I will never do another long distance hike again!

I told myself and my girlfriend that I would never do another long distance hike again. Or so I thought after finishing my Appalachian Trail hike in 2024. I didn’t realize how addictive long-distance hiking was and how much post-trail depression would affect me.

What is post-trail depression? In general, “a common, often intense, period of sadness, anxiety, and loss of purpose experienced by hikers after finishing a life-changing long-distance trip.” I heard about post-trail depression before my AT hike, but never thought much about it. Sure enough, I began to feel its impacts the day I reached the top of Katahdin. Those feelings grew more intense in the months that followed. I knew the only way to fix this was to get back on track. I reached the summit of Katahdin on October 6th and I think I decided to do another hike in early December of the same year.

Why another walk?

I’m lucky to have retired early and my body is in pretty decent condition. The reason I retired early sucks (I miss you, Andrea), but life must go on. Read my bio for more information. The fact that my body can handle long-distance hiking is a little surprising given the abuse my body took in my 20s, 30s, and 40s. I’ve become a bit of an exercise addict in retirement. I realized that the best way to stay healthy, feel good, and live a long life is to stay very active. What better way to stay active and exercise than carrying a 27-pound backpack for hundreds or thousands of miles at a time? A body at rest tends to stay at rest and a body in motion tends to stay in motion.

I have an amazing support system at home: my girlfriend Dana, also known as the Pit Crew. Pit Crew is not retired and will be working full time for several more years. She understands why I hike and encourages me to do it. She not only encourages me but also supports me along the way whenever possible. This includes taking care of the house and dogs when I’m away, sending me supplies as needed along the way, texting me to keep my spirits up, and visiting me along the way. Even if those visits are half a day away from home or, in the case of the PCT, more than 3,000 miles away. She is always there to support me. Hence its trail name Pit Crew.

I consider hiking my retirement job. Whether it’s day hikes, 5-day sectional hikes, 2-4 week LASHe, or continuous hikes. Pit Crew calls it my post-retirement job. When I grab my backpack and head out for a 12-mile walk, she tells me «have a good day at work.»

Having said all that, Pit Crew and I understand each other. I will alternate big hikes (i.e. AT, PCT, CDT) every other year and do smaller hikes (i.e. CT, AZT, Long Trail) and LASHe on off years. The plan is to do the monster hikes 4-6 months before she retires.

Planning for the AT vs. planning for the PCT

There are many differences between the AT and the PCT. Climate, terrain, altitude, water, remoteness and more. More on how these impact planning and logistics in another post. What I found to be the most interesting difference in planning my first hike on the AT versus my second hike on the PCT was the lack of urgency and general “will be what will be” attitude I had.

For the AT, I planned things in excruciating detail. Where I planned to stop each night, exact mileage, 20+ resupply boxes, etc. There was also a constant feeling of anxiety before the start of the walk for many months.

For the PCT, things have been a little different. I’ve had to plan my mileage in general mainly because I have to ship High Sierras gear to and from the trail and, being an old coot, I have to ship medications to the trail every 20 or 30 days. But I don’t feel the sense of urgency or anxiety that I felt during the AT. Although I had never before walked through the desert or traversed snow-covered mountain passes at 12,000 to 14,000 feet elevation. I’m doing minimal resupply boxes on the PCT and have found myself letting all my resupply box preparations drag on until literally the last 1-2 weeks before I leave for California. I’m not worried about whether I’ll find a place to stay in the city or how I’ll get to and from the trails and cities. It will be what it will be.

I was talking about this with a hiking friend who has kids, and it reminds me of the first child versus the third child. For the first child, you over-plan everything, obsess over healthy meals, organize play dates, and generally worry about the child. For the third child, you’re giving him Cheetos to keep him calm, telling him to «get out of the house and find something to do» and thinking «no blood, no foul» or «for the love of God, just leave.»

Happy trails

That’s all for now. Before we get started in the very near future, I plan to publish a post on PCT planning and logistics and another covering FAQs. I will post summaries of the route logs on The Trek and post detailed daily route logs on my blog at https://retiredhiker.com/pacific-crest-trail/ . Until then, keep going!

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