Hi everyone, from reading several trail journals and especially from people out there right now, I see there is an adjustment period where your body/mind have to assimilate to being on the trail/hiking/sleeping outside versus being in the comfy home everyday.
For anyone who has done a long section or thru-hike, about how long did it take you to get into the flow of being on the trail?
Michele
Hi Michele. Been watching you progress as you get ready to go. You’ve had some great questions.
Assuming the weather is nice and not the dead of winter it takes around a month you get your hike on. By then you will have adjusted pack items, stretched out the body parts and your body will have settled in to sleeping on the ground and eat trail food. It may take a bit longer to not be bothered by how bad you smell but that’s not really a problem. Part of the fun is figuring out what your daily plan is from camp chores to how fast you want to hike. You feel like a kid packing for summer camp. Usually in a month everything becomes automatic. Bad thing about winter, like a February start unless you’re from a snow state and you love it, is you spend 12 hrs in bed freezing, 12hrs slogging thru slush, down south. I can’t say that part is fun and comfortable so you spend most of the time just trying to be happy in all that. That’s why the warmer weather is nicer for a fast fade into your new reality. No “fear of death” as our friend Raindog puts it. “This is the first time we’ve been able to stop without fear of death”. 2 1/2 months into our hike it finally hit 40* and was sunny for a lunch break like ten minutes long before we started to shiver again. Just jump in, your new trail frineds will carry you.
Bushwhack AT '01
I’m planning a March 14-15 start date. I am anticipating snow and some cold nights, but was hoping it wouldn’t be non-stop below freezing conditions. I transplanted to Michigan 2 years ago from Oklahoma (still bitterly cold winters but with ice), and don’t mind the snow, but am generally always cold.
I’ve been imagining getting used to the routines I’ll eventually develop, and how awkward everything will seem at first. Having spent time in the field while in the Marine Corps, I know how quickly the human mind/body adapts to different living conditions, but figured this might take a bit longer since you’re actually moving to a different location every day, and aren’t going back to the same spot of “dirt” to call home at the end of the day.
I think one of the biggest psychological challenges is going through this adjustment process, and if you’re unaware this will happen, it may lead to many hikers deiciding to quit early (20% do at Neel’s Gap alone).
Thanks for the input. Forums like these are invaluable resources for those of us that haven’t done anything like this before.
Michele
It’ll be “cool” at night. Remember you have some altitude. Anything above 3-4000ft can go below freezing anytime of the year. That’s in the possible cloud layer. A nice 15-20* bag will be fine…down bag…now drop it people we’re not going there, here.
How warm you stay will depend on how well you eat. Get those fats in the pot; cheese, oils, nuts before bed for a slow burn. Eat all sugar and you’ll get chilly several hours later. In the winter when tenting we always keep a Snicker under the pillow for an after midnight snack. Don’t try it in the shelter or you’ll make new furry friends.
The adjustment wasn’t an issue with us since we’re outside all the time doing outside stuff. It was just a different hike. But yeah, watching the other folks trying to figure it out was interesting. Some freaked out when the sun went down the first night. I remember reading a journal years ago about an Indian couple starting in Maine and in the first days they quit saying the trail was dangerous and people should be warned.
In the general persons situation they’ll have a whole lot of other hikers to hang with and they can all be dysfunctional together. Race for Your Life Charlie Brown. Plenty of shoulders to lean on. You won’t be alone. Just let it happen. If you try to make it happen that’s when it gets all hard and people leave.
BW
Mentally it took about three minutes… I was in love with the trail before I even got on it. And the experience was awesome once I actually got to Springer. Physically, for me, my body was working great after six weeks or so…
forget statistics… people get off the trail because they have unreal expectations… do not forget, you are walking up and down mountains thru rain and snow and heat and bugs. People have this fantasy about the AT… it is work. It is not the strong that finish but the strong in mind…
as far as cold… it is part of the trail experience. Watch out, the trail is highly addictive…
Good Luck, ASWAH
aswah
Dear Michele,
No doubt you know this already, but let me say it anyway.
As one who lives in Alaska, and experiments with all sorts of clothing in cold temperatures, I have come to appreciate the benefits to be gained by keeping the lower body well insulated. The simple fact is, that your lower body contains your largest muscles, and they put out tremendous heat. If you can conserve it, your body will be warmer overall. It is my conclusion that warm legs contribute mightily to warm feet. A pair of Polartec Microfleece Long Johns on your legs can make a tremendous positive difference as to both.
You can also get pants insulated with Polarguard or Primaloft, if need be.
You might experiment this Fall of 2006 to see what suits you at various temperatures. Based on your Mid-March starting date, I think you’ll see a fair amount of 0-20*F weather. At the very least, take the microfleece longjohns (and I assume you’ll have some other shell type pants).
Three other quick things re cold weather:
In cold weather, there is nothing like a jacket with a hood. Hoods are the best; hats are miles behind. If you like, you can combine them. Mountain Hardwear has a Polartec Microfleece hat with Gore-Windstopper that weighs about an ounce that I use all the way down to -55*F in complete comfort under my coat hoods. In warmer weather, I just drop the hood back.
Mittens are far superior to gloves. Fleece Mittens with Gore-Windstopper are fantastic over a wide range of temperatures. Here again, I refer you to Mountain Hardwear, as they make them, I have them, and they fit the bill.
Your feet: In a pinch, in cold weather, if your shoes get wet or soaked, you can put on dry socks, cover each foot with a plastic bag, put your wet shoes back on, and your feet will be as warm as toast. I discovered this as a child when we used to play football in the snow, and later in the slush, in Boston. We couldn’t keep our leather footwear dry (suede desert boots), so we had to find a way to keep our feet warm and dry inside the wet shoes. This is how we did it.
Above all else, remember this: Better too warm than cold.
And of course, day or night, with respect to sleeping bag and shelter, you must have a warm, dry place to retire to at anytime and anyplace, when need be.
Conan
Conan
Dear Michele,
As to your original topic…
One to three weeks to adjust, I’d say, at your age.
But, the key is this: Start off slowly and with relatively short distances. Five miles is a good test amount. And don’t think you have to progressively go upwards in miles. Sometimes you have to go down.
They key here is knowing your body, avoiding stress overload early, avoiding injury, and monitoring your day to day energy levels. And, in the middle of this, you’ve got to monitor your day to day mental energy levels, so that you don’t burn out psychologically.
For massive relief on all fronts, I highly recommend taking gigantic submarine sandwiches back into the forest with you whenever possible–along with some pie.
Conan
Conan
Adjustment isn’t a big deal. I never “adjusted” to the rain, hail, snow or whatever. I just woke up & cranked out the miles and so will you, because you don’t have a choice & you want good war stories. You will not regret the hike. Ranger Super Danger & I hated hiking it (we’re in a small minority), but we really, really miss it now.
It gets really cold at that time of year. My second day, April 2, I walked 14 miles in a blizzard. It was beautiful. If you move, you’re warm enough but at night, I had the “green coccoon (?)”–my neg. 10-degree sleeping bag–well worth the weight for a while.
Shera, Princess of Power