Class of 2017, Go Get ‘Em!

2016 Thru-Hiker Tailspin here! Well, I dropped off the face of the blogging world in Virginia during my hike last year. I can explain. My main focus during my hike other than walking all day was shooting video. I have finally completed a 10 part video series of my thru-hike. Here’s the link to Part 1, Check it out!:

As far as the title I’ve chosen for this post, I just want to say to you 2017 thru-hikers that you’re in for a hell of a ride and I wish I could be right there with you. The summit of Springer and the first night on the trail is overwhelming in every way imaginable. After only a couple days into Georgia, I limped down from the top of Blood Mountain into Neel Gap with excruciating pain in both knees. I told myself there was no way I could hike 2,150 more miles. I picked up two knee sleeves, reduced my daily mileage, and kept going.

Listen To Your Body

Your trail legs will come. It will take about a month, (for me it was around Damascus), but you will become conditioned, physically and mentally. In Georgia I could barely do 13 miles a day without hurting myself. By halfway through Virginia I was doing 13 miles before lunch, and you will too!

Keep Your Feet Moving

After keeping yourself healthy, your mind does the rest of the work. For people that doubt themselves or consider throwing in the towel within the first couple weeks, I will just say this: It is the uncertainty of the journey that makes the adventure. Every day you walk new trail. You don’t know where you’re going to sleep until you get there. Each trail town is a new experience. You don’t know about the trail magic until you walk right into it. Food never tasted so good. You see new faces, and eventually you’ll run into a familiar face you haven’t seen in 500 miles and it motivates the heck out of you to see they are still going strong, just like you!

By the end of my journey, it was incredible to see and feel the changes I had undergone. It is a major transformation that happens little by little over 2,189 miles. But I’m not here to tell you about my hike, I want to motivate you to stick it out!

Write Your Own Story

Do you have a favorite adventure novel, TV show, or movie? Of course you do! Have you ever wished you could forget the whole story just so you could experience it for the first time again? That is how I felt after my thru-hike, and you’ll cherish that walk from Georgia to Maine for the rest of your life. I spent so much time dreaming about thru-hiking before walking past that first white blaze in Georgia. I never thought I would spend so much time wishing I could go back.

Take a look at my YouTube Channel linked above. My documentary runs a little over 2 hours with 10 videos, covering anything from gear, to trail culture, to hiking tips. Take care of your feet! HYOH!

Affiliate Disclosure

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek's ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Thanks for your support!

To learn more, please visit the About This Site page.

Comments 2

  • Ruby : Mar 3rd

    Thank you, I’ve read (audio books actually) about thru hiking the AT and it’s great to see what I’ve been reading about. I’m 80 years old and most of my backpacking days are behind me but I love reading and hearing about it.

    Reply
  • Pam Bach : Mar 7th

    I feel the say way about Harry Potter books……lol
    Nice article and very enjoyable videos. Where will the next adventure be?

    Reply

What Do You Think?