Its a Brain Game

We’re off on our little walk

“Wow, that’s a great physical achievement!” Most people we tell about hiking the trail immediately praise us for hiking such a far way. I have a couple of problems with that: Most people have no clue how long it is, and we haven’t set foot on it yet. My grand total of miles so far is zero. The real praise belongs to the wild people who started in early January; man, they’re brave. So, I quickly set people straight- the trail is 2,200ish miles, and you may see me back here in 2 weeks when I’ve quit. Who knows what could happen out there, whether it be injury or personal problems, any day could be your last on the trail.

Let’s get Physical

The Appalachian Trail will be a heck of a physical challenge, there’s no disputing that. Waking up every day to do 10-25 miles of walking? Sounds daunting as I’m sat in my jimmy-jammys slurping down another cup of tea. However, if I was to argue that Britta and I have any advantage on the AT it’s the physical side. No, not because we’re absolute monsters who smash Leg day every day- but because of both of our jobs. I’ve been a personal trainer at a lovely gym for the last couple of years, before that I was a Physiotherapist, and Britta has been a stellar Outpatient Physical Therapist since qualifying. It just happened by chance when we met we were both training to be PTs; despite vicious rumours (spread by me) that she just did the job to copy me.

Due to this advantage, we’ve been able to discuss proper plans, training techniques and prehab exercises to get the best start on trail as we can. We’re not quite Jalen Hurts squatting 600 pounds (Go Birds) but hopefully, our weenie Bulgarian split squats and deadlifts will strengthen us enough to get up a hill with 25 pounds on our back.

Though of course, I am worried about the physical side of the trail, I have at least a degree of experience in pushing my body. Whether in college sports, gym time or grueling backpacking trips, both Britta and I have worked on using our body through soreness or acknowledging our bodies are sending us warning message.

Im a serious personal trainer.

Legs so Tough, Brain so Mush

As I was discussing the AT with a gym member, she asked me “What are you doing to prepare mentally?”. They had very sweetly researched the AT and seen that mental failure was a huge reason people stop their thru-hike. If I’m being honest, I’m probably not doing enough to prepare. People are all too quick to remind me there will be nights when we’re frozen in our tents, shoes soaked through and 6 people snoring in the shelter. How will I handle it when gear fails? What will I do when I get difficult news from home? How many times can I choke down ramen before I lose it? Multiple podcasts and articles mention the AT as ‘the highest of highs, and lowest of lows’ but how can I prepare to expect those emotional rollercoasters?

I’ve never been much of a person to proactively train my brain for adversity (with the exception of Dr. Kawashima Brain Training game on the Nintendo DS, what a game!) but it’s time I changed that.

My gym friend gave me a month subscription to Headspace, and I’ve been using the app Balance to practice meditation. A lot of meditation seems to be about living in the now, rather than leaning to the future; which can exactly apply to a thru-hike. Sure, 2,200 miles is huge- but 10 miles today? That seems doable. Putting one foot in front of the other? even more manageable! It’s easy for me to be wrapped in the enormity of this challenge, but breaking it down sure has helped me so far.

So tell me, how do you go about training mental fortitude? What advice would you give a prospective thru-hiker looking to train their brain?