I am planning on attempting a thru hike starting in 2015. Anybody out there attempted a thru-hike and was unsuccessful for whatever reason? What circumstances caused you to be unsuccessful and what advice would you give to help others to be as successful as possible. I just want to be prepared for as many situations as I can beforehand. Thanks guys!!
Alyse
The problem is it’s hard to prepare for the biggest reason for failure, the mental aspect. I have completed 2 AT thruhikes 05 and 07 (hiked in 07 as Butch Cassidy) and other than the serious injuries that happen more people quit because of the mental side. Boredom, not having fun, your mind will give you loads of reasons to stop the pain, and there will be pain. Get past this and its just a week hike repeated 24 times in a row. Good Luck
Paladin
I started my thru in 2005 full of confidence and enthusiasm. after 1053 miles I had to go home. My knee had become too painful. A chunk actually broke out of the bone. I attribute this to not enough calcium in my diet. At the same time I had a couple of dental problems. Hadn’t had any dental problems for years. I was concerned only about calories, not a balanced diet. Since then I take calcium suppliments.
I suspect injury or sickness is the bigest reason for incompletes. I am now a section hiker with 170 miles to go.
swamp fox
I started my thru in 2005 full of confidence and enthusiasm. after 1053 miles I had to go home. My knee had become too painful. A chunk actually broke out of the bone. I attribute this to not enough calcium in my diet. At the same time I had a couple of dental problems. Hadn’t had any dental problems for years. I was concerned only about calories, not a balanced diet. Since then I take calcium suppliments.
I suspect injury or sickness is the bigest reason for incompletes. I am now a section hiker with 170 miles to go.
swamp fox
I can only speak to my reasons for leaving the trail after some 700 miles. The A.T. Is hard, the terrain is difficult with many places and ways to injure yourself. On one particular rainy day last May, while going down a rather steep slope, I fell 3 times but that didn’t stop me, it was after a slight misstep while packing up one morning that I injured my knee but even then I still liked on for another 100 miles. Finally it was the rain that drove me off the trail. Constant pouring rain for days and never really being able to dry out finally did it. I just was not prepared mentally for the constant rain.
Shabby
If you want to have a complete thruhike, your best bet is to do as much backpacking as you can now. Go out in the rain and the snow and the 90 degree days of summer. A lot of people have very unrealistic expectations of the trail. They expect it to be all fun and games, sunshine and butterflies. It isn’t. Especially in the beginning, it is hard. Climbing mountains day after day with a heavy pack in bad weather isn’t always fun. Since you have a year, go out as often as you can. Do a long trip - a week or two. Find out what it is like to be hiking all day every day. Most especially, try it on days of all day rain. You will run into that on the trail. It can be depressing, or it can be fun. Your attitude will determine which it is. But better to find out now, than to wait until Georgia.
Ginny
I started out last year at Amicalola Falls on March 18 in the best shape I had been in in years.Had been preparing myself for the last 6 years I really don’t think the trail was that hard mentally or physically.the trail and the camaraderie is something you will never forget but the one thing I did wrong was not listening to what I was supposed to do even though I had read all the books and was in good shape. I did too many miles to start out with. High mileage days take a toll on your knees and other parts of your body. After seven hundred twenty-five miles I had to stop. My knees would not let me go anymore . Take your time. I’d say 10-12 miles max the first two weeks. Listen to your body. Katahdin will be there no matter what speed you hike . May God bless. Bubblegum
Bubblegum