Losing the will to hike?

imported
#1

As I sit to review my schedule for my southbound JMT hike, I can see some 14.5+ miles a day. I must cover that or more and even that way it will still take me 28 days to complete it (I am taking a zero day to climb Half Dome and another day to chill out at Vermilion Valley Resort). Has anyone in this forum ever thought of losing the will to hike? How do you guys have managed tedium, boredom or monotony in the past? I am afraid I would go crazy after the first ten days. . .doing the same thing: breaking up camp, hiking, cooking and more hiking. . .

Patronio

#2

JMT is about 212 miles? 14.5 miles per day times 28 days puts you at 400+ miles. Take into account two “zero” days and you are at 375 miles. Now 28 days to do the JMT is what I would consider a luxury hike and if I could deal with the time away from my wife, a great trip. As for the tedium, boredom and monotony, you should try my job! The hike is the hike. You wake up to mother nature, smell the fresh air, put on your pack and walk. Walk an average of 7 or 8 miles a day and you get there in 28 days. Take as many zero days as you want. Lots of people along the way to say hello to, share your and their experiences and just relate. If my wife could hike that trail, I’d do it in 28 days for sure. Think that your water bottle is half full!

Old Grey

#3

have you ever hiked in the sierra before? it is a wonderland! you are in for a huge treat; you have given yourself a great gift by marking 28 days off of your calendar to experience the JMT. walking southbound, the scenery of the JMT is going to get more and more dramatic (in my opinion) until you reach mt. whitney and stand on top of the country. for me, it was hard to get bored with so much visual and sensory stimulation (crisp mountain air, bright CA sun, cold snow and creeks to step through…etc). and it does look as if your math is wrong, if you are speaking of hiking solely the 212 mile JMT. but that’s besides the point. people have said it before, but long-distance hiking (and life) is virtually all a mental game. tell yourself that you are going to be bored and that it’s going to be tedious and it very likely will be. tell yourself that you’re going to have the most amazing and life-changing trip of your life, and it very likely will be. focus on why you decided to take the trip in the first place, what you love about backpacking rather than the discomforts of it, it is all your choice, enjoy the trip and happy trails! cheers…smack

smack

#4

I can’t think of a single spot on the JMT that’s boring or monotnous - its got to be one of the most spectacular trails on Earth.

As far as the daily routines of breaking camp, cooking, etc. this is nothing compared to the daily routine and monotony in society.

One of the primary reason’s hikers are drawn to long distance hiking is the fact that everyday is NEW & different. You never know what is around the next bend in the trail. And you never know who you’re going to meet on any given day. At any given moment, something extraordinary can happen.

The freedom, adventure and comraderie among other things on a long hike can be quite addictive - be forewarned that you may never be the same after your hike!

Happy trails!

freebird

#5

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

#6

It almost seems like you have already lost your will to hike. If I read your post right, you are concerned about hiking a couple of 14.5+ days with a much lower daily average. If a 15mile day seems hard, then you may want to rethink your pack weight. I use to have trouble with 10 mile days years ago when I carried 40-50 lb packs. Now a 15 mile is easy since I never carry more then 30lb(including water) and usually a lot less.

I’m doing the JMT southbound at the end of June. I’m only doing 1 resupply at VVR with a day off there. I’m also planning on averaging ~15 miles a day. My pack weight will be it’s heaviest when I leave VVR south for Whitney at 29.8lbs (thank you Ursack for regaining conditional approval).

I love the Sierras. I could spend the whole summer there and never get tired of it. If only work didn’t get in the way. If I need motivation to keep walking, I just think about what I would feel like if I was still at work. That usually does it for me. The only problem with a long hike like the JMT is if you get lonely (assuming a solo hike). The solution to that is to be friendly and to talk to other hikers you meet during the day and those who camp nearby. You may meet a life long friend in the process.

Miner

#7

“the cloudscapes are forever changing and each one is more spectacular than the last.”

I usually only have good thinks to say about the JMT, but I’d like to point out that last August I went 6 straight days without seeing a single cloud. When I finally saw one little wisp on the horizon it freaked me out.

Eric

#8

In July they were usually building in the distance, fun to watch. Reading Muir’s “My First Summer in the Sierra” changed the way I look at clouds - and much nature:)

Tumblina

#9

your mileage isn’t bad at all. if you feel like stopping for a while, just stop.

a month really isn’t that long to be gone on a trail; i think you’ll find that even when you’re 3/4 done, the trail will still have a sense of newness to it. and then even if you do indeed feel a monotony at that 3/4 point, you’ll have so few miles left to finish the whole thing, that the trail’s conclusion will be plenty motivating. i’d be surprised if the Trail Blues hits you at all on your hike.

0101

#10

If it is boring, tedious, and monotonous, then you shouldn’t be doing it. This is supposed to be fun.

I took 28 days last summer to do the JMT (that is an average of 8 miles per day, by the way.) Various people did parts of it with me. Some of them found it boring, etc. after day 1. Personally, I wished I had more time to explore and get off the beaten track.

It’s about what works for you.

ssssue

#11

When planning your daily mileage, remember that during the hike you will get stronger every day. Thus, what seems like a daunting task now, will become much easier. I found that the time it took to climb (which I measured in feet climbed/hour and not in miles) was cut in half.

As for having the will to complete the hike, that is a very personal choice. The beauty of a hike is that you have total control of whether to quit or continue. Your body may tell you it’s broken. Listen to it. Your mind may tell you that it would really be nicer to be at home taking it easy. Argue with it. It comes down to why you “have” to hike the entire trail. Like the others have said, there aren’t any bad parts. Enjoy the views and the people you meet along the way. Take it as a series of short trips and see how far you want go.

On my southbound hike, I had a very painful knee injury while climbing Selden Pass and had been told that the severe afternoon thundershowers we were experiencing were going to continue on indefinitely. Logic was telling me to go home. As we huddled miserably in the rain eating dinner near the junction to the Lake Edison ferry trail, my son asked if he could continue on solo if I were to quit. His will was sufficient to keep me going. I pressed on for one more day and eventually found myself standing on top Mount Whitney.

It’s nice to have dreams, it’s even better to act on them.

Good luck!

Snowball

#12

Go faster, longer, and do more side climbs. Then you’ll be in too much physical pain to be bored.

The other solution is to leave the trail. I find the trail is always much better when i’m not on it.

:cheers

markv