too many encounters with throw hikers have convinced me I will never hike the AT

[ekih]

For quite some time I had been entertaining in the back of my mind the idea of doing the AT one day, ideally a few days after the day I get fired from my job but only if that day comes at some point before I'm 40. But today I reached the conclusion that the AT is not for me. It's not that I think I don't have the physical strength, the mental focus, or the survival skills required to do it, it's just that the social aspect of it sickens me. If I'm going to embark on a 2000 mile journey, the last thing I want to see is people. And if I'm going to see people, I sure as hell don't want to see the same people I saw the week before. And this whole thing about having a trail nickname, and the AT-related slang terms you adopt, and the entire subculture thing is not for me. I'm not the kind of person who wants to feel like he is part of something or who thinks that accomplishing the same thing that thousands of people - young and old, male and female - have accomplished is much of an accomplishment let alone something to feel proud of. I'd rather embark on something new, something original, fully knowing that at the end of the journey I will likely not have learned anything new about myself or found the epiphany that has eluded me all my life. The grief, the angst, the lack of meaning and sense of direction than inspire people to embark on these journeys will still be there.

[hikerboy57]

so what do you have in mind?

[Miner]

I quit my job inorder to hike the PCT before I turned 40 (I finished 2 months before my 40th birthday). Being over 40 hasn't stopped me from planning a CDT thru-hike for 2015 or hiking long sections of the AT. Quit complaining and go out and hike.

If you don't want the amount of people on the AT, hike the PCT or for an even more lonely hike, do the CDT. And since the CDT isn't a complete trail, most hikers don't even hike the same path as another since they piece together alternate routes to fit their own interests. If you don't insist on a thru-hike, you can section the AT in a period of time that doesn't have all the other hikers. I didn't see very many hikers in NH in late September or Vermont in October last fall. In general, a SOBO AT journey would be different from what you are describing. Once you pass the NOBOs, you won't see very many thru-hikers. And while you are seeing NOBOs, you'll never see the same ones again.

[MuddyWaters]

The AT is easy to hike. Its convenient to towns, resupply is a snap, hiker services abound. Its what most people need and want.
Everyone wants a wilderness experience. Just not necessarilly 3 months worth.

There are trails much less travelled, much more remote. Heck, there are places with no trails.

A few notable foot-travelers such as Skurka like to make their own trails. I agree, that would be way more exciting than slogging thru the AT with a couple of trail buddies. But also way more hazardous, way more difficult, way more planning.

Darn those throw hikers anyway, ruining everything.

[Just Bill]

You should hang out with more thru hikers; Throw hikers are always throwing around slang and talking stupid. They throw high fives, and hellos around like crazy. Stupid chatty jerks. They all throw in together like the college aged lost souls they are to split a cheap life lesson on the trail. They have fun, hike their hike, see some stuff, and generally throw down a pretty good trip.

Thru hikers generally hike the trail because they enjoy it- because the AT is one of the prettiest, bestest, cooliest places on the planet. Sure there are people on it, seeing as 2/3rds of the nations people live fairly close to it and all. But Thru-hikers don't let things like that bother them- they just accept them as part of the trail. Some folks travel in the winter, some walk offseason, silly folks walk in the wrong direction, some walk at night, some don't stay in shelters. Despite the fact that few books touch on the subject, you can ignore the carnival barkers encountered at every road crossing encouraging you to leave the peace of the woods and go to town for drinking and whoring.

Some thru-hikers are just walking in the woods. Most thru-hikers read books, most thru hikers understand the books don't always apply to them. Many thru-hikers understand that any type of hiker encountered online isn't representative of any hiker really. If you're not feeling social, that's okay, but probably not best to share that in a social setting- kinda makes me throw up a little on my keyboard personally.

[Slo-go'en]

Reminds me of the head stone on the chimney ruins at Iron Mt -

"He lived alone, suffered alone and died alone".

[Just Bill]

Reminds me of the head stone on the chimney ruins at Iron Mt -

"He lived alone, suffered alone and died alone".

Who bought the headstone?

[honu]

I once felt much like you, although not nearly as strongly. Avoiding the social scene was one of the reasons, when I attempted a thru-hike in 2006, I chose to go SOBO. But since then my perspective has changed a bit. Here are several paragraphs from an essay I wrote:

"When I began hiking the Appalachian Trail, I anticipated my satisfaction would come from alone-time in the woods, wildlife sightings and scenic views, and surmounting the physical and mental challenges. But more than once I found myself thinking 'If I didn’t know I was on the AT, I wouldn’t know I was on the AT.' Long stretches looked and felt the same as other trails I have hiked. Overall, the AT ranked better than some, not as good as others.

