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  1. #21
    GA-ME 2011
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    I figure there's two types of successful thru-hikers. The first are the ones that love the trail, love hiking and know there's no place else they'd rather be. The other's, well they're just too stubborn to quit.

    I would be the second type.
    "Chainsaw" GA-ME 2011

  2. #22
    Registered User
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    "Failure provides the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently." Henry Ford. Obviously, Russ... You've learned. You will continue to learn... We all do.

    "Nobody hits the trail for the first time, brilliant." McPick. (Yeah, I just made that up!)

    Seems to me that you've got a built-in opportunity to answer your own questions. Why not hike sections of the CT? If you're in Denver, it's right there. If you've got family/friends near-by, arrange for shuttles to and from sections. One major difference between the CT and AT is that the AT, to me, was MUCH more rugged a hike. The CT doesn't have nearly the boulder/root climbs, etc, that the AT has. Plus, those of us hiking the CT from elsewhere have to become acclimated. You're ready to go.

    "The essential part of creativity is not being afraid to fail." Edwin Land

    What have you got to lose?

    Funny... The nights I wake up and think I'm on the trail, I'm thrilled... Even relieved! Then bummed...

    Good luck!
    When you get to those unexpected situations in life where it’s difficult to figure something out, just ask yourself, “What would MacGyver do?”
    See ya!
    Rickles McPickles

  3. #23
    Registered User kayak karl's Avatar
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    i have never used a shelter to stay warm, just to stay dry. are you sure your other gear was warm enough. many times in the winter it's the pad!
    Last edited by kayak karl; 03-01-2015 at 14:29.
    I'm so confused, I'm not sure if I lost my horse or found a rope.

  4. #24

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    Now that you have some experience, you'll have a somewhat better shot at it. Going solo allows you to partner with others along the way with similar hiking styles. Starting a bit a latter like mid April as has been suggested puts you into a better weather window so you don't have the added burden of bad weather to deal with. You don't have to do any planning, just go. It's pretty useless to plan any farther then the next town you want to buy food at.

    If you still have the time, money and desire to try again, you might as well.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  5. #25
    Registered User q-tip's Avatar
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    The question I have is are you attracted to hiking, or the idea of hiking? The reality is very much different as you discovered. I left the trail in 2009 at Franklin due to a long term illness, I never should have tried. But in Aug. 2010 I got healthy and went from Franklin to Harpers Ferry which was my goal. Truth be told I wanted to quit virtually every other day, and then I would have some experience that made it all worth it. I have had a major relapse with my illness and may never hike again. Finishing 1,000+ miles of the AT was a highlight in my life and I have trekked and climbed on three continents.

    Having the right gear was critical and expensive but I was always able to get safe, dry and warm. My experience of returning and acheiving my goal was well worth it, even though no one I know understands why I went. Whatever you choose, good luck. I wanted what I considered a genuine AT experience and at 1,000 miles felt I achieved my goal.

  6. #26

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    Sometimes you aren't prepared for the reality of the trail, and sometimes the trail just isn't the right one for you.

    I know someone who attempted an AT thruhike, didn't like it and went home. A few years later he went out to the PCT and easily completed a thruhike. Was the difference in him or in the trail?

    All of us have visions of what the hike will be like before we go. Some of us are able to adapt to reality when we discover that our imagination was way off base. Some people can't adapt, or don't want to. Which are you?

    There is also the question of why you want the hike? Do you enjoy hiking, camping, being in nature? Many people like one but not the others. I've known more than one thruhiker who hated hiking, but loved the social aspects of the trail. I've known others who love hiking and camping, but hate the social aspects of the trail. For them, another trail might be the answer.

  7. #27
    Clueless Weekender
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    Quote Originally Posted by kayak karl View Post
    i have never used a shelter to stay warm, just to stay dry. are you sure your other gear was warm enough. many times in the winter it's the pad!
    I've surely used my tent to keep out of the wind, which is part of staying warm! But yeah. In the winter I bring two pads - my usual Prolite and a cheap blue foam. That way I'm nice and toasty if everything goes well, and still unfrozen if God forbid the Prolite springs a leak.
    I always know where I am. I'm right here.

