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The Reasons Why I’ll Fail My Thru-Hike
Okay, dramatic title aside, since I’m a little under a week away from starting the trail, I’ve been doing more thinking. One of the things I’ve been thinking about is failure. Everyone I talk to expects me to do the whole thing. They have no doubt I will be able to do it. And besides a catastrophic worst case scenario–like a broken leg–the only other thing that will get me off the trail is quitting. Still, thinking about failure leads to failure, right?
But it doesn’t help if you know what can cause you to fail and you ignore it.
The best thing to do, in my opinion, is assess those points of failure and address them the best you can.
Obviously I won’t know what it’s like to be doing it until I’m actually doing it. No matter how much I research, it’s all theoretical until I start my walk.
So here are the reasons I’ll fail:
Finding excuses to quit
No hike will be perfect. There will be problems: gear breaking, weather, and other types of delays. I’ve tried to focus on what I can control. I’ve done a lot of prep, but I know there is more I could have done. I know small problems can snowball into huge issues.
I’m hoping my gear won’t be a point of failure. I didn’t get a chance to test most of it in a practical setting. I used my Big Agnes tent for most of last year, and I’m very familiar with setting it up and tearing it down, but I haven’t even gone on more than a couple mile hike with my full kit.
There will never be a perfect year
Hurricane Helene was devastating for so many lives and entire communities, it feels a bit petty to even mention it. But after all of my preparations last year, I was afraid it would all be for naught. Would I even want to hike the trail if it wasn’t complete? I know the communities need the support. And there will never be a perfect year. Another hurricane might hit and cause more damage this year, or worse. So this is my year, even if I have to skip over sections that are impassable. Even Earl Shaffer–the first reported thru hiker–might have skipped sections due to them being poorly marked or impassable. If his feat counts, so will mine.
Mr. Worf
He’s my cat. He’s my little guy. He showed up in our backyard, pouncing at bugs in the grass. He lived in a pile of wood next to my grill until I eventually earned his trust with food. For the last three years he’s been my shadow. He’s gotten used to me being gone while I was camping last year, but this extended absence will definitely be hard on him.
Hearth and Home
It’s going to be hard and uncomfortable for me the next few months. I’m going to miss my wife. And I’m going to miss crawling into a huge, dry, warm bed every night. I know I’ll get used to trail life eventually.
There are other comforts that home brings, like the ability to conveniently get food. Or have a fridge full of drinks. Or drink coffee from freshly ground beans. I’m a huge caffeine addict, and I know that will be an issue in my first few weeks. Drink mixes with added caffeine will help.
FOMO
There are so many things that I’m missing. The new Nintendo Switch is coming out this year. There are some new games releasing that I’m going to have to wait to get to. But after years of trying to outrun deadlines, not having to even know what’s happening is refreshing. All of that stuff will be waiting for me when I get back.
My body hates me
But not all of my potential reasons for failure are mental. I have some physical issues to overcome. I have debilitating migraines and back issues, both related to my service in the Army. I have prescriptions that help with the migraines, but nothing is surefire. I have no real method of dealing with my back if I tweak it. That’s why I’m leaving in early March. I might need to take a few more zero days than average. If I need to take 7 months or longer to finish the trail, so be it.
I know that, no matter what obstacles I face, I need to keep a positive mental attitude. And that means staying away from people who want to quit, because that can be contagious.
I’m not going to try to hike the entire 2000+ miles all at once. I plan on hiking, sure, but I will try to set realistic goals. I need to think differently. It’s not 1,970 miles until Katahdin, it’s 30 miles until my next stop. Small, mentally digestible goals will keep up that positive mental attitude I’ll need to finish.
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Comments 8
Great attitude. As they say, a through hike is just a bunch of shorter section hikes stitched together. Best of luck!
Enjoy every moment no matter the miles. My hubby began his hike as a thru hiker – he learned that terminology meant he hiked until he was thru. Injury did take him off trail twice but the second time it was a tad more serious. However, it took 2 full weeks to convince him, he was done and had gone as far as he could – for the time being. Yes, he was disappointed his body failed him but once he accepted the fact that his health was far more important than miles, he came home to recover and has since been back to the trail on three more occasions to continue forward with what he started. He currently has about 350 of the toughest miles left, but he WILL finish what he started, no matter how long it takes.
My only advice to you is listen to your body. If it needs to take a break, do it. If it needs better nourishment, do it. If your gear isn’t working, change it. If you get blisters, tend to them frequently. If you injure/twist an ankle, knee or whatever, take time to nurture it. Stretch frequently. Drink as much liquid as possible. Rest your weary body. Talk to your family and video call your cat ❤️. Most of all don’t ever think of yourself as a failure. Wishing you all the best of luck on your new adventure ❤️
Hey bud, a fellow Army vet with a jacked up back and migraines here. The hardest thing for me was leaving. I thought I deployed and left people behind for a year this would be easy. Well turns out when you’re doing it by yourself without any orders it’s extremely difficult emotionally… My back only got squirrely on me in the Smokies when there were zero degree nights during a cold snap where I decided to keep on hiking instead of going into town…. And surprisingly the migraines seem to have went away while hiking. I don’t know if it’s cuz your body is working better and exercising or there’s less stress because you’re just walking in the woods but it was awesome not having them the only times I got them was when I let myself get dehydrated. Which was quite easy to do 😂 just remember its hard on the body and really hard on the brain. But once you get past it to where you don’t even consider getting off a trail anymore it’s pretty cool… Unfortunately it took me until West Virginia to get that peace of mind. But totally worth it .just keep at it
As someone who hiked the AT during Covid in 2020 and the PCT during the highest snow year on record in 2023 – there is no perfect year! You’ll hear a lot of fear mongering when its a year notorious for some big challenge, but once you get out there you’ll realize how doable it really is. Plus, the crazy years make for the best stories and make the success feel even sweeter at the end. It’s your year, best of luck to you on your journey 🙂
I love your attitude! I started the AT last week, and already faced a couple of things you mentioned: quitter attitude, small aches, snow and extreme cold… But probably the reason I will stay on the trail is my answer to the question: until where are you hiking today? I simply answer: I don’t know, ask my ankle!
When you pass me next month, slow down and say hi to the slow white-haired woman!
It’s great that you are thinking through the difficult possibilities. My advice: Acceptance, Adaptability and Perseverance are key to dealing with the unforeseen. Once you accept the situation, you can adapt; if you can adapt, you will persevere. And remember, failure is relative. Focus on your “why” you are hiking and measure success based upon achieving your “why” and not in miles or even reaching Katahdin. Ask yourself, are the 2000+ miles and standing on Katahdin your most important goals? Take care of the little things and you will find yourself on Katahdin. I look forward to reading more from you…
After a month you’ll know if you can do it physically. After that, it’s all a mental game. A common reason people quit is that they just get bored and figure they’d rather be doing something else. If you really, really want to finish, you’ll find a way, even though some days will suck so bad.
The only other thing I could tell you is the old saying “never quit on a bad day” is something you should live by if you really want to finish.
First I want to start by sincerely thanking you for your service!
The most important thing of all is just get out there and enjoy your journey and have fun! The AT is definitely about the journey and not the destination. I can assure you that it will be a beautiful, life changing experience no matter how many miles you hike. You will meet awesome people from all over the world and you will experience some of the most beautiful scenery the world has to offer. A win win!! The gear, pack weight, resupply, miles per day, etc., etc. will all work itself out on the trail! Be flexible to modifying your plans because they will definitely change due to weather, trail magic, trail family plans and every unforseen good and bad circumstance imaginable!! You got this!!
Much luck and happy hiking!!