Dumb Question about thru-hikers!!! read now and answer!!!

[Blissful]

Hikers have left for the reasons you pointed out - injury, money, disinterest, their best firend left the trail, family issues on the homefront, boredom, don't like the weather. One cannot predict who will finish or not but for sure attitude - the mental factor, plays the greatest role in overcoming the hardship you will encounter.

[Ender]

[QUOTE=David@whiteblaze;Does anyone know if the people on whiteblaze are more likely to finish a thru-hike than...[/QUOTE]

No, they are not.

The real world is a whole heck of a lot different than the internet, as a lot of people find out when they hit the trail.

[Jester2000]

The actual hiking process is intensely real and physical. When someone has built up elaborate fantasies about The Hike, the real hike is usually a disappointment, even a betrayal.

I agree with this. I'm certainly NOT a spur of the moment kind of guy -- I need to do some planning. But aside from saving money, the planning I've done has usually been done in a 3-4 month period before the hike, not over a period of 5 years.

I think that all of the info on the internet (not really available for my first thru) can be a good thing in that it helps some people with little experience to get the nerve to get on trail at all, and helps them make some good decisions before they get out there. Like not starting your Southbound thru-hike in February.

On the other hand, I think it's also increased the number of people attempting to thru-hike without seriously affecting the completion rate (I believe the increase in completion percentage is more due to people claiming to have thru-hiked who have not. This is just my opinion.) I think it's created a whole class of "dreamers," many of whom will never attempt a thru-hike, an many others of whom quit when the reality doesn't match the dream.

So like most things (except cheese), the internet can be good or bad, depending on how you use it. I don't think it can be used as a predictor of success.

Personally, I save my elaborate fantasies about the hike for storytelling fodder after I've finished.

[Jonnycat]

If you don't get discourage no bug, rain, field mice, and the smell will stop you from reaching your goal

I plan every hike with the expectation that I am going to be completely miserable, with tons of bugs, vicious bears, freezing rain, and drunks at every campsite.

When I get out on the trail it turns out to be paradise, and the little things never compare to what I psych myself out to expect them to be.

Works for me!

[David@whiteblaze]

The reasons for stopping include being cold, hot, hungry, thirsty, lonely, bored, injured, broke, not being what they expected it to be, sick of rain/snow/drought, disgusted with being filthy, etc.

BTW, David, I think your biblical quote is from Job 1:7, not 1:9.

thank u 4 noticing, i changed it...

[TOW]

Okay, this is a really dumb question, but here goes.

Does anyone know if the people on whiteblaze are more likely to finish a thru-hike than the people who say:

"hey look, walmart has everything for backpacking and i bought it, so now what to do with it... aha! ive got it, ill search, searching... searching... AHA! The AT im leaving to hike the at honey!"

I mean, its obvious that those people wont finish, but who are the majority and why? i love reading essays, so if anyone wants to elaborate, pray continue. (it means go ahead.)

huh?????????

[David@whiteblaze]

what do u mean huh??????

[Gaiter]

its all luck, it doesn't matter if you are the perfectly inshape marathon runner or the overweight out of shape kid like me, we get out there and hope for the best, some have the money for better gear, some have the money for beer, some don't have hardly any money at all but what it boils down too is that it doesn't matter, you go out and hike and do the best you can with your money/time/physical abilities and adjust to the surprises that arrise....

[David@whiteblaze]

ty 4 the answer gaiter, but who wnts to SPEND GOOD COCOA MONEY ON BEER!!!!!!?????

[David@whiteblaze]

i like hot cocoa...

[drastic_quench]

ty 4 the answer gaiter, but who wnts to SPEND GOOD COCOA MONEY ON BEER!!!!!!?????

A real man.

But seriously, I think it's likely that online info can only help most people. Which scenario is more likely:

1) The new over-researched hiker who bought into ultra-light philosophy without the skills to hack it and drops out.

2) The new under-researched hiker who starts with a 65+ pounds of gear in a expedition-sized pack and drops out.

I'm betting 2 has always been more common. And for every instance of 1, there's a dozen success stories of people getting informed, taking the middle path, and having that aid be a part of their successful through.

