When I felt like quitting, more times than I care to admit. I always told myself"don’t decide today wait till tomorrow just take the next step and then the next". “Just stick it out one more day”. This probably wont work for most hikers but it worked for me. Instead of focusing on how much of the trail was left I always tried to stay in the moment and focus on the next ten yards.
One Foot
I am going to attempt the trail next year and one of my fears is that I might fail to complete this adventure. I will only quit because of injury but do worry about other things
POPS
Everyone is different, but I never considered quitting. I knew that the only thing that would stop me was an injury. I’m so stubborn that I would have finished even if I wasn’t having any fun. EVERYONE has times on the trail where it isn’t fun. But there’s always some magical moments around the next bend somewhere. If it was easy, it wouldn’t mean as much. For me, finishing the AT was much like finishing a marathon. I don’t think many folks enjoy running a whole marathon while it’s going on, but the experience, challenge and satisfaction more than compensate for the painful times.
Colter
I’m surprised no one from last year has mentioned the horrendous heat we had to deal with last year as a factor. I fantasized about quitting every day, but I knew I never really would. NY about busted me though; the heat combined with the lack of water was more than I could take. I call those my 3 days of Meltdown. The heat, the chafe, the dehydration, bee sting, whacko guy @ Bear Mnt, new boots hurting/too tight, lost one Teva in the Lemon Squeezer. Oh yeah…thanks for letting me relive all that.
But, I knew I wanted to finish, cause this was something I wanted for so long that I couldn’t let these factors stop me. But it’s tough to be away from home, for me being away from my husband and pets for 6 months was very hard and preyed on my mind a lot.
They say when you want to be home or somewhere else more than the Trail, then it’s probably time to leave. So you keep weighing that.
Bluebearee
Well, since you asked. I could just direct you to my journal entry last year, or I could entertain everyone here. As I started the road walk portion of the trail up to Bear Mtn, a blue van coming down the mountain (I had seen it first go down and then back up the mountain as I hiked within sight of the road, so I was a little more alert) pulled over to talk to me. Not that rare right? He started asking me if I knew where Highland Falls was, or Ft Montgomery and I said “no, I’m hiking, I don’t have a road map” then he started saying how nice a day for a hike, I said “no, it’s really hot out here” which he tried to refute and I pointed out he wasn’t outside in it with a pack on his back. He was starting to annoy me and I was in a time crunch to get my mail by 5 at the bottom of the mountain I was still climbing up. He asked about my hydration tube (“is that O2?, how does that work?”). Then when I said something about being out for 4 months already he perked up and said “you’ve been out here for 4 months, can I ask you something?” Sure, like where do I poop or something I figured. Nope! “Do you want to watch me j*** off?” :evil
Yeah sure, welcome to being 34 freakin miles from NYC.
:x
Bluebearee
Lemmi see if I can get Gadget to recount the fat people sex at a shelter…next to him.
Bushwhack
i have left the trail on 2 seperate occasions.
the first was in 2001- i left springer mountain, heading north on october 17, 2000- in january of 2001 i came down with viral pneumonia while i was on the trail. i spent about 36 hours in my sleeping bag alone in the woods drifting in and out of consciousness. i thought i was going to die out there and had accepted the fact. i think that if i hadn’t made myself hike out of there when i did, i probably wouldn’t have made it out at all. when i finally got back to the civilized world i decided that it was time to “take a break.” i wasn’t quitting by any means. just taking a break.
it was almost a year before i set foot on the AT again. but, when i finally did it was like returning home. i knew i wanted to be back out there for the long haul. so, in april of 2002, i hit the trail again. i hiked for 2 months, and one day i decided that i’d had enough of the heat and humidity. my last two weeks on the trail it was at least 95 everyday with 80-90 % humidity. i was out there to have fun. to have adventures. and, this may have been an adventure, but it was no longer fun. i didn’t have to be out there. i didn’t have to hike all the way to katahdin. 2 months to the day after i hit the trail again, i decided that it was time for another break.
i would return when it was nice and cold.
so, october 1, i will climb katahdin and start walking south. there will be no quitting. i thrive in the cold. i look forward to it. the cold is my friend.
grizzly adam
I’m thruhiking next year (just 6 months away!) and I’m enjoying all the different perspectives. For myself, I kind of go between saying “I’ll never quit!” and wanting to leave myself an out by saying, “Well, I’ll just do the best I can.” I have read and camped enough to know the physical challenges, but my greatest fear is missing my family. I want the goal, but even more I want to enjoy the journey.
Ripley
Maybe this can help the newbies a bit. Altho hiking the AT and finishing it was a major goal of mine (and dream) i wasn’t one of the stubborn folks who commited to finishing no matter what. I had a MAJOR fear tho of quitting. Although I was ready mentally when i left, i always had this fear/reality that i might quit. I kept thinking, what if i make it 2 weeks and realize im tired of doing this? or that this really isn’t for me.
