Thoughts from the trail [long]

imported
#1

I’m hiking the appalachian trail, I’m in pearisburg now, here are some thoughts I’m having on the trail.

  1. I’ve stopped treating water. As I posted before, I got sick a few weeks ago when I was treating all my water. As many people have said, it seems that most people get sick from not washing their hands after bathroom not because of bad water. A lot of the water is from springs which I don’t see how it could be contaminated, and the water from streams looks pretty good too, I suspect a lot of people are just paranoid about treating water and companies are trying to sell filters. I’ve talked to a few people or heard of a few that don’t treat their water and they do fine, I am too so far. As a side affect, it was such a hassle filtering all my water that I tried to avoid it. I drink a lot more water now because all I do is dunk my gatorade bottle into the source and i’m reading to drink. I’m very happy with this change I made to not filterting.

  2. Slow hikers think their way of hiking is better. I’ve noticed that a lot of people that hike slowly out here and take zero days and stuff are disparaging of people who go fast, “i’m just out here to enjoy myself,” “i’m not out here to kill myself”. A lot of people say that people who hike fast when they pass them are crazy. Interestingly, people that go fast don’t act the same way towards slow hikers. Fast hikers are sometimes even apologetic for the fact that they hike fast and are quick to explain why they hike so fast.

  3. I’m liking hiking fast more. Everyone talks about the virtues of going slow and taking your time and enjoying yourself, almost making the trail into a “vacation.” However, I’m finding that I’m doing better taking less zero days and pushing myself to hike farther everyday, looking at this hike as a challenge.

  4. Why does everyone have knee problems, it’s not just hiking that causes knee problems either, back home a lot of people I know have knee problems. how could we have evolved in such a way that people always develop problems with our knees? what’s going on here?

  5. I have more thoughts but I can’t recall them now, i’ll post more another time.

  6. Mike sanwald, a couple of things. first of all i searched for past posts of yours and saw you’ve only made about 6 posts i think, 2 of them were in response to my posts and i’ve only made 2. interesting.

Also, you offered to send me something before, i tried clicking that link to email you but it crashes this computer so i have to do this here… i’ll be in waynessborough in a couple of weeks waynesboro, VA 22980, my name is “danny ashman” (thanks very much)

danny

danny

#2

also, i still think trail names are silly.

danny

#3

It’s great to see you are continuing to do your hike.Less zero days is a good thing.If you take a second day in a town it’s harder to get motivated and,get back on the trail.About the hiking pace…Last year I sectioned hiked with my partner who Thru Hiked in 2000.He finished in 148 days and,was cranking out high mileage days.When we sectioned hiked Hot Springs to Bland,I asked him about that section of the trail when he did it.He told me that he was so focused that he didn’t notice alot of the things on the trail.When we set up camp he mentioned that it was nice to be doing a section hike.We both enjoyed taking our time.Most
knee problems stem from heavy packs and,people that are obese.Then again,some people just plain have weak knee joints due to improper conditioning.Of course,that’s only my opinion.Filtering of water,that’s up to you.Keep a truckin…:boy

Bill Harris

#4

Just a guess, but I’d say knee problems are mostly a result of our lazy society…especially the trail injuries.

In the past, we worked all the time and walking a few miles for this or that was not uncommon. How many people walk a few miles a WEEK today? People will drive around the parking lot for 10 minutes just so they don’t have to walk an extra 50’ to the door. Lazy! So we don’t use our bodies anymore, start to get fat, and our knees can’t handle the stress…because we haven’t conditioned them to.

Also, in the past we used to work in the fields, walk beside roads without sidewalks, etc. Uneven ground kept our bodies, esp. our knees and ankles, accustomed to stress from all different directions. Today, we walk on level streets, flat floors, and even staircases. Our knees and ankles are stressed in very few directions…they become accustomed to that, and get weak in the lateral directions. Then, when they’re stressed laterally, like when stepping off a curb, they strain or tear much more easily. Hiking day after day with very little time in between for recovery does the same thing for long distance hikers.

So we have people who rarely exercise, conditioned to walking on flat terrain, then they decide to hike 2000 miles on rough terrain with little or no pre-conditioning.

Why not just fill out an application for knee trouble?

Jeff

Jeff

#5

For Danny -
One of the major causes of knee problems on the Trail is hiking too far, too fast, generally with too much weight. Which is why those who know what they’re talking about teach that you should start slow and build up to the 20+ mile days. Kinda like an airplane taking off.

Hiking fast - is your choice. I’ve made different choices. I planned a 6 month hike on the AT. I got exactly that. I planned a 6 month hike on the CDT - and that’s what we did. We planned a 5 month hike on the PCT and finished 3 days early - and I was pissed. Go-fast hiking means finishing early. Finishing early just means you get to go home, unpack everything, find another job and start living in the “other” world again – sooner. If you enjoy the Trail, why are you in a hurry to leave it? I don’t need the answer to that question - I’m the one who slowed down to 23 mpd in Oregon and Washington so we wouldn’t finish a couple weeks early. That was my choice - but you have to make your own choices - and live with the consequences.

In '99 there was a hiker who looked at the Trail as a physical challenge - he was doing 50 mile days by PA - and then he burned out. He left the Trail in PA and didn’t finish. The real challenge of the Trail isn’t how many miles you can do - it’s not even really physical. The real challenge is mental/emotional - it’s “can you finish - can you go the distance - or are you just another jackrabbit.”

I hope you do finish -

BTW - slow hikers are just like fast hikers - they both justify what they’re doing. They’re both right - and both wrong.

Jim

#6

Although I have no thru-hiking experience I have a similar perception from the opinions I have read expressesed on the internet and from comments I have heard others make while out in the backcountry in regards to disdain for faster hikers…and it has always been something I have not understood.

