Top 5 Reasons Appalachian Trail is a No Go 2023!

As we start a New Year, we look back at our last year and try and see where we have been and where we are heading! I was considering hiking the Appalachian Trail for 2023 but in reviewing many things that are going on in my life, I realize that this is not the time!

It is important to have your life in some order before hitting the trail, if you really want to make it to the end! Most of us only get one chance to do a thru hike. I am lucky that I am going to have a second chance. But the truth is that no time is the perfect time to take on the Appalachian Trail and the lifestyle but this year seems to be more complex than other years for me.

1 Family Life

Last year, my brother died. I had not seen him in years and it took a bit of effect on me but not as much as on other family members who have been around him. I feel that I might be need and don’t want to be out of calling distance for those that might need someone to talk too. He was the first of my siblings to die. We are a large family of seven children, therefore, we are all feeling that we might be mortal with his death. Plus being the oldest, I feel that I should be on call for others in my family and that could be hard if I am on the trail.

In most areas of the trail, you can get calls but not all. But to take those calls, you also have to deal with low and no battery life of your phone. It would change when and where I would have to stop to get my phone charged up. It would also mental stress me out if I couldn’t make or take those calls. Or worst, get cut off from those calls.

In addition, one of my family member just got a surgery last month and might need another operation this summer. I am their support person to help them during this time. Not much support as they are very independent (i.e. taking care of the animals, driving them around, cleaning up, and getting them things) but coming off the trail to do this would take a toll on me and any hiker. It give you a break from the trail but it also takes you out of the mind set plus summer is the time to make tracks.

Another item is I have someone that is willing to come to trail and meet me at different places to make it easier to get around, drop things off to me so I don’t have to leave the trail as often, or take me to the store and/or hotel for the night. That person broke their collarbone in October and would not be able to help me as much this year as they are still healing up but next year when they are healed up, they have promised to help!

As I took all these items into consideration. The Trail is not realistic for me this year!

The trail is personal and individual for each person. But if your family life is not in order then your not completely on the trail. You are back in the real world in your mind. It can take you off the trail very quickly. If you know that stuff like this is going to happen or your in the middle of it something. It is best not to take on the trail this year but next year.

5 family life reason not to do the trail this year

1. Children Depending on age and temperament. If your children are under 5, then being apart from them is not only hard on you but they have issues with this. It could affect them for their lifetime as they don’t get to bond with you and you miss special milestones. 6 months or more is just to much to ask from them. Between 5 and 10, it is hard but not if you have a good support system with the other parent, it might be workable. Between 10 and 18, depending on the child. You might need to be around. Each child is different but they will be on your mind more than you can believe possible.
2. Family members who have major health issues, possibly those that will lead to death. If your family member is sick, then you tend to be more worried about them then about your hike. It really is not a good time to go! If it is a parent or a child, you will be more focused on them then your hike. For example, leaving a parent who is fighting cancer and you might not be there to say goodbye, could have a major effect on your mental health in the future. (Note: this is for new issues not for lifetime or issues that are long term, i.e. over 2 years, i.e. a parent that has oldtimers, should not stop you from living your life.)
3. Troubled or not supportive Long Term Relationships. If you are having major issue with a long term relationship, i.e. marriage or partner or child/parent. This is really not the right time to go. The time that you will be on the phone and trying to fix things is just not good for you. On the other hand, if you know that you need to get out of a relationship, then this is a great time to go. Find out what you want and even if you want to be in this relationship and what you want in life because the trail is a wonderful place to find yourself!
4. Nonsupport Family and Friends. If your family is not supporting you in your adventure, then you need to ask yourself why. Some of this is just because they don’t understand but take a good look before you leave to make sure that they are not correct about the reasons that they are not being supportive. Some of these reason are valid, i.e. you have health issues (i.e. one of the person that I meet on the trail should not have been on the trail due to his health and age.) If they are supporting you with funds, then they have the right to say no. (i.e. if you are 18 and you except your parents to foot the bill then you really need to rethink your trip and get a job to pay for your trip.) But if you personally have the money and the ability to do the Appalachian Trail then you can tell them what to kiss and look at redefining your relationship with these people as you might be in an unhealthy relationship. The trail is a great place to review things like this as you have nothing but time on your hands.
5. Other family issues. There are so many other issues that it is not possible to list them all. But if your having minor issues, they might become major when your on the trail. If your having major issues, then you might want to wait a year to fix them. On the other hand, if you can get a divorce or know that you are leaving a relationship. This might be the perfect time to hit the trail and take the time to heal and move on!

