4 x Criteria for success: a framework for 2026 (in which a cranky, non-purist boomer is in a bad mood)

Searching for gold

Reddit and Facebook community forums related to AT thruhiking are challenging spaces to navigate. I would rather run or walk through the forest. In my opinion, and I admit it may be a grizzled and cynical mind, they are generally petri dishes of righteousness and smugness populated by a disruptive few. If Integrity was lost and wandering alone there, she would soon be skinned and dismembered by trolls, gatekeepers, and so-called purists, adding little more than their warm breath of white noise disguised as novel or useful contributions. Sometimes it seems meanness for its own sake; and that’s a shame. Most people ask honest questions and most answers come from people who want to help. But those nasty morons need to say something. And they do it, lowering the entire level of discourse, like Emo.

However, people go there and participate. People more robust than me. Or at least more tolerant ones. I’ve asked questions in those places a few times and have been annoyed, sometimes amused, but always surprised by the almost immediate regression to unwanted comments, irrelevant credentials, and tangential excursions into sardonic self-gratification.

These spaces are not the agoras of the ancient Greeks where seekers dialogue with experts and toga-clad elders to try to distill an atom of wisdom to aid their existence and achieve the flourishing of their lives. That idea seems curious today. No; They are something else. I don’t know what exactly. I guess it’s like a mosh pit.

So I’m on the lookout. I read the serious questions asked and then girdle my waist as I descend into the abyss of commentary, searching for a glimmer. I usually cringe and squint when I do it, preemptively. I go there because I occasionally find useful information: some hiking shoe suggestions, a recipe or two, a good discussion on umbrellas, some foot care tips, and a pretty decent beta on new shelters. But it’s painful.

I just wish it hadn’t taken so much effort and disappointment to find the gold. I wonder if others feel that way. Maybe not. Maybe it’s generational.

Personal contract vs public performance

HYOH has become a trope. And rightly so because it accurately reflects the two main elements of this thing that we are all doing, planning or dreaming: (1) hiking, of course; and (2) let it be done our way – yes. It reflects the inherent subjectivity of experience and, in doing so, acknowledges the fact that there is no great truth to all of this. However, much of the talk about AT online implies that there is. But this is not Mathematics. There are no geometric and deductive proofs here. So please spare us all your righteous certainty.

There is preference. There is a personal contract with oneself. This is not a regression to a public, performative digital medium. We all have sets of rules we will follow on our hikes, and they usually reflect these questions:

(1) What does “success” look like?; and,

(2) How will I behave?

These questions can be answered with any degree of sophistication, detail, or forethought. We all have answers to these questions, although we may not all be explicit.

Here are mine for this 2026 hike:

Success

I will consider this hike a success if I do all of these things:

1. Start at Springer Mt in Georgia.
2. It ends at the summit of Katahdin, Maine, in 2026, before the trail closes.
3. Carry a full backpack on your back for each kilometer (apart from possible fords, Mahoosuc Notch and other more technical, although rare, pieces)
4. Pass all White Blaze ATs and walk standing (swerving when told)

I won’t be doing flip flops, section hopping, slack luggage, or blue/yellow/pink/platinum/aquamarine, but I will celebrate the adventures and stories of those who do. They will not be less valid than mine. They could easily involve more adventure, more beauty, more surprises, more wonder, and more challenges than mine, and they probably will.

These are my criteria and are not applicable to anyone else. Scaffold for my own comfort and satisfaction. There is no claim of Purity or Right here. If your rules are different, Rock On.

And as for As I plan to do my hike, I have some guidance; maybe let’s call it “Code of Conduct” and approach. It’s a work in progress, probably flawed, but it’s where I am now:

code of Conduct

I. Integrity

• Attention Economy: Do not seek external validation through likes, views or followers. No YouTube, Instagram, Facebook or TikTok. MySpace is negotiable. If others are “influenced,” great. If not, it’s okay.

• Blog as a mirror, not a concert: keep my doodles focused on the objective reality of the moment of the journey and internal reflection (admittedly, these pre-start posts are something different). Write about what I experience and think about things, not to influence what people think of me. However, if readers are interested enough to comment, always acknowledge them with gratitude and answer any questions they ask.

• Look up and out, but don’t trip: Limit screen time to logistics (weather, maps, blog updates, Chinese AYCE schedule) to ensure your primary relationship is with the environment, other adventurers present, and yourself, not the device. However, give yourself some grace if you want to listen to something for an hour a day.

II. Modesty

• If requested: Offer advice only when requested. Keep unsolicited advice and “experts” and pedagogues under control.

• Communicate risk: Alert others to objective hazards (dry springs, aggressive bears, trail collapses, falling trees, etc.) and provide information as a companion.

• Sincere acceptance: Take people and their stories at face value. Everyone who is on the path is escaping or searching for something; accept their narratives without being interrogated. Understand that this will probably be the most memorable part of the hike.

• Soften judgment: Don’t judge those who walk differently. Applaud them. Their journey does not diminish yours.

• Listen first: listen more than you talk. Everyone has a unique “why.” Absorb it.

III. desert

• Leave no trace: follow LNT. Leave the trail better than you found it.

• Go into the woods: When choosing sites, prioritize being “humbly stealthy.” Minimize visual and auditory aggression on the trail and other hikers.

• Respect the silence: use headphones. Don’t shout (except for the obvious “barbarian YAWP” above Springer on day 1). Keep the trail as a natural sound sanctuary.

IV. physicality

• Perfect Khayma, the art of the tent: Prioritize sleeping in the tent rather than in crowded structures to ensure better recovery, not disturbing other hikers, less exposure to insects and vermin, and less drama in the shelter. But don’t be a misanthrope.

• Restoration: Rest of feet and legs during the day of walking. Stop for a while. Remove shoes and socks during breaks to dry the skin and mitigate inflammation. Breathe. Bark touch.

• Macro Issues: Treat food as fuel. Prioritize evening meals rich in protein to facilitate muscle repair, eat quick energy carbohydrates during the day of walking and be aware of that weakening and wear and tear that can happen to the body. Restaurate in the cities with fresh vegetables, red meat and an Old Fashioned or two.

• Adaptive equipment: continuously audit package weight; Change the kit as the months progress and the seasons change.

V. Mentality

• Never on a Bad Day: If morale is low due to rain, cold, hunger, or pain, commit to getting to the next city before making important decisions.

• 3D: Celebrate milestones with those who are physically present before documenting them.

• Katahdin Whispers: Walk from city to city. Let the thought of ending up in Maine inspire you, not intimidate you. Keep your milestones short and achievable. Don’t feel overwhelmed by the distance between you and K.
• Metacognition: Stay aware of what you are thinking and why you are thinking it. Distill any lesson.

Whatever you do, I recommend that you stay true to yourself. There are many ways to do this. Both poets and logicians have been successful. Do it and enjoy.

Thanks for reading.

YAWP.

Nor’Easter

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