At some point or another we all lose the will to hike. Usually that point comes in the midst of foul weather or health, and it rarely lasts long. I lose the will to hike everyday around 1pm and it doesn’t return until 4pm.
Your question is about how to deal with it. Everyone finds their own way. When I lose the will, I remind myself that the feeling is transitory, in my mind I cycle through the amazing moments the trail has offered me so far. I recite lines of poetry (Kipling’s “IF” is a good one) and dream of what I will do when I get home. I think about food.
The JMT doesn’t become monotonous, the cloudscapes are forever changing and each one is more spectacular than the last.
You will have moments on the trail when you will lose the will to hike. You will have MORE moments when the hike feeds your soul. You will step off the trail wishing you could turn around and do it again.
If you were to read my journal (usually written between 1-4, ouch!) you would see how often I questioned my decision to hike. You won’t see the wonder that occupied my eyes 90% of the time, the fresh air I inhaled, the marvel of waterfalls and lightning. I had to leave the trail (not because of lost will) and every night I dream of returning. The JMT is Yeats’ Innisfree.
Enjoy your hike.
Tumblina