post trail depression

The Slow and Grueling Transition to Society

The Slow and Grueling Transition to Society

It has been well over a minute since I summited Katahdin and my return to society, the "real world". While it is nice to sleep in a warm soft bed...

Feb 4, 2024 : Guinevere Drabik
Real Talk: The 5 Stages of Post-Trail Grief

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...

Jan 31, 2023 : Anna Crafton
Post-Trail Depression 2018; Plans for a Better 2020

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...

Dec 11, 2019 : Gracetopher Kirk
Challenges Transitioning to Post-Trail Life

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...

Sep 7, 2019 : Everly Jazi
Post-LASH: One Year Later

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."

Aug 27, 2018 : Ashley Hill
The Summit Is not the End: Thoughts on Post-Trail Depression

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...

Mar 22, 2018 : Bookie
We Heard the Call, We Answered… Now What?

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....

Mar 5, 2018 : Ashley Hill
Just because you’ve left the trail doesn’t mean the trail has left you

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...

Apr 12, 2017 : Bookie
“I Am Back Where I Belong But Still Decelerating.”

“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...

Oct 25, 2016 : Katina (Arachne) Daanen
Thru-Hikers’ Advice for Dealing With Post-Trail Depression

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...

Oct 9, 2016 : The Editors