Preparing for the Hike

Here’s a summary of my preparations for the hike over the last couple of months. I guess only time will tell if my methods were effective.

Physical Preparation:

The vast majority of my prep time has been spent obsessively-compulsively toting my 34-lb. backpack up and down the 600-ft. hill behind my house. I figure if I can ascend and descend 6,000 ft every day through all kinds of weather, carrying more than the load I expect to shoulder on the hike, then the first days of the hike should be more bearable.

So I have climbed the hill, known locally as “Cardiac Hill” 10 times a day for 50 days.  It takes me about 5 hours per day. The gradient is steep rising the 600 feet in well less than half a mile. I have hiked through blizzards, wind storms, and a little bit of rain. Some days were made especially grueling by deep snow or slippery mud, which made for precarious footing and ratcheted up the energy required to remain on my feet instead of my butt, back, or face.

My legs adjusted fairly quickly, but my shoulders still ache during and after the climbs. Because my shoulders, rather than my hips seem to be my weakest link in previous backpacking trips, I have gradually used the hip belt less and less until the present, when all of the weight has been on my shoulders. I have taken to spreading the shoulder straps outward on the descents and moving them in closer to my neck on the ascents to spread the burden around some. The narrow strap configuration frees my shoulders for the more active use of the trekking poles required on the ascents. I plan to keep the pack weight under 25 lbs. on the hike, so hopefully my shoulders will handle the lesser burden without complaining.

This graph compares the elevation profile of my daily workout to the first day on the A.T. starting on Springer Mountain and heading north.



Mental and Spiritual Preparation:

An elderly lady who hiked the AT several times stated that distance hiking “is more head than heel.” From my relatively short training experience, I have an inkling that she was right. By far the biggest challenge for me has been to quell feelings of dread, complacency, hopelessness, doubtfulness, boredom, and anxiety. At first, for a distraction, I listened to NPR on my radio while on the hill; but after a few weeks listening to in-depth coverage on the same four or five topics, the radio became more irritating than the work-out. Listening to music was fun at first, but I have trouble if the tempo doesn’t match my pace – too many years in the marching band. Discarding the radio, I began chanting silly rhymes to myself according to which of the ten laps I was on, such as “eight at a pretty good rate.” I found that chanting seemed to free my mind to enjoy just existing in the moment instead despairing over how many laps were left, or dwelling on the pain in my shoulders. I seemed to be able to let my mind coast, enjoy sensory input from the environment, or delve into an occasional delusional fantasy. After a few days, the chanting didn’t seem necessary for my mind to reach this calm state. Also, as the workout became easier, I gained confidence.

I have enjoyed meeting others who use the hill for exercise. I am particularly inspired by a 72-year-old man who I see out there most every day. He can hoof it up to the summit faster than me. Sometimes the company isn’t so pleasant; for instance, if the weather is good on a Friday afternoon, I can expect to dodge every variation of off-road vehicle challenging the hill, and to endure the cacophony of gunshots as target shooters fill the areas surrounding the hill. Welcome to rural Nevada!

The first few days of spring have been warm and sunny. The lonely and bleak high-desert landscape has become embellished with the calls of killdeer, meadow larks, and quail. I was fortunate to see a pair of golden eagles wheeling on the thermals above the summit. The once frozen ground is coming alive as ants, strange-looking beetles, and horny toads scuttle about underfoot. Soon, I will relinquish this arid climate and open terrain for the rainy, long green tunnel that is the A.T.

Intellectual Preparation:

The only maps I will take are for the trail south of the Great Smoky Mountains, and for Connecticut and Vermont. I will report the starting pack weight later. I currently weigh 190 lbs. I lost about 8 lbs. during the last couple of months. I could stand to lose about 20 lbs. more, and figure I will. I feel comfortable starting a little over-weight, because they say it is impossible not to lose weight when thru-hiking. 

Sarah and I have done a lot of reading about the A.T. – mostly accounts of other people’s hikes. It has been interesting to see how the experience differs depending on the personality, age, and season and direction of hiking. I particularly enjoyed The Barefoot Sisters Southbound by Lucy and Susan Letcher, and, for contrast, In Beauty May She Walk-Hiking the Appalachian Trail at 60 by Leslie Mass. These trail journals help me anticipate what hardships to expect on the trail, such as harsh weather, ticks, crowded shelters, and tough terrain.