I’m not going to create a bibliography or cite sources, and of course this is just a general perception, I know there are many exceptions, but I’ve often had the feeling that many hikers just don’t get somebody hiking the trail faster than themselves. I’m sure this goes both ways.

Among some there is the notion that if you are hiking faster you are not enjoying the trail, which to me is nonsense. I think a variety of personal factors combine to dictate the parameters of each individual’s hike. Based on that we find a pace that is meaningful to us.

Given numerous personal factors I would be tortured by a 12 mille a day hike with numerous zero days. Someone else may find this the ideal hike and maybe at some other point in time I might too.

Everybody says HYOH, but I definitely agree here with Danny that among some there is a bias against a faster hike as being less worth while. It’s all relative to your personal view.

I don’t get the trail name thing either, but respect those that do get it in the same way that I respect the parameters of any individuals hike. Maybe when I’m out there day in and day out I’ll find an understanding, but I think it is likely that applied to myself my real name will do fine. What I do know is that it is meaningful to a lot of people. The one aspect that I do get though is that a trail name can give a person a unique identity within the trail culture. Big Red, Tha Wookie, Too Tall, Baltimore Jack, Lone Wolf are uniquely distinct names where identifying one’s self by first name alone may become somewhat ambiguous. Where there will likely be quite a few named Shaun hike the trail there will be fewer and probably only one GiftGiver.

Stuart

#7

Jeff,you banged that one on the head.I live close to a Health Club and crack up every time I pass thru the parking lot.I see people in designer sweats,shorts,muscle shirts wearing all colors of sweat bands, jockeying for front row parking spaces.They sit in their Beamers burning gas,so they can get closer and won’t get sweaty.:boy

Bill Harris

#8

Glad to hear you are back on the trail and finding your groove.

Justhikes

#9

Funny, when my wife and I hiked, we felt that the fast hikers dominated the discussions at shelters and town about how many miles they did, how many they were going to do, and how many they can do. We got pretty sick of hearing about how great all these fast hikers were, especially when they said they were doing 20 miles every day for the past month, and yet we saw them a month ago on trail. How could they have ended up at the same place as us, and yet have hiked 5 more miles a day? We just chuckled to ourselves about it though. Never told anyone they needed to slow down. Don’t recall ever hearing someone else telling a fast hiker they needed to slow down.

So, I think you might be misinterpreting what people are saying. They may be saying “you don’t need to hike so fast” but what they really mean is “You don’t have to TALK so much about your milage 'cause I don’t really care”

Gravity man

Gravity Man

#10

Danny…call me FatCat (my trail name from 02), or Fatty, his fattness, etc. I am glad that you ditched the filter…they suck. Also glad that you found your rythm. That is the key to the hike. Finding your rythm. Wayensboro…that was a good town for me. I rested there and dealt with some horrible chafing!!! I’ll hook you up. Knee Problem: To much weight on back. Also knee problems are reduced by hiking with good techniques and using your poles well! Enjoy the trail as you go north. I remember Maine in July…it was wonderful. After Waynesboro is the Shenendoahs. Are you going to do some Aqua Blazing too?

Michael Sanwald

#11

knee problems are often (as in my case) related to flat feet, or other biomechanical lower leg problems. if you’re feet/knees work perfectly, good for you, that’s just not the case for all of us. ive got flat feet, and i have to wear custom orthotics to keep going - its much like glasses danny…

megabite

#12

What is the generally accepted recommended pack weight?

I am looking at the lightest pack I can find, so that I can load it with tons of junk I probably will never use.

I am going to section hiking of the AT next year, and eventually thru-hike when I can take the time off.

My thinking was that I am going to carry a Katadyn Hiker filter, Optimus Nova stove, and an MSR Hubba tent. True that each of those is weight that could probably be done without (as in using something else), but my take on things were if I was going to do long distance hiking I wanted to be comfortable at the end of the day. Any suggestions? My first section will likely be a two week trip.

Ray

#13

Danny,great to hear that you are still on the trail. As megabite mentioned,knee problems are often mechanical. Your knees are protected by musculature that surrounds them(VMO-vastus medialus obpliques,for example that dev as you descend. Mechanically, if your hamstrings are at least 80% the strength of your qudraceps, you greatly reduce knee injury. Distance hiking,regardless of pack weight, wears on cartialage and the possiblity of dev. osteoarthritis earlier. Granted there are folks who have hiked the AT 10 plus times with little noticable difference in joint flexibility/friction. The long term effects of prolonged distance hiking are unknown but hiking the trail at 20 verses 40 is a big difference in physical recovery. The AT is mainly mental and I hope you obtain your goal of completing it,you have the support of many in your journey! Peace, 2 Spirits

2 spirits

#14

Danny…dont like trailnames, huh? Oh well, Dan-man, Danny-Boy, Dan-O,…i thought everybody got a trail name by Virginia…maybe youre hikin’ too fast for anyone to “give you a trail-name!” heheheheheheehee! a joke!

i can identify with knee problems…had the problem in '02 & '03…mainly due to being approx 20lbs overweight…& no trek poles. in 2004…i lost 20lbs…lightened the backpack by about 10lbs & hiked with 2 trek poles…NO KNEE PROBLEMS!

but, like earlier posts stated…i agree, for me anyway, hiking your own hike is the way to do the trail…i’m a section-hiker (about 120 miles per year)i hike S-L-O-W…by choice,…i enjoy all the scenery, take many breaks & many photos, & drink un-filtered water…i love the trail.

good luck in your journey!

Jaybird
www.trailjournals.com/Jaybird

“Jaybird”