post trail depression
Real Talk: The 5 Stages of Post-Trail Grief
So you’ve walked 2,200 miles, given six months of your life to accomplish a goal that few will ever achieve, created an entirely new world for yourself both socially and...
Post-Trail Depression 2018; Plans for a Better 2020
I can only guess what post-trail depression feels like for those who complete their hike. What I do know is that a premature end to my hike in 2018 definitely...
Challenges Transitioning to Post-Trail Life
Walking through the unruly trail just north of Cascade Locks, OR, I started to panic. What was I going to do after the Pacific Crest Trail once I arrived at...
Post-LASH: One Year Later
I was heartbroken stumbling southbound through the wilderness of Maine knowing I had no choice but to re-enter "civilization."
The Summit Is not the End: Thoughts on Post-Trail Depression
Huddled, a sodden mass of wet bodies, we watched the rain come down in sheets. We’d just covered 10-plus miles of trail dashing through puddles and downpour with a single...
We Heard the Call, We Answered… Now What?
There is a particular day in every aspiring thru-hiker's life where we suddenly heard the call of the wild, or for me in particular, Katahdin's beautiful voice in my dreams....
Just because you’ve left the trail doesn’t mean the trail has left you
It's the time of year when many of us past thru hikers are coming upon our "trail-aversary." Maybe it has already come and gone as mine has, maybe it's just...
“I Am Back Where I Belong But Still Decelerating.”
I am far more alone over these last two weeks paddling in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness than on any of the 110 days spent hiking the Appalachian Trail...
Thru-Hikers’ Advice for Dealing With Post-Trail Depression
This is probably you: The elated hiker who has never been happier or more proud than when you saw that sign emerging from wind-whipped clouds after that epic five-mile climb. You touch it, trace...
How to Fight Through On Trail and Post Trail Depression
With the passing of Robin Williams this month, depression has been on my mind. I wrote specifically about this death here, but I’d like to explore the connection between depression...