[at-l] Loss of the AT thru-hiking "mystique"

[datto_atl@yahoo.com (Datto)]

--- Desert Nomad <lucy@uia.net> wrote:
> example), trail magic, slackpacking, etc, the
> difficulty of completing a
> thru-hike has been reduced considerably.

Ha! This cracks me up.

The overall difficulty of completing an Appalachian
Trail thru-hike isn't less today than it was ten years
ago. The greatest difficulty for most people who dream
of completing an AT thru-hike is managing one's life
to allow taking the first step on a thru-hike in the
first place. That challenge prevents so many more
people from completing an AT thru-hike than what the
physical or mental difficulty of every day hiking
presents.

The number of people completing an Appalachian Trail
thru-hike is still, and will always be, infinitesimal
compared to those who dream of completing it. That is
the nature of succeeding at something great.

One of the falicies taken on at the beginning of a
thru-hike that prevents the successful completion of a
thru-hike is to start a thru-hike in order to please
or impress someone else -- a la 'gain a mystique'.
There is no more mystique about successfuly
thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail than there is about
successfully raising a family, successfully starting a
business, successfully running a marathon.

> The "mystique" of the AT and the sense of
> accomplishment of completing a
> thru-hike are in direct proportion to the remoteness
> and ruggedness of The Trail.

Ha, if you believe this and those 3100 AT miles you
say you have completed have included an AT thru-hike,
then you missed the whole point of a thru-hike. On my
volition you shall begin again and continue until you
have seen the light and become freed of what ails your
mind...

Datto


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