Date: 2010-01-27
To: The Thru-Hikers Secret.
Miles today: 0.0

Shhh, this is just between us. Before you start your hike there¢s just one thing you need to know ¢ there¢s not one thing you need to know, but many. However, one thing will be more vital than others and you¢re going to determine that yourself, probably by accident.I can share what it was for me; I was lucky enough to figure it out early, that¢s how I made it. Some didn¢t figure it out and didn¢t make it. Some did and made it too, but it was different than mine. Since the hiking world does share several universal adversities, mine might be yours too, one never knows. I¢m hesitant divulging this secret since the line between wanting to help someone and being a Know-It-All is razor thin. (For the record, Know-It-Alls have been renamed in my vernacular, I call them Annoy-It-Alls), so you understand my hesitancy. Since life on the trail is so different from suburbia, many of us enter the woods with not just gear, but baggage. Who doesn¢t have baggage though? To counteract the baggage we erect the odd wall or fence around ourselves and then amazingly (here¢s the nutty part), we forget we erected them! It¢s to be expected though, walls, barriers, ego, whatever you care to call them help us survive the non-trail world where complication is king. Walls are as much a part of us as freckles. Fortunately, the AT is quite good at eroding them. The trail knows that what all us city slickers need first is a period of deprogramming ¢ but of course we don¢t realize it. So we climb and crawl and the sweat pours from us for hours and days and weeks, and indeed those walls start to wash away. Everything that was odd and different begins to transition to the normal and routine. Emotionally, a new order emerges if we¢re lucky. Those who find this new order (in this hikers opinion,) have a greater chance to make it to Katahdin. This is not ¢ the secret,¢ but the result of the secret.One extremely helpful observation I made during my first thru-hike (here it comes) was to Think Small. ¢WTF!?¢ you say? Let me explain.I found no benefit in thinking about the enormity of the distance or the time involved with a thru-hike. It¢s just too vast, we don¢t have a lot of experience in dealing with anything that has a scope so very, very large. Or at least I didn¢t. Candidly, even though many of us go out to seek adventure, thinking about the bigness of the hike can be our silent foe, especially during a run of rotten luck, sucky weather, aches and pains, a host of things. Let¢s be honest, who wants five months of misery (it won¢t be, but we often misinterpret it as such during a down moment.) By changing your mindset to staying in the moment, you can keep yourself mentally stronger. Of course, everyone is different, but some principles are universal. Staying in the moment was one of the most crucial principles that allowed me to have so much fun.Here¢s how it works. Instead of thinking of five or six months in the woods, or 500 miles in one State, or even a sign named Katahdin, focus on where you plan to go for that day. Focusing on the day (thinking small) will help you to ¢let go¢ of the enormity of the AT. Plenty of hikers before me have told us it¢s not the destination, but the journey. Plenty have told us that the physical demands aren¢t what drive most off the trail, but the mental-emotional ones are where the real demons live. Let¢s be clear, an attempted AT thru-hike holds more smiles than you can imagine, it¢s still one tough-ass trip and our walls, or ego, may not be giving it the full respect it deserves ¢ a common mistake. Staying in the moment (one day at a time) helps you to let go of loneliness, or a particular spell of rotten luck more easily. Everyone has low moments, but by focusing on the day you¢ll be less vulnerable to those silent foes. Staying in the moment of today, this hour, this section of trail will also have practical advantages as it helps you trip less ¢ which you¢ll do plenty anyway. Maybe your secret will be found in the companionship of another hiker you¢ll meet on Day One? Avoiding loneliness is always a good thing. Maybe you¢ll discover a new level of pride in yourself as a result of good daily mileage? Maybe some more glib will say the secret is to not stop, unfortunately that overlooks the emotional frailty that comes from an enormous change of environments.So, if you¢re looking for that one essential thing to carry, that golden piece of gear, consider carrying a think small mindset ¢ it helped me, it might help you? You¢ll be amazed how the days will multiple into State lines, why anyone could ever get something called the Virginia Blues or how walking with a pack can be the most truly wonderful gift you¢ll ever give yourself.