4 weeks in. Figured out what sort of hiker I am. More important to enjoy the woods & walk without pain that to complete the whole trail.
I wanted to make a short list of the various things I learned my first month out. How expectations differed from reality:
1. A strong body is more important that fancy gear and shaving pack weight.
2. How many people there are on the trail. Section hikers. Day hikers. Thru hikers. It is not the deep solo soul searching experience I expected.
3. Carry less food. Try to not carry more than 3 days of food. It is heavy!
4. Competition. Everybody (mostly) has the same basic chores to do everyday: Walk. Eat. Gather water. Shelter & sleep. There is a great deal of competition to be the fastest, lightest, strongest. First person out of camp and last one in wins. I apparently and very susceptible to this!
5. Hiking partners / hiking at your own pace. I took on a hiking partner too soon, and wound up taking their (faster) speed and got injured.
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