When i hit the Trail last march it was all natural. everything fell into place and just felt right. Of course the first couple days took getting used to, but soon enough i built up so much momentum i just wanted to go further and further. You will feed off of the people around you. Don’t underestimate what your Trail friends can do for your spirit and motivation. For me, the people i hiked with were everything. They made the trip, they were why i was out there and enjoy almost every day. The energy you get from calling home and saying "im in north carolina, damascus, harpers ferry, half way, MAINE etc, etc is incredible. I got such joy out of telling my folks and others where i was and always suprising them.
Honestly once i got into the swing i never considered quitting, it all seemed so natural. I don’t know if others agree but i got this underlying feeling that i knew i would finish. Its easy to say now, but i built up a confidence in myself that always knew i would make it.
Altho folks always recomend going for a section hike before heading off for a thru (a good idea) i had an opposite experience. I was supposed to be out for 2 weeks in 2001 and quit after 3 days. Hated the heat, rain, boring Trail, bugs etc. It was conceivable that this wasn’t for me. For some reason i kept the dream alive and got back out last march only to love the Trail to death. I think there is some magic when starting out from Springer (or K). You work so hard, that its tough to quit. I almost felt like i would throw away everything i had worked for, the past few weeks, months. Hope this helps
A-Train 03
A-Train
I’m not sure that deciding to stop hiking the trail should be described as “quitting”. There are too many negative connotations. A hike from Springer to Neels Gap is more than most people will ever do in their life. I don’t think there is any reason to think about getting off the trail as “failure”. Most thru-hikers talk about people “getting off the trail” versus “quitting” and it seems from some of the messages in this thread that many hikers end up getting back on the trail so “off the trail” seems like a much better description of what is happening.
Getting on the trail is a personal choice as is getting off. I think some hikers continue despite their own desire to get off because they feel they are going to be judged and labeled as “quitters” by other hikers, family, or friends. Hike your own hike and live your own life.
The funny thing is that even though I hiked from Springer to Katahdin last year, I don’t think I’ve “finished”. I’m going to hike almost 1000 miles of the trail this year and hopefully the PCT next year. The journey has just begun!
Radar
I think it is up to each person to decide what quitting the hike means. Some might think it positive, neutral or negative. Going a few months on the trail is very impressive and it will open new doors that wouldn’t have been there before. for example, if you get fired or quit a job; Although it may seem like a bad stroke of luck, I have found it always leads to something better. But I digress…I remember reading in Bono’s journal a long time ago that he believed you would know if you were going to finish on your first day out. I found that interesting and would like to know what you AT hikers thought about that statement.
heather42kw
My first few days out on the trail, I’m sure that most people who met me thought I would never make it. I had faith in myself however, and was bound and determined to complete the AT. Determination is where its at.
I think what Bono might mean is, if you’re at all on the fence about completing the trail, you’ll probably find a reason to drop off.
If you’re stubborn like me, and have told your friends and family that you’re “definitely” going to complete the entire trail, and really mean it, I think your chances are somewhat better.
Of course it helps to have the money and support system in place. Those two things can derail you as well.
Little Bear
I believe that every “wannabe” thru-hiker who starts at Springer believes he/she will make it all the way, or else they wouldn’t have started in the first place. Now, after they hiked 30, 40, 60, miles, then the notion might set in that perhaps they ain’t gonna make it.
Bluebird
My husband and I set out to hike the AT 2 years ago. We quit after about 6 weeks for a variety of reasons: (1) I injured my knee, which made the going pretty slow; (2) for some reason we were attracting bears, which sort of freaked us out; (3) I don’t think I was eating enough, or the right foods, and was exhausted all of the time. My husband is a seasoned backpacker, but I wasn’t, and I think I could have dealt with the rain, heat, cold, steep hills not mentioned in the guidebook, using the bathroom in the woods, swarming gnats, etc etc had I not been so tired all the time. I know a lot more about nutrition now than I did then, and I am in better shape and have much better endurance, and I think I would have a more enjoyable hike if we try it again.
Rachel Bearbait
I don’t know what he is up to these days. I tried to find the journal entry where I found that statement but couldn’t. I think he was just philosophizing, not saying he was quitting.
heather42kw
Dunno, he hasn’t sent us anything since he said he was transcribing himself after he got a pocketmail. Somewhere in NY. Unwrap a calzone and wait. Like chumming for sharks.
B+B
My hike last year was very hard for me. I felt like stopping several times at about mid hike. PA got to me. It was hot and dry. But I dislocated my shoulder in NC and during my two weeks in Cherokee doing what a doctor insisted I do, I never thought of not going back out on the trail. It never entered my mind. But honestly the people out there with me, the people here on trail journals reading my journal and sending me emails, and of course all of the people out there with the trial magic and letting us into their homes. The ladies at the hospital in Cherokee being so amazed that I was continuing. My hike got to the point that it wasn’t for me anymore. So when I got atop Katahdin on a cold, windy, icy day, I was alone up there literally. That feeling, the humbling aspects of it, I really didn’t and still doesn’t feel I did anything in particular. It was a life and as Radar said it isn’t over.
