I know that people have talked about post-hike depression and life being hard to transition back into after finishing the trail, but I was wondering if anyone who has finished a hike (or anyone planning a hike) remembers a period in which they were so anxious to be out on the Trail that the months (or at least some days) beforehand seemed ultimately dissatisfying? If so, what actions did you take? Not trying to be negative, but just wondering!
Lauren
Yeah, it happens. All that planning and hustle, sooner or later you get a little burnout. Nothing to worry about. Read some journals and go for a walk. A little fresh air will do you good. Take a weekend off and sleep out.
Bushwhack
One of the most stressful times in a persons life is vacation believe it or not. Any large change from routine even if its a bad routine and a good change is stressful. Now compound that from a weeks vacation to a six month vacation and you can see how you might get in a funk. I would get the blues everytime I got into town and then again when I left to go back to the trail. After a while the trail became my routine and town became my stressful event.
Big B
Lauren,
i’d say its somewhat common if not normal. I went through slight bouts of depression last fall in the months before my hike. I was mostly just stressed out. I was trying to live my life, finishing off a semester of classes at college, while at the same time focusing, planning and thinking about the AT at every second. It became real tough to write papers, study for finals and even do daily things i loved, because my mind was already on the Trail.
Once i was finished with the semester, things went a lot smoother. I spent the last 2 months solely planning and thinking about the trip. I still had days when i doubted myself and my choice to not only hike the trail, but to take a semester off. I was quite scared.
DONT BE. things worked out and hiking the AT i guarantee will be one of the most if not the most rewarding things you do in your life. As soon as i stepped foot on the trail i knew things were right and that i’d made the right decision. Things will fall into place as long as you’ve planned.
A-Train 03
A-Train
I haven’t done a thru-hike yet, because of the thing that’s got me depressed just a few days before I head out to Colorado for 10 days. I’m thinking my woman may need me and not be able to get in touch with me while I’ve run off to the mountains 1,500 miles away.
Yep, the mind always seems to have a way to maintain the status quo. Think of breaking it, and 10,000 reasons will rise up in strong argument against it. Suppose she runs out of money and I can’t get it to her cause I’m in the middle of the woods in Colorado? Suppose something bad happens? Suppose something pops up in my work while I’m gone that will bite me when I get back? What if … and … and what if …
Right now I should have my pack packed and be ready to go, but I don’t. Guess there comes a point when you just gotta pick up and go.
steve hiker
Women are extremely resilient. As for work, there will always be work waiting to suck you dry.
Blue Jay
Lauren, I can’t tell from your question whether you’re worried about the hike itself or about the months before the hike. They are different issues, to me at least.
Before our CDT hike, we had over three years to get ready, thanks to work and financial commitments. I was ready to go a year before we left! At work, they basically took all my work away during the last few months, so I was really climbing the walls. My response was to do lots of training and to spend time reading everything I could find about the trail. It worked. But I felt like my life was on hold, waiting for the big event to occur. All our money was being saved for the hike, so we did little but hike and bought nothing but gear and it really felt like we were on hold. Not fun. We’re kind of in that position again, with another three year wait until our next hike. But this time I refuse to put my life on hold. But money isn’t as tight this time, which does help.
If you are worried about the hike, about whether it is what you really want to do and whether you are strong enough to do it - best advice is 1) get out and go backpacking and hiking every chance you can between now and spring, and 2) go to the Gathering, where you will meet lots of past and future hikers and experience their enthusiasm and see that they aren’t superhikers by any means, just ordinary folks who really wanted to spend six months in the wood.
Spirit Walker
Thanks everyone for replying. Your responses have totally encouraged me. To clarify, Spirit Walker, I have had little to no doubts about whether I actually want to go through with a thru-hike. I’ve committed myself enough to it to where that’s really not the issue. It’s more like the situation you described as happening before your CDT hike, where you felt like your life was “on hold”. I feel like I’m not enjoying my senior year like I should be or maybe even would be otherwise because I am just so ready to leave! As much as I want to be satisfied where I am right now and not be fixated on where I’m going to be half a year from now, it’s just really difficult when it seems like my heart, my mind are already out there on the Trail. It makes me frustrated with myself enough to the point to where I posted a forum thread about it to get advice! Which I have, thanks to you guys!
Lauren
Funny thing for me is I made peace with where I was at in my job… a little bored and not doing what I wanted.
I committed to my thru hike for '04, started buying gear, backpacking on the weekends, and then, my boss tells me I’ve been transferred to another area… The job turns out to be exactly what I am looking for. Now it’s that bittersweet feeling where I get to leave a super job in six months to go do the trail. My new boss is supportive of my hike and that’s a great thing.
I think I’ll take SpiritWalker’s advice and go to the Gathering in October.
Dharma
You get everyone psyched up about it, map on the wall at work, the whole bit…they’ll love to let you go to watch the events. Then you come back to work.
Bushwhaque