If you read my blog or subscribe to my email list, you might know that I have been planning to thru-hike the East Coast Trail (a combined 260+ km of trail with varying levels of development and maintenance along the eastern coast of Newfoundland’s Avalon peninsula) for a few months now. It was my big project for the two months I would be home for the summer.
If you read the title of this post, you already know that it didn’t work out as planned. As much as I don’t want to be the person to make excuses, the truth is that I wasn’t being realistic with myself. I don’t have much experience with multi-day hikes, and this was a pretty big undertaking for me.
Rather than just avoid talking about it, I figured I would share the main reasons why the hike just didn’t work out (for now, at least). Maybe if you’ve got similar ambitions, this will help you be a little more prepared.
3. Bad Timing
As we near the end of one of the worst Julys I’ve ever experienced, weather-wise, I am not sure what I was expecting in terms of trail conditions. This past month has been overcast, cold, and wet. So, imagine my disbelief when the first trail from Cappehayden was muddy. Not just the get-your-boots-a-bit-dirty kind of muddy, but the kind of mud that absorbs your foot up to the ankle and sucks you in.
With a day pack? It’s an inconvenience. With a 40-lb bag that’s set to get you through a week? It can turn a 3-hour segment into a 5-hour nightmare.
The fix? I’m not sure what I could have done differently to deal with this. Maybe allotting more time for those difficult sections or travelling with an incredibly minimalist pack (I thought I was doing that).
2. Overestimating my mental capacity
The night before we left, my anxiety hit a high. Suddenly, I realized that it wouldn’t be all sunset cookups and catching up on my reading in the tent. To get to those rewarding evenings, I’d have to make it through my 25-km days. Not that I can’t do that once in a while, but knowing that you’ll have no real entertainment and will probably be too tired to engage in conversation for most of an 8-hour hike can be mentally gruelling.
The result? Severely focussing on every painful step.
The fix? Get into meditation or something beforehand. Learn to calm your mind and get into the zone while hiking. Seriously, the first few days will be tough if all you’re thinking about is the pressure that your pack is putting on your hips.
1. Overestimating my physical capacity
There is a certain extent to which you can use mindset to get through physical challenges. Then, there’s the wall you hit where your body says “No more.”
When you think of yourself as a fairly fit person, it’s easy to say that you’ll push yourself through anything. Bad weather? Sure. Cold nights and achy muscles? Of course I can deal with that. It’s a mental challenge, but my if I push myself, I can do it.
That’s not actually the case. When it comes down to it, how you treat your body matters in these situations. Most people don’t pick up running one week and then do marathons the next. There’s a certain amount of training that is called for.
The fix? Try working your way up to longer hikes. Who says you can’t section hike? Jumping into a difficult two-week hike is quite ambitious when you’ve never done more than a couple of days at a time. Test the waters and see how your body responds. Work your way up. You’ll get it eventually.
Have you had any similar failures? (Feel free to admit them!)
Interesting read Marie! I’ve never really hiked much, and I know I’d in no way be able to do more than a few hours – I’m pretty unfit. But I’d like to think one day I’ll get into hiking. I’ll definitely be sure to use your tips when I do!
x
I think once you’re used to doing a few hours, it gets easier to go for longer. It’s one of those hobbies where you just feel a constant urge to push further. Good luck 🙂
Marie, thank you so much for posting this. I haven’t had any big failures like this but really that’s because my anxiety/mental preparedness has stopped me from taking the first step. So that is ultimately the biggest failure. Not even getting out there! I am so impressed that you DID set out, even if you couldn’t finish. So even though this may sound strange, I am proud of you! 🙂
Thanks Amanda, that does make me feel good 🙂
I guess taking that step, even when you have made mistakes along the way, is the key to figuring out that balance between the vision and reality.
I’m not sure I’d ever be able to do a multi day hike, as much as I love hiking. I know it will sound high maintenance but I suffer from terrible insomnia so the thought of camping terrifies me because I know I would not sleep. After running three half marathons, I tried to run a full but found that my body simply wouldn’t cooperate. It was so frustrating to have the desire but not the ability to get it done.
