The Importance of Shakedown Hikes / Lessons Learned

[rafe]

I'm not quite sure what we're arguing about any more but I'm drawn to this trainwreck of a thread in any case. We're compelled to argue from our own unique perspective. I'm more interested in the hiker who quits 1/3 or 1/2 way up the trail, and what sort of preparation might have prevented that.

If a hiker spends big $$$, quits his/her job, travels to Springer and quits a few days later, that is a special kind of stupid that neither saddens nor concerns me. To do such a thing requires money and privilege beyond my reckoning. I shed no tears for such folk. More money than brains, I say.

So, what are the odds for your typical, happy weekend warrior? How many consecutive days must one carry a pack before one has walked "a long distance?" Mags cites a figure of 5-7 days. By that standard, I was ill-prepared. Multiple short treks does not equal one long one. I knew that, but took the chance anyway.

Long-distance hiking was something I had to learn to like, and that learning took years and years. Maybe it was just a matter of growing up. To this day I'm amazed at those who claim to have never had a negative experience on a hike. I can't imagine that but am haunted by it. Something tells me there's a truth in there that I could stand to learn.

[Traveler]

Long-distance hiking was something I had to learn to like, and that learning took years and years. Maybe it was just a matter of growing up. To this day I'm amazed at those who claim to have never had a negative experience on a hike. I can't imagine that but am haunted by it. Something tells me there's a truth in there that I could stand to learn.

Could this fall into the category of there are no bad hiking experiences, its just that some are better than others? I have had a more than a few miserable hours and days in the woods, but those experiences helped me learn something new about my equipment, gear I should get, or about myself. I wouldn't necessarily categorize these as negative experiences, but I have a mess of much better ones.

[Malto]

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.

I don't think thin anyone would disagree with your first statement. Most of the comments in the thread directly address the bolder part of your second sentence.

[pauly_j]

I guess I'm looking at it in a different way from a lot of people. I'm not really viewing it as a challenge to complete like I would a race (incidentally, I ran a marathon sub 3 hours having never ran further than 10k previously - it's not always about relentless training). I'm looking at it more as a situation I'm going to put myself in for 6 months.

I know that physically, the miles are not going to put me off; I consider myself in a very good state of general fitness. I know that the weather is not going to put me off; I live in England and have cycled and walked everywhere throughout my life (I know what 'wet' is!). I know that missing things and people will not put me off; The main reason I'm going is to break out of my routine, see new things, meet new people. I know that I like hiking and hill walking; I've done it all my life.

I've never hiked a long trail or spent more than a handful of days in a row in the wilderness but I know I'm well prepared.

[rafe]

I've never hiked a long trail or spent more than a handful of days in a row in the wilderness but I know I'm well prepared.

Now that's chutzpah. Best of luck to you. Let us know how it goes.

[garlic08]

When I started my AT hike, I was shocked at how many obviously unprepared people were attempting a thru-hike--obese, over-packed, clueless to the basics of camping, etc. So many were miserable. I couldn't understand why one would make such an investment in money, time, career and family standing with so little preparation. Everyone should be doing it my way!

But I learned that the diversity in hikers was part of what made the AT special. Though I still think getting ready is a real good idea, and recommend it to those who ask, it's not a necessary criterion for enjoying the AT in whatever way you want to enjoy it. For many, it can be a "fine and pleasant misery."

[rickb]

I've never hiked a long trail or spent more than a handful of days in a row in the wilderness but I know I'm well prepared.

If your preparedness includes a solid understanding of Lyme disease-- awareness, prevention, diagnosis, treatment (both prophylactic and after a confirmed diagnosis) I would be hard pressed to take issue with that.

If you somehow missed that one, maybe not.

