3 AT Lessons I’ll Need on the PCT

100 days until it leaves for the PCT.

These are the three lessons I carry with me from 2,189.2 miles along the Appalachian Trail.

1. Accept sucking

This phrase is often repeated on the trail, and with good reason. The brutality of the hike is real. A hike is a physical and mental feat that challenges even the most hardened outdoor warriors. You must lean on the bad days and learn to sit with the discomfort. A walk will test your will to overcome countless inconveniences: illnesses, injuries, weeks of rain, loneliness, expenses, family obligations, etc. To successfully reach the end of a hike, you must handle these inevitable challenges with grace and resilience. You have to accept the difficult days to earn the magical ones. Embrace the suction and achieve your dreams.

2. Live life 0.1 miles at a time

In life we ​​often get caught up looking too far into the future or into the past. Along the way, you are forced to be present. Your next step. The next water source. The next road junction. You are forced to live your life 0.1 mile at a time and something beautiful happens when you truly embrace this way of thinking. You start to notice things that you would normally pass by. The way the sun rises over the mountains. The sound of running water and the rustling of leaves. The way the trees sometimes talk to the wind. Beauty is everywhere, you just have to slow down enough to see it. When you accumulate these individual moments; 0.1 mile becomes 1 mile becomes 2189.2 miles, and you’ve done it. Live life 0.1 mile at a time and good things will happen.

3. Do your own hike

This old saying persists for a reason. No two walks are the same, just as no two people are the same. It is truly a gift to attempt a hike whether you do it or not. It’s easy to get stuck compared to the road, but Comparison is the thief of joy. When your hike becomes more focused on others, the trail becomes much more difficult. It’s okay to take a zero if you need to. It’s okay not to overspend in the city because you don’t have a budget. It’s okay to wear your old hiking clothes and gear or even use them secondhand. The end of a hike looks the same with Walmart gear as it does in Patagonia. Hike Your Own Hike, listen to your inner voice, it put you on the path in the first place.

Life is short. The road is long. 100 days left.

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