make out a daily journal. you will be able to relive your hike at any time by going thru the journal later on in life. you can bring back supressed memories by reading thru it...
I am relatively new to hiking and got a lot of blisters the first few times out. Then, someone told me to buy my hiking shoes big. I went up a full size and a half width and haven't had a single blister since. Might not work for everyone, but that tip was huge for me.
I think the best advice about the AT I ever got was from Lone Wolf - "believe half of what you see and none of what you hear"
It's more head than heel.
Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams
stretch morning and night - PF sucks and stretching helps prevent it
make sure shoes are wider than you think you need - Morton's neuroma really sucks
Get a good sleeping pad
A long distance hike will aford you many memories. Keep a journal and take picturs. These will become memories of a lifetime.
Grampie-N->2001
Wake up early enough the watch the sun rise, take a moment to watch the sun set, and never pass up an opportunity to sleep under the stars.
Easy "Be prepared to get lost & know how to get yourself out."
Love Bamboo Bob's Post!
and yea - as you get more acquainted with hiking - see a podiatrist. (Take care of your feet)
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
Carrry whatever YOU want to carry. You have to carry it, no one else. You'll know if it isn't working and you need to make a change.
get comfortable with being uncomfortable
Your hike will be whatever you make of it.
If people spent less time being offended and more time actually living, we'd all be a whole lot happier!
Dont LITTER! ...no really....
but my best advice based on years on the trail(s)....
I preach it and do my best to live it... ENJOY each day for what it is. If you are happy with who you are and what you are doing things like where you are and the weather don't matter so much. Maybe if I did the same trail year after year I'd tire of it, but hopefully I'll never become bored with being fortunate enough to be able to live the life that is the trail.
For God's sakes, keep a daily journal. Definitely my biggest regret.
Avoid sleeping in shelters when possible.
Don't become obsessed with your mileage--when you get to a beautiful spot, throw up your tent and enjoy. That's what you're there for.
Whatever you do, DO NOT pass up the Chinese buffet in Waynesboro, VA. You'll hear how good it was all the way to Katahdin.
I highly echo SwitchbackVT's comment about the Chinese buffet in Waynesboro --- I think this was called Ming's. Screw gear discussion and the like, this is the sort of thing you'll be thinking about and talking about on a thru-hike!
NOT to argue, but just to observe how different people come to different conclusions, Hog On Ice said:
I was struck by how much my own opinion varied on both of these points, which is a good thing to keep in mind about this sort of feedback --- only after a person has hiked for a distance will they know how well a particular piece of advice applies to them."stretch morning and night - PF sucks and stretching helps prevent it
make sure shoes are wider than you think you need - Morton's neuroma really sucks "
I never stretched on a thru-hike, nor did I ever see any other thru-hikers stretch. It sounds like a "good thing" in theory, I'm just saying that from what I've observed it doesn't happen. And no bad results seem to follow.
I certainly DO agree on getting wide shoes. When a manufacturer inevitably changes the toe width on a particular shoe model or discontinues that model, it's always a real PITA for me to find a shoe that works for me as a replacement. But this is because I have bunionettes (little toe side bunions). If shoe width is a factor in getting Morton's Neuroma, I'm unaware of it, and I had surgery for M.N. just before I hiked the AT. They cut out about an inch of nerve that was permanently damaged from hiking the PCT. And I wore wide shoes that didn't bother my bunionettes on the PCT, hence I don't think that shoe width is much of a factor for this particular issue.
My own suspicion is that while some are like me in needing a wide toe box in a shoe, others might not be. Feet are complicated, you have to listen to your body and figure out what works best for you. But certainly sizing up and looking for a shoe with a fairly wide toe box are good rules of thumb to start with, so no disagreement there (!)
Gadget
PCT: 2008 NOBO, AT: 2010 NOBO, CDT: 2011 SOBO, PNT: 2014+2016
Especially related to thru-hiking? Don't go off without "putting your house in order" first. You'll be returning to it - and likely sooner than you think. You may return a somewhat different person, but nothing else will have changed.
"That's the thing about possum innards - they's just as good the second day." - Jed Clampett
I am not a thru hiker--but I have well-over 30 years of hiking experience. Two tips:
1) Safety. Safety. Safety. (Don't take unnecessary risks and always carry the proper equipment, clothing and knowledge for the particular hike). Being lost, sick, injured or dead can ruin an otherwise good hike! You don't want to be that lost or injured hiker that we hear about in the news.
2) Don't push your body so hard that it "breaks down". If you feel that you can hike 20 miles--hike only 10-15 miles instead. Take time for proper nutrition and sleep. (Consume more calories, drink more fluids and sleep more hours than you think you need). Take days off ("Zero days") so that your bones, muscles and joints can "rebuild" and "repair". Your body is your most important piece of hiking equipment--take good care of it!
"A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world." - Paul Dudley White
Don't wipe with poison ivy.
The most profound thing I have ever heard on the trail
was in 2010 with a guy named Boomer 007 from down under. He said: "The trail will find what ever your weakness is where ever it is and exploit it." I felt that was so true.
The thing I would says is to plan for this and learn not to give in to it. Been sectioning since 2000 and have given in a couple of times. Kicked myself for a year until I could get back to the Trail.
It really is true that what doesn't kill you will make you stronger. When I can accept and embrace the fact that I am in a learning process, I usually become much more in-tune to my environment and turn a great experience into an exceptional experience.
Can't wait to get back to the Trail again this summer.
"Like the confluence of two streams, dreams & reality are joined, flowing as one. I know how lucky I am." - Cody GA-ME 2010
This the source of that statement, as far as I know. I read about her at least 20 years ago. One of the true trail legends and one of the first ultralighters:Originally Posted by fiddlehead
http://74.6.238.254/search/srpcache?...EOTJOQ21ReTIJg--
As I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn back from his way and live. Ezekiel 33:11
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