Like many who are planning a thru-hike, I am looking forward to getting away from the daily stress of rush hour traffic, a job, etc.
So, I’m wondering. How stressful or stress-free was YOUR thru-hike?
Did you find yourself feeling peaceful and content, or did your stresses shift from deadlines and gridlock to miles and maildrops?
Nomad
When I am on the trail, there is usually little stress unless I am in an area where water concerns force me into big miles whether I want to or not. On the AT that isn’t an issue. Most of the time we only did big miles because we wanted to do them, not because we were forced to. For me, that makes a difference. One suggestion, if you have a schedule, be very conservative in your planning so that you aren’t pushing to keep to whatever miles you preplanned. Better still, don’t worry about a schedule at all. That gives you time to linger at views, swim in lakes and streams, enjoy long breaks, etc. - very relaxing and enjoyable.
Where I do sometimes get stressed is in towns. There is usually so much to do when you get there, and not that much time to do it all: going to the post office, doing laundry, shopping, finding a room, eating, making phone calls, getting to the library for internet communication, etc. Then I find that I can’t ever sleep the first night in town, so I wake up totally unrested from my ‘break’. More than once I have walked into town around noon, spend a busy afternoon handling chores, then taken the next day off to finally get some rest.
Ginny
Nomad the hike can be anything you want it to be.If you have time constraints I guess it could be very stressful.Just take one day at a time and put one foot in front of the other and enjoy yourself don’t worry about miles and try not to get caught up with having to hike with someone just because you get along with them.Get an inner peace from the trail and the day to day hiking. I feel very peaceful and content having hiked the trail and it has forever changed my life for the good.Again learn to get an inner peace from the hike.Enjoy my friend and god speed on your journey.
EZ-DOES-IT:happy 
EZ-DOES-IT
I found that the types of stress on the trail were very different from my “regular” life. I found the constant exhaustion and pain wearing over time, something I never have to deal with in the rest of my life. The big challenge for me, and the life lesson I learned from the trail, was to be able to cherish the joyful experiences in spite of the adversity. To appreciate a beautiful sunset even when my knees hurt like hell after 16 miles, for example. And that’s a good lesson to learn. Enjoy the hike! Rainbow
Rainbow
ill speak for myself. no stress on trail. only place in world, no stress. blues, yes, but no stress. stressed about making miles? then slow down. stressed about…ummm ummmm. there is nothing to be stressed about. stress in my view comes from pressure. no pressure is needed out there. if you cant live without stress then i am sure you could make some.
milo
Nomad~ My 2004 thru-hike was very relaxing. I learned to use humor to alleviate any impending challenges. Being able to laugh at oneself is key. Things just seem to fall into place on the AT. It’s amazing! The inner peace that I gained is priceless and will be with me forever. Enjoy the solitude and being one with nature. Let nature be your guide…the critters, your teacher. The transformation process is a gratifying experience. Good luck!
Ladybug
The only stress there is is self created,kinda what milo said. Most folks have some type of schedule to be on(this too is self imposed) but the reality is,leave time for the unexpected. If the unexpected,something like spontaneity does occur, that is part of the transformative aspect of the AT. A thru-hike is tech. a completion of an entire trail in one season but there are other options as well. Most hikers are in their 20’s and have at least 3 decades ahead of them to complete a partially completed “thru-hike”. Light weight hiking has helped many get out on the trail but also pushing beyond one’s physical limits on a regular basis can have long term consequences on joints-like arthritis in one’s 40s or earlier. It is your hike and stress is mainly self created. I hiked the AT 3 times but all in 1000 mi section hikes-that is the distance and time that worked for me. Happy Trails,
mike
Well said, Mike! I think that stress is very individually determined…by one’s personality, circumstances, age, etc. And many folks try to hurry it all…& become “do-aholics”; in any endeavor, including the trail. And as one who now has arthritis… take care of those knee joints!!
Neela
echoing much of what other folks said, stress on the trail was mostly limited to running out of water or running out of food. i found the smokies to be a little stressful as suddenly a zillion hikers were all scrunched together as you have to stay at or near shelters. when it was raining like crazy, and you wanted to be in the shelter so you didn’t have to take down a wet tarp, tent, or bivy the next day, it was certainly stressful to have hiker after hiker pass you. i guess that wouldn’t be much of a problem if you were a fast hiker…
town was stressful because there were so many “errands” to run. laundry, p.o. before it closes if you had a maildrop, or groceries, getting to the AYCE buffet before it closed. a small rant here: AT, 2001, a certain prominent political figurehead’s entourage caused a group of hikers to miss the 2pm cutoff for the shoney’s AYCE because he blocked the street. you just don’t get in between a hiker and their food!
p.s. example of low stress - the maryland counter challege: how many days can you take to get through maryland (instead of can you do the 40-something miles to hit VA, WV, MD, and PA all in the same day) smell the roses did maryland in 6.
zero
I became a light-weight hiker not to increase my daily mileage. Rather, to give my “schedule” greater flexibility to slow down and relax on my thru-hike. A major side benefit was a decrease in the physical stress upon my body (especially my knees).
