6 Surprising Changes I Noticed After Hiking the AT That Never Went Away

When thru-hikers finish the Appalachian Trail, adjusting back to life in the civilized world can be a challenge. We have to learn to rein in our huge appetites and get comfortable sleeping indoors in a real bed again. This transition is rarely easy, but most of us do manage it, eventually.

But does that mean we just slip back into our old routines as though nothing ever happened? I sure didn’t — literally almost nothing about my life is the same now as it was before the AT, excluding my legal name, and most of those changes went into effect immediately upon returning to civilization after the trail.

Yes, I got used to eating less than 2,000 calories a day again, but the trail also caused permanent changes in me: some bizarre, some beautiful, some utterly mundane. Here are six ways thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail permanently changed me.

1. My Relationship With Food

Pre Trail: Normal food
On-Trail:
Weird trail diet
Post Trail: Normal food but I can’t stomach certain things and I know too many nutrition facts

All thru-hikers know and love (??) going from normal-person diets to powering down unlimited amounts of cheese and candy and still being hungry 22 hours per day except for the minutes immediately after having eaten. Hiker hunger is rather glorious in this way.

But eventually, even hiker hunger can’t mask the fact that we’re all gosh dang sick of subsisting mostly on gas station snacks for six months on end.

Now that I’m back in the real world, my diet is back to normal as well, but there are certain foods I simply can’t eat anymore. I consumed several lifetimes’ worth of Clif bars and couscous on the trail, I don’t need any more now, thanks. I even refuse to eat hiking foods I still like — Kind bars, Nature Valley bars … mostly bars, really — in my off-trail life, to preserve the novelty a bit for the next hike.

Also, I still know most of the Starkist tuna packet and Knorr Sides flavors and their respective calorie counts by heart, and my version of calorie counting has apparently been permanently reversed. Six years later I still can’t shake that vague feeling of disdain when the nutrition facts reveal a caloric density below 100 cal/oz.

2. My Relationship With My Name

Pre-Trail: Kelly
On-Trail: Ibex
Post-Trail: Both names feel true

While on the AT, I leaned so hard into my trail name, embracing it as a whole new identity that was both cooler and better than my boring government-issued one.

For a while post-thru, anytime I got back on a trail and went back to using my trail name, I felt like I was shrugging off my normal-girl Kelly disguise and slipping back into my own skin — becoming Ibex again, a person who was far braver and freer than lame old Kelly ever was.

Eventually, I realized that Ibex is Kelly and Kelly is Ibex. I’m one person who underwent a lot of growth and change in a short period of time, and calling me by one name or the other doesn’t make me a different person. You could call me Mrs. Potatohead, and it still wouldn’t change the fact of me. It was never about Ibex — it was about my nostalgia for the context in which I developed that new identity.

Nowadays, my trail friends still know me as Ibex, but most people still call me Kelly. I’m comfortable responding to both names and I no longer see them as distinct identities. I may not be hiking anymore, but I’m still the person who set out to walk across the country back in 2018 and then actually went and did it, and that truth has informed many of my subsequent life choices. I don’t need a trail name to prove to myself who I am.

3. My Sleep Quality

Pre-Trail: Mediocre sleep
On-Trail: Deep, exhaustion-induced sleep every night
Post-Trail: Decent sleep but I live in constant fear of reverting to my old ways

I was a terrible sleeper before the AT, but like many thru-hikers, the sheer exhaustion of hiking all day solved that nice and quick. I enjoyed generally high-quality sleep throughout my thru-hike.

Finally getting to experience adequate and restful sleep was one of the biggest perks of the AT for me, and as I neared the end of the trail, the question of whether those better snooze habits would carry over to civilized life was much on my mind.

Six years later, I’m pleased to report that I still sleep reasonably well. I still live in constant dread of my insomnia returning, but in general, the AT seems to have helped me finally break a lifelong unhealthy sleep pattern.

I also made other beneficial changes after the AT, such as moving into a lower-stress career with zero rush hour commuting requirements, which no doubt has also helped my sleep — but I wouldn’t have made those changes without the AT either, so I still feel comfortable crediting our favorite white-blazed trail with fixing my sleep.

4. My Feet

Pre-Trail: Normal feet
On-Trail: Zombie feet
Post-Trail: Very weird Final Form feet

Sigh, I remember the days when I had cute girl feet.

By month one of my thru-hike they were already becoming hobbity. By month six, after 2,200 miles, four pairs of shoes, and a nasty bout of trenchfoot, they were full-on zombie feet the likes of which I can’t even describe. Like many hikers, my toes went numb mid-hike, but they did regain normal sensation after about six months post-thru.

I assumed other things about my feet would also return to normal, but I’m sorry to say that most of their new thru-hikey weirdness appears to be a permanent change. My toes … I don’t even know how to describe them. They’re kind of triangular now? And my nails are thicker and odd in some way I can’t quantify.