[BirdBrain]

No matter what you do, someone will think it is wrong. There are those that say just do it and learn as you go. There are those that say that you should, to the best of your ability, be prepared for every foreseeable possibility. And there are a million opinions in between. If pressed, many will call your view stupid or arrogant if it differs from their view. It is truly an amazing process to behold. I have seen people I have great respect for argue polar opposite views. I have seen them say such blunt and insulting things about what the other guy is doing. HYOH has its place. Find out who you are and apply it to this adventure. You are not going to change who you are.

I am the type of person who tests most everything. When I have not used my table saw in a while, I run a test cut before I start cutting the real thing. If I am going to do any touch up painting in the house, I paint a sample to see how it will match before I paint the real thing. I check the door on the way out of the house to see if it is locked. I apply this mentality to my walks. It follows a pattern of who I am.

In the spring, I check out all my gear. During the winter, I have pondered things that could be improved. Sometimes those "improvements" are gear. Sometimes they are methods. I check things as best I can at home. I test things on a shakedown. I test myself on a shakedown. I injure myself in my day to day life. If you have an active life, you probably get a few bumps too. There is something on my body that is healing most of the time. The shakedown is the time to find out if I am ready or if my gear is ready or if my "improvements" are worthy. The trail is humbling. I would rather be humbled on a 3 day walk than a 30 day walk.

None of this is a superior plan. It is reflective of who I am. I think it is a better plan. I can and have argued that it is a better plan. I have had people that I have great respect for shoot holes in my methods. They do so because of who they are. They think it is because their methods are superior. Sometimes that might be the case. Many people find a way to succeed doing thing vastly different from the other guy. Many people think my endless testing and checking and planning is an unreasonable way to do things. I think their difficulties along the trail are a result of their lack of planning. They think such things are unavoidable and that you can plan so much that you don't go. It goes on and on.

I am not sure if any of this makes sense. I would advise people to live with themselves. You are who you are. Do the best you can, knowing who you are. For some, even that concept requires too much thinking. Had to put my dig in. That is the normal way we debate here.

[pauly_j]

Thank you, I will.

[pauly_j]

Now that's chutzpah. Best of luck to you. Let us know how it goes.

(In reference to the above)

[Gambit McCrae]

Just one persons opinion, but for the life of me I don't get why anyone who hasn't done multiple week long hikes, decides they want to hike the AT.

Why would any think it sounds like fun to do something for 6 months something they don't do every time they have week or weekend off.

Sent from my SM-T110 using Tapatalk

Spot on

What a ridiculous thing to say. I don't swim with dolphins every weekend but that's not to say I wouldn't want to on a holiday.

How this post should have been typed:
This is going to be a ridiculous thing to say; I don't swim with dolphins every weekend but that's not to say I wouldn't want to on a holiday

Yeah, but would you swim with the dolphins continuously for six months without ever getting out of the water? I mean, yeah, the dolphin swim sounds great for like an hour or two, but after that not so much.

That's the difference between "hey let's go for an overnight hike" and "hey let's go walk up and down steep mountains for six months, leaving our jobs and our families behind, carrying heavy packs in rain and snow and summer heat." Totally different.

Spot on

[JustaTouron]

My comment is not intended to discourage anyone from following their dream.

It just seems odd to me that ones dream would be hike the AT, if they aren't the type of person who goes hiking every time they have a free weekend.

I would say the same thing about someone who wanted to ride their bike across the country, when they never take a weekend bike trip.

Or someone who doesn't run, wanting to train for a marathon.

And those things happen too, just doesn't make sense to me.

[Traveler]

My comment is not intended to discourage anyone from following their dream.

It just seems odd to me that ones dream would be hike the AT, if they aren't the type of person who goes hiking every time they have a free weekend.

I would say the same thing about someone who wanted to ride their bike across the country, when they never take a weekend bike trip.

Or someone who doesn't run, wanting to train for a marathon.

And those things happen too, just doesn't make sense to me.

I don't believe one must spend every day they have off and all their vacation time backpacking to figure out if long distance hiking is for them or not. Seems to me a few weekends and/or a five day would be enough to make that decision. Maybe its just me, but I didn't need much backpacking experience to know that I liked it enough to do a lot of it.

