The Importance of Shakedown Hikes / Lessons Learned

[Dogwood]

Oooh, you missed one of the best on the entire AT Wolfie.

[BirdBrain]

the only blue blaze i regret not doing is gulf hagas. i'll do it one day

I did it. It was nice. I am glad I did it. However, there is a 200 yard blue blue not too far from there that is much better in my opinion. Almost every thru misses it. The view of Katahdin from the Rainbow Lake Dam is incredible. I sat on that beach for a half hour trying to convince myself to keep moving. There are so many short detours that so many miss. The view of Jo Mary Mountain, from Cooper Pond is another such view. Each one of these views has me asking myself how I would ever live if I did not have the chance to see such things. I could care less if I ever get any notch in my belt at the cost of seeing this stuff. Again, that is just me.

[BirdBrain]

I don't understand why people don't hike more at night. More wildlife to see, cooler temperatures, incredible light show as the moon plays in the trees. My goodness there is so much beauty in that darkness.

I get that. I spent weeks getting a picture I was pleased with of Hale-Bopp. I watch aurora forecasts and drive to dark areas during peak northern lights. I set up 3 mattresses on my back lawn for my children to see likey the best Leonid meteor shower of their lifetime (1998). Like I said, it is all choices. From your description, it appears I am missing out.

[rafe]

I can answer this. Because the "breathtaking" view is virtually identical to the breathtaking view that you saw twice earlier that day and will see three times later in the day, once at sunset. People have different motivations, what may be a perfect day relaxing at an overlook may be shear torture for some who like to be on the move.

But the view from Katahdin's summit is not like the view from Franconia ridge. I wouldn't want to miss either one.

Just today on facebook I saw some lucky thru hiker's "victory" photo from the sign on Katahdin. Behind him was a gray void. I wonder if he'll ever return to check out what he missed?

[Mags]

I wonder what percentage of thru hikers like backpacking. Seems like a great many don't incorporate it into their lives after they reach Katahdin.

i suspect they like it enough otherwise they would be the 75% who drop out.

however, point well taken. I think many enjoy the life style of ld hiking more so than the hiking itself.

Practice and research are useful preparation for a thru-hike, but by no means a guarantee of success.

I've witnessed hikers who appeared to be woefully unprepared and walked the distance. I have witnessed hikers who were fit and well-prepared .

That gives me the warm fuzzies and really touches my heart.

However, the question still was not answered: is there a logical reason to not go out and hike and see if someone actually likes hiking for a few days before, you know, going out hiking for five months ? I mean 5-7 days seems like such a small investment when literally hundreds of people quit along the way.

[BirdBrain]

That gives me the warm fuzzies and really touches my heart.

However, the question still was not answered: is there a logical reason to not go out and hike and see if someone actually likes hiking for a few days before, you know, going out hiking for five months ? I mean 5-7 days seems like such a small investment when literally hundreds of people quit along the way.

Come on Mags. You know that is a rhetorical question. However, if you insist on having a straight man, I will be it. There is no reason not to do as you suggest. It is a prudent course of action.

[Mags]

Come on Mags. You know that is a rhetorical question. However, if you insist on having a straight man, I will be it. There is no reason not to do as you suggest. It is a prudent course of action.

Based on the responses on this thread, I am under the impression most people in this "community " seem to think this otherwise.

[rickb]

Based on the responses on this thread, I am under the impression most people in this "community " seem to think this otherwise.

Of course Mags is right.

Even so,a small part of me cannot help but think that it is easy to backpack when you are enjoying it, but the real trick to a successful thru hike is to keep going on those days when you are not. Therefore if you take that 5 day shakedown hike and discover backpacking sucks but still head for Springer, you will do just fine.

[Harmless]

I voluntarily do many things I don't actually enjoy. I do them because they are hard. Going, when I feel like stopping is satisfying. It isn't masochism. For me, it is mastery of myself.

Some people really, really like landscape scenes. They should take advantage of every enjoyable opportunity to view a landscape.

Some people really, really like covering epic distance. It may not feel good at the time, but it feels good to have done.

It is a challenge to remember how different we are from one another.

I wouldn't dream of asking my family to bless a 6-month hike without demonstrating that I can succeed at multiple shorter hikes. OTOH, if I didn't have a family, I might just start walking one day when the whim struck me.

Hike your own hike.

[rafe]

Of course Mags is right.

Even so,a small part of me cannot help but think that it is easy to backpack when you are enjoying it, but the real trick to a successful thru hike is to keep going on those days when you are not. Therefore if you take that 5 day shakedown hike and discover backpacking sucks but still head for Springer, you will do just fine.

Conversely, you might hit a stretch of lovely weather and gorgeous scenery, have a great time, and still find yourself miserable the first time you hit a three-day stretch of rain or a succession of view-less peaks.

I am not arguing against practice hikes and gaining as much experience as you can before attempting a thru-hike. I'm just saying that it's no guarantee.

"The fallacy of education is in thinking that what needs to be learned can necessarily be taught." I read that on a chalkboard many years ago.

[Lone Wolf]

i was never physically challenged on the AT. the five, 50 mile trail ultras i ran taxed my azz

[BirdBrain]

Based on the responses on this thread, I am under the impression most people in this "community " seem to think this otherwise.

