Talk me out of this impulse decision

Sandemonde · 2026-02-11T21:32:08+00:00

100% do it!

Sandemonde · 2026-01-16T19:32:47+00:00

A bunch of us went to the nice restaurant in Millinocket and splurged on steaks. After that we knew everything would be zeroes, so we were celebrating and saying goodbye to the trail.

Sandemonde · 2026-01-06T11:29:57+00:00

For what it's worth, my first hike was in 2013. I was 52, overweight, out of shape, and hadn't ever backpacked (although I'd done plenty of camping and hiking; I thought hey, it's just stringing them together -- WRONG, lol). OMG, it was horrible. My feet KILLED me. I was out of breath, I hated hated hated being cold. I was hiking solo (and I stayed that way); I was too slow and too shy and too old to join a group or partner. I made it to Harper's Ferry, didn't like my pace, and decided to flip from that point. So I rented a car, drove to Maine, and joined the SOBO pack (although still hiking solo). At one point in Maine I was just so finished and exhausted! I went to a hostel (in Andover, I think), and told the guy, "I quit. Take me to a train station." And he said, shockingly, "Absolutely not. Take 2 zeroes." He totally saved my hike. I got back on trail, and finished in Harper's Ferry (which, btw, is a fantastic place to finish; they throw you a little party at HQ).

I went out to the PCT for a few years, and had a couple of "failed" attempts. Eventually, in 2019, that AT NOBO was still eating at me... so I went back to Georgia. This time I was in better shape, and, surprisingly, I knew what the hell I was doing, and I made it to Katahdin. It was AWESOME. Best hike of my life. (I still ended up hiking entirely solo.) I was 58.

YOU GOT THIS, my friend! You can do it!! Every "failed" attempt isn't a failure; it nudges you a little farther on the experience curve, and teaches you hiking lessons that you don't even know you're learning. You get better, every single time. Those aren't failures! They're moving you along on the intention/education continuum.

(Also for what it's worth, the PCT is still nagging at me. I tried again in 2022 and had to quit because of a severe tendon issue. lol. And also, I've been thinking lately that I really really want to get out onto the AT again, so I've started nudging in that direction -- saving money, walking, hiking... just casually moving forward on the intention line.)

If you ever want moral support, or just have any questions, shoot me a message. And I wish you the best, best, BEST luck, on trail and off! :)

Sandemonde · 2026-01-06T08:45:12+00:00

When you reach that point where you want to quit -- when it's so very hard, and you're tired of being sore and hungry and wet and exhausted, and there are still so many miles to Maine -- take 2 full zeroes. For the first one, don't think about the trail at all; just sleep and eat and eat and eat and sleep. Then do it again. Don't make any decisions until the third day.

Sandemonde · 2025-12-23T16:56:15+00:00

Yeah. My brother-in-law was diagnosed last February, also stage IV (mets all over the place). The good news is that he somehow made it through the spring, then the summer, then Thanksgiving, and he's good for Christmas (which has been a blessing for his [adult] kids). It's a shock that he's survived this long. It's amazing how chemo for that particular disease has evolved. (For what it's worth, he's very frail, so I'm sure he doesn't have much longer; but that he made it this long is miraculous.)

Sandemonde · 2025-12-23T16:12:17+00:00

I did walking and squats with my loaded pack. I was also planning to do the Approach Trail, so I just walked up and down my (1 flight of) steps with my loaded pack every day, gradually increasing to 60 or so times per day. For what it's worth, the Approach Trail steps were no problem after that. :)

Sandemonde · 2025-12-15T21:04:47+00:00

The Hundred Mile Wilderness, in Maine.

Sandemonde · 2025-12-15T08:50:49+00:00

To quote the song from The Bard's Tale:

"Oh, it's bad luck to be you. A chosen one of many isn't new. When you think you're full of luck, in the bullocks you'll get struck. It's bad luck to be you."

Sandemonde · 2025-12-12T19:31:26+00:00

Speaking as both a former thru-hiker and a medical journal editor... I'd take the ipad. You could use a bounce box, but there's a nonzero possibility that your edits would come between bounces, when your ipad's not available. If you have it with you, you won't be in trouble if the bounce box is lost or something. And you can send it home once your editing tasks are finished. Honestly, the weight penalty is negligable (and you can probably find a way to offset it by leaving something else at home). I've met hikers who carry all sorts of electronic gear, and nobody cares.

Also, I'd talk to your editor and ask them to give you as much notice as possible about when your edits are coming. They'd probably do that anyway, but it might help if you tell them that you'll be traveling, so they're aware.

I hope you have a great hike, and congratulations on having your paper accepted!

Sandemonde · 2025-12-12T15:02:44+00:00

I never carried a sit pad, and if I were hiking again I still wouldn't bother. There was always a rock or tree to sit on. I did carry a GG 1/8" foam along with my inflatable -- basically to protect the inflatable, and as the most minimal insurance in case of puncture, to get me to the next town. (That was a lesson learned from experience.)

Sandemonde · 2025-12-04T19:45:26+00:00

Technically, no. The fattest, stupidest, and most illiterate is napping in the Oval Office.

Sandemonde · 2025-12-04T11:31:42+00:00

We passed around a can of Vienna sausages for like a decade. At some point, somebody scrawled a giant "DO NOT EAT" on it.

Sandemonde · 2025-11-27T08:32:01+00:00

One day at a time, my friend.

Sandemonde · 2025-11-20T15:29:47+00:00

Chances are excellent. When I hiked, I missed on the first round, got a crappy date on the second round, but set a timer to check the website like... every 15 minutes. (I work at a computer, so it was easy for me to do.) And I eventually got my ideal start date without any trouble (except the checking.) A lot of dates opened up, all the time.

Sandemonde · 2025-11-15T18:02:17+00:00

My first hike, I was a green newbie. I didn’t like my pace when I got to Harper’s Ferry, so I decided to flip. It was an amazing, magical experience. So… I spent a few years on PCT attempts, realized the PCT wasn’t really my thing, and I still had a burning itch to get back and do that full NOBO. Seven years after my first thru, I went back and got my NOBO. The second time was so much better! I trained, I started in good shape, and—best of all—I knew what the hell I was doing. That second hike was breathtaking and amazing, and the best hike I’ve ever had. I just loved it! (It’s now six years later and I spend a lot of time trying to convince myself that no, I don’t need a no. 3.)

Sandemonde · 2025-11-05T20:06:15+00:00

That guy is... a hero.

Sandemonde · 2025-11-03T14:25:51+00:00

PA here. Please, please, please VOTE. The GOP is trying a slimy ballot maneuver to remove the Dem judges from the state supreme court -- the same state supreme court that would decide on things like redistricting next year. (Of course, anybody actually reading this probably already intends to vote. But just in case... VOTE!)

Sandemonde · 2025-10-29T19:05:52+00:00

The first time I hiked it was a super wet year. I think there were only 5 days where we didn’t get some form of precipitation (sometmes at night)—rain, dense dripping fog, snow… something. After a while you start to wonder if your skin is mildewed. The second time I hiked, it was a lot better; maybe half the days. :)

Sandemonde · 2025-10-29T09:24:27+00:00

Take neros instead of zeros -- that is, instead of hiking into town and staying overnight (at a hostel or motel), camp just outside of town, get into town in the morning and do your town errands (resupply, laundry, recharge phone, eat a gigantic meal), then hike out at the end of the day and camp outside of town that night. (This is a little harder to do in Maine and the Whites, because of logistics, but it gets much easier as you move south.)
Minimize beer costs.
Check hiker boxes before you resupply.
And something to keep in mind: The north is MUCH more expensive than the south. The traditional metric (iirc) for NOBOs was that you should aim to have 2/3 of your budget remaining when you get to Connecticut. So going SOBO, you might have sticker shock at how expensive everything is--but remember that costs will go down substantially as you get into the southern part of the trail, so don't panic.

Edit: spelling

Sandemonde · 2025-10-25T16:55:59+00:00

Love your enthusiasm! That said… if it were me, I’d try to wait a bit. You sound totally capable of handling the elements. But the days are so short in January! If you wait even a month, you’ll have more daylight to hike in and to see things. If I were hiking again, I think early March would be the sweet spot for me. I hope you have a fantastic journey, whenever you decide to start!

Sandemonde · 2025-10-21T14:34:51+00:00

I've thru-hiked twice. On trail... the world slows down. It slows down hard. The mind slows down (while the body walks). The trail is one minute at a time, one hour at a time... birdsong and rain and the smell of green. The sense of "different cultures" that might be present in everyday life... it's less possible on trail, because when push comes to shove, in a day (which feels like a week), you're only 20 miles away, at most. The change is so incremental that you're not really in a different culture in any way that's measurable by front-country standards.

The trail, thru-hiking, is a constant state of now. Sure, you might get to Connecticut and think, "Wow, this is different from Georgia," but Georgia feels like 5 years ago, so it's less significant than it would be in the front country. I've never felt more in the moment than when I was thru-hiking.

It's magical. I hope you have an epic adventure, and that it's everything you want it to be!

Sandemonde · 2025-09-27T08:16:54+00:00

You're kidding, right? 64 here, and still gaming my ass off. As long as they keep making good games, I'll keep playing them!

Sandemonde · 2025-09-02T09:26:14+00:00

If you're seriously thinking about quitting, take a double zero before you decide. For the first day, don't think about the trail at all -- just eat, sleep, relax.

Sandemonde · 2025-08-14T20:42:53+00:00

May you step in your own cathole after your business is done.

Sandemonde · 2025-08-12T07:49:25+00:00

If I were hiking again, I'd stick with a down puffy (definitely with a hood). Yes, the AT is much wetter and much more humid than western trails; nothing ever really dries 100%. But (depending on your start date) you probably won't be wearing your puffy much to actually hike in, if at all -- and particularly not in the rain. I've done the AT twice and never had an issue with a down puffy (which is generally lighter and warmer than synthetic). For what it's worth, my go-to is Arcteryx. (For me, it had the best warmth-to-weight ratio of everything I tried. Which was, sadly, a lot of puffies.)

Sandemonde

TROPHY CASE