I have talked to friends and family about this and I feel like they aren't giving me a straight answer because they are friends and family. So who better to talk this through than the Appalachian Trail community.
So a little back story:
In 2014 the girlfriend and I at the time quit jobs, stored belongings and started the trail on March 10th. We made it just over 150 miles (quit near a highway just south of the Smokies) and went home. We subsequently broke up and now I think about the trail almost every other day.
To do justice to the gf, lets call her Jill, we quit because of me. I wasn't ready for the cold temps and I got a new tent just before we left, the Big Agnes Super Scout if you're considering it don't. Temps during the day were around 50 and nights varied from 10s to 20s and the tent let in way to much wind. About half the nights I would give my down jacket to Jill so she could be warm and I would sleep on and off.
After we quit I thought I had made the right decision, even had a few nights were I woke up thinking I was still on the trail and I dreaded it, basically a fear. Nearly a year later and I'm having all sorts of doubts and regrets.
There are 2 things I wish I knew when I started. One I heard all the time but didn't understand until it was too late and thats hike your own hike. Jill and I never got caught up other hikers besides pleasantries but we tailored our hikes to each other. I convinced her to leave the trail for town stays once a week and she would hate it. She convinced me to push more miles in the day and it wore me out. That coupled with the poor sleep and I was done at mile 100. This was never overt 'pressure' like I was expecting but it was felt none the less.
I also had the support of loads of people, hell we even had relatives dehydrating food for drops. And there in lies my worry. It felt like I had everything going for me, family, friends, support, and gear (wasn't spectacular but everything minus the tent was field tested and familiar).
So why am I dogged by this doubt? I feel like I have more in me than 150 miles but is this just hindsight? Should I stick to shorter camping trips and save the time and energy of planning another thru-hike?