The adage, "never give up." May well have served many thru-hikers years ago, but todays adventurers look at a thru-hike quite differently.
Some background. I thru-hiked in 2001 after a 2000 abort because of a injury. For the last 15 years I have been a caretaker at the AMC cabin on Upper Goose Pond.
During this time I have talked to 100s of Hikers staying at the cabin. At one time most of the hikers who had reached this point in their journey had a lot of will power and determination to complete their hike. In recent years I have witnessed a change in hikers willingness to indoor the hardship of a thru-hike and lacking the spirit of the words, "never give up."