Date: 2008-01-15
To: Motivation
Miles today: 0.0

Have you ever thought about what motivates some folks to attempt a thru-hike? And what about during your thru-hike, when you are cold and wet and tired and lonely ¢ what motivates you to keep going? Everybody is different, and has his or her own reasons for hiking. But there has to be some reason that makes us want to do it, doesn¢t there? If for no other reason than to just enjoy and experience what we see, smell, or hear. I can¢t speak for anyone else ¢ just my experiences and those of other hikers who have shared them with me. Here are some of my thoughts.I tend to think there are a number of hikers who hike because it is/will be exciting or fun or challenging or a big party or cool or a way to rebel against any number of things. And I¢m definitely not talking about just younger hikers. I envy those who are right out of college who have their lives ahead of them, and who can delay from starting the often-time insanity of the world we work in.Some other hikers (young or old) may have gone through some type of significant event in their life and a thru-hike, they hope, will help them figure out things, or what direction to take. A number of years ago I met a female hiker who had been raped in the past year. She needed her hike to try and get her life and mind back together. Part of her therapy while hiking was to try and talk about her feelings with others. I hope things worked out for her.Back in 2004 I met a middle-aged hiker not far from Hiawassee. We sat down to chat and he told me why he had been a lawyer in Atlanta with his own law practice. His wife worked with him as his clerk. They had been married for 31 years. Last year they found out she had terminal cancer and she died less than a month later. He couldn¢t continue on, sold his law practice and made the decision to hike the Appalachian Trail. He said the Trail would give him plenty of time to think about the past, the present and his future. The six months would hopefully give him time to grieve and deal with what had happened. I was in a serious relationship with a lady a number of years ago. This was before I had met my current wife. I thought my relationship then was wonderful; I was happy; things could not be better. But she felt otherwise and decided things were over between us. We had been living together for a couple of years. Suddenly (so it seemed to me) I was ¢out¢ and never to see her again. I have no problem admitting I was devastated ¢ terribly so. That is when I decided to do my SOBO thru-hike. With little advance planning, a minimum of gear, and not in very good shape I traveled to Katahdin. It was like a pilgrimage for me. I needed something that would challenge me physically. I needed something to keep me occupied. But more than anything, I needed something that would give me time to think.If there is anything you get plenty of on a thru-hike, it is time to think. Overall I think that is a positive because you can think things over time and time again. And find a solution that works for you. It definitely helped me. I met a number of hikers along the way that educated me on what gear I needed to carry. Within the first month or so I had lost weight and gotten into far better shape. And with that physical improvement comes a mental improvement ¢ because you feel better about yourself.You may have already heard of the word ¢catharsis¢. I learned it is an event or something in your life that can fundamentally challenge (and maybe change) your life or beliefs or values. That definition most definitely applied to myself and my thru-hike. I have never had a unhappy or "bad" hiking day. We don¢t necessarily need to do a thru-hike to work out our life challenges. But it worked for me.HYOH ¢ Enjoy!