"Yet, despite this neutral assessment, after returning home I would eventually get an irresistible urge to hike the AT again. Why? It took several more trips to puzzle out the allure.

"The Appalachian Trail attracts people of varied backgrounds, circumstances, physical conditions, personalities, ages, beliefs, attitudes, and motivations. Yet even when they have little in common except the AT, that mutual interest is usually enough to create an instant sense of community. It’s a community overwhelmingly made of up good and affable people. Almost all are interesting and some are fascinating.

"And they have touched me in a way I never imagined. I normally go walking in the woods to get away from people for a while. But I come to the Appalachian Trail to meet strangers."

Everyone is different, of course. And maybe, for you, it would turn out that your perspective is spot on. But I gather it is based on what you have read and heard, not on personal experience. I suspect that if you did a long section hike (say 300+ miles) that was selected and timed to provide what you are looking for, you would feel differently.

[Dogwood]

Listening to some of this shart on WB has prepared me for taking the exam to be a psychiatrist.

[Train Wreck]

Listening to some of this shart on WB has prepared me for taking the exam to be a psychiatrist.

Do you offer a throw hiker discount?

lucydoctor.jpg

[Dogwood]

Excuse me while I self medicate. Skittles. i got Skittles.

[stranger]

The AT certainly has it's 'scene' and if I never met another AT thru-hiker that would be fine with me...however, to judge a trail or experience before having it seems a little silly to me. There are plenty of great things about the AT, and any hike over 2000 miles will be life changing and special. Until you get out there, how do you know you won't want to see people? I love my alone time, however some of my fondest memories of hiking on the AT include other people because you can create lifetime bonds.

There are other trails, and certainly other countries. There are massive trails in Australia that only 10's of people have hiked, maybe less, there are long trails all over the world.

[Train Wreck]

Excuse me while I self medicate. Skittles. i got Skittles.

The 50mg or 100mg sugar dosage?

[PeaPicker]

Hmmm...this reply could sound mean spirited!...I noticed the two people you talked about in your post "I" and "ME" appear to think that someone like "myself" gives a hoot, what your personal motivation is or would be for an AT hike. I did not know before your post what a throw hiker was.You know, come to think of it, I still don't know. Here is what I do know,the only thing I have in common with the people I have interacted with on this forum is they have not judged me on my reasons for the hike and I have not judged them for theirs.I have ask questions and advice has been given.I am free to act on it or not.Whatever justification you have applied in your decision is

[PeaPicker]

no reason to sit in your self made ivory tower and take pop shots at me....The grief, the angst, the lack of meaning and sense of direction than inspire people to embark on these journeys will still be there." this one sentence tells me you know nothing of what is my heart or what my experience will be .

whew I feel better...guess that was a lil self indulging too

[Rasty]

Listening to some of this shart on WB has prepared me for taking the exam to be a psychiatrist.

Can we talk about bacon? Everywhere I go I see dead bacon.

[atmilkman]

Can we talk about bacon? Everywhere I go I see bacon.

How about thick sliced peppered bacon.

[T.S.Kobzol]

Looks like the trails' future ambassador is throwing in the towel. Bumblebee tuna? Bumblebee tuna.

sent from samsonite using tapioca 2

[Theosus]

I sure as hell don't want to see the same people I saw the week before.

Hike Southbound... much less likely to see the same people. Or do it in sections in off seasons. Start northbound in October and just hike until you want to quit (or it gets too cold). Don't use a trail name. If someone gives you one, like you say, you probably won't meet up with them again, so you don't use it. As far as doing something unique and special... that is seldom in this country any more. its all been done before. If you want to get out there and hike somewhere, what about doing an AT style hike but avoiding the AT as much as possible? There are a number of trails that parallel and intersect the AT in places. You could still hike the AT from GA to ME, while avoiding some of it (particularly in GA and NC) and seeing something new.

[Chaco Taco]

After talking with and hearing some of the stories from hikers this year, I dont blame you. Look at the Colorado Trail. Amazing trail, not nearly as much foot traffic as the AT and the risk of dealing with the yahoo's that start in GA may be more appealing.