Question for the through hikers

[Cannibal]

I'm not sure what advise I would give for post-hike planning. I firmly believe that not having a plan was part of what made me enjoy my time so much. It was one less demon to deal with out there after collecting a lifetime of other demons to ponder. OTOH, it is part of the reason I had to stop in Vermont and not finish. With my budget dwindling and no sure plan for the future, I made the 'grown-up' decision to leave the Trail so that I had the resources to start civilized life anew. Turned-out I got a job very quickly and was pushed right back into the grind.

Either way, I believe that the first few months following the end of anybody's hike is going to be difficult and in many ways, painful. There is a joy and a real feeling of freedom being out there. That feeling is almost violently stripped away upon return to the 'real' world. For me, it was not a pleasant side-effect. It's been 14 months since I stepped on Springer; still isn't a day that goes by without a feeling of loss. The desire to be on the Trail (any Trail) is just as strong today as it was in Feb. of 2008.

I heard it a million times before my hike that I needed to prepare for the post-hike emotional roller-coaster, but it wasn't until I was riding the roller-coaster that I had even the slightest of clues of just how confusing that ride would be for me. A thru-hike is a dangerous thing, a liberating thing, and (at times) a frightening thing. Is it worth it? That's up to you. For me, absolutely; every single step!

[Coffee]

I'm not sure what advise I would give for post-hike planning. I firmly believe that not having a plan was part of what made me enjoy my time so much. It was one less demon to deal with out there after collecting a lifetime of other demons to ponder. OTOH, it is part of the reason I had to stop in Vermont and not finish. With my budget dwindling and no sure plan for the future, I made the 'grown-up' decision to leave the Trail so that I had the resources to start civilized life anew. Turned-out I got a job very quickly and was pushed right back into the grind.

Either way, I believe that the first few months following the end of anybody's hike is going to be difficult and in many ways, painful. There is a joy and a real feeling of freedom being out there. That feeling is almost violently stripped away upon return to the 'real' world. For me, it was not a pleasant side-effect. It's been 14 months since I stepped on Springer; still isn't a day that goes by without a feeling of loss. The desire to be on the Trail (any Trail) is just as strong today as it was in Feb. of 2008.

I heard it a million times before my hike that I needed to prepare for the post-hike emotional roller-coaster, but it wasn't until I was riding the roller-coaster that I had even the slightest of clues of just how confusing that ride would be for me. A thru-hike is a dangerous thing, a liberating thing, and (at times) a frightening thing. Is it worth it? That's up to you. For me, absolutely; every single step!

I want to tell you it gets better, but it doesn't.

You have the ultimite freedom when you are hiking. No deadlines, no job, no where to do, no one else to answer to. You can do nothing all day or you can do everything. Everything you do is completely up to you.

Then there are the countless daily surreal experiences that you never could picture happening or never will forget. Then throw in the truely amazing people you meet along the way.

I also wouldn't trade any of it and will do it again. But like our friend Canibal said, you need to make the grown up decisions too and make sure its the right time and other things are in order.

Another tidbit before I get off the soapbox is if you do have major things on your mind. You can't hike to get away from them. You are alone in your thoughts a lot, a whole lot, on a thru.

[dallas]

So I have this, um friend, that's seriously thinking he'd like to attempt to do a long through hike, (probably the PCT) but he's VERY unsure about how to break it to his fiance that he wants to do this thing in way that she might allow it to happen.

Also, be prepared that the answer might be 'no'.
In that case you have some deciding to do.

Not going causes resentment.
Going anyway will certainly take away some of the joy of the hike.

It all depends on what kind of person your fiance is and what kind of relationship you have.

Best wishes. I truly hope you get "fantastic! how can I help?".

[Doctari]

I agree with all the "Get her to help you plan & etc." suggestions.