Why it is important not to hit the trail for family reasons:

1. If your mind is on your family more than your hike.
   • You could get hurt because your not aware of your surroundings. i.e. bear, snakes, tripping and getting hurt, missing key trail markers, etc.
   • You make mistakes in your abilities and hurt yourself or have to take a zero or a nero day, i.e. you hike passed your ability to get to a “phone” or go to town to get ahold of someone had have to stay over.
   • You spend your budget getting to town and staying so you can contact your family and friends
   • You take zero and nero days to deal with issues
   • Most important, your not really on the trail. The small joy is not there because you are too focused on home then enjoying your time on the trail.
2. You miss key moments in your families and friends life, i.e. the passing of a parent or your child first “fill in the blank”. You will miss some things or events when you are on the trail. It is the tradeoff of taking the trail. But somethings you just should not miss, i.e. weddings, graduations, and other major event. You might need to go home for the weekend not to miss a wedding and it is worth it.
3. If you significant other is not on board then you might have real issues staying on the trail. It might cost you the relationship and you really need to think about if this is the right choose or possible, if you should be in that relationship. The trail is all about you but you have to think about the impact of those that you are leaving behind and the consequences that come with it.

Family and friends always have issues. It is a part of life but sometimes they come first. There will never be a perfect time to go but never go when it is a very very questionable or bad time to go! For me, that is this year. If just the family issues, it would be possible but I still have other issues as well.

2 Financial Reasons

I started an Etsy shops last year for dollhouse items but found that I liked making fairy houses more. It became MiniatureDreamHouse which has Fairies, Fairy Garden Items, Fairy and Doll houses that I make or find, and things that go into those houses plus miniature items. I was out shopping for items and found that I like hunting up not just dollhouse and fairy items but also vintage items, so I added a shop PenelopeVintageItems which is old stuff that I like and I think that others might like.

But I found that I really love Christmas and other Holiday items which became VintageHolidayShops because I love Holidays. The last thing that I seemed to be drawn to was all the porcelain, dolls, and teddies that I wanted in my youth which became PenPorcelainPretties which is pretty dolls, stuffed animals, and beautiful porcelain items that I find.

The shops alway me to shop for vintage items and display them in my home which I love to do then find great homes for these vintage items. It also allows me to create Fairy Houses and other things when I am in a creative mood. Then with the sales, I have the money to travel to great places, hike new trails, and find great vintage items along the way!

I would lose ground with my shops if I just left now for six months or more. They should be on firm footing next year. I am still learning the ins and outs. But this was an additional items on my reasons to not take on the trail this year. It will give me time to really have them up and going before I hand the shipping over to a friend of mine.

