7 HARD TRUTHS about hiking the Appalachian Trail...

I hiked the Appalachian Trail so I kinda know what I'm talking about but not really.

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#AppalachianTrail

[PInkW]

“You ain’t gonna make it”
I told my dad I was gonna cycle across the USA.
His exact words to me were
“You will never make it”
First 3 tries I failed.
Since then I’ve cycled across the USA 4 times.
Next AT 4-4-22 NB start

[HarpersInfiniteSystems]

A note on thru-hiking: 15 years ago, myself and two friends endeavored to hike the PCT from Kennedy Meadows northward. So, from the start, we'd already given up on the idea of hiking the complete trail. We ended up doing 500 on-trail miles, and called it quits around Donner Pass. We hiked Mt. Whitney and Half Dome, and all of the JMT, so we got the best parts. We sometimes camped for multiple days when we found a nice place. It took us three months to do those 500 miles, during which time many people would have hiked the complete trail. I believe those people missed out on the experience I had, and that their experience of those 500 miles was worse than mine. So my advice is to take your time and enjoy it. There's no great reward for doing a trail from one end to the other, and there's no virtue in self-abuse. In the end, you will remember incredible views and good vibes, not how many miles per day you clocked.

[jayp]

I haven't done the whole thing, but did an 800 mile section one year. The boredom, loneliness, and daily discomfort were the main challenges for me. Leaving a world full of the ability to have information and interaction with people, and being by yourself for almost all day every day leaves a certain void that many people can't deal with. On the A.T., there are some pretty views, but once you have seen a few dozen of them, the next one isn't that special. I found more success focusing on the small things - interactions with people along the way, and the small beauty like watching ants or birds. That hike was the single largest experience in my life - more formative than college for sure. It changed my perspective on the nature of society, and reshaped my definition of "wants" vs. "needs" which are still with me 33 years later.

[monev]

My worst night on the trail was sleeping in a transient camp next to a busy highway with busy train tracks on the other side. It had been raining for days so my clothes were soaked and it was 50 degrees overnight. So the wet clothes I took off at night would still be cold and wet in the cold morning. Also, the skin cells that usually flake off due to thigh chafe and fall out the bottom of my pants was instead building up into a paste of rotting flesh sticking to my legs. I literally smelled like a corpse. Then at 1 AM a bunch of locals pulled up nearby to make a lot of noise for an hour. Then at 4 AM some animal was clearly being eaten alive in the nearby field. Anyways, that's the "magic" of thruhiking.

[kspencer]

I’m 61 and will be starting in the next couple years. My gut is that injuries may be my greatest threat, but I’m determined to make it

[paraol]

I'm currently at mile 1860, NoBo, almost there. And everything he says in this clip is true.
Especially what he says about the sweat. And the missing comfort. And the lows.
Man, i had a couple of major crisis so far. Just wanted to go home.
But i didn't. I didn't quit (so far).
And I guess that's the point. You can cry, sweat, feel pain, having no comfort, feel bad, everything - but one thing you simply cannot do: quit.
Just get out of your tent, pack everything and start walking, even though you hate it. Then you will make it. And the next day will be wonderful.
Accept that the Trail is stronger than you, stop fighting it, simply accept everything the Trail trows at you as part of your life.
All that said, I'm still not at the end. In about 5 weeks we will know if I was just writing bullshit here or not :)

[darrylkinman]

I thru hiked 2015, I was 50 yo. It took 119 days, I had 2 zero’s. Only the young who hasn’t dealt with loved ones dying will say the lowest lowes on the AT. I lost a lot of weight down to 147 lbs. from over 200 lbs. it’s a life changer. 🙏🏼

[deathcar]

