Reflections and Post-AT Potpourri

It has been over a month since I finished my LASH of the AT from Harpers Ferry through Katahdin, and I thought I would reflect on my experience on the trail. Since ending, Hurricane Helene has decimated the southern part of the trail making most of the miles I haven’t yet completed unhikeable. As such, it will likely be years before I head back to the AT to finish the second half. For the sake of those directly affected by the storm damage, I hope rebuilding and recovery are swift. I am grateful for the miles I did get to hike and will be back when it is more feasible.

Rankings of Steve’s Snacks whoopie pies

1. Mint Chocolate
2. Lemon
3. Maple
4. Black Raspberry
5. Red Velvet
6. Chocolate Chip
7. Double Chocolate
8. Chocolate Peanut Butter
9. Pumpkin

Statistics

AT miles hiked: 1,171.4

Total days on trail: 87

Average AT miles hiked per day: 13.46

Zero days: 4

AT miles remaining: 1026 (technically fewer since I sectioned the VA triple crown recently)

Total miles hiked (as tracked by my watch): 1,453.9

Bonus miles: 282.5

Total steps taken: 3,243,242

Bonus backpacking trip in VA

Money spent

Cash and Venmo transactions: $419.04

Credit card transactions: $4,553.63

Coos County Family Health bill (for Lyme Disease visit): $20

Grand Total: $4,992.67

Daily Average (including travel day home): $56.73

Thoughts on money spent

Without really doing any budgeting on the trail, I spent around my estimated budget of $1,500 per month or $50 per day. The unexpected expenses related to my Lyme Disease increased my daily spending a little more during that period of the trail, but I accounted for some contingencies in my savings. Since I stayed on the trail for a bit less time than I initially estimated, I spent less than I had set aside, which is good since it gave me a larger cushion for moving expenses before my new job started. The number I was telling people I spent before calculating was $5,000, so I was scarily accurate with that estimation.

Considering my daily spend on the AT is considerably cheaper than my daily rent in NYC—not to mention all my other expenses—I am happy with this total cost, though it’s definitely possible to do it more cheaply.

My biggest expenses were food and lodging. I went out to eat almost every time I went into town and would splurge on staying in a private room on many occasions. I only paid for transportation when getting a shuttle, bus, and plane home after Katahdin—and when I took a mini trip to NYC when I was nearby on the trail—and hitchhiked or walked into town on all other occasions. I spent no money on alcohol and had a total of one beer at Shaw’s. Other expenses were things like laundry and a couple of small gear-related purchases.

Thoughts on not drinking on trail

Not spending on alcohol was a good way to save money twofold: I didn’t spend extra money on the trail, and I lowered my tolerance so that I won’t spend as much money on alcohol after the trail. That being said, I probably wouldn’t do this again because I anticipate having more money saved next time I do a big hike. When reflecting, I realized that there are not many drinks that I actually enjoy, so it’s more about contributing to a social experience. As I was largely solo on the trail, drinking didn’t make much sense, but if I were hiking with a group, I’d probably enjoy it while in town.

Thoughts on hitchhiking

Hitchhiking is great, and I’m sad our society vilifies it. It is environmentally friendly, economical, doesn’t make me stressed about getting to a road at a particular time, and is a good way to meet new people. It makes me feel good to know that if I really need to get somewhere, I have another mode of transportation at my disposal.

Favorite gear

Most of my gear was good—I didn’t replace anything big and I was happy with my research ahead of time. My philosophy going in was to be lightweight but not ultralight to the point of discomfort. Sure, there were many people out there with lighter packs than me, but just as many were carrying more. It wasn’t worth the hundreds of extra dollars to me to shave off a few more pounds.

• Loop earplugs: A triple-crowner I met early on in the trail put me onto these, and based on some of the roommate experiences I had in college, I can’t believe I haven’t used these sooner. For less than the cost of a hostel stay, I probably got an extra five hours of sleep a week. It’s kind of like how you have to take off your sunglasses to hear: if your ears are plugged, your eyes can better ignore if it’s a little light outside.
• Talenti jar: Great for cold soaking dinners or having an electrolyte drink without dirtying a bottle. Plus, you get to eat a whole pint of gelato for free when you buy the jar—that’s girl math.
• Osprey hydration bladder: I’m not sure I saw anyone else on trail with one of these, which surprised me for how convenient they are. To the haters, I only ran out of water once. It’s just great to not have to reach awkwardly to the side every time I want a drink.
• Platypus soft bottle: I don’t understand why Smart Water bottles are so ubiquitous on the trail. This reusable bottle is a lot safer and lasts longer for not that much more than a single-use one. Plus, it rolls up to take up almost no space.

