Problems With Hiking Partner

[BostonBlue]

Planning on hiking with a buddy on AT thru 2014. Any suggestions as to potential pitfalls? Anything that you would do differently if you were hiking the trail again with a partner? Mainly we are hoping to avoid common problems that split up hiking partners other than pace and injury.

[Double Wide]

I'm kind of interested in the responses to this question too. I'll be hiking with my brother, so I've been putting up with his nonsense for years , so my only concern there is pace--he's a couple inches taller, has a longer stride, and is a *much* faster hiker than I am. I'm guessing we won't be walking together too much during the day and just meeting up at camp at night.

[Meg Wilson Author]

http://megwilsonauthor.com/?p=966 describes the talk that Jennifer Pharr Davis gave at Trail Days Friday night. "How to Escape a Pink-Blazer" was just one of her many sub-topics. Wander Women everywhere - and the pink-blazers who love them - can appreciate Jen's candor!

[WingedMonkey]

What does pink blazing have to do with hiking with a partner?

[Marta]

Unless your partnership is of the variety where you will never be very far apart, you shouldn't share critical gear. You can save weight if one of you carries the stove and the other the tent, but complications ensue if you ever lose sight of each other. That level of togetherness is more than what most friends enjoy.

[TD55]

Budget. Come to terms about how much funds are available and will be spent beforehand. How many motels/hostels and town stops. The person with 6,000 will have to adjust to the person with 4,000. Must everything else will be easy to adjust to.

[Lyle]

+ 1 on what Marta said. Keep you independence. Even good friends will end up separated on occasion, even if just for a night or two.

[Grampie]

Starting a thru-hike with a partner can lead to many difficulties along the way. Most of all the difficulties you will encounter are delt with differently by different folks. This would include the town stops you make, the amount of time, ie. miles, you hike each day, the way you face weather conditions and most of all injuries. The way that two indivigules handle these circumstances will effect your hike. This should be discussed before you depart as to how they will be handled. If one partner failes, should the other continue or remain with the failed partner?
With all the different personalities, hiking a thru, it's sometimes better to join into a partnership with someone you get to meet on the trail. By doing that you can better judge that person beforehand.
I started my thru alone and was prepaired to hike the whole trail that way. I did meet a hiker with I did form a partnership and hiked with for 900 miles. When he left the trail I continued on. Most folks that decide to attempt a thru haven't any notion about how frendships form while hiking. You will never be alone, unless you choose to be.

[Coosa]

Sometimes it works, sometimes the person you think you know ends up being so needy that you begin to feel put upon and like a caretaker rather than a partner.

Decide at the beginning what you'll do if one person gets sick or injured. Will you be expected to stop your hike to take care of the injured or sick partner? What happens if the partner is needed at home? Will you be expected to leave the trail and wait until the partner can get back? What happens if you need a Zero/Nero day and the partner wants to push on? Will you feel intimidated?

What happens if YOU are the injured or ill partner -- what would you want to happen?

If you hike with a partner, remember that the 'weakest' partner will decide how far you go, when you take a Zero/Nero, when to get off the Trail for injury or illness ... make a commitment to the partner or make a commitment to the Trail. Sometimes you can do both. Sometimes you can't.

Coosa

[John B]

One person trying to dictate to another the hiking pace can be a problem, when to start in the a.m., etc. "Hey! Slow down!" Solution: hike at your own pace, but perhaps establish a finishing point each day? Even then, I like to hike +20 mile days, some partners prefer sub-15 mile days, so it's difficult. Good luck.

[aficion]

You will never be alone, unless you choose to be.

Well put. However, there are those among us who believe you will never be alone, even if you choose to be.

[BostonBlue]

All good suggestions. We actually have discussed many of them so upfront we kind of know what to expect from each other. Now I am glad we have had these discussions. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

[Lyle]

Just wanted to point out a fact that some folks don't realize, especially slower hikers. It is almost as difficult and strenuous for a faster hiker to slow down to match pace as it is for the slower hiker to attempt to speed up. Defies logic, until you try it.

Almost always best for each hiker to hike their own pace and just plan to meet up at breaks/turns/lunch/camp, whatever seems to work out for you.

[Matthikes]

This is what has me concern about hiking with my daughter. but for her I will slow down and stay with her.

[Bronk]

Most people quit. That simple fact means that the chances of two people together making it are all that much smaller, even without taking into account differences in hiking pace, philosophy, etc, etc. I saw several partnerships break up on the trail where people that had planned on hiking the whole way together decided to go their separate ways. I think a lot of people set out to do this with a partner because they don't want to do it "alone" when the reality is that you will meet a lot of friends on the trail and do so very quickly. You might hike with some people for a week or two and then take a zero day and end up meeting a whole new group of people, then cross paths with your old group again as they take a day off or one of you speeds up or slows down. In any case, being "alone" is pretty rare on the AT.

[Astro]

What does pink blazing have to do with hiking with a partner?

WM, I think it might have been an opportunity for a book plug.

[fiddlehead]

It is very rare for a person to have the same hiking traits as someone else.
I can think of 3 or 4 hikers who have many of the same as I do. This after 20,000 miles of experience.
I'm talking about break-length, town stay length, where you prefer to camp, (I prefer a view over nearby water anynight), when to call it a day, how many miles you hope to accomplish on a day/week/trip, etc, as well as getting along.

If you don't have these same tendencies, one or both of you better be very forgiving and flexible.
Cause it's gonna rub you the wrong way sooner or later.

[moldy]

Put the slow person in front. Agree to hike together and then stick too it. That is what married hikers do.

[Malto]

1) the chances that the person you are planning to hike with having similiar style is low.
2) in many cases of pairs deciding to hike the trail, one is gung go and the other not as excited.
3) in addition to carrying all your own gear I would also not combine resupplies. If you decide to split then what.
4) agree with fiddlehead about the stress it causes with dissimilar styles. Two of the four people I hiked with caused tension after a few days or weeks. And these were great guys. Some amount of flexibility is needed but after a while you are HTH, hiking their hike.
5) you will likely find that even if you are hiking with someone that most of the time you are hiking alone. Someone stops and does some business and the other is a half mile ahead. You meet up at breaks and at the days end and this does help to allow you tolerate being together with someone for many, many, many hours each day.
6) if both of you are inexperienced hikers then you may think you have alignment on zeros, pace etc. that may or may not last after you both gain experience.

Good luck.

[WingedMonkey]

WM, I think it might have been an opportunity for a book plug.

Now that you mention it, I do notice that the last seven posts the member made was tied into said "book".