Algorithm anxiety; or how I learned to stop worrying and love my list of things

If you’re like me, you won’t be able to get enough information on a topic. Endlessly searching every YouTube video on a topic, collecting and balancing every review or opinion, relentlessly exploring REI and GGG, all to produce more confusion, anxiety, and self-doubt. Once I made the decision to go down a long path, I dove head first into a world of flashy miniatures and endless marketing. Despite my many long weekends and overnight trips, somewhere deep in my brain lurked a very anxious lizard, convinced that I’m green and wet behind the ears.

My wife, ever patient as I watch yet another hiker video on a topic I’ve already researched tirelessly, sits and listens as I explain the intricacies of the R-values ​​of down filling and sleeping pads. Freestanding tents in front of trekking poles. Bidets vs. wipes (yes, that’s a real consideration I needed your input on, don’t judge me, it’s okay).

My head is full of information, very little of it useful. The law of diminishing returns is undefeated.

And that’s when the wise advice arrived. «Just trust yourself. You know what to do, you know what you need and you’ve done it many times before.»

I certainly did. And I certainly knew what to do and how to go on a hike, at least a 3-4 night one. What is TRT if not a VERY long weekend?

Trust yourself.

How can I do it if I have never faced something like this before?

“But I have considered…” I begin each thought, spiraling into a series of doubts and worries of redundancy.

Yes, you have it.

I answer myself. Why should a stranger on the Internet make me feel like it’s my first time leaving my porch?

It’s not, and I should respect myself more than act like it is.

And you should too, dear reader.

Maybe you’re a weekend warrior, like me, and this is the first hike you’ve done where you’ll need to resupply. Or the first with long water transports. Or the first at high altitude. The first where you will use some major new equipment (in my case, moving from a hammock to a tent). rough). All of this is true for me. Maybe you’re looking for ways to cut weight, like me, knowing you have to add a can of bear and put in the miles day after day.

Maybe you’re embarking on your first hike, or maybe it’s just your first long hike. Maybe it’s your second, third, or fourth long walk. Whatever it is, trust yourself. Remember that no plan survives contact with the enemy, and no gear review or Reddit opinion will carry your pack for you. The newest shelter or sleeping pad or gasp The pillow will not make you more capable. It will not make you better or worse than the person you will meet along the way at the shelter or at the water source. You won’t be any less of a hiker when you’re done (or achieve whatever goal you set for yourself).

You’ve done your research and assembled your team. If you haven’t already, check off the last few things on your list, clear those bookmarks and open tabs, and start walking. It is much more efficient to learn the equipment you have, in the field on test hikes, than to drink from the hose of equipment information and confusion that is the Internet.

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!

For more information, visit the About page of this site.