Completing Shorter Trails After a Long Trail

[Dogwood]

"So, for those that have completed a 2k+ mile trail what has been your experience with not wanting to start another long endeavor like that, but stick closer to home, and hike shorter trails?"


Home? Over the last 20 yrs I've called home AZ, CA, CT, FL, HI, GA, NJ, NY, and PA. To that we can arguably add the AT, CDT, PCT,......xyzt. Wanderlust is my blood type.
Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” -Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad

I had to take a "year off" between thru hiking each of the TC trails for gig work. I also worked during several thru hikes from the trail/route. But during those 2000+ mile TC thru hiking yrs 06, 08, and 2010 I averaged 3700 miles/yr with my 2010 CDT thru hike yr put somewhere close to 4900+ - miles so was doing both 2000+ mile trails and "several shorter length" ones. In 2010, if I was to not get injured, I was so zoned in I could have done the TC trails back to back to back but not a CY TC. It would have taken me longer. I've been extremely fortunate to generally not get seriously injured ever on a LD hike that it permanently sidelined me. In the so called off yrs 07, 09 and 2011 I was still getting in more than 2000 miles/yr and continued those numbers for 4-5 yrs after completing the TC in 2010. I ceased counting number of total trail and route miles when reaching 27K some 5-6 yrs ago. Since some may be wondering what kind of work allows this lifestyle it is being an independent grower in the ornamental Horticultural Industry and designing custom estate size and small-med commercial Landscape Architectural/Landscape Construction/Property Management projects.

Most TC and other 500+ mile thru hikers IMO approach the distance as a series of shorter chunked down mileage "thru hikes."

Since 2011 I've been completing the TC a second time in LASHes with a 700 mile CDT LASH left to be a 2X TCer. I am so appreciative of being able to cherry pick LASHes on the CDT and PCT particularly. These were different awesome worthy experiences in their own right compared to the often gotta go go go gotta be somewhere else 2000+ mile thru hike mindset that prevails among TC thru hikers. In addition, I like stacking shorter distance hikes with great diversity finishing up one going right to the next and after that yet another ala Cam "Swami" Honan style all very diverse.

@GM I think those are great thru hikes close to home. I did the ST 2x, BMT 3x with one being an AT/BMT Figure 8 and the PT. Have only been on a short section of the Cumberland Trail. To those I'd add the Ozark Highlands Tr. I liked the OHT so much I did it 2x. FWIW, in 06 I thought it inane, a waste of diverse hiking opportunities, to hike a route or trail more than once. I was very wrong!