Body, Mind, Logistics: Preparing for a Thru Hike
I hate vacations.
Well, not vacations themselves. Rather, I hate the planning that goes into them. I get really bad FOMO, and a bit lost when it comes to choosing my own adventure.
And let’s not get it mistaken: while thru-hiking is difficult, it’s still vacation. Unlike most vacations, it at least has a persistent end goal, making it to the other terminus (which, in my case, is Katahdin!). Planning, therefore is easier, but given the length and the nature of a first thru-hike, overpreparation and anxieties are bound to happen.
Let’s go through my prep, then, shall we?
Body
I know that most common knowledge is that your body will get used to the trail over time, and the level of fitness you’re entering the trail at won’t matter after a couple of weeks. I truly believe this will be the case when it comes to gaining trail legs.
Unfortunately, I have a litany of other issues, starting mostly with my back. I’ve had a long history of back problems starting with my first internship in 2019. Having a desk job has just made it worse over time. While I’ve gone to PT for it, and some chiropractors, there hasn’t been a silver bullet. Strength training has been the only thing to provide any relief for it, and there are still times where any impacts (from rock climbing, or even a tumble on trail) will cause my issues to flare up again.
I don’t really know how to describe the pain. I have a dull, throbbing, knotty sensation on my right side. Like it’s tight and never releases. Which is funny, since I’m more flexible on that side. Oh well.
Anyways, training for this is pretty simple.
- I do an alternative version of the “Recommended Routine” from r/bodyweightfitness. For the hinge exercises, I instead perform deadlifts, and for squats I do goblet squats. This is about 2x a week
- I run about 1-2x a week. The goal with the runs isn’t so much to build a cardiovascular base (I don’t see the running cardio being applicable on trail), but moreso to expose my back to different, repeated motions from the ones it’s already exposed to (walking, biking, sitting). Variation is king
- I do a modified version of Movement by David’s flexibility training for hamstrings. I have tight hammies, so the goal here is to gain some movement before the trail. I’ve already seen improvements in this. I’m now working more on strength.
- PT exercises every night. Of the routines, this is the only one I expect to continue doing on trail. This consists of
- Cat cow (warm up)
- Dead bugs (low back)
- Wall angels (mid back)
- Glute bridges
- Good mornings (hamstrings)
The goal with all of these are to increase either my hinge ability, or my core stability, to help decrease back pain on trail. It sucks my body is the way it is at 25, but we have to make do with what we have!
Mental
This is the part I’m still the most afraid about. I’m a poster child for the anxious generation.
I know the AT is especially known as a social trail, but even in normal life when surrounded by people, I can get caught in my own thoughts. Hell, you can see the amount of rumination and overthinking I’m doing here. Part of the trail for many though, is to have time to yourself, by yourself, and possibly reflect on yourself. It’s something I hope to do as well. As someone saddled with a litany of mental health issues, I hope that stepping away from society might help with that.
This seems like a small goal, but I do want to get to the point where I spend at least an hour every morning on trail without the need to distract myself, and can listen to my own mind’s needs and wants. The key here is to do this without also spiraling in my own head. I’ve had a habit of doing this in the past. Without views to distract me, or easily digestible goals to tag every few hours (hello Virginia…), I’ll need to build up my mental resilience before the trail hits its most boring parts.
Speaking of, what do I plan to do when the doldrums of the trail hit? I don’t think “listening to nature,” and spiraling down in a cave of isolation for 10 hours a day is something sustainable. Plus, in the early weeks of the trail, I expect myself to have longer periods of down time (taking shorter days at the beginning to not injure myself, having longer nights in general due to it still being winter). So, I’ll be listening to podcasts and my girlypop music, to help get through a lot of rough times.
Blogging serves a dual purpose for me. It’s not only a way of sharing my journey for friends and family to follow (hi!) but also hopefully keeps me honest about journaling for MYSELF, so that when I get to a town library to bang out an entry, I’ll have things to read. While vlogging can also help with that, sometimes there are secrets that I can write down, that feel too vulnerable for a camera. It’s funny how an easily greppable medium still somehow feels more private than a temporal media, but that’s probably in man’s ability to more easily digest video.
Logistics
Finally, logistics! I know the AT is a trail that doesn’t require many. After all, there are only 2 permits! However, there’s still a few things to consider.
I’m leaving my job to pursue the AT. I’m privileged enough to do that, but leaving work also means leaving health insurance. Luckily, the Affordable Care Act is still in place (as of writing), so I’ll be taking out a policy for while I’m on trail, until whenever I find my next job.
I have a child at home! The child takes the form of a beautiful black cat. I’ll be driving her to some friends and having them take care of her for a while. I don’t know how the thru-hikers Renee and Tim do it so nonchalantly, even leaving my cat for weekend trips has been a sad point.
Speaking of friends, they’ll also be holding on to some spare gear of mine. At the beginning, they’ll just have my spare pair of shoes, but as the trail goes on, I foresee needing to send my puffy to them, and then taking it back to take on the Whites (because, even in July – September, you never know…)
Finally, first day logistics. This is something that I’ve mostly only found this Reddit thread helpful for. Most vloggers seem to have someone with them to send them off; their parents, their loved ones. I’m headed to Amicalola solo. Thus, I’m mostly following the recommendations of both my shuttle driver, and the Reddit thread! I’ll be flying in, shopping at the REI in Sandy Springs, and then taking a 2PM shuttle to the visitors center. After registering for my hike, I foresee being able to start at 4:30. I don’t really have a desire to sleep in the shelter my first night (I know… I probably should be, but why bother when you don’t have to?), so I plan to haul my ass up the stairs, and into the Amicalola Falls Lodge, before heading out the next day. This is all some time in March too, so it should be relatively traversed by then.
As for how much food I’ll be carrying at first? Probably three to four days. I don’t plan to stop and think about logistics until I make it to Mountain Crossing’s at Neel’s Gap, and while I’m going to take it slow to get there, it’s also only about 30 miles in. I don’t want to overthink the rest. No spreadsheets or plans for me! Just like a feather in the wind…
So… here we grow!
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Comments 2
“So, I’ll be listening to podcasts and my girlypop music, to help get through a lot of rough times. ” THIS! Lol last summer I pulled 27 miles listening ONLY to The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess on repeat. That was an interesting day neurologically.
You’ve got this!!!
Lol same! Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess got me out of the White Mountains. (I also might’ve accidentally deleted everything on my offline Spotify… oops :P). My whole Wrapped ended up being dominated by Chappell Roan.