Funny story, April 3rd 2014, after a late start I headed up Amicalola Falls in the late afternoon, super nervous completely unprepared and headed into the unknown. Unlike most hikers I didn't make it to Springer Mountain, but instead stopped at Black Gap Shelter and was soon joined by 3 other hikers. Right away I discovered that I didn't have my tent with me...left it in the hotel? Maybe left it back home? Of the other 3 hikers, one had just retired from the Airforce...carrying an 85# pack, another had just retired from the Army, and was deathly sick with what appeared to be Noro virus, and the last was a young man that had just left the marines, and looked to have everything in order, and was well prepared. That evening as we nervously ate our dinners I mentioned that by the odds only 1 of us would finish the trail, and as it looked, that was definitely a possibility. As the trail proceeded I would periodically run into the other 3 hikers, but never hiked with them, just on the edges of different bubbles. Fast forward to October 6th, and wouldn't you know it, that 3 of us would summit on the same day, and would later find out that the 4th had summited 2 weeks earlier.

[unitedstatesdale]

Ive completed 82.25% over the past 8 years.
My plan is to complete it on my birthday Jan. 6th 2024
ill be 76

[adamlawley]

One of the biggest things i saw in every person who finished their thru hike was that they never gave themselves the option to quit. They committed to themselves to walking to Katahdin. But of course, going 6 months without a lot of things going wrong is really hard and a lot can happen.

[GoAdventure]

It's not going to play out the way you think it will is so true. After years of picturing my self standing on the sign at Katahdin, I didn't even get to stand on it when I got there. I was in a sprint dodging lightning bolts, touched the sign, took a selfie, and sprinted back down the mountain praying that I would not die. 🙏

[bullwinkle]

Re your PCT desert-hiking remark about carrying water. Have had to carry water on AT. Try this: The bladder found inside a box of wine is made to be durable & strong & light. There are various spigots, they all come off with simple hand tools and then usually slide on and off pretty easily. They hold 3 to 4 liters. And first couple of times you use them, the water tastes great.

[peakbagger]

Thanks for the heads up on the AT. A 75% failure rate is a crapshoot. I think it was the 1943 US Navy survival manual that said something like, "Life's battles do not always go to the strongest or to the fastest man, but before long, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can." I attended Dr. Warren Doyle's ATI (Appalachian Trail Institute) this year and hope to hike the AT in 2023. I am 66 and have been hiking in the Whites for over 40 years and recently completed my AMC's New England Hundred Highest. All I can tell you is I think I can do it. The mental part is the hardest it is said, and that is what takes a lot of people out. Hiking the AT is a cat of a different color from what I learned at ATI.

[davidjones]

I'm planning to do a northbound through-hike but it will be in about twenty years when I retire. It's something I've dreamed of since I was a teenager. Also my ex-wife laughed her butt off and said I would never pull it off every time i mentioned it, so I intend to prove her and everyone else wrong lol.

[josephdragan]

Don't think of thru hiking as a typical vacation. It is an adventure in to the wilderness of your own person. All the challenges mentioned are true but those depravations will help you discover things about yourself that will be with you all your life. No one can predict what your experiences will be. As for finishing the trail, well keep in mind the old adage.. It is not the destination, its the journey. Have fun, leave no trace and hike your own hike.

[EliasVoorhees]

The truth always has a degree of offense to it…..In the end, being truly honest is the only way to really help others..and ourselves. Great video Kyle.

[ScottKent]

Malnutrition on the trail is really hard because the person who experiences it is not likely to know it until it's too late...why it's a good idea to plan some meals and have someone to check with.

[amyarcher]

Lol, some people strive to be one in a million, thru hikers strive to be one in four! Hope you're having a great day and feeling better!

[maxh]

#4 hits hard. I’ve done a fair amount of hiking on the north country trail and was pumped to get back to Lake Superior. I was greeted by swarms of flies

[mysticpresence]

Here because my 64 year old dad is doing this, and currently in Maine with 200 miles left. He looks like he’s 110lbs rn @ 6’0. I’m 27 and 200lbs and don’t know if I could even walk 10 miles in a day.