Thru hiking is an incredible journey. It’s full of trailside sunrises, incredible sunsets, mountain views, trail families and trail magic, and so much more. Don’t get me wrong: it will be one of the best things you ever do in your life.
And it will also be one of the hardest.
As someone who thru hiked the Appalachian Trail, I know the mental battles and challenges there are to being on a trail day in and day out for five months. If you want to thru hike, you need to know what you’re getting yourself into.
Here are 9 ways to mentally prepare for a thru hike.
Know what you’re getting into
Every year, nearly 4,000 people start in Georgia, hoping to complete a thru hike. Out of that number, only around 25% of them will make it to the end in Maine. A large portion of those people drop out either at Neel’s Gap in Georgia (only 30 miles into their thru hike) or Hot Springs (about three weeks into their thru hike). Why?
Mostly, I think it’s because people aren’t prepared mentally for what they’re trying to accomplish.
As you’re thinking about the trail, you’re imagining all the good things that are going to happen. The sights, the people, the wonderful time you’re going to have away from the rat race of civilization.
You’re not thinking about the blisters you’re going to get, how miserable it can be hiking in the rain, the way your hips will bruise and callus from your hip belt, or how much you’re going to feel like screaming on those first climbs you do in Georgia. You aren’t thinking about how easy it would be to quit, or how much you’ll think about it some days.
If you don’t prepare yourself for, This is going to be really, really hard, you’re going to get blindsided by it immediately.
Know why you’re doing what you’re doing
There will come a time (probably when you’re in Virginia, if you are NOBO) when you realize this really isn’t fun all the time. You’ve fought with blisters, you’re tired of getting rained on, you’re realizing how unappetizing gas station food really is, and you really don’t want to make this next climb.
Why am I even out here? you’re going to ask yourself.
In those moments, you need to have a reason to keep going, something that you’re clinging to. Before you step on trail, understand why you’re out here and what you want to accomplish. Better yet, write it down and keep it in a spot where you can pull it out and look at it on those hard days.
Never quit on a bad day
The proverbs goes “Never quit on a bad day.” If there’s a day when you wake up, stare at the top of your tent, and think, “#*$&^ this. I’m done“: don’t stop.
Instead, know that you’re going to have those days. No matter how much you love the woods, love hiking, love what you’re doing, you’re going to have days where you think, I hate this and I don’t want to be here.
Before you ever get to these days, decide how you’re going to handle them. Make a plan for the bad days.
Here are some things that got me through some rough days:
- Go into town. Take a shower. Sleep in a bed. Get a good meal, talk with the other people in the hostel, call your best friend or family.
- Take a slow day and don’t hike as many miles. Let yourself enjoy your surroundings and what you’re doing.
- Make a list of the things you’ve enjoyed or appreciated about this hike.
- Remind yourself why you’re out here and what you want to accomplish.
- Visualize the future, where you’re going to be tomorrow and the day after and the day after. Remember your goals and how each step is going to get you there.
- Think of your next milestone goal. Tell yourself you can reconsider how you’re feeling when you get there.
- Talk with your trail family. Let them encourage you, crack some jokes, and make you smile.
- Build a fire.
- Remind yourself that you said you wouldn’t quit, and so, you’re not going to.
You choose your mental attitude
I’ll never forget some of my early days in Georgia. My sister and I were brand new to this whole long-distance hiking thing. It was torrentially raining. My rain pants ended up being three sizes too big (thanks, Frogg Toggs). Reports were coming in about the potential of a tornado, but no one really knew if it was legit or just people worrying.
That’s where we met Kansas, a group of three gentlemen (McDuck, The Okie, and JFK) who were also doing a thru hike. We were all sitting in a shelter, listening to the rain falling outside, and debating whether to go to a hostel or not. My sister and I ended up deciding too; Kansas opted to push on.
We got an earlier start that morning, but Kansas caught us at the Wind Gap trailhead where we were waiting for the shuttle to Hidden Pond. The wind was roaring over the gap. There was supposed to be a scenic overlook somewhere, but there was only clouds and a cold rain. I was huddled behind a picnic table trying to block the wind any amount that I could.
“You sure you wanna keep going?” someone called to Kansas. “You’re going to be so miserable.”
And this is what they said:
You can be wet and miserable… or you can just be wet.
Kansas (McDuck, JFK, The Okie)
That phrase stuck with me for the rest of my thru hike. Even now, when I’m no longer on trail, I still think about it.
You get to choose what you’re mental attitude is. We all knew coming onto trail that there were going to be wet days. Now here it was. What would we choose to make of it?
Always look for reasons to smile
If you get to choose your mental attitude, start right away by actively looking for things to smile about. You can’t wait until you’re in a bad mood; start now.
Some of my favorite memories from trail have revolved around this small moments and little smiles. A shelter where there were a bunch of butterflies and one landed on my feet. A sunset on a random mountain top with people I never saw again. That time my tramily member brought me back water and accidentally scooped up a fish in my bag.
Stop to notice the flowers, the rock formations, the way the river winds through the valley. It’s hard sometimes, and I wasn’t always good at it. I’d get inside my head, wandering among my own thoughts, and forget to look at the world around me.
But do. And then choose to delight in it. Always look for a reason to smile, and then pass that smile onto someone else.
Know when to take a break
As much as hiking is about consistently walking day after day, long-distance hiking is about being able to keep that up for months at a time. Which means that, sometimes, you just need to press pause.
A pause doesn’t need to be a big thing: it can be a zero day in a fun town, a family member picking you up off trail and heading into the city, it could be a weekend at Trail Days, or maybe a week off trail for a family reunion or family event.
My trail family and I tried to do some sort of rest once a week. Sometimes that was a full zero; other times, it would be only hiking a half day. Either way, we knew that our bodies needed a chance to breath, recuperate, and recovery. It also provides a chance for some mental rejuvenation in the form of a shower and some town food.
Carefully choose the words you tell yourself
Yes, this is an section about self-talk, because, whether we know it or not, it can make a huge difference on how we move forward.
When you’re doing something challenging, listen to the way you speak to yourself. Are you negatively talking to yourself? Are you bringing up past mistakes and failures? Perhaps you’re telling yourself you can’t make it or that you need to step it up so you don’t fail?
Yeah, me too.
I had to learn on the trail how to take those negative thoughts and turn them into something positive that could keep me motivated and moving forward.
- I’m tired and sore but I’m going to keep moving because I can.
- Yes, this mountain looks hard, but so did Three Ridges and I did that, so I can do this too.
- Guess what? You’re three hundred miles in. You’re badass. Guess what will make you more badass? If you keep going.
Learn to be your own cheerleader and encourager. You have what it takes to make it to the end; you just have to belief in yourself.
Celebrate each milestone
On trail, it’s typical to see markers out celebrating each hundred-mile segment that you pass. Celebrate them. On a trip as massive as a thru hike, you need these little encouragements that you’re making progress and hiking towards your goal.
As the numbers get bigger and bigger, it’s just a sign that you’re out here doing what you dreamed of: hiking the Appalachian Trail.
How do you mentally prepare for hiking?
Let me know some ways you mentally prepare or maintain your mental health when you’re hiking!
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