Trail Philosophy

I don't know if any of you know that I hiked 1,200 miles of the Trail previously. I learned a lot during both that experience and other hikes completed over the years. I know to ignore my thoughts and feelings for the first 300 miles. People who don't, usually end up quitting.

You can't turn off the emotional/overthinking part of your brain completely, but you can put it in its place in the back of your mind. The Trail has to break you down, and then build you back up (remind anyone of boot camp?). Early on, you are not clear-headed yet. You have to just keep pushing through and stay focused on each individual task at hand and being in that moment. You fine-tune your hiking system for more efficient and effective workflow. You focus on staying warm and on staying dry.

At camp I see hikers with strained looks. I hear them talk about physical pains, seeming to hope that someone will give them permission to quit and save face. A lot of people are quitting. A lot. And a lot more are going to quit farther up the trail. Somewhere between 70% and 80% quit every year. Currently, there are about 1,000 people on the trail. That means that as many as 8 out of 10 at camp won't make it. Quitting is contagious, and those who think about quitting cling to the stronger hikers. Sometimes, they drag them down with them as they drain them with questions or keep them from setting their own pace. This is why I stay to myself now. For a while longer, I stay in a zone to myself and Forest.

I also hear lots of people talking about blogging or keeping a diary. Almost all of them say they want to and intended to, but they can't find the time or the energy. For 300 miles, they fall asleep on a blank page of their diary or journal, with a pen in their hand. They haven't learned the 300-mile rule.

You may have noticed that the blog up to this point is mainly factual. After I reach 300 miles, I'll have developed a rhythm. At that point I'll begin thinking things worthy of sharing with you. I'll get better at that and, hopefully, you'll have more and better material to read and more interesting photographs.

Back on the trail tomorrow to earn those 300 miles. 'Night all.