Why finish AT thru hike?

imported
#1

hey everyone. for those of you that remember me i’m doing well on the trail, will be in waynesborough tomorrow, i’m not thinking of getting off the trail, just wondering what the trail is really about.

i’ve come across some people who when I ask them how they are liking it, they say, “I love it out here.” And i don’t understand these sentiments. I don’t love it out here, in fact I don’t even particularly like hiking though i don’t dislike it. there are some parts of this life style i love, but really what it comes down to for me is that this hike is a huge grind, just doing a lot of miles.

I talked to someone else about this and he suggested that people who say they “love it” just won’t admit to themselves they are reaally not loving it. i’ve thought about it some and i’m not out here for the nature (to be sure, i like hanigng out here a lot more than i do by a trafficy road but it’s not a decidiing factor). It’s not the people i meet out here, there are some nice people but i prefer my friends back home. I think it’ sthe challenge of doing this whole thing.

i’m curious what other people have to say about this, especially past thru hikers.

p.s. sorry i can’t organize this post better but i have no time sinc ethis is a community computer.

p.s.s. sanwald, i am not aquablaizing
danny

danny

#2

hey Danny,
Believe it or not but some of us fool truly do love to hike. the feeling of, “What do I have to worry about today? Ohh, where will i get water and where will I sleep tonight.”
As far as the hiking goes, take it easy. its not about finishing anything. its about the fact that you don’t have a 9 to 5, and your seeing the eastern states and their towns on foot.
?
How many side trips have you taken? and I don’t mean blue blazes. I mean, have you hitch to some cool place for a music show? you gotten off trail to see something the area has to offer, don’t become a slave to the white blaze. get you ass out there and make the trail your journey, who the f^(k cares about finishing. when its over you just go back to unhappy people stuck in their every day debt filled lives. SLOW DOWN and see what you can see. Otherwise, hitch to the beach and get ready for summer

Goof

#3

Hi Danny. I thru-hiked in 2002, and there were definitely times when I was not particularly enjoying myself. Hiking the trail became somewhat like a job for a few days at time. But then, I’d come upon something really cool like a bear and her cubs or just an amazing sunset. These times are what kept me going. Hang in there… you will look back on the AT with fondness when you’re done.

Superfeet
GA->ME '02

Superfeet

#4

Go back to the beginning and ask that first question. If you’re satisfied with where you are, and don’t the journey, then do something else.

But why NOT finish?

Tha Wookie

#5

In 02 I use to say " I love the trail, I hate the trail." Some days ,it seemed to be a job , a grind sort of. Then other days it was the greatest. You run through so many emotions out there. But in the end,as its coming to a close, you find yourself wanting more and not wanting it to end. You get to use to the woods,the people,the freedom. It becomes your life. Like it or not.The day before Katahdin,you find yourself thinking about all the things youve been doing for six months being the last time. You think about not being a thru hiker anymore. Enjoy every step!!!
White blaze/pack on back

Virginian

#6

when i hiked in 99, i nearly got off about 7 times, i am not exagurating. i experienced lukewarm feelings similar to yours. once i got back to the world after succesfuly finishing, though, the trails memory lingered strongly. i just went out for 500 miles and i was one of those obnoxious guys who loved every min. i even loved watching myself get irritated with it. its all in the way you look at it, but chances are when you finish it you will look at it as the best thing you ever did, so i say start looking at it that way now. but in such a long trip, downs are highly highly likely (i was going to say inevitable, but i know wookie would take issue!). the joy will come back around with a vengance, maybe you could usher it in?

dude, its ridiculously fun when you love it. think of how ridiculous your lifestyle is! how could that novelty wear off?

yellow blaze/pack in hatchback

milo

#7

Danny as I was finishing my thru-hike in '02 I tried to express to the readers of my journal the how and why of me doing it. So I came up with “A true journey is an adventure fueled by the heart and guided by the soul”. We all do it for various reasons but my hike was a journey. It was a journey physically but mostly a journey into myself. That may sound profound or stupid, I don’t know. I just know that accomplishing that hike challenged me in ways I’m still discovering today.

Two Scoops

#8

Danny,

Your package won’t be in Waynesboro tomorrow. Where is your next stop. I feel really bad about that. I was logging on this morning to figure out when this week I needed to send the stuff, apparently I am late. Is Harpers Ferry Next for you?