  8. #28

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    Russ,
    1. You will never know unless you go. If you have the time and funds, give it another try. At least, you will have settled that doubt or regret.
    2. Suggestion - read Appalachian Trials by Zach Davis. It will help you to mentally prepare.
    3. It is hard hiking with a partner. Different speeds, different needs. Hike your own hike and you may find people that match yours.
    4. Wait til later in season to start for nicer weather.
    5. Giving your jacket to your girlfriend was nice at night but you both should have had your own gear. You admitted not getting much sleep. Sleeping at night might make all the difference.
    6. Get another tent (possibly) and test it out with your pad and sleeping bag in different temperatures so you are comfortable.
    7. You don't need the support. There are alot of hikers who hike without help. Be prepared to do it on your own. This is your goal or dream. Hopefully, family and friends will be there if you need them.
    Good luck with your decision.

  9. #29

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    if you're stubborn enough to make the sacrifices to be there a second time, you will very likely be successful.

  10. #30

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    One of the more common definitions of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly expecting a different result. Perhaps take a few long hikes to determine your aptitude to it, along with your mental determination and make your decision from there. Moderation has been the salvation of many and the point of success for even more.

  11. #31
    Registered User Russ979's Avatar
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    Wow, lot of posts, I'll try to respond chronologically


    Lone Wolf - Dont tempt me Frodo. It's embarrassing how many people knew about our hike and how much we told them. For God's sake we were featured in a small town South Dakota paper because my relatives thought it was a great story, complete with links to blogs and all. No one overtly says its (and maybe they dont think it) but there has to be more disappointment than has been voiced.


    I resolved therefore, that if I should try a thru-hike again, I'd tell the need-to-knows.


    Siestita - Spot on. I do feel like a 2nd time round requires much less planning and prep. Where Jill and I differed was prepping. I wanted gear, the best for me, not the most expensive. And I wanted to exercise, I was walking everywhere I could leading up to the hike. She planned mentally. She read Appalachian Trials, a book I didn't read until a couple months ago. So while the physicalness of the hike didn't bother me that much the mental part did. And while the physical stuff bothered her, mentally she could push past it. She came out the winner since I forced her off the trail, something I still feel terrible about.


    While I dont want to be preachy (cautionary tale and all that) don't slack on the mental aspect. Easiest way to handicap yourself. Town stays started with bad weather, that just seemed logical to me. "What? Freezing rain and temps down to 10, lets head to Suches." It soon became just a need for sleep or a creeping nag of "you're not the outdoorsman you thought you were, you can't do this" that I needed a break from. (thank goodness for Neil DeGrasse Tyson's cosmos on Sunday night)


    Hoofit - While I may have painted Jill as unhelpful she was quite the opposite. We relied on each other heavily, even for simple crap like getting our packs on and off, grabbing something from an outer pocket, or camp chores. Thats why I would certainly solo hike if I did it again. Nothing wrong with hiking with another person, but that pressure creeps in so slyly, hardly notice it until its too late.


    Meriodoc - I think about it everyday because its something I believe I have in me to do. I enjoy hiking, I enjoy camping, seems to reason that a thru-hike is in my wheel house. (See all comments about most hikers not being thru-hikers). Therein lies the doubt. Since I'm back in school to become a nurse it'll be a while before I can attempt it again.


    Malto - This has occurred to me and it worries me more than I think it should. So what if I’m not cut out for it right? Something inside me deeply wants to know if I can do it though, perhaps I already have the answer and I’m just wasting my time. Worst case, I hike for a while and leave.


    Rocket Jones - That should be everybody’s approach. It feels like theres much less pressure if you phrase it that way.


    Colter - I enjoyed it, even rainy days. I would rather have spent the 20 degree days in town but I knew there would be downer days. What ground me down was trying to live up to what Jill wanted.


    Fastfoxengineering - The planning really didn't bother me. I knew I was going overboard on gear/plans but I just enjoyed it. Didn't feel like I had to plan, it was like I GOT to. Dorky I know.


    McPick - In reality section hiking the CT should have been our first move. Would have saved both of us a lot of frustration and lessen the learning curve.


    Kayak Karl - No. I had the thermarest neo air. Rated for 3 season, I forget the R rating but it was never my backside that got cold. The problem was certainly my sleeping bag, rated for 30 degrees so really only good till 40. I had a liner and long johns (down jacket went to the gf). I think if I had gotten a bag rated for 20 I would have been much happier. Cheap me didn't wanna drop the 400-500 dollars at the NOC.


