Date: 2015-04-22
From: Campbell Shelter

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

For a while I've been wanting to write a journal entry about what it's like to actually be a hiker on the trail. I can always write about my day, the things I see, the people I meet and so on and so forth. But it would be great for you as the reader to be able to understand what we as hikers go through every single day.It's very interesting what people think thru hiking is. Many people think that you're just hiking day after day after day and at the end of the day you sit around a campfire singing Khumbaya. Thru hiking is hard work.A typical through hiking day goes as follows: wake up between 5:15-6:00am. Pack up everything (tent, sleeping bag, pad, food, odds & ends). Get on your hiking clothes and shoes. Go get water and filter it so you are ready to start the day (or do it the night before). Eat breakfast. Start hiking. Keep track of how fast you are going. Stop for a snack. Filter water. Keep hiking. Say hi to people. Snack again. Keep hiking. Probably filter water because you are ready for lunch and consumed your supply. Eat lunch. Keep reviewing guide and your pace to make it to your destination on time. Arrive somewhere around 4pm-6:00pm. Set up your tent. Set up your sleeping pad. Take out your sleeping bag. Go and hang your food bag (so animals don't eat anything). Clean up yourself. Change clothes. Make dinner. Consume dinner. Get in your tent shortly after because you are so tired from getting up early and hiking all day. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat...There is more to it but that just comes to mind right now. I wanted to create a Good, Bad, Ugly list of being a thru hiker. Let's start with...*THE UGLY*COST: Go to the bank, withdraw $5,000 and burn it. That's ultimately what is going on. Hiking is way more expensive than you'd think. You really need to make sacrifices if you want to chase a dream. Unless someone cuts you a check, paying for this doesn't come easy. ODDS: The odds are not in your favor to complete this journey of 2,189.2 miles. Only 30% of people complete this. So, quit your job and give this a shot anyway! *THE BAD*FOOD: Unfortunately home cooked meals are long gone. Your new diet now consists of honey buns, Pop Tarts, pasta sides, tortillas, and granola bars. WET CLOTHES: Put on wet clothes and wear them throughout the day. Take them off at the end of the day. Now wake up and wear those same wet clothes again. Fun. HOMESICK: It happens. You don't see your family and friends for months. Sometimes you can't even send or receive a text. BODY: Your body is going to be tired. Your body is going to hurt. It hurts even more at the beginning. It takes hundreds of miles to get your "trail legs". Then, from hiking so many miles you may develop other issues: knees, shin splints, foot, etc.SMELL: Thru hikers smell. Walk down a trail and people will smell you before they see you. SHOWER: Don't plan on seeing one of these every day. Be comfortable with being very smelly. COLD: Be comfy and warm when you sleep. Now get of that warm sleeping bag when it's 20 degrees out. That's a shock to the system.*THE GOOD*CHALLENGE: Challenge yourself in a way you have never done before. Test yourself physically and mentally. TRAIL MAGIC: Random kindness from strangers. Sometimes there will be a cooler left at a trail with food or drinks. It's unexpected and people do it out of the goodness of their hearts. It's the one time where it's okay to accept food from strangers. NEWNESS: Simple enough, everything is new, everyday. GOALS: Every day has a measurable goal. You can see that progress mile by mile. Those daily goals add up to one ultimate goal. You feel a great sense of achievement when hitting famous landmarks or milestones.VIEWS: Wake up to sunrises on beautiful mornings. Lay in the grass in rolling meadows with valleys far below. Stand on peaks where you can see multiple states. Stand in spots with each foot in a different stage. PEOPLE: Above all, it's the people that make the trail. It's not ALL about the views or the physical challenge. This hike you get to see the good in people. Random people in grocery stores, restaurants, and on the trail want to know about you. It's fascinating when people hear where you came from, how the trip is going and they want to support you however possible.FUN: If it weren't fun, you wouldn't want to do it. That's all I can think of now but I'm sure there are more of each catagory. I just wanted to give you a quick idea or what it's like to be on the trail for a period of time.