[at-l] Lurker emerges from the shadows

[spiriteagle99 at hotmail.com (Jim and/or Ginny Owen)]

Melissa Jenks wrote:
>I'm a prospective 04 thru-hiker who's been lurking for several months now, 
>gleaning information from this wonderful list, and learning a great deal 
>(maybe more than I needed to know) about global warming, libertarianism, 
>and Native American tribal rights, as well as hypothermia, gear, and the 
>art of insect repelling.  But I finally decided it was time to emerge from 
>the shadows, so hi!

So, hi back at ya.........  and welcome to the zoo.

But I won't touch the other subjects - at least not rght now <VBG>

>I've been reading a ton of trail narratives, backpacking books, ultra-light
>websites, and, of course, mailing lists, and I'm feeling fairly
>well-prepared,

Wow, are you in for a surprise!  <G>

>but there's one topic I've never quite seen covered adequately and that I'm 
>stressing about more than any other.  Does anyone
>have any advice for *after* a thru-hike?  I'm well-aware of my odds of 
>finishing,

Hmmm - as an individual, "your" odds of finishing are dependent, not on the 
overall average, but on your particular attitude and level of preparation 
and determination.  During my last two thruhikes there was exactly once that 
I "quit" - and that was for just long enough to get a hamburger, a beer and 
a shower.  The only "odds" against me were those resulting in dire physical 
disability - or in terms I rarely use anymore - death or dismemberment.  But 
only those circumstances would have stopped me from finishing.  In general, 
the odds are what you make them.  Too many people stack the odds against 
themselves by not listening to those who have been there - or by not asking 
the questions they should be asking - or by not believing the answers they 
get - or ..... a dozen other ways.

>but I'm also committed to draping my body over that
>much-photographed marker at the top of Katahdin, and I want to be as
>prepared for what comes after as I am for my hike.  And I was disheartened 
>to read that so many people here feel worse off, at least physically, a 
>year after they started their thru-hike.

Wow - are you in for a surprise! <G>

What comes after - is the future - and there's no one here who's qualified 
to predict that.  Certainly not me.  I couldn't even predict "what came 
after" for my own hike and my own life. Much less be prepared for it. If I'd 
known the changes the hike would make in my life - would I have done it?  
After the fact - the answer is yes.  But before?  I can't answer that - I 
don't think I'd want to answer that.

Good luck.

>So.  Has anyone dealt with the post thru-hike blues in a way that they felt
>was constructive?  What about the havoc something like a thru-hike wreaks 
>on your metabolic system?  And appetite, for that matter?  I ran my first 
>marathon in October and had a similar letdown and physical breakdown of 
>sorts after that, and I want to make sure that doesn't happen again.

Physically - some people assume that a thruhiker will be in the best 
condition of thier life at the end of the hike.  Generally - not so.  
Generally, thruhikers have spent 4 to 6 months of their life beating up 
their bodies, living on a bad diet, running up a vitamin deficit, eating up 
muscle mass, destroying their knees and feet, and ignoring physical injuries 
that, in some cases, should have put them in a hospital.  In general, that 
applies to male hikers more than females - but the females aren't totally 
immune. We talked about this specific subject on Sat afternoon at the Ruck.  
Some of the solutions - Glucosamine, protein powder, vitamins, frequent town 
visits for "real" food, take care of your blisters, check yourself for ticks 
every night, carry and use one of the many water treatment systems, etc.  
Use of hiking poles is also a way to retain upper body strength (loss of 
which is endemic to long distance hikers).

Psychologically - after the Trail - some people have no problems at all.  
They're a tiny minority.  Most thruhikers have "some" problems -  generally 
along the lines that Mags and skeeter have already posted about.  Some of us 
have major problems - for some of us (especially, but not exclusively, older 
hikers) the changes in our mindset and attitudes can be traumatic. The loss 
of psychological masks and walls is ALWAYS traumatic.  For those of us in 
that category, the cure is more hiking.  Jobs become a way to achieve the 
next trail, family is important, but is not allowed to interfere with the 
next trail, we dream about the next trail, we pray for it, we curse it, we 
love it, we fear it, we can't wait for it.  Mark was right - there are some 
words about that in the Thruhiking Papers ( trailwise.circumtech.com ), but 
not in the same terms I'd use if I were writing them today.  They need to be 
rewritten - but I can't do that right now.

If you have something in your life that can fill the hole that finishing 
your hike leaves in your life, you will do well.  Some go to school, find a 
new career, marry and start a family, or go back to friends and family that 
mean the world to them, and they don't have the post-trail blues to the 
extent that the rest of us do.

Cindy Ross put it very well, "We also learned that if you don't want life to 
be a major disappointment when you return, you must have other loves, other 
things to believe in.  Here lies the major problem for most thru-hikers.  
They look for a passion to rival the trail.   But life is made up of 
ordinary days.  The challenge lies in making some big moments out of those 
ordinary days . . ."

Psychologically - on the Trail - hotdog is right - if you worry about "after 
the Trail" while you're "on the Trail", you'll miss seeing your hike.  And 
your hike will be less than it could be.

>Maybe this is an unnecessarily complex first post,

Not at all - you asked the question that's bothering you.

>but I've been mulling
>this over for months now, and March is looming ever closer.

For you - and for us.  Springer fever is a constant for some of us - EVERY 
year.

>And on a happier note, I can't wait to meet some of you, on the trail or 
>whenever!

As Mark said - make sure you come to the Gathering.  We'll be there.

And you'll meet some of us on the Trail.

Walk softly,
Jim

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