[capehiker]

I love shakedown hikes. I agree with others who say a long section is good before attempting a Thru. You can watch gear videos on YouTube and its glaringly obvious who pieced their kit together from going to REI versus actually being in the woods.

[HikerJ]

What I worry about is the discipline to get through the initial doubt. I know if I can make it to Neels Gap in good spirits I can make it the rest of the way. The longest time I've spent hiking was 87 days, at that time I was too young to really have a choice to not hike. For me, anything that is a challenge, starts with a little discouragement, just gotta push through it.

[Lone Wolf]

what if neel gap didn't exist?

[Dogwood]

Just one persons opinion, but for the life of me I don't get why anyone who hasn't done multiple week long hikes, decides they want to hike the AT.

Why would any think it sounds like fun to do something for 6 months something they don't do every time they have week or weekend off.

Sent from my SM-T110 using Tapatalk

Some folks want to say they did something special something of epic proportions something of notoriety. They want to feel they are doing something different, moving, changing, contemplating change, meditating, regrouping, decompressing, etc. The woods or Nature have often attracted those seeking these things.

My comment is not intended to discourage anyone from following their dream.

It just seems odd to me that ones dream would be hike the AT, if they aren't the type of person who goes hiking every time they have a free weekend.

I would say the same thing about someone who wanted to ride their bike across the country, when they never take a weekend bike trip.

Or someone who doesn't run, wanting to train for a marathon.

And those things happen too, just doesn't make sense to me.

Folks don't always apprise themselves of the cost or effort needed to LD hike. It's becoming increasingly common. This carries over to many situations in which there seems to be a reward or something to gain. I think it relates to coveting something yet seeking to achieve without paying one's dues. It closely parallels the romanticizing Mags spoke about. Then, once on trail the reality sets in and..........then the shortcuts are sought .......and then the realization few exist to actually walk to Maine on the AT. THEN, the debating, rationalizing, justifying, excusing why it's OK to quit, yellow blaze, aqua blaze, etc or simply lie about what was done. Quite common!

[Kenai]

What Mags posted about taking a few 5-7 day shakeout trips is sound logical advice. That is the approach that I am taking in planning my thru hike. But in my younger days, I was much more impetuous in my planning. I had never been on an overnight bicycle trip before, but I still replied to the ad in the back of the NY Times, and did a 38 day, 1800 mile bike tour from New Hampshire, thru Maine, Nova Scotia, and PEI. A few years later, my buddy told me that there were jobs in Alaska, for the salmon season. We packed up our packs, sleeping bags, and a tent, and drove up to Alaska, with an old Rand McNally map, and our last paychecks. We had called ahead, and had tentative jobs at a processing plant, but on arrival, the plant was closed down. We found other jobs, and I stayed for quite a while. I put off college for a couple years, but it was well worth it. Sometimes you just got to say WTH, and go for it. At least that was my attitude then. I was ill prepared, looking back on it, but we survived, and thrived. Some will arrive at Katahdin, most will not. Some will have crappy gear and still complete the journey, others will have the lightest and best gear, and will tap out by Neels Gap. Everyone will have their own motivation for attempting the journey. For me, it is the adventure. I have been sitting around for too long without one. I wonder how many hikers actually look at this forum before they start their hike?

[garlic08]

...I wonder how many hikers actually look at this forum before they start their hike?

Pretty few, I'll bet. You actually can prepare for a hike without using the internet, and that might entail actually getting out and hiking.

I personally never even heard of WB until well after I'd finished my hike in 2008--Mags mentioned it on a hike later that year. (That says something--I've been skiing and hiking with a major contributor and moderator, and he never talks about it (or his dirt-bag gear).)

Nice story, by the way. We do sometimes change as we age. We get middle aged, get credit cards....

[Mags]

and he never talks about it (or his dirt-bag gear).)

.

i am usually more interested in the post-hike brews