I think it’s great you realize why this didn’t work out and already have a plan for making it happen next time. Good luck!
I think everyone has trouble sleeping in a tent (well, unless you are super hardcore and do it all the time), so it’s totally understandable — you probably wouldn’t sleep at all if you already have issues with insomnia.
Running a half marathon still sounds pretty impressive to me! I think seeing those weaknesses is such a good thing for helping you understand how to move forward.
Thanks Kacy 🙂
Wow! Great post, marie. It takes a lot of courage to Come forward anD talk about So-called ‘failure’ like this. At least, that is how i would perceice it for myself! Yet, It is much more useful to think about it as a learning experience. Plus, you’re helping other people by posting your thoughts and proposed fixes! Thank you! 🙂 I am dreaming of doing a thru-hike (maybe la traversée de charlevoix, in québec) and i will keep your advice in mind. The longest i’ve done so far was 39 km in 4 days, with mY brother. And we got to sleep in cabins (very simple ones… Woodstove, no electricity, no Water, no mattresses). It was great! But i don’t know if i’d ever be able to walk 25 km in one day!
It’s so comforting to read posts like this! I haven’t necessarily been “planning” a thru-hike, but I have been playing with the idea and hope to eventually attempt one. But it’s always so difficult to establish the right mindset for challenges like this – my perfectionist attitude makes it hard to say “I can try it and *IT’S OK* if I’m not able to complete it the way I want it to.” Thank you for sharing openly about your experience 🙂
Glad to hear it might have helped you a bit! I certainly never saw myself backing out of it when I first got the idea — I definitely over-romanticized it a lot, especially since I already had a lot of experience hiking sections of the particular trail system. But I think it’s one of those things you just have to go for sometimes. You never know how your mentality and perspective might change while you’re out there!
Yes! I started out last year, April 1, from Harper’s Ferry on the Appalachian Trail. I had prepared myself in every way…or so I thought! The really big mistake I made was heading southbound instead of north; NO ONE was going south and as I had never done anything like this before I think having some company on the way would have made a big difference in my hike. As it was, I lasted one full week before tucking tail and coming home! BUT I learned so much during that week…sleeping alone in shelters ( it gets really dark!) and hiking in sleet/snow with 40+ mph winds. i have since hiked 233 miles of the trail and am preparing to head back out in a couple of months. The first go round I failed to realize I needed to prepare mentally as well as physically. Hopefully, this time I’ll be successful! Thank you for sharing this article!
One full week on your own is an impressive feat in itself. Good luck with your next attempt — sounds like you’ve put in the physical and mental prep needed!
Hey there Marie!
I see this an old post but if you’re still blogging about backpacking I’ve a suggestion for your followers.
I don’t have an extensive background in backpacking per se, I’ve only been at it for about 5 years myself, but I do have 17+ years military experience and eight years of that in the Infantry.
My suggestion is simply: start with a shorter distance per day for multi-day hikes and prepare with increased loads over increased distances on day hikes.
I’ve spoken to a number of newcomer backpacking enthusiasts and many fail to account for the fact heavier loads require more from ones body. Moreover, those who consider this don’t realize taking even a max load on a day trip multiple times and reducing weight for an extended trip doesn’t entirely solve the issue of putting ones body through the stress of consecutive days under such a load.
The mental game is a whole other ball of wax and I find it can be solved through training as well: pushing oneself to endure is crucial to success on occasion; however, I always advocate safety and advise it’s better to fall short of a goal and try again next time than to risk injuring oneself in attempt to avoid failure. Lack of success isn’t a failure unless nothing is learned from the experience.
I hope this was helpful and I hope you are still in the backpacking scene; the experience is like no other.
Hey! I appreciate your comment and this advice so much — thank you for taking the time! Honestly, I have only done a couple of overnight trips since this post as the experience somewhat undermined my confidence in my ability to tough it out for a longer journey. I want to get back into the groove and make another attempt (or a few) at a longer trek this year, so I will definitely be taking your advice. It’s so easy to get carried away and be overly ambitious in the planning phase without realistically considering the actual toll on your body. Cheers!
I am glad to hear I’m not the only one who likes to jump in with both feet…lol