whole one...

[ScottP]

I had to get off the CDT for medical/financial/time reasons. I was in the ER with a dislocated shoulder about 48 hours before I was supposed to start. The desert was fine, but the ice axe mountaineering stuff and the scrambling up and down of the bushwacking caused 1-2 full on dislocations on a daily basis. Then I got giarda (yes I was chemically treating my water--it still happens sometimes, no method is 100% effective), and the medical bills+time lost meant that to keep hiking I'd have to deal with daily shoulder dislocations and re-locating it myself on the trail, hike on a credit card, AND finish too late to work the job I had lined up for the fall.

Shoulder finally got fixed this fall and is healing well, hopefully I'll be able to put myself in a position to do the CDT in the next few years.

[Han Solo (95)]

I don't know if Just Plain Bill is still reading this, but I'll offer my take. I've heard the same sentence from many different sources as to why they quit: "It wasn't what I expected." Whether these people didn't read enough about the AT, or didn't do a shakedown hike in preparation, or found their hiking partners intolerable, or were expecting true secluded wilderness, I'm not sure.

As for me personally, I spent a week in Buena Vista with the "Virginia Blues" on my first thru-hike. I went to the AT alone, but fell in with a group right away. After 6 weeks, I split from them because I wanted to do Trail Days and they didn't, but then I was suddenly a solo hiker trying to find my own motivation, and in a void with few other hikers around me. I got a little depressed and hitched into Buena Vista for R&R. One night became two, three ... seven. I strongly contemplated quitting, but forced myself to get back on the Trail. Of course, I was way behind everyone I knew at that point, but over time I became okay with solo hiking -- happy even. There were major floods in the Shenandoahs and 100+ temps and dry springs in Pennsylvania, but I was good with it, and I eventually caught up to some folks I knew in New England, and had a group to finish with. I hope that sheds some light.

[WingedMonkey]

There were major floods in the Shenandoahs and 100+ temps and dry springs in Pennsylvania

Yep, that was '95 all right.

[DaveSail]

I have never done any of the Georgia / N.C. Tenn trail .
But , there are a lot of climbs to the 3000' or 4000' level
before the first road - crossing at Neels Gap . Most are
carrying way too much . I'm guessing a lot of those who
quit early have imagined something like a long , " Garden
Path " . They have no idea what it is like to carry a
heavy pack up a steep hill !

Just read Warren Doyle's 13 points , ( as in the biginning
of " Becoming Odyssa " ) , and you will see that most
beginners would not have the right attitude or mental
mind - set .
DVW

[Wuff]

This thread is a bit dated, but since I just got back from the trail I thought I'd throw in my thoughts.

I made it to Harpers Ferry before I quit, and had to get off for financial reasons. I was attempting to hike on a budget of about $3000 which I still believe is possible, but not the kind of hike I ended up wanting to hike. I found myself with a great group and ended up going into towns and drinking, etc etc. I realized about a month into the trip I either needed to change my hiking style or just run out of budget and go home. I opted to just have fun until the money ran out. I knew going into the hike it would be hard to make a thru-hike work on that budget - but this was my chance (leave of absence approved at work) so I decided to try. To cap it off my wife's company went bankrupt right before I left so it made it harder to justify hiking all summer while I had a job waiting for me at home (and a suddenly cash poor wife).

Getting off the trail was the hardest thing I've ever done. But the 2 months I spent on the trail were the two best months of my life. So I'll be back in a couple of years to finish and possibly do a flip flop and re-do the southern AT. It's impossible to stop thinking and dreaming about the hike now... of course I'm sitting in a cubicle right now.

One more thing - don't ever believe to anyone's description of the trail. And Virginia is rarely flat.

[Dogwood]

Instead of asking "why do hikers quit their hikes?" a MUCH better question, IMO, is to explore the condition/mindset/preparation, etc of those that DO NOT QUIT! Ask, "what is common among those that safely and joyfully complete their intended journeys?" I think, by asking that better question it's more likely to raise your understanding to an even higher level.

[johnnybgood]

Ask, "what is common among those that safely and joyfully complete their intended journeys?" I think, by asking that better question it's more likely to raise your understanding to an even higher level.

More than likely those that finished the intended thru were better prepared mentally for the days where walking in nature was gratifying enough .
Those who find inspiration from their inner soul will conquer the daily mundane task of merely walking long miles without the all of the hoopla.

[Just Plain Bill]

Instead of asking "why do hikers quit their hikes?" a MUCH better question, IMO, is to explore the condition/mindset/preparation, etc of those that DO NOT QUIT!

Not to be argumentative, but who's that a better question for? Not me. That isn't what I wanted to know. I already know why people don't quit and the "condition/mindset/preparation" it takes -- I'm a thru-hiker!

I'm working on a writing project and was wonder why people quit, so ... everyone that has contributed to this thread has been very helpful. Thank you.