One thing that my wife always says she misses about the trail is the simplicity of the lifestyle. The fact that you are just exploring your thoughts, the countryside, human nature, etc. No work, expectations, or people getting pissed at you when you have tried to help them and they are just jerks. I guess, the trail was more of a way of life…than anything to us.

Good luck, let me know about the next stop. Sorry.

FatCat

Michael Sanwald

#9

Word up, you all beat me to the punch this time. Lets me try double space.

That’s it, thats my problem to Milo. That’s why I love this site so.

Don’t quit, I hurt when quit. I love the people ,I’m not sure they all love me. But I find the word Anthropology covers what I love about the whole A-T scene. Even the pushy ones that don’t care for me interest me to where they were programed from to.

If you perfer you friends back home, what can I say. Cept I would also like to meet them and see why they are more fun. Maybe that’s what I’ll do instead to then if they are more fun than Anthropology of the whole east coast in under 5 months.

                        Gregory Forester :)

Greg

#10

I’m stopping in harper’s ferry for sure. “I feel really bad about that.” Don’t worry about it, if I didn’t get it until NH I’d still have to thank you profusely.

I’ll try anda wriute a better response to this whole thread when I get a chance, shuttle is leaving from haus’ b&B to trail in a minute (this place stands out, btw, as one of the classies places on the trail).

danny

#11

Ah yes the gear has brought me back to life again. I used to carry a 45-55 pound pack with tarp and spiders bits and the like and 5 pound shoes.

Now I’m LUX, got a 17 pound pack yet and a tent with a floor and TRS’s and in the best shape in my life. I shouldn’t say that I guess, but what the heck, this ain’t trailcubscouts.com. So I get crazy now and then with my 1 watt LED headlamp and other new gear, understand? You don’t know how lucky you are today with tents like Zeuz EXO 2. I don’t want you to quit.

                                Den Mother

Greg

#12

Dude I had some downs. But most of them involved Pearisburg or my shins. I was lonely for sure. Sometimes the more beautiful something was, it would make me sad because it was fleeting for me, or I had no one to share it with. But eventually I learned to let all that self-centered suffering go for the most part.

Tha Wookie

#13

Danny, everyone is out there for their own reasons. Most don’t even really know why they are out there, or have a mixture of ideas and feelings about it. Perhaps the more reasons you have for being there, the easier it is to keep going. If you are only out there for one reason - sometimes it just isn’t enough.

If you are primarily out there for the challenge of it, then you really can’t quit, can you? You won’t have met the challenge. That said, I know a lot of guys whose only reason to do the trail was physical challenge, and once they had done a couple of 30 mile days, they went home. They knew they could physically meet the challenge, and they weren’t interested in the greater emotional challenge.

For me, I do long hikes for a lot of reasons. I love being totally immersed in the natural world. I love watching the seasons change, encountering wildlife, seeing beauty at every hand. There is the feeling that around every corner there might be something surprising - a bear, or a view, or a waterfall. I love the simplicity of trail life, where I am living totally in the NOW, concerned only with where my next water source can be found and what I am eating for dinner. I love the act of hiking itself. That’s why we hike almost every weekend. Just getting out into the woods and walking gives me a high that can’t be found elsewhere. Then there is also the challenge aspect. Despite the happiness I feel while on the trail, it isn’t easy. My body protests at 20 mile days. I’ve had injuries that threatened to send me home. Doing nothing but hiking, all day every day for 150 to 180 days at a time - it can get old. (But that’s what zero days are for. You take the time to do something different, go to a movie or a concert or rafting or simply doing nothing but reading a trashy novel, and then going back to the trail feels quite good.) I love meeting the people along the way - the kind strangers who go out of their way for us, the locals in the bar who have very different ways of looking at the world, the many folks who think we are utterly insane for doing a long hike, but still greet us with a smile and a friendly word. Then there are the other hikers. It is a unique world where everyone is connected because they share a dream, a goal, a lifestyle. The 16 year old student and the 70 year old retired general can be friends, as are the factory worker and the spacecraft engineer, the most liberal and the most conservative – all are comrades. If your mind is open, you can share thoughts and ideas and learn from all those who are very different from you.

I had days that were really hard, and times that I wondered why I was out there, but they never lasted more than a few hours. But then, I had/have a lot of reasons for being on the trails and what I gain from the experience far exceeds the price I pay.