5 Financial reasons not to do the trail this year

1. Funds for the Trail. If you don’t have the funds, then you really should not do the trail. At the beginning of the trail, there is a lot of things that you can pick up because other hikers have over packed, i.e. food and a few supplies. But this is not so as you get higher and higher up the trail. Not having the money to complete the trail is a large reason that most people have to leave! But I will have a cost of the trail on my site at some point. It is to detailed to go into here.
2. Debt. If you have a lot of debt then you have to consider how you will be able to pay these when you are on the trail. Some items can be dropped, netflix, or deferred, i.e. student loans. But others like a mortgages and car payments are harder to do, i.e. sell the house or save enough to pay while on the trail. But these are usually items that you should plan ahead a time. But I will do a how to save for the trail at some point.
3. Career or job. Some jobs are easy to walk away from and pick up after the trail but others are not. Most employers can not afford for you to leave for up to 7 months. It is not personal in most cases. If you are worried about this, then consider how long it will take to get a new job and then double that time frame. As an employer and being in HR and top management roles, I looked at the fact that you are out of work for a certain amount of time, why you left your last job, and your job history in general. It is even harder if you own a business. You have to leave someone in charge and they are not always as invested in the business as you are. I saw someone have to leave the trail about three weeks in due to someone quitting.
4. Funds for when you come home. How will you survive after you leave the trail. Can you live at home with your parents? Will your significant other have your home waiting? Will you have to get a new apartment? Are you going back to your own house? Housing is the first thing. If you are giving up your apartment, then you will have to have a place to stay until you get reestablished. Most places will not rent to you if you are unemployed and have no income (I had to give 6 months rent as down payment when I came home). In addition, if anything happens early and you have to leave the trail then you will need an established place to go home too.
5. Funds for living when you come home. Once you are home then you will need the funds to stay afloat until you get a job, if you don’t have one waiting.

Financial considerations is a reason that you see a lot of young and retired people on the trail. But it is also the reason that you see a lot of people leave the trail. It sucks to be 500 miles from your goal and having spent that much time hiking it and then run out of money to complete the trail. I think that was the hardest on most people that I talked to that were trying for a second time.

3 Physical and Health Considerations

I overdid it last year. I was running to and from New Mexico to visit a family member that was moving overseas, opening the Etsy stores, shopping for the Etsy stores, traveling, and all. I just keep getting little colds that would not go away. I think that my system was overloaded and I need some time to get over that.

I also have a bit of extra weight on my body at the moment. I am about 200 pounds at the moment which is the heaviest I have ever been. I have only been that heavy 4 times in my life, i.e. 3 pregnancies and just after my Hysterectomy which I gain a bit of weight. I was taking it off but then I hurt my feet somehow went up to 200 pound for the 4th time. But I got that off within a year.

In Nov 2019, I got sick and gained weight about 30 pounds. I was already a bit heavy from working to many hours, ie 14 hour days with little or no down time. But in total, I hit 200 pounds but it was coming off as I was closing down my business and getting my house ready to get on the market.

In Sept 2020, I fell down 13 steps and hurting my ankle which made it so that it was hard to hike very far on any given day. I was not gaining but I was not losing any weight either, I was not happy but 180 pounds was not to bad. It didn’t really completely heal for about a year. I just had to watch how far I went and not over do it. So, a mile or two a day was good but not to much more.

In December 2020, my place was ready to get put on the market. (Home depot took from July to Nov to complete the carpets. Long Story) I have family in Germany, so I know Covid was coming before it hit the US, so I stayed inside and/or away from people before they even locked us down. My big get out was going to Groundhog’s Day in Puxsutawney, PA. I am sure that I got Covid when I was there. It was before they were testing but I came home and was sick. I stayed home for three weeks.

But being shut in with Covid put me back to 200 pounds. Nothing like having nothing to do and having to stay inside to gain a bit of weight. Plus I most of the food that I had was high calorie for emergencies. As a California Girl, I always have something for an emergency, i.e. earthquake country and I was in the Whittier (All of LA was rocked) and the Loma Prieta (SF Freeway came down) Earthquakes . In April, I could not take it any more and started to hike Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) Trail. I was losing the weight with hiking and sold my place in Oct 2020 and started traveling.

It took some time to recover which was basically laying around and gaining back the weight that I lost. So, I am back at 200 pounds and really need to take off a bit before I get back on the trail. I lost to much weight to fast last time but the weight also made me have more issue with my knees during my hike. So, this year I will also be losing at least 30 pounds before I hit the trail next year and be in better shape as I was so busy and it was so hot this year that I did not do a lot of hiking.

5 Physical and Health reasons not to do the trail this year

1. Minor health issues. it is best not to be on the trail if you have any minor health issues, they can become major quickly. Every year, a lot of people leave the trail to soon because those minor issues become major. I meet a guy that made the approach trail to Springer Mountain and had to leave due to a minor issue that was about to turn major. Others get medical rescued off the trail but this can take time to get help. