AT Thru-Hiker FOMO in March

«I’m not happy, I feel happy

I have sunshine in a bag

I’m useless, but not for long.

My future comes, comes, comes”

Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz

Those lyrics perfectly sum up my feelings as I approach my mid-April start date. Well, I don’t feel completely useless. I have home renovation projects that require my attention and training that need to continue. I’m doing everything I can to prepare; wearing the same clothes for days in a row, showering every 3 or 4 days, finishing doctor and dentist appointments, and trying to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables to counteract a diet lacking in both along the way.

It’s a good time for a post about hope, thoughts and fears!

hopes

Be in the moment along the way and not focus on the end goal. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said (with some variation), «It’s the journey, not the destination.» I want to be able to enjoy the simple experience of walking every day, taking the time to see things even if they are not directly on the trail, meeting new people and spending some time listening to someone else’s story, learning from the challenges along the way, and in all of these things, growing as a human being.

Thoughts

As I continue to research, prepare, and watch too many hiker YouTube videos and read posts about The Trek (shameless plug) from people already on the trail (some started on January 1st!), I’m having a bit of FOMO. Am I missing something by waiting until mid-April to start? Should I have started earlier? Then I see the injuries of hikers and those who go off trail, the snow and ice, the COLD! I grew up in upstate New York and have had more than my share of winter and cold weather. I moved to Florida for a reason; I’d rather spend 6 months in the heat than 6 months in the cold. (It is also a requirement that if you are from New York, you must move to Florida after a certain age.)

I’m happy with my decision to start from the back of the bubble. The bubble used to extend through mid-April and May, but this year most hikers start in mid-March or earlier. (See AT discharge graph and heat map) The weather will be more to my liking. I hope the campgrounds and shelters are less crowded and bubble hikers are stocked with hiker boxes. BUT during the summer the trail will have more day and section hikers, but that will be experienced by hikers along the trail. There will also be fewer views along the trail because the trees will have leaves; They don’t call the AT the green tunnel for no reason. Does that make the views I get MORE special? There will also be more ticks, mosquitoes and black flies, horseflies and deer. I’ve raced with these guys for many, many years, so I’ll be prepared.

Fears

1. The number one fear will always be NOT completing my hike. Without reaching Mount Katahdin. First of all, there is a reason for this: approximately 75% of hikers do not complete their trip.
2. Suffer an injury or illness. According to my research on the topic, 82% of hikers experience an injury or illness while on the trail. Those who suffer an injury and complete the trail report needing an average of 5 days to recover. 69% of AT hikers who leave the trail do so due to injury or illness. And up to 50% of hikers stop within the first 160 miles. Hopefully my preparation and experience with long distance running and walking will reduce my chance of injury and/or illness. Another positive; 80% of all falls in seniors occur in the bathroom, and the majority happen when getting in or out of the bathtub or shower. Since I will be reducing the number of showers I take, doesn’t this reduce my risk of falling?
3. Time. This fear has a couple different components. The first is the time it takes to hike the entire AT. My plan is 5 months, which is a long time to be on the road AND avoid injury and illness. The second aspect of time is my time. My age. At 60-something, I’m no longer a spring chicken (or a summer chicken, maybe not even a fall chicken). What’s left in the tank? On a positive note, there have been many people who have completed the AT at this age or older. I’m in good condition and don’t plan to walk on long days, although I need to average about 14 miles a day to finish in 5 months. I was able to do this on the Camino Francés, but that was for just over a month.

So, with my future ahead of me, will my fears and the percentage of people who don’t complete the AT dissuade me from trying? To misquote Michael Jordan: «You don’t complete 100% of the trails you don’t start.»

What do you think? Did I miss something? Are there other things I should focus on to improve my chances of completing the AT? Are there other fears I should consider? Are there things out of the way that I need to see and/or experience?

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