Favorite clothing

• Injinji toe liners: These, combined with wide-toe box shoes, led to me getting zero blisters on the trail until I had to change to narrower shoes for more support—even then, I only got one or two small ones. Adding Darn Tough socks on top worked well.
• Patagonia Baggies: These are a popular thru-hiking choice, and I understand why. They’re just the perfect length that they don’t ride up, plus have pockets.
• Lululemon Envital Bra: Finding a decently supportive sports bra to wear everyday for someone with a low band size to high cup size ratio was challenging, particularly since I wanted to avoid clasps due to chafing concerns. I don’t understand why most sports bras just come in small, medium, and large, but thankfully Lululemon sells some in more granular sizing. This bra worked for the whole hike and I had zero chafing, so it passed my test.

Least Favorite Gear

• Gossamer Gear polycro ground cloth: This just got so dirty and gross—leaves and dirt perpetually stuck to it. At one point it ripped in half and I had to duct tape it back together. I threw it away immediately upon leaving Katahdin. I should have just gotten a piece of Tyvek.
• MSR PocketRocket 2: I abandoned it after a month and switched to cold soaking. It was surprisingly unintuitive to use, and lowkey scared me. Nothing I cooked on it was good enough to warrant the extra weight.
• Sawyer water bag: It’s just kind of sharp. I abandoned it and switched to a CNOC for my dirty water and was much happier.

Changes post-trail

• My eyesight is better: I don’t really have a way to quantify this, as I didn’t wear glasses beofer or after the trail, but the world just seems in sharper relief now. There is some scientific basis for this, as spending time in sunlight is like exercise for your eyes. Probably spending way less time looking at a screen every day helped too.
• I enjoy cooking more: It’s such a privilege to have access to affordable, fresh food. I can step out of my door and buy fruit from a stand on the street or walk just a few minutes to a handful of grocery stores that stock real food. I obviously eat out some, but cooking feels more like something I get to do to eat the kinds of foods I like rather than something I have to do to survive.
• I have affirmed my career/life path: I am relatively satisfied with my current professional and personal lives. The trail was great, and I know I’ll do another adventure at some point, but it was enough of something different to know that I’m very lucky with the life I’ve cultivated. I got what I needed out of the trail and am fulfilled with that growth for a while.

Top lessons learned

1. Post trail, I’d say I’m more mellow. With all that was thrown at me daily, small inconveniences don’t sting as much as they used to. If it’s something I can’t change, there’s not much point ruminating over it ad nauseam. What will be will be. However, if something is unpleasant and I have the power to change it or remove myself from the situation, I won’t put up with it. I can choose to have a good time most of the time, so I don’t see why I wouldn’t want to do that.
2. School smarts only go so far. The trail doesn’t care that I went to a top ten college, what I got on my ACT, how much money I make per year, or where I live. It takes heart to keep going, and the hands dealt to hikers aren’t always fair. I got Lyme Disease; the SOBOs got half their trail washed away; we all dealt with record-high heat. It doesn’t matter who you are; the trail will be hard, and you have to learn how to succeed at this thing that doesn’t operate on the same type of currency as the rest of the world. I think the ego knock I got in failing to do a complete thru-hike on my first big backpacking trip attempt was more valuable thansuccessfully completing the trail would have been. It would have been nice to be able to call myself a thru-hiker, but it isn’t the end all be all for me.
3. Task estimation is really hard. On the trail, you know how many miles you have to do in a day and what the elevation gain will be, but the terrain, weather, and state of your body can be wild cards. As on trail and in life, “The best-laid plans of mice and men oft’ go awry.” We like to estimate things based on the best-case scenario, but that rarely happens, and it’s hard to account for the worst—or even regular—case. Listening to Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman really brought this home.

What I liked about the AT

• It takes constant problem-solving with real stakes to keep moving forward. As a computer programmer, this is fun even when it’s also frustrating.
• The trail giveth and the trail taketh away, seeming exactly as you need it to.
• There’s a grand logistical ease in living outside and moving forward on a red line on a map as your daily job.
• Hearing different life ideologies is super cool, particularly coming from a big bubble prior to the trail.
• Being outside constantly is fun and feels like what humans were meant to do.

What I disliked about the AT

• The AT has been commodified due to its popularity.
• As such, it was an inauthentic wilderness experience.
• Lack of diversity: I saw fewer hikers of color than fingers on my hand and my estimate was that only about 20% of hikers were women
• The terrain is brutal and demoralizing.
• The constant gain and loss of friendships takes a toll, socially.

Overall

The end…for now

I am happy that I postponed my full-time job for a couple of months in order to attempt a thru-hike of the AT. Despite doing less of the trail than I initially hoped, I am happy with my experience and don’t dwell on things that went wrong. I thought about the things I wanted to reflect on and learned lessons that I didn’t expect but definitely needed. I wouldn’t say the trail made me into a different person or that I am irrevocably changed by my hike, but that it was a very important thing for me to do to get a better grasp on reality.