Spirit Walker

#14

Dude go to the beach, hang out by the pool and drink yourself stupid, SUMMER IS HERE

Goof

#15

Danny:

if you’re NOT enjoying the experience…GO HOME!

        it's NOT rocket-science....

whether its a thru-hiker, a section-hiker, or whatever youre hiking…if youre NOT enjoying the journey…why do it?

P.S…why can’t people accept words @ face value???

…“sometimes what you say…is truly what you mean!”

“Jaybird”

#16

I almost hesitate sending this post,but want to offer you some Food for Thought.Like “Jaybird” said,if you aren’t enjoying it on the trail,go home, but think about this before you do.I finished my section hike last year on the 6th of May and,planned to return again this year.Just a few days over 13 months from the date I finished, I go into surgery for liver cancer.No one knows how fast life can change.The point I’m trying to make is,be decisive about what you want to do,but be content with your decision.
I would give anything, to be where you are at now.

Bill Harris

#17

Dear Danny:

Why finish the hike?

Because we all have only so many Summers in our lives, and this is the Summer you chose to do this.

And don’t worry about the grinding, nor become confused by it, nor put too much emphasis on it. Imagine the grind of meaningless work; or a meaningless life. Compare. Trodding through the forest becomes the preferable option.

The grind, I think, comes from the “busy mind”, which we carry with us into the forest. The cure is to quell the “busy mind”, that remnant of our over-organized, massively crowded society.

Sit quietly from time to time, focus on the “now” of your life, and the “busy mind” will dissipate.

Enjoy this Summer.

Enjoy this “now”.

Sincerely–Conan.

Conan…

#18

Conan, I like your post, very eastern in thought.

First of all, I just want to clarify that I am NOT thinking of ending my thru hike. I’m more curious about what a thru hike really is to most people.

A lot of people are saying that I’m going to have my “down” times on the trail but it’s not like I’m having a great time and then a bad time and then a great time and then a bad time. It’s more of a “lukewarm feeling” I have towards the trail the whole time.

Another thing many people say is they enjoy the freedom of being out here, doing whatever they want (for instance, taking a zero day if they feel like it, or hiking just 5 miles on a given day)… I don’t really appreciate this like most people do I’ve decided because fortunately my parents are not controlling at ll and in high school I did whatever I wanted to, I’ve never felt constrained by society and such.

I’m beginning to realize how important food is. When I get hungry and don’t even notice it I get in a bad mood but cheer up right away at dinner or in towns when I’m eating. That’s helping with my mindset. Also, I am having a DECENT time out here, and I’m glad I’m doing this and glad I’m out here (I am very much looking forward to finishing though).

thanks for the repsonses,
danny

danny

#19

I realized how important good food was when I was on the trail. I really enjoyed being in town and eating a real steak or something. I’ll be hookin’ you up at the Harpers Ferry PO. Also stop by the outfitter. I ended up hanging with them overnight. If you stop in, let them know that FatCat and Grommie say hi and thank you.

Anywho, I’ll send out the package on Thursday, so hopefully you’ll get it in Harpers Ferry.

Later

Michael Sanwald

#20

What’s a thruhike to me?
Here’s a poem someone else posted on my hiking list three months before I left on my '03 journey. I saved it:

DREAM BIG

If ever there were a time to dare,
to make a difference,
to embark on something worth doing,
it is now.
Not for some grand cause, necessarily,
but for something that tugs at your heart
something that is your aspiration
Something that’s your dream

You owe it to yourself
to make each day here count
Have fun
Dig deep
Stretch

Dream big.

Know, though, that things worth doing
seldom come easy.
There will be good days
and there will be bad days
There will be times when
you want to turn around,
pack it up,
call it quits.
Those times tell you
that you are pushing yourself,
that you are not afraid to learn by trying.

Persist.

Because with an idea,
determination,
and the right tools,
you can do great things.
Let your instincts,
your intellect
and your heart
guide you.

Trust.

Believe in the incredible power
Of all the things that will cross your path
this year.

The start of something new
brings the hope of something great.
Anything is possible.
There is only one you,
and you will only pass this way once.
Do it right.

-Author unknown

It was like this at the start, and became much, much more as I went along. Sometimes I knew that; sometimes I knew it only in retrospect. It seems even more true now, seven months after summiting Katahdin.

Jan

LiteShoe