    Q Tip - I very much like hiking. Admittedly I romanticized the AT, I pictured much more green and broader paths. Obviously going later would be the ticket if I wanted anything green. Us northerners don't think the south goes through any kind of winter.


    Spirit Walker - I always liked hiking, couldn’t my finger on why but while on the trail my favorite part shifted. At the beginning I didn’t like the social camp sight, probably because we were on the edge and didn't feel like socializing. Some days I hated the hiking because the days hike felt desolate. But the next day we’d get a view or waterfall.


    Trail Ponderer - Read Appalachian Trials, wish I had read it sooner. Got a Marmot Aura tent but I’ve been looking heavily into hammocks. If I start later I don’t have to worry about cold, sleep more comfortably than on the air pad, and save the weight. Now its just a matter of saving the money.


    AT Traveler - God willing thats my plan. I won’t be able to attempt the AT or anything of that length for many years (curses nursing school) but some section hikes (PTO allowing) seem like a good way to test waters before I think of another long distance hike. Say at the end a 3 week section hike I’m wishing for more, then I’ll know trying the AT again isn't foolish.


    Sorry for any typos

  12. #32
    Registered User dangerdave's Avatar
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    All gods aside, thru-hiking is not for everyone, needless to say. I'm in the stubborn group. Everyone who knows me knows that I will finish my thru, regardless of the hardships. Balance is the rule. Beauty is balanced with misery. Euphoria with drudgery. Hot with cold. Wet with dry...well, really more wet. Hunger. Fulfillment. Thirst. Satiation. Elation. Misery. Pleasure and pain. We will find it all in plentiful quantity.

    Me? I can't wait!
    AKA "DANGER" AT Thru-Hiker Class of 2015

  13. #33
    Registered User All The Way's Avatar
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    I wish you well in whatever decision YOU make.

  14. #34

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    Russ979, Us northerners don't think the south goes through any kind of winter.
    I have lived in Michigan, Washington State, California, Montana. I worked in New York City and San Francisco.

    In spite of this experience, I thought the southern states enjoyed a semi-tropical paradise. Hah!

    All I hear on the weather app, for southern states, is single digits and snow. I had no idea.

    The photos by Tipi Walter help: you have snow.


    It seems to me, if you aren't too hard on yourself, solo hiking is the way to hike.

    Take a zero. Don't take a zero. Do hike at your own pace.

  15. #35
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    Great advice given here Russ.

    I've never thru-hiked so I have nothing of real value to offer; I'd just say it seems to me that you have unfinished business with the trail and you DO have the sack to get it done. It's just a matter of all the necessary moving parts coming together at the right time and HYOH. Go solo, meet people like yourself, and start later!! Do what logistical things you can to maximize your chances of finishing.

    Also I'm in Denver as well if you ever want to hike or talk the trail. Feel free to PM me.

  16. #36

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    I don't know if this will help or not. I hope so. I did my thru many, many years (decades) ago but I clearly remember suffering a bunch early on - blisters in Georgia, sore knees in the Nantahalas, and extreme exhaustion pretty much every day until I got to Damascus. That's where things started to noticeably for me. I should emphasize for me. From there on out I got stronger and stronger until by the time I got to New England I felt practically invincible - good thing too because it gets pretty serious up there. Until I started north out of Damascus I regularly told people I was just section hiking (first to Fontana then Hot Springs and finally Damascus).
    I mention all this because I think its easy to become discouraged and believe that this is how its going to be the entire way. But it does get better - at least for most people and if you can find a way to remember that it will help. There will still be plenty of challenges ahead - rocks in PA; springs that require long round trips off the trail; summer heat and humidity; etc, but you will get stronger. I think.
    Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.

  17. #37

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    Common story, sadly.
    Section hiking is underrated. You might still be together if you section hiked.

    Thru hiking has been artificially built up into the be-all end-all, but look at the statistics. It doesn't work for 90% of the people who try it.

  18. #38
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    You're welcome to join our flip flop bubble in Harpers Ferry May 1. I like what someone above said just start hiking and leave the expectations at home.
    The other is never quite on a bad day.

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