Challenge was: [at-l] Church Of the...

[AThiker@smithville.net (Felix)]

kahley wrote:

> At 11:33 PM 3/17/02 -0500, Felix wrote:
> >perhaps the challenge was more than he expected...
>
> Or different?  One of the strongest hikers ever on this
> list, a guy that did a 40 mile day and did 25-30
> routinely, just up and quit in Pa because he was bored
> with the long green tunnel.  As someone said, LD
> hiking is not always fun.  People heading out need to
> think about what will push them on if their buds drop off
> or if they start the three day town party plan which almost
> always eats up the bucks before Maine.
> While the steepness and ruggedness of the AT are often minimized,
> I think the real challenge of LD hiking is perseverance.
> What will keep you hiking on the 22nd  rainy morning in
> a row.  Crawling into wet close AGAIN.  Pulling on wet
> boots AGAIN.  Wading a river that is the Trail AGAIN.
> I'm not trying to scare people.  Just prepare them for the inevitable
> bad stretches ...trailwise, weatherwise
> and emotionwise.

There is a reason they say things like 'more head than heel' and '90%
head'. It is because they're true. When people plan on hiking the AT, do
they think it is going to be the absolute perfect day everyday? If so,
WHY??? Why not plan on it raining everyday. Then, if it doesn't, it's a
bonus. And, planning the money part of it is just as important (for some)
as planning the miles per day. I have grown tired of 'reasons to quit'.
You can always find a reason to quit. Sundown and I were talking about
this on a recent hike. I said that I hate when people say 'my goals
changed'. Sundown said "Yeah, the goal became wanting to be a quitter."

When prospective thru-hikers asks me for advice (it happens  :-)...about
the only thing I say is "What happens if you don't make it?"  Nobody ever
asks them that.

--
Felix J. McGillicuddy
ME-->GA '98
"Your Move"
http://Felixhikes.tripod.com/