[at-l] Negative stress on the trail...Response #2

[Bror8588 at aol.com (Bror8588@aol.com)]

In a message dated 11/23/04 07:18:33 Eastern Standard Time, 
shellydhale@earthlink.net writes:


> My question to you is this--what is your greatest negative stress point?  
> What really drives you insane and interferes with your hike mentally?  (Please 
> note in your response if you think it is a greater stress as a day, section, 
> or thru hiker--I think that there can be differences there.  

On Veteran's Day I took a hike with some other veterans and it became a 
longer hike (timewise not mileagewise) than anticipated.  With Daylight Savings 
time over it gets darker earlier these days.  As the sun sank low in the sky and 
the trail downward became rocky with falling leaves covering the rocks so that 
we were all tripped up from time to time, we all wondered if we were going to 
make it out of the woods or get hopelessly lost within a mile from the road.  
Well, of course, we would have walked in the dark and two of us (there were 
five of us) had lights (1 Flashlight and 1 headlamp).  Well, there was no need 
for their use and we got to our cars with time to spare.  Still, some felt 
some anxiety as it got later in the day.  

It is nice to have the Hammock along on a day hike but it weighs 3 lbs or so. 
 Besides, if I had brought it along there still would not be room for 5 of us 
and the weight limit of it is around 300 pounds.  

Day hikes are usually shorter hikes than overnights or section hikes but 
there have been times when I have walked in darkness and ended on a road miles 
from where I parked my car.