Date: 2010-02-05
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

Having read numerous journal entries in the past four or so years, I¢ve compiled this list of the ways I want to hike the AT. These are based on the recommendations of those who have gone before us.1.        HYOH ¢ Hike your own hike. I know I will be developing ¢alliances¢ with other hikers on this trip, but I must keep in mind that this is my hike, and I must do what is best for me. Stop when I need to stop, continue when I need to keep going.2.        Resist the urge to do more daily miles than I¢ve planned for the day; especially in the first couple of weeks. So, I want to keep my daily mileage in the first two or so weeks to fewer than 10, when possible. That means stopping even when I arrive at my daily destination at 2pm, and I feel great. So, I¢ll stay in the sleeping bag a little longer in the morning; hike slowly and enjoy my surroundings; maybe build a fire upon my arrival at my daily destination; play with my pack and gear; listen to music or audiobooks, and find other ways to entertain myself until it¢s time to crawl back into the sleeping bag in the evening. It¢ll be like smoking ribs: low and slow. 3.        This goes along with numbers 1 and 2, above. Know your body and take care of it. First of all, treat your feet kindly. You'll need them to get to Katahdin. Your body will tell you when something is wrong. Take care of it before the problem becomes insurmountable. Also, develop and follow a stretching routine at the end of the day.4. Take ¢people pictures¢. I¢ve heard several former thru hikers say they wish they had taken more ¢people pictures¢. After awhile, all those mountain range pictures start looking the same. When you¢re reviewing your pictures after your hike, viewing ¢people pictures¢ tends to bring back memories of when and where it was taken, e.g., ¢that was the time that ¢¦(fill in the blank)¢. Memories of a mountain range shot? Maybe a few, but not one after another. 5.        It¢s about the hike, not the destination. Take your time; take the side trails to interesting features; relax and take a break when you reach a pleasant spot, even if you don¢t really need a break. TAKE YOUR TIME. That¢ll be a tough one for me to focus on. I know myself, and I know I¢ll have the tendency to want to crank out the miles, focusing on the finish line. Gotta pull myself up short when that happens. Maybe my readers can help me with that one when it happens. Ok? 6.        Don¢t quit on a bad day. Okay, I know there¢ll be some bad days: probably many. Wet, cold, hungry, missing my wife and friends, hurting physically. When I feel like quitting, I'll just need to think back about the weather conditions for all the thru hikers last year. RAIN, and lots of it. But, they hiked thru it. That¢ll be another tough one for me. My cycling friends know I just HATE to ride in the rain. I gotta be like last years thru hikers: SUCK IT UP. 7.        When I hit a trail town, make up for my lousy diet on the trail. My wife and I discussed this one last night. Focus on eating plenty of fruits and vegetables when in town. And, pack some out of town to use the first couple of days. Not too hard for me to do, if I can remember to do it. I like fruits and vegetables. 8.        Resist the urge to hit every trail town, and to linger in the ones I do hit. I understand the pull of trail towns: showers, food, warmth, sheets and pillows¢¦ But, do I really need to stay overnight at EVERY opportunity? It¢s not about the money. It¢s about the thru hike becoming a stage hike from one town to the next. I need to do some in and outs. Go into town, do what I need to do, and then hike out. 9.        Okay, this is going to seem contradictory. Take a zero (no hiking day) from time to time. Refresh and replenish. Take it; enjoy it; I¢ve earned it. Just don¢t let it become Number 7 above. 10.        Keep a record of who you meet, both on the trail and off. Record their names, trail or otherwise, and know how to get in touch with them after the hike. 11.        Appreciate the kindness of others, but don¢t come to expect it. Not a problem for me. That¢s not my style really. Except perhaps help from my wife. That's more my style. Ha! She¢ll need to be sending me stuff from time to time. I know I can count on her, though¢¦right?? That¢s about all I can think of right now. I know there are more, but I think I¢ve got the main ones. Now, that I¢ve identified them, I¢ll need to follow them. We¢ll see how that works out.