I didn't get my wife involved in my first long hike (66.6 miles, which was nearly 10x as long as any previous trip). I so paid for it. Now, she helps me get my stuff ready, we figure out where / when I'll hike & she even shops for pack food as the day gets closer. She has gone from "I hate you (for hiking)" to "When is your next hike?!?!" She now is my shuttle to the AT & home. Which makes the trip there & back so much better.
Hint: have your SO's best friend live on the other side of your intended trail from where you live, so you can say: "Hey, Ann is only a 3 hr drive past where I am starting / stopping my hike. Why don't you go visit her for a few weeks while I hike." The nearly bad side effect is that she almost didn't want to come get me & end her visit.

Oh yea, when she comes to visit you, pick a hotel / motel that a "normal" would like to stay at, not one sutable for hikers. I said about the motel in Atkins "Nice place*!" her response was "EWWWWWW! WE ARE NOT STAYING HERE ARE WE! THIS PLACE IS NASTY!!!!" Yes, the punctuation is correct.
We stayed, 1 year ago tomorrow, she is still complaining about it.



*The motel had: a shower, flush toilet. And: food nearby. I was happy.

[attroll]

You cannot head out and expect to do a thru hike with a lot on your mind. Just like our friend here Coffee said “You are alone in your thoughts a lot, a whole lot, on a thru”. Meaning if you go out there worry about things it is only going to get worst and not better. You need to go out there knowing that you are 100% sure you fiancé is going to be alright without you, she will not stray or anything else that might be there to worry about. If you go out there with any worries about the home front then you will end up getting off the trail before you complete it. You have too much time on your hands to think about all these worries and it will just escalate in your mind. You are alone with your thoughts.

[guySmiley]

Perhaps, and this is a very friendly and warm suggestion, a more relevant life changing challenge is to find and pursue a meaningful career. Then take the hike!!!! You will enjoy the hike a whole lot more.

Believe me, I've considered a career switch, but for various reasons, it would be an unwise move for me. It's not a bad job, as a matter of fact, the place itself is probably one of the best places in Minneapolis to work at. It's just never been my life's ambition to move pixels around until I retire, go crazy, or get a repetitive stress injury.

I long ago came to the conclusion that getting a job that has intrinsic rewards that makes you actually happy to be there are much fewer and farther between than most people are willing to tell their teenagers. From my observation, for every 1 person who really loves what they do, there's probably 10 people that hate what they do (or are at least ambivalent), but they carry on out of necessity and then there's probably 30 more that would just be happy for any job.

Put simply, I don't let what I do for a living define me, it's what I do outside of that time that does that.

This is getting too much like career counseling!

My point with all that is the escapism component for me wanting to do a long hike is actually a minor one. It's much more the challenge of it that I find enticing. Now that I think about it, maybe some serious time away will either make me appreciate what I've got more, or maybe it will put me in the frame of mind to pursue something more fulfilling career-wise, either case strikes me as a positive thing.

[Cannibal]

guySmiley-
Others will disagree with me, but I don't think there is a wrong reason to do a long hike. Yes, there are things that will distract you more than others and maybe even cause you to leave the Trail and go home. If that's the case, then the purpose is still served; you discovered what you needed to discover, that the time isn't right. No worries. In a very small way, I'm glad I didn't summit. I have justification (in my mind) to do it again someday.

The only risk is regret and that river flows in both directions.

BTW, your reasons for doing a long hike will change several times before, during, and after.

[trigger hurt]

I get strange looks when I tell my family that I'm just going for a walk in the woods.

My uncle and mother are understanding of my desire to disconnect myself from the rest of the world and sit in silence for a while. Everyone else thinks I'm nuts.

If I were to tell them that I intended to make a 2000+ mile thru hike, they'd have me committed.

[guySmiley]

WooHoo! I just got the go ahead! Work is giving me a leave of absence, so I don't need to quit and worry about what I'm going to be doing for a living when I get done!

I love it when a plan comes together!

Thanks everyone who responded to this thread!

Now the real planning starts....

[attroll]

WooHoo! I just got the go ahead! Work is giving me a leave of absence, so I don't need to quit and worry about what I'm going to be doing for a living when I get done!

I love it when a plan comes together!

Thanks everyone who responded to this thread!

Now the real planning starts....

Cool, so when are you starting? It looks like I will be starting mid March 2010.