Date: 2008-10-18
From: The REAL WORLD

To: Advice for '09ers
Miles today: 0.0

Holy cow, Life sure has changed. No longer am I just thinking about the simple things in life. Like what am I going to eat for breakfast, where am I going to be hiking to, or when do I want to stop and take a break. Now it is all very complicated. I have slowly but surely jumped back into the working world. Not entirely as a full time job, but as a substitute teacher. I also now have to worry about paying back my student loans. Worry about putting back the weight I lost. I have not really done much hiking since I finished the trail. I got out one weekend on a few short endeavours but that was it. I have enjoyed being lazy, watching pointless TV for hours on end, but that does get old very fast. I also have enjoyed having chairs with back rests... that I think was one of the biggest things I missed while on the trail. Being able to sit back and really relax. Ahh... I also see that the future '09ers are starting their trail journals. Reading them brings back all sorts of fond memories of the preparation for my own hike. I remember wasting so many "constructive" work hours looking up gear, reviews, and trail journals. (I know I was not really wasting this time, but others may view it as this.) I also get kind of bummed out by reading them, because I know that my time is up. I've already accomplished my goal, and I did it in grand style. Soo here it is, my two cents of advice for those who follow in the awesome tradition of a THRU HIKE.      1. Everyone always says "hike your own hike" I always thought this was a silly no brainier... but I have seen it ruin folks. (I even saw a person use the phrase to end their relationship!) But seriously, if you are starting this hike by yourself and are doing it FOR YOURSELF... don't get caught up in the group mentality. If you are not having a good time or some vibe isn't right... move on or slow up. After all it is YOUR HIKE. And it is not worth being unhappy. Plus there are zillions of folks out there and you may meet up with some even better people. *(Ladies also remember this one, as I myself found myself forgetting it. Oh, and don't put yourself in an uncomfortable situation just because you really like the majority of a group. If you get a weird vibe, listen to it.)    2. If you can help it don't set deadlines. I saw many people freaking out even in GA about not being able to make it to Maine by such and such a date. Dates and deadlines only bring about a level of un-needed stress. If you can help it just got out there with the "whatever happens, happens" mentality. It will surely make you have a better time. You never know what kind of crazy and amazing stuff that will happen to you. I ended up taking a good number of zeros and extending my trip to be what I wanted it to be. I have never heard anyone say "Gee, I wish I would have hiked the AT faster!"   3. The whole $1 to $2 a mile is more or less bogus, especially with the economy as it is today. $3,000 to hike the trail for around 6 months is a bit crazy. Many things must be taken into account: Food(resupply), Gear(fixing broken gear or buying new stuff), Laundry(wash/dry/detergent), Hotel/Motel/Hostels(rides to and from are not always included), Town food and drink(very easy to get sucked into), Transportation (both to and from the trail), Postage (for resupply or mailing things home), and other "Fun stuff" (rafting, shopping, and or everything else here.) Perhaps if you are really good about managing your money and are very strict about stayin in the woods all the time or doing neros... you may be able to do it. But let me just tell you. After 6 days in the woods sweating in 90* humidity, or freezing as it is snowing, TOWN WILL SOUND VERY GOOD TO YOU. So it is wise to make sure you perhaps have a little extra along. Also a little extra to live off of after you are done. Unless you have something set up with your job, it may take a bit to find one. 4. ENJOY what you do and SMILE at least once every single day! First make sure you like hiking or even the woods before you head out. Sounds silly I know, but some people come right off the plane never before having spent a night in the woods. Nature is truly awesome, but you need to know how to be safe to enjoy it. Also remember that you are so fortunate to be doing what you are doing. So many folks dream of the big hike all their lives and never get the chance. YOU HAVE THE CHANCE.. SMILE every single day because your life is pretty awesome. Even if it has been raining for 2 weeks, you have been walking in mud up to your knees, and you just found out your food bag got chewed into... SMILE because it makes you feel better.. even if it is a forced smile. Smiles are catchy and others will see you smiling and soon the whole shelter is laughing about the absurdity of it all. Also remember to think positively. I never liked hiking around negative Nancy's, they started to bum me out! Like I said before your life is pretty great, and although you may be having a bad moment, day, or even month on the trail... IT WILL PRETTY MUCH ALWAYS GET BETTER. The next view will be breath taking, or you will find an extra candy bar in your food bag... something will always happen to make everything right again. Think positive and the good vibes will follow.   5. Don't forget to stop and smell the roses. SO many days I saw folks rushing here and there. They would miss the most amazing view or blue blaze. One of the best things about the hiking world is that it is not like the real world. You should never feel rushed. Take your time, sit in a field, soak in the sun, take a swim, what is the rush?    6. On gear... make the final preparations to your bag lets say.. 2 weeks before you head out.. and DON'T TOUCH it in those two weeks. You will find yourself adding all sorts of unnecessary things, over thinking everything. You and your back will be a lot happier if you leave it alone. ALSO, no matter how much research you have done online or in the outfitter... you will inevitably find yourself with a case of gear envy. Be confident in your purchases. Don't let yourself spend $2000 in Neel's Gap because you want all the awesome new light weight gear you saw others have. Plus the new shiney stuff isn't always the best. Take the MSR Hyperflow for example. I have not met one single person who had that filter work for longer than a week. After much contact with MSR it was usually found to be "user error"... umm 6 people can't figure out how to use a filter? (I carried my 6+lb Beast the whole way. I nearly broke down a few times to get a "lighter pack"... mine worked just fine and lasted longer than most of the new ones anyway.) On the note of Neel's gap, after 30.7 miles on the trail you will find you may need to get rid of some stuff. You should be able to figure out what you may need to toss, but the friendly staff at Mountain Crossings will help you with a gear shake down. I lost 5 lbs there from my bag of useless items. Don't worry you are able to dispute the sending home of your favorite pink patagonia hoodie (I wore it the whole trip BTW) And finally keep track of your gear and treat it well. If your gear holds up there is a good chance you will too!   7. Give yourself at least one month on the trail before you head back home. No matter what kind of shape you are in when you start at Springer... hiking will kick your butt! If you work out in the gym to prepare... you are not working the same muscles it takes to carry a 40lb back pack and hike 10 miles a day. Start slow, this prevents injury and is less stressful(I saw many good folks have to get off after less than 100miles because of injury. DON'T PUSH YOURSELF TOO HARD IN THE BEGINNING!) and eventually you will be able to hike crazy mile days and keep up with those you once thought were much faster than you. And if you do find that hiking the AT isn't what you were looking for.. make sure you have really thought it through. Make sure your reasons are not just excuses. Make sure your last day on the trail is beautiful, warm, sunny, and that you are clean, watered, and fed when you have finally made that decision. Well, I guess that is all my advice for this moment. My next entry will be my big long list of thank yous! I have so many... Be well and be happy.SUN BEAM GA>ME08