If you are under a lot of mental stress when you start, I think one of two things will happen. Either your stress will gradually fade away as you get into your hike; or, your stress will conquer your chances for successfully completing the hike. Everyone is different and everyone carries different “baggage” when they start.
Prior to starting a thru-hike, I plan like crazy, worry like crazy, and go “ninety to nothing”. But once I start a thru-hike somehow I have the capacity to just “let everything go” and ENJOY the next six months. Sure, there are exceptions - but that is life. Good, thorough planning enables you to relax once your hike has started - or at least gives you the best opportunity to do so.
Others have written about the stress involved with town visits. I think that kind of stress goes even further. As you begin to make friends while hiking you will have a natural inclination to go with them into towns or maintain their pace while hiking. Doing so may negatively impact your schedule or funds. That is when the stress can kick in of having to make decisions on what is important to you.
JAWS
I guess it really boils down to how you live your life… The trail is completely woorrry and streesss free! Let nature seduce you… How can you be stressed listening to birds sing? How stressful is the sound of a waterfall? How stressful is it to smell the morning dew? Stress comes when people try to bring their numbered world to the trail. Stress comes when you let things bother you. ASWAH
Aswah
I guess it really boils down to how you live your life… The trail is completely woorrry and streesss free! Let nature seduce you… How can you be stressed listening to birds sing? How stressful is the sound of a waterfall? How stressful is it to smell the morning dew? Stress comes when people try to bring their numbered world to the trail. Stress comes when you let things bother you. ASWAH
Aswah
It’s actually not that difficult to bring the stress of the outside world into the hiking world, in my opinion. You can have a stress-free hike, however.
Don’t come into this hike thinking that you will find the answers to all your life questions or current problems. Don’t think that the trail will make all the influences of the outside world disappear. If you have things going on at home, they’ll still be there when you get back. Don’t make it a point to hike other people’s schedules, and try your best not to set your own. If you have time or money constraints, then just do your best, and enjoy your time out there. To me, a hike of any kind means nothing if you don’t stop to enjoy or explore your surroundings.
When you’re out hiking, let yourself get lost. Allow yourself to lose track of things, and of time. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for a lot of people, so treat it like one.
bearbait
I’m stressed out just reading all of this crap…
Can I stand the pressure???..LOL
Two types: Physical and Mental
Physical Stress is real. A lot of exercise, hiking long distances, hiking with heavy loads-----puts lots of physical stress on the body----can do permanent damage if you don’t watch out and realize your body’s limits.
Mental Stress is self induced—it’s how one reacts to external things. Hence some people are really stressed by certain things, while others are not stressed at all by them.
It makes little difference if you are in the real world or hiking, if you let things stress you out, then you will be stressed out. Strenous exercise however does cause one to be less stressed as it’s hard to think about things and let them bother you when you physically hurt all over or you’re climbing a mountain.
Stress, you either learn to control it and deal with it or it controls you and deals with you.
If real bad, go to the doctor and get some pills. Best however is to learn to deal with it.
Gosh, I’m so stressed just writing all this stuff. Got to go climb a mountain to relieve some of this stress.
See you out there on the trail, stress free I hope.
:cheers
Maintain
I see lots of stressed out hikers… usually when they first get into town and are hungry and dirty. Then it is all about I NEED! I NEED! I NEED! It is amazing how different some of you are after a little food and rest.
I think a lot of hikers are so used to rules, regs, standards, schedules and people telling them what to do in the “real’” world that they have trouble functioning without them… even on a thruhike. So even on the trail a lot of hikers create this “cubicle” for themselves with unrealistic “to do” lists, insane schedules, deadlines, rules and other stress inducing limitations.
Don’t Worry! Hike Happy!
Miss Janet
Hiking the trail is one of the most stress-free experiences you´re ever gonna have and don´t let anyone tell you otherwise. The physical exertion every day has you feeling all warm and fuzzy by the time you get in to camp. In town, it´s possible to take pleasure in the simplest things: a hiker can be thrilled to bits by a clean, white fluffy towel or the discovery that the gas station does indeed stock Coffee Heath Bar Crunch.
There´s something very psychologically soothing about putting your faith in those white blazes. It´s so easy, the mind switches off from its normal diversions, you become very attuned to nature, you eat oatmeal and bagels all summer. What more do you want?
St Rick