Date: 2015-12-16
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Miles today: 0.0

To the Class of 2016:You¢re getting ready now to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail and I¢d like a word with you, especially you older guys. [I turned 73 on my hike.]   I left Springer Mountain, GA, last Feb. 15, in 8 degree weather, and climbed Mt, Katahdin on July 14, 150 days later, and I learned a few things I think could help you.Physical conditioning         Some people do nothing to get in shape before embarking on a 2,200-mile hike over countless mountains in all sorts of weather. They plan to start slow, they say, and get in shape on the trail.        That¢s a mistake. I think the lack of physical conditioning is a big reason why a fourth of the NoBos [north bound hikers] quit, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, before they even get to North Carolina.        I did some things wrong before I left Springer Mountain last February ¢ I didn¢t have some of the equipment I needed; the food I carried left a lot to be desired; I had almost no respect for bad weather. [See the blog entry for my second day on the trail, Feb. 16.] But I did get in shape before I left ¢ I lifted weights and hiked 1,000.7 miles around my neighborhood carrying a pack.That¢s overdoing it just a bit, hiking 1,000 miles, but I urge you: Get in shape.   Those first few weeks will be a lot more tolerable and, more important, you will reduce the chance of injury. Guarding Against The Unthinkable: FailureThree fourths of the people who start out on a thru-hike don¢t finish, according to the Conservancy, and there are three things that could stop you. One you can¢t do anything about; one you can mitigate; and one you can eliminate.¢¢        The first, a crisis at home.That will either happen or it won¢t. You can¢t do much about that.¢¢        The second is physical, injury or illness.You can reduce the possibility that either one will end your hike by getting in shape and by starting as early as is reasonable in your circumstance. If you can start early enough to finish by, say, mid- August you could take off two months to nurse an injury or illness and still complete your hike. ¢¢        The third is mental. Some people, when the going gets tough, give up. It¢s as if they didn¢t know they were going to be wet, cold, tired, hungry, and hurting, that they were going to be some of those things just about all of the time and all of those things some of the time. But that¢s a given.   So make up your mind, right now, before you get on the trail: No matter what, you¢re going to finish. Do that and you¢re way ahead of the game.Equipment        On July 24 I posted a detailed list of the equipment I carried, or wished I had carried. Take a look and see what you think. But I do want to remind you here of two bits of wisdom:      One, the three most important things about back packing are pack weight, pack weight, and pack weight.        Two, If you need it and don¢t have it you don¢t need it.AttitudeI was never in danger of giving up, never considered it for a moment because I had made up my mind.However, for a month or more I didn¢t have as much fun as I could have had ¢should have had ¢ because I had a bad attitude.Here¢s the thing: Hiking in the North is a LOT harder than hiking in the South. And more dangerous, too. It is muddier, rockier, and steeper. There are more roots. [New Hampshire is an arm pit.] There are many more creeks and rivers to ford, especially In Maine. In the North some of the trail is above the tree line where the weather can change radically in a few minutes and, when it does, you will be completely exposed. For a look at what I¢m talking about see the video embedded in the Sept. 7 blog entry.I was resentful for a while. I had ¢signed up¢ for a hike and, believe you me, in the North, a good part of the time you¢re not going to be hiking, at least not by my definition. You¢re going to be rock hopping and rock climbing for miles on end.So my advice to you is, relax. It is what it is, and there¢s no helping it. When I finally accepted that, and fixed my attitude, I started having fun again.Let It Happen        I¢m not opposed to planning ahead. If I were you I¢d read the guide book you¢ve chosen, might even study it a little. But you need to be flexible when you get out there, need be willing to change your plans at the drop of a hat.         For me, the two best parts about the hike were the people I met --other hikers and trail angels-- and the fact that I could never be sure how the day was going to end. And it often ended better than I had planned, better, even, that I had hoped.And A Final Note        It wouldn¢t hurt you to start out, from Day One, being grateful. You are embarking on what may be the best time of your life, not because the rest of your life will be so bad but because this time of your life will be so good.Lucky