One Month In - Lessons Learned

Updates from the Mountains

Episode #6: One Month as a Thru-Hiker

Wow! It’s been a month already? A lot has happened since I started the AT, and I’m looking forward to all the other adventures I’ll have as I continue my hike. But an entire month on the trail will get you into a groove and teach you what it’s like to be a thru-hiker. So here are some of the things I’ve learned so far:

1. Thru-hikers have their own culture

   • I mean i kinda already knew this, but it didn’t really hit me until I overheard some weekender getting a tour of a hostel and they said “OH, it’s like a whole culture!”…

   • Typically, in a crowd of hikers at a shelter or on the trail, I think you’d be able to pick out the thru-hikers.

2. simple ≠ easy

   • Life on the AT is simple, but it’s definitely not easy.

   • My every day is pretty much just eat, walk, eat, walk, eat, sleep, repeat.

   • But the trail will challenge you every day. Physically, mentally, emotionally, or any mix of the three. If it were easy, everyone would do it, and everyone who started it would finish it.

3. You’re never in it alone; the AT has a whole support system

   • From fellow hikers, to trail magic, to people in trail towns, and hostel owners- there are so many people out here to support you as a thru-hiker and make sure you can keep going.

   • Former thru-hikers and local people are so extremely generous and selfless. They’ll set up “trail magic” stations at points along the way with snacks, resupply, electrolytes, beers, and whatever else you may need. It’s been hard to learn to accept these things in abundance, but in many cases these people are BEGGING and FORCING you to to take as much as you want or need and only ask for gratitude in return.

   • It’s too early for me to identify a “tramily” (trail family), but I know there are at least a dozen other hikers out here who I run into often and will always be excited to see. They’re the people who help make this worth it and keep me going. They’re all kind and funny and here to support me and the other hikers we spend time around. Rusty, Sopita, Avalanche, Will, Dave, Bibo, Ziggy, Molly, Adam (+ Evie), Carmen, Edison, Meg, and Emma have all been lovely people to see along the trail and spend time with in towns

4. Everyone says the cliches, but not everyone means them

   • “Hike your own hike” - everyone says it. But not as many people actually execute it. There’s a LOT of comparison out on the trail; how much you pack weighs, how fast you walk, how may miles you do in a day, how often to stay at hostels or take days off, what kind of food you eat, etc. Some of these comparisons are inevitable because we’re all working a little differently, but some people on the trail see their way as the “right” way and/or are judgmental of others. But everyone’s out here for different reasons and has different goals, so there’s no need to think one person is doing the AT better than any other. If you’re out here and doing it, you’re doing it. And you’re awesome.

   • “No rain, no pain, no Maine” - this one is a very true phrase, but I’ve overheard a lot of people trying to get around it. Basically, it just means the hikes not gonna be comfy. If you can’t stand getting rained on or enduring some pain, you’re not gonna make it. Those are the people who end up quitting. So when you hear someone say the phrase, and then try to tell everyone how they’re gonna find a ride into town bc it’s “supposed to rain tomorrow”…. You know they can’t keep that up for very long and you have to laugh. As far as pain goes, that does NOT mean you should hike through injuries, but it’s crucial to understand the difference between having pain that tells you to take a break and just being achy. You’re gonna hurt; you’re walking 10 hours a day. Just know how to read your body.

5. Hiker hunger is REAL.

   • Dude. It’s almost concerning how much food I downed in town the other day. But when you’re burning 4,000+ calories a day, it’s really hard to keep up with. We’re pretty much all in a constant caloric deficit, and we try to make up for it with calorically dense foods, which are not always very healthy… but you KNOW I’ll go straight for the fruit when it’s at a trial magic table!!

   • Refer to the next section:

6. Thru-Hikers have a pretty set variety of conversation topics, which are split up as such:

   • 8% - the weather. A typical small talk topic, but on the trail it’s extra important. Oh, it’s hot? Sunny? Does anyone know if it’s supposed to rain tomorrow? How low is the temperature gonna drop tonight? Do you think we’ll make it to the next town without getting stormed on? Did you guys get caught in the hail the other day? Man, the smokies are cold. I couldn’t feel my hands! Is it supposed to be this hot all week?? And so on…

   • 10% - where you’re going, where you’ve been, and how many miles you’re doing today. This can be a normal topic or a kinda toxic one. With the people your often home with, it’s harmless if not helpful. It’s good to know where other people plan to end up at the end of a day or week. It can help you plan which shelters or campsites you will (or won’t) want to stay at, or how to plan the timing of your next hostel stay or town day.

   • 5% - gear. You’d think it would be a more popular topic, but I haven’t run into too many fear snobs so far. It’s mostly just “oh, you have the blah blah blah? Do you like it? Did you have something else before? That’s cool.” Or “i have a blah blah blah and I love it because… and it works for ME because…” or sometimes just “i wanted the whatever-it’s-called, but it’s too expensive. Probably would’ve saved weight, though.” So surprisingly not really a “my gear is better than your gear” situation, and more of just something that’s easy to talk about because we all have it.

   • 2% - trail names and trail name stories. Pretty much self explanatory, but when you meet someone new, you ask their name, and it’s usually something strange like “Sir Snapper” and then you ask how they got that name, and it’s a fun bit.

   • 15% - peeing and pooping. This includes talking about privies, going in the woods, having to pee in the middle of the night, NOT peeing bc you’ve been sweating so much, finding the perfect (or not so perfect) place to poop, you name it.

   • 60% - food. We talk about food so freaking much. What we’re craving, how much we could eat, what we’re looking forward to eating in town, what’s for dinner, how hungry we are, etc. just constant food conversations.

7. There’s nothing sweeter than a sheeter.

   • Ever since the “shelter” sign at groundhog creek shelter right past the GA/NC border was mis-engraved as “sheeter”, eitan and i have been calling all shelters “sheeters”.

   • Here is a poem I thought up while hiking one day (bc what else was I to do? Also, I am bilbo baggins):

There’s nothing sweeter than a Sheeter.

When my feet are sore, my heart feels delight

When three walls and a roof are in sight

I am comforted to know that near is a water source

And perhaps a privy to poop in, extra points if it has a door

Here at the Sheeter, fellow hikers appear

They drop their packs in haste and greet their friends with cheer

After hiking 5 miles or 15 or 20 or more,

they settle in pitched tents or hammocks or upon the platform

They will eat their fill and sleep for the night

And start it all again at morning’s first light

Once again, thru-hikers will scatter and walk as far as their feet will go

Until another Sheeter brings them comfort and lifts their woes.

So there you have it. We’ll be in Virginia in about 5 days, and a lot has been learned so far. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the trail has in store :)