And my feet now go through an annual molting process in which the outer layer of skin falls off in thick chunks over a period of about three weeks. There is no way to predict when The Molt will begin or how long it will last, but after six years, I’ve come to count on it.

Now you know these facts about me, you’re welcome.

5. My Attitude Toward New Adventures

Pre-Trail: Cannot wait to get on trail
On-Trail: Dreading the trail ending/already anticipating the next big hike
Post-Trail: Living in the moment, accepting the things that come and go from my life

I was giddy with excitement in the months and weeks leading up to my thru-hike. I had poured my heart and soul into planning for the AT, and as the big day approached, I often caught myself murmuring “squee!” under my breath while simultaneously feeling like I was about to puke from the nerves.

Once I got on the trail and figured out that thru-hiking is mainly just walking and figuring out where to eat, drink, and sleep each day, I calmed down and a deep sense of peace and contentment settled over me. At least until I passed the halfway point and was confronted with the unpleasant reality that the trail was going to be over sooner than I’d like. I was running out of runway, and fast.

So naturally, I immediately transitioned into a mounting sense of dread that was oddly similar to my sense of anticipation leading up to the trail, except with a lot less “squee!” and a lot more wanting to barf. I tried to deflect these feelings by imagining the NEXT big hike I could go on to stave off big life decisions for another six months.

Despite these mental and emotional gymnastics, one day the trail ended and my life went on. I built out a van, traveled, successfully thru-hiked some other shorter but still very rad trails, got a cool new job, worked on myself and my relationships. I built a new life, and it’s a damn good one, even if I’m not chasing white blazes every day.

Sure, letting go of the magic I found on the AT was hard, and I’d be lying if I said I don’t miss those days sometimes. But I’m happy with where I am today today. My nostalgia for the golden era of the AT is tempered by my excitement for all the living still to come.

I’m on a different sort of adventure nowadays, and I accept that this one will also not last forever. I’ve started and ended enough chapters in my life at this point to finally understand that while they all end someday, with that one glaring exception, there will always be another chapter. Every ending is also a beginning.

6. My Stoke Level Re: the Appalachian Trail

Pre-Trail: Obsessed with the trail
On-Trail: Obsessed with the trail
Post-Trail: Obsessed with the trail

Yep, some things never change. I keep trying to develop new hobbies like knitting and travel, and don’t get me wrong those things are super fun! But thru-hiking is just one of those things that it’s really, really fun to be obsessed with.

To my friends, loved ones, passing acquaintances, and random strangers near me in the check-out line: sorry. I realize I am a cartoon of myself and I’m trying to tone it down for your sake. But while you’re waiting for me to figure that out would you like to hear some facts about Benton Mackaye?

Everyone’s different.

No doubt your experiences post-thru will be different than mine. This isn’t necessarily a list of changes you should expect will happen to you when you finish the AT.

Maybe you’ll experience some of these, maybe the trail will change you in completely different ways. Maybe it won’t change you at all, but — no offense — I highly doubt that.

The full extent of its influences on your life might not even become clear until years after your thru-hike. I know I’m still reflecting on the trail and identifying ways it changed me. Happily, most of the changes I’ve noted are positive ones. OK, maybe not the foot thing (I really just don’t even know what to make of that), and my encyclopedic knowledge of Knorr Sides is probably bandwidth I could devote to something more useful, but you get the point.

What are some ways the AT has changed you?

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Comments 10

  • Lin : Jul 25th

    Good info for long distance hikers to know. We don’t see this perspective very often so thank you for sharing your insights. The info about the feet has come up recently in some posts (I only read them sporadically.)
    Biggest regrets can be a topic, maybe info about the adjustment back to civilization as some perod of ‘depression’ can be expected. Adequate preparation like a three day hike and wek long hike and two week hike should be requirements to build yourself up both physically and mentally and getting your gear together.
    I get a good laugh at the folks that start out too early and run into snow and below freezing temps in the Smokies. Let alone deal with the elevation changes. It’s obvious that they didn’t do their homework to.prep.correctly.
    I don’t quite understand how folks come up with enough money to take such long periods off unless there is some family money helping out of some sort. And leaving jobs not knowing what you’ll come back to. But then, jumping into something totally new (I did it in my 30s though) with some.smart.plannkng ahead of time is indeed exhilarating. Thanks!
    I’m just a.day hiker but.enjoy reading about everyone’s adventures. Too many posts seem to be about mileage rather than the experience but more folks this year are doing better about that. It’s the journey that matters not how fast you can complete it.

    Reply
  • Natasa Jovic : Jul 25th

    Thank you for the wonderful reading! One of the best articles I’ve read. Although not a thru hiker, I can identify changes provoked by hiking. That zest, that obsession with the mountain, that cover of calm and belonging to the nature’s rhytm never realised before hiking, that sadness when the trail is about to end and trying to make steps smaller and slower, to give just a few minutes more… and the changes endorsed in so many aspects of life, because I know I can – the mountain tought me.