Most people don't run calculations to maximize food densities, or build 100 stoves trying to save a gram of fuel efficiency, or study maps and blogs to determine reliability of water and then run calculations of how much water to carry between water sources. What can I say? Most people are odd.

[Heliotrope]

Very entertaining thread. Veering far from the original point but perhaps for good reasons. Have not thru hiked but have been backpacking and day hiking for over 30 years. It is my number one favorite thing to do on a day or week off. I have refined my kit and techniques over the decades. I have learned much from each trip and the experience keeps improving.. There is pleasure in testing new ideas, in enjoying nature and in pushing our bodies and minds through challenging feats. Modern life in the box is hard to pull away from especially during childrearing, mortgage paying years. 5-6 months may be too much time away. The romantic notion Mags refers to may be why people are fixated on the AT. When there are shorter thru hikes to be had: the AZT, PNT. Wonderland trail, Long Trail. So in addition to a 100 mile shake down how about a short thru hike first? Like taking on a half marathon before the marathon before the triathlon...


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[Dogwood]

.....The romantic notion Mags refers to may be why people are fixated on the AT. When there are shorter thru hikes to be had: the AZT, PNT. Wonderland trail, Long Trail. So in addition to a 100 mile shake down how about a short thru hike first? Like taking on a half marathon before the marathon before the triathlon...

Agree with you although if even a shorter distance thru-hike is a prep to the longer AT thru kinda boils down to the same principle as posed by Mags.

There's a lot more notoriety that comes with mentioning the world famous AT compared to all those other trails that plays into opting for instead a AT thru hike attempt. What attracts some to the AT as well are the mounds of analysis, documentation, guidebooks, memoirs, sites like this, and overall interest that exist. The AT represents a great amount of hiking convenience and familiarity which makes it popular to hike too. I'm sure some ATers have said to themselves if so and so can do the AT under so and so circumstances I have hope that I can do it too.

[Mags]

Therefore if you take that 5 day shakedown hike and discover backpacking sucks but still head for Springer, you will do just fine.

That makes absolutely no sense at all.

I tried swing dancing once at the behest of my girlfriend at the time. I did not do it again because I did not like it.

Using your logic, perhaps I should have gone to a swing dancing camp (really, there is such a thing). , spend hundreds of dollars and precious vacation time and know I would do just fine?

Cripe.

I am not arguing against practice hikes and gaining as much experience as you can before attempting a thru-hike. I'm just saying that it's no guarantee.

"

I am just simply saying a person should see if they actually like hiking first to see if they want to commit to more hiking as square one.

Not talking about success or failure. Just something much more simple.

I read that on a chalkboard many years ago.

I went to Catholic school. I read lots of crap on a chalk board....

Here's something far more direct: You are more likely to learn by actually doing something first.

I did not read that on a chalk board. Just made it up.

[Dogwood]

I find the personal accounts and connections made between topics to be amusing. Exploring swing dancing and being ready to LD hike, eating spaghetti and being able to LD hike, etc.

[Mags]

She was cute. I was in my early 30s.

You do things when you are in your early 30s with a cute woman to well,...'nuff said.

[Dogwood]

Why do the sensible thing Mags when it would take away from being distracted with ceaseless gear talk, shopping, posting here, opining on a subject one has little to no personal experience, romanticizing about a life or potentially life altering event one could experience, or doing something not deemed worthy or epic enough. The idea of the day is forget about the prep and work and research and knowing yourself when you can bypass all that and be the first string multi millionaire quarterback at the next epic Super Bowl throwing TDs to Santana Moss without ever having taken a snap in high school or college or having thrown a pass to Moss.

[rickb]

That makes absolutely no sense at all.

I tried swing dancing once at the behest of my girlfriend at the time. I did not do it again because I did not like it.

Using your logic, perhaps I should have gone to a swing dancing camp (really, there is such a thing). , spend hundreds of dollars and precious vacation time and know I would do just fine?

Cripe.

I should probably have emphasized the part of that post that said "Of course Mags is right" and "a small part of me cannot help but think" which directly proceeded the comment of mine you quoted.

My post might still not have made any sence, but at least it would obvious that I agree with you.

The idea I was getting at -- however poorly I presented it-- was that just discovering you enjoy backpacking may not be enough. Part of having a most excellent hike for some of us had to do with pushing through the rain and hunger and boredom and loneliness and parts that were not enjoyable.

Having a a really great week-long hike might not reflect that part of thru hike.

Being out for a week and having fitful night of sleep on a hard pad listening to every twig snap at 3 am, nursing a bolster on your little toe, and really not knowing what the hell to do with yourself between the time you stopped for the day and it finally got dark AND STILL wanting to do a thru hike more than anything is a good sign, I think.

No doubt I was thinking too hard, and went down my own rabbit hole on that post. Not the first time,

In the end I could not agree more that it is important to get out on shakedown hikes prior to a thru.

[Traveler]

For what its worth, I agree with the long weekend to 5-day backpacking shakedown hike to assess if you care for the activity. Though it won't provide much of a barometer if a long distance hike is for you, it will help you decide if this or swing dancing is in your wheelhouse.