Two Scoops
For me, the combination of pain and loneliness was almost too much to bear.
When I started, I would have easily been in the final running of the “least likely to succeed” voting. I walked up Springer weighing 345 pounds and had never been backpacking in my life.
The first month was hard. Very hard. It took me about 30 days to reach the Smokies, so I was averaging less than 6 miles per day. The worst part about it was that rarely did I see anyone more than once. Everyone was real nice, but I was just so slow that I couldn’t keep up with anyone. I was very lonely.
My first night in the Smokies was at Mollies Ridge. I laid awake most of the night because my ankles were hurting so bad. The next day, my ankles were still hurting and I could only make it to Spence Field, about 5 miles. I was miserable. I wanted to quit right there. Had there been a road there, I probably would have gone home. I told myself that if my ankles didn’t feel better in the morning, I would take the trail down to Cades Cove and call it quits.
I felt a bit better in the morning, so I continued on. But by the time I reached Derrick Knob, my ankles were screaming again. I couldn’t go on that day.
The next morning I headed towards Clingman’s Dome. Before I reached there, I had pretty much decided that I would “declare success” at Clingman’s Dome, the highest point on the AT, and go home.
That’s when the magic happened. I emerged at Clingman’s Dome on a beautiful, sunny, Sunday afternoon. Gadget and Uncle Al, who I had met the day before were sitting on the wall. I joined them and we had a lot of fun with the tourists. People were curious and had lots of questions.
One young lady, Tara, about 18 years old and with her younger brother and sister joined in the conversation. She asked me if I wanted a soda has she had some in the car. I told her what I really could use was a ride into town. She said sure. As we were walking down the path, she told me that her mother was waiting at the car. I asked her what her mother would say when she showed up with a middle-aged, balding man who didn’t smell so good. She said her mother would say, “Sure, we can help a hiker.”
That’s exactly what her mother said. Not only that, but her mother offered me food and drinks out of their cooler, gave me her address and asked me to write her when I reached the Shenendoahs and then gave me her phone number and told me that if I needed anything at all along the way to continue my hike, I should call and she would send it to me. I hadn’t even known this person for five minutes.
Between that experience, a call home, a hot shower and a soft bed, it was an easy decision to carry on. Within the next few days hiking was a lot better. I didn’t hurt so bad and I met tons of people that I hiked with on and off all the way to Katahdin.
Big Red
the things that have driven me batty to the point of wanting to be done with it: 1) the smell of my backpack; 2) the smell of my clothes day after day; 3) bugs that fly in my eyes and ears while i’m hiking; 4) day after day of rain, then day after day of heat and humidity - neither is fun in excess; 5) much as i hate to admit it, i guess being alone for days at a time wears on me more than i thought.
here’s what’s helped: 1) a little febreze in my bounce box - it doesn’t last, but at least it helps me mentally; 2) frequent showers and laundry; 3) wearing my sunglasses and a bandanna pulled down over my ears; 4) well, you just have to deal with the weather; 5) having people come out and hike with me or meet me different places - it really helps to have something like that to look forward to.
i just completed 210 or so miles all alone, nearly two weeks of being alone (except for a night here and there with SOBOs or sectioners). frankly there were moments of utter hell; it was very difficult to keep going at times - all a mental game. last tuesday i had every intention of getting off the Trail when i got to town yesterday, but when i had a chance to check my e-mail wednesday and bushwhack had e-mailed me his detailed itinerary for the week they have been planning to spend with me, i knew i couldn’t stop yet. didn’t want to stop yet. hiking into town yesterday was the greatest high i have experienced because I AM STILL HERE, and I’M NOT DONE YET.
another thing that has helped has been having small goals - “i’ll get to the NOC next tuesday” “i’ll get to damascus next tuesday” “friday i’ll be done with this state” “i’ll do this week and then bushwhack and bramble are coming” etc. as the concierge always said, small goals make a big goal achievable. also i think i’ve required more “time off” than most. lots of times i’ve gotten to town and needed more than just overnight. i spent two weekends at my parents’ in maryland and am spending a day or two with friends near nyc. i’ve needed that time to regroup and regain my enthusiasm for the adventure, get perspective again.
pops - don’t fear quitting or think of it as failure. as a perfectionist, i’ve spent a lot of mental energy worrying about people thinking of me as a failure because i didn’t do what i set out to do. i’m gradually coming to peace with the fact that even if i don’t complete the entire Trail this year (which i won’t because of a variety of factors), i have still accomplished an amazing thing - i have to learn not to compare myself or my journey with anyone else’s. only then will i not think of myself as a quitter or second-best.
hephzibah