Date: 2007-01-31
To: Ex-Thru-Hiker's thoughts
Miles today: 0.0

I found these two posts extremely helpful and inspiring.This one is from Thumper from his WhiteBlaze.net postGreetings all, I have been reading numerous threads about the thru-hikers of 07 and thought I would give all of you who are about to leave some advice. This is by no means a definitive, but some are simply common sense. I thru hiked this past year and it was the greatest thing that I have done with my life thus far. I hope I do not piss anyone off. So here are a few things that helped me make all the way.1. Your first night will be full of people do not freak out because you all will disperse rather quickly.2. Always remember your budget and do not blow it in the southern portion of the trail, like staying 2 nights in your own solo hotel room in every town you get into.3. No matter what guide book you have it will always not be correct; do not rely on water sources, that say seasonal, and do not try and use it as a topo map because this seemed to always bite me in the a**.4. Spend time in the good towns, and at the good hostels, do not look at your guide book and see a hotel 24 miles off the trail and waste money save it for Miss Janets or Bears Den for example.5. When you are at a hostel act like a human being and not an animal; remember these folks are letting you into there homes most of the time, obey there rules. So many times I saw folks giving thru hikers bad names do to thier actions.6. Not all towns are "hiker friendly" even though they are trail towns. Do not piss people off in these towns who run services that you need because you could ruin it for everyone else.7. If you feel like quitting take a few days off at the next town or hostel, the next few days out slow up and enjoy what is around you not the miles in front of you.8. Sleep in your tent/tarp as much as possible and plan your days around campsites and not shelters, and if you are at a shelter pitch your tent/tarp , you will sleep better always and your hike will be very enjoyable.9. You will read plenty of things on taking pictures on this website. Most will say take pictures of the people you are with rather than every view. This is 100% correct, I wish I would have listened to this because I have pictures of beautiful views but cant remember where the hell I took the pictures.10. This is the one that could cause some controversy. You have taken time off of work, finished school, etc. to hike the AT, so hike it. You are not a thru hiker if you hitch 120 miles north, hike on some trail that takes you miles around the AT, I promise when you finish hiking the whole thing it will be much more rewarding if you actually hike the AT. I am proud to be a purist. "Hike your own Hike" a statement that I hated.11. If you have the time/budget hitch back to trail days. Do not be one of those hikers I met that thought they were too cool to go back to Damascus. It is an awsome time and you will get to meet plenty of people who are on the trail in front or behind you. You can also get gear repaired so take advantage.12. Take as much advice from people who have hiked the trail, for instance, I used Baltimore Jacks resupply info instead of trying guess miles and his article, which can be found on this site, worked freakin great.13. When you meet someone on the trail and they say it "take your time and enjoy it" they are not lying because when its over its over. I wish my group had not been in such a hurry right at the end.14. Do not meet someone at the beginning and think that you will be with them the whole way. Not gonna happen. The best I heard was "those who you are with in Harpers Ferry could be the ones you finish with." This seemed to be true for me.15. There is no such thing as an easy mile, the AT is hard. Deal with it, its what your out there for.16. PA has rocks and plenty of them. Oh yeah, stay at the Doyle.17. Ahh the whites, dont freak you dont have to stay at the huts unless you want to. You will have to get work for stay if you do decide to do so. However, you can always find a campsite on the AT you will see what I mean when you are in NH.18. Not everyone who owns a hostel, actually gives a damn about hiking the AT. Some people simply are a**holes. You will learn how to decipher who wants to help and who wants your money.19. Never and I mean never give somone money to take you into town. Unless its an emergency. This will happen in the south because they know most of you are not used to hitching, do not get brow beaten for a ride.20. Hitching 101, via Miss Janet, take your pack off and sit it beside your feet. Stick out your thumb and smile, it may take a while sometime but you will eventually get a ride.Enjoy your time on the trail. Make new friends enjoy nature, and treat people with respect and you will remember your adventure for the rest of your life. The AT is a wonderful place so take advantage of your time out there.And this one is from Mags, from a letter he wrote published in the Appalachian Trailway News:Anyone who is a ¢Class of ¢99¢ thru-hiker has a dream, a dream to complete a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. By daring to have this dream, you will be creating a reality that involves happiness, frustration, sadness, excitement, anger and joy. It is an experience you will not forget, and one that will have an effect on you long after Springer or Katahdin is reached.The key to a successful thru-hike is not what boots you wear, how many ounces you shave off your pack, what stove you use, or what brand of socks worn. No, they key to a successful thru-hike the making use of the most important piece of equipment: the gray matter, the ole noggin¢, the brain.A thru-hike is more of a mental challenge than a physical one. After 13 days of rain, do you still have the urge to hike? Can you stomach the umpteenth dinner of Ramen noodles? Are you ready to have your body go through something that will leave it aching for rest, wanting to stop? If you can say yes to that, then you can also see a moose wading in a pond around sunset, hear the shriek of an owl at night, smell pine needles on a sunny day. Enjoy the trip, revel in everything that happens. All these experiences that make an Appalachian Trail thru-hike memorable. If you are feeling low, ask yourself ¢What is the alternative?¢ You could be working in the office again, filing out yet another memo. Instead, you are on the Trail, experiencing nature, in all its raw beauty. Again, it¢s an experience that will have an effect on you long after the journey is completed.If you feel that your journey is complete, and Katahdin or Springer have not been reached, don¢t feel that you have failed. There are no real failures on the trail. Daring to dream is a rarity in itself. Daring to live out your dream is something that many people are afraid to do. If you do not reach Katahdin or Springer, you will still have an experience that most people would not even bother to dream about. It does not take a thru-hike to learn the lessons of the trail. The lessons come from trying, and your Katahdin might come at Harpers Ferry, Damascus, or earlier. If you know in your heart that you have pushed yourself to your physical, mental and emotional limit, then you have done more than most people have even attempted.The Appalachian Trail is a special experience. Hard to describe unless you have attempted it. No matter how little or how much time you take to hike the trail, it will be over before you know it. It will never be far from your thoughts. In between Springer and Katahdin are some wonderful memories; savor every one of them.Thanks guys!