[David@whiteblaze]

just sayin...that buying beer when large quantities of cocoa are much much cheaper isnt my idea of fun (i tasted beer once by accident and it tasted like moldy bread) and btw, u can be a real man and a christian by definitian, a real man would drink beer, but a real man christian style wouldnt, making to a christian a real man, but to a non-believer a weirdo.

[Mags]

jbut a real man christian style wouldnt, making to a christian a real man, but to a non-believer a weirdo.

News to my Italian Catholic family.

(We have the guilt...but man the food and wine are good! And Dad likes his dark beer, too. )


Hell, if wine is good enough for Jesus, it is good enough for me.

[drastic_quench]

Lighten up, David. I'm not looking for a "definitian" of a real man or a theology debate.

[sbhikes]

I didn't join whiteblaze until after I completed my hike, my hike that took me two summers to do. I lurked last spring and learned a lot from Mags' articles and web site.

From what I saw out there, gear is rarely the reason people do or do not finish. Attitude is more important. I even met AT veterans who quit the PCT because it didn't meet their expectations.

I suffer from a bad attitude much of the time. So many of the thrus I met had such positive attitudes through all kinds of conditions that made me so incredibly unhappy. I was in awe of their positive attidues. I mean some of them happily hiked in shorts and slept under tarps in mosquitoes that drove me completely insane. And some of them had smiles on their faces in the rain in Washington when I could only curse the state for being so darn wet. But I persevered because I was stubborn and I knew how awful it feels not to finish because I went home after 3 months last year.

To keep myself going, whenever I wanted to go home I just took a few days off right where I was. I returned to the trail in tears many times not wanting to continue, but the tears always dried and I was always glad I kept going.

My light gear helped me a little but what helped the most was just not giving up no matter how hard the mosquitoes and the weather and being sick of hiking day after day made me want to. I don't think I'm special in any way, but a lot of people have said to me not many people out there would persevere like that.

[David@whiteblaze]

i didnt say wine... i dont consider wine drinking per se, as long as you dont drink it to the point of a hangover.

[David@whiteblaze]

Lighten up, David. I'm not looking for a "definitian" of a real man or a theology debate.

I know... y else would i say cocoa about beer? i was just kidding, drinking (as long as u're of age) in moderation isnt unbiblical, it's just getting drunk that is. As far as i can tell, most of the people on whiteblaze that talk about beer (including you, meaning no offense) are good natured people that enjoy a tankard w/ friends every so often, not really drunkards.

[David@whiteblaze]

er maybe that should be bottle. Unless youre irish (or scottish?)

[David@whiteblaze]

I didn't join whiteblaze until after I completed my hike, my hike that took me two summers to do. I lurked last spring and learned a lot from Mags' articles and web site.

From what I saw out there, gear is rarely the reason people do or do not finish. Attitude is more important. I even met AT veterans who quit the PCT because it didn't meet their expectations.

I suffer from a bad attitude much of the time. So many of the thrus I met had such positive attitudes through all kinds of conditions that made me so incredibly unhappy. I was in awe of their positive attidues. I mean some of them happily hiked in shorts and slept under tarps in mosquitoes that drove me completely insane. And some of them had smiles on their faces in the rain in Washington when I could only curse the state for being so darn wet. But I persevered because I was stubborn and I knew how awful it feels not to finish because I went home after 3 months last year.

To keep myself going, whenever I wanted to go home I just took a few days off right where I was. I returned to the trail in tears many times not wanting to continue, but the tears always dried and I was always glad I kept going.

My light gear helped me a little but what helped the most was just not giving up no matter how hard the mosquitoes and the weather and being sick of hiking day after day made me want to. I don't think I'm special in any way, but a lot of people have said to me not many people out there would persevere like that.

Yet another example of the superheroes of thruing. People like you guys make me feel bad for not being able to do amazing things that earn me bragging rights.

[dreamsoftrails]

From what I saw out there, gear is rarely the reason people do or do not finish. Attitude is more important. I even met AT veterans who quit the PCT because it didn't meet their expectations.

exactly. i saw a guy with a gear set that many on this site would have ridiculed as useless or even dangerous and he was knocking out 25 mile days with heavy heavy stuff including a big generic pack, 5 lb tent, stearns (wal mart) rain suit, weeks worth of fuel, i could honestly go on.

i believe i heard on here that he finished in about 4 1/2 or 5 months