    Reply
  • Wrong way : Jul 26th

    As an Appalachian Trail 1988 Thru Hiker and PCT 1992 Thru Hiker , Many of these things are so true about what happens to ones life after a long distance hike! Except for my feet ( I wore limmer leather boots and homemade wool socks ) which never gave me any foot problems! After some 4,000 + Miles my feet felt and looked good! Don’t do big miles and take care of yourself and your feet and wear good leather boots and you’ll be happy with those wheels ! ..My view on life changed after my Thru Hikes! I sold my house in California and moved to Alaska. Bought a small cabin and lived off the land as a homesteader…Quit my job as a lawyer and changed my way of living! I realized I didn’t need all the technical stuff ( Tvs and radios ) just live a simple life!! Food changed too…I was a vegetarian before I stepped foot on the trail, After the ” AT ” Appalachian Trail I eat just about anything! Including deer meat ! The way I view myself had changed! I didn’t care what people thought of me anymore once I came home after my 211 days on the Appalachian Trail and was happy to set out on the PCT a few years later for 281 days ! I found that I really enjoyed living out in Nature and being alone! I found myself and I found my inner peace! Ive walked across America and hiked all over Alaska…It changed my life for the better ! I’ll be 70 next year and its been over 30 years since my Appalachian Trail Thru Hike and not a day goes by how much I miss my days snowshoeing in the deep snow in the Smokeys mountains in march or my 13 days in Maines 100 mile wilderness and a 58 pound backpack! The trail is a mental challenge that you really need to want and change and become open minded and to see life change in those 7 to 8 months makes all the difference! Its one step at a time! As the legendary 3 time Appalachian Trail thru hiker ( SlowFoot ) once said its not not the miles, but the smile that make you keep going an journey of a lifetime!! He’s right ! Happy Trails “WrongWay ” ✌️🌲

    Reply
  • .com : Jul 26th

    My AT plan was section-hiking, 2010-2016 & it fit me perfectly. I met soooo many hikers, was able to change out my gear as gear improved over the years,
    and had some extra time to do some extra hikes like twice in way northern Alaska.

    I received my trail name “.com” prior to hiking the AT. It’s kinda cool to have two names. “.com” definitely brings my mind back to the Trail.

    When I retired in 2015 I was nearing the end of my AT sections, and I decided to volunteer at the ATC HQ in HF. Nine years later and I’m still loving the experience I have of giving back to the Trail and its community. When I take a hiker’s photo, I ask them “do you have a Trail name?” Then I introduce myself “I’m .com & it’s nice to meet you!”

    Reply
  • Coach : Jul 26th

    Miss Kelly
    I am a retired educator, AT section hiker, Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club member (live near McAfee Knob).
    What a delightful article! I am trying to get my niece into backpacking. She has developed an interest in the AT culture.
    I forwarded this to her. I think she will laugh out loud about the Zombie feet.
    The thing I appreciated so much is that you wrote a wonderful, interesting article without including profanity.
    Coach

    Reply
  • Mark Cain : Jul 27th

    Great articles. I love reading others experiences on the trail and seeing how they differ with challenges and expectations. How you overcome those challenges is where you are made or lost.

    Reply
  • Solitude : Jul 30th

    I completely enjoyed your view on all of this. My favorite had to be the last point. Obsessed with the trail. That’s where I find myself most of the time. Enjoy, keep living.

    Reply
  • Scribbles : Aug 2nd

    Great thoughts!
    I became a minimalist when I returned from my thru in 2011. I was in shock when I came home – too much of everything except forest! I sat on the sofa for 3 days figuring out what to do next. We sold our big house and most of the stuff in it and moved to the mountains of NC. These days unless I can eat it or use it for hiking not much new comes in. I have almost 8000 backpacking miles now and itch to get out there backpacking every day. To those wanting to go….please be prepared. As someone else mentioned don’t go too early – there are no prizes for being first, there are consequences for needing to be rescued. Respect for the AT and other hikers is important – you never know when you may need to rely on a fellow hiker. Most of all – enjoy and Hike On!

    Reply
  • Pot Luck : Sep 9th

    Spot on.

    Reply
  • STEPHEN M GROVE : Sep 17th

    Ibex (Kelly),
    What advice can you give me to prepare for hiking the trail. I plan on doing sections at a time. My first section will be West Virginia and Maryland. I am a novice at hiking, but I have spent a lot of time in the wilderness from camping in Yellowstone to kayaking on the multiple rivers. I know this is not comparable to hiking the AT. Any advice would be appreciated!
    Websites
    Books
    etc…

    Thank you!
    Stephen

    Reply

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