As one might imagine, hiking the length of the United States is a very daunting task to undertake. Hiking for this length can cause people to run into the problem of losing sight of why they started and what they are hoping to achieve. Additionally, milestones along the way can seem trivial in the face of the huge, overwhelming goal, which can demotivate people and make them feel like they should quit. For instance, I’ve heard that the halfway point can be one of the most dispiriting moments on the trail. Why? Well, you’ve been hiking 2-3 straight months, you’re exhausted, and somehow, you haven’t even left the state of California! Not only are you tired from pushing your body and mind to the limits, but now you are also wrangling with the idea that you are ‘only’ halfway there and that the state of California seems never ending!
From years of competitive swimming, I’ve learned that mental preparation is critically important to being successful when undertaking something challenging. Yes, people do finish the PCT without doing too much mental preparation in advance. However, I would argue that a person is more likely to quit when faced with mental hurdles if they are completely unprepared for these obstacles in comparison to a person who is aware of what is likely to come and can inoculate themselves a bit from these stumbling blocks. Like all vaccines, it’s not 100% effective, but it certainly does increase your chances of not being infected with the mental strife bug that tends to go around at various points along the way.
As such, I’ve spent a fair amount of time trying to best mentally prepare myself for what can be expected on the trail. This has been done mainly by thinking through what I think my limits are, when I would give myself permission to quit (I’ve decided my acceptable reasons will be limited to either serious injury or illness), and what I want to get out of the trail. It really has helped to have a list of reasons why I’m hiking. I say this because as I’ve told people about my plans, in response, I usually get people trying to talk me out of it, or they will say a lot of scary things about what I should be expecting (with regards to mountain lions, bears, humans, weather, etc.). By sitting down early in this process, and figuring out why I want to do it, and what I want to get out of it, it’s helped me to forge a path through a lot of anxiety that can worm its way into my psyche. Additionally, I’ve learned that the opinions of others need to taken with the hugest grains of salt. Most people I know are hikers, not thru-hikers, which means their advice is about as useful as a casual runner telling a prospective ultra-marathoner what they need to do in order to run a successful race. Yes, in concept it’s the same sport, but very different applications, so the same rules do not apply.
To start things off, I wrote out a list of why I’m hiking the trail, and I did this fairly early in my planning stages. Since then, I’ve been tweaking it in order to articulate myself more fully and to also adjust for my mental shifts that I’ve come across as I’ve learned more about the trip. I’ve kept it to myself, as the reasons are pretty personal. In my trail prep, I read the book Pacific Crest Trials by Zach Davis that really delved deeply into the mental preparation needed for a thru-hike. (It was an excellent book, and I recommend it to anyone who is looking to take up the sport.) In it, he recommends to not only write out this list, but to share it. The act of making it public makes you more likely to stick to it, and not change your mind midway through your thru-hike after a few off days. So, without further ado, my reasons for hiking the PCT are below!
- I think it’s important for a person to challenge themselves and to exercise their sisu*. With this in mind, I’m always trying to push myself to be more comfortable with being uncomfortable, and I think I’ll be very uncomfortable with many of the things I’ll encounter on the PCT. Including, but not limited to: rattle snakes, tarantulas, heat in the desert, river crossings, frequent lack of cell service, camping alone, being absolutely filthy (I’m actually usually ok with this on my backpacking trips, but I’ve never tried to be filthy for 5 months straight). I’m also pretty terrible and uncomfortable with taking things day by day and having only a basic plan for success. I’m looking forward to dealing with the discomfort and strengthening my sisu!
- *Sisu is my favorite Finnish word and it doesn’t have a direct translation into English. It can be briefly be described as a combination of stubbornness and bravery. The best definition I’ve found is that it’s “a courageous mind-set that embraces challenges, small and big. It’s also the ability to act in the face of adversity. It’s an approach to life that is open to trying new things and new experiences and going beyond what we think might be our limits– whether physical, mental, or emotional.” [Finding Sisu: In Search of Courage, Strength, and Happiness the Finnish Way, by Katja Pantzar]
- Sometimes my mind gets too consumed worrying about the future. I’m always trying to be better at living in the moment instead of wondering what’s going to happen if x, y, z things occur. Being able to concentrate mostly on the day of hiking ahead, I think is a good exercise in this regard. Thru-hiking makes you think only of your basic needs (food, water, shelter) everyday, day in, day out instead of your day-to-day wants (everything beyond food, water, shelter).
- I’d really like to complete the whole trail, but I think it’s also important for me to set realistic goals. I can’t control the weather, wildfires, or the date that I have to be done by, and I’d like to do as much of the trail as allowed by these factors. At times I get very competitive with myself and others, but I’d like to focus on being better at going with the flow, and not getting upset over things that are not in my control. Yes, I’m intent upon finishing it, but I think it will be devastating if I set completion as my main and only goal and then not finish. I’d like to try my best to focus not on the end but on the journey itself.
- The PCT, specifically, offers several different experiences, all on one trail… desert, mountains, rain forest… and I’m thrilled to be able to explore all of them and push my limits.
- I’m excited to make some new friends that have equally crazy ideas, like “Hey, you know what sounds like fun?? Walking from Mexico to Canada!”
- Though I love California and the Bay, it is not my forever home. The PCT offers the great opportunity of exploring a lot of the west coast before I move on to my next adventure.
- It’s an opportunity to do something truly awesome. I’m very passionate about my career, and taking a break from it isn’t something that will come along very often, as such, the opportunity to make the most out of this break, in my mind, can’t be passed up. Tomorrow isn’t promised, and I want to do as much as I can, while I can.
Other ways in which I’ve worked on my mental preparation over the past 6 months or so:
- Talked with past thru-hikers about their experiences, and picked their brains for what their low points were. With this information, I’ve been trying to imagine myself in those same situations and think through the different ways I could potentially get myself through them. (This included coaching with Giggles… highly recommend!)
- Watched a ridiculous number of youtube videos that people have made throughout their thru-hikes. Additionally, I’ve been watching movies about people doing crazy physical/mental challenges outside of thru-hiking, such as Losing Sight of Shore, Free Solo, Meru, and Finding Traction.
- Read many books/blogs that past thru-hikers have written to get an idea of best ways to prepare.
- I’ve also been pushing myself physically, at the gym and on the trail. Whenever I get tired and feel like stopping, I think of the days I will be confronting this same feeling on the PCT and try to push past those feelings.
I know the trail will offer huge challenges and there will be really bad, terrible, no good days that make me want to quit. That being said, I’m actually looking forward to overcoming those difficulties. In my mind, nothing feels better than pushing through a mental or physical roadblock, coming out the other side, and looking back to see all the things that I have been able overcome. I’m excited for the difficulty that I will face, and looking forward to expand my mind on what I’m capable of doing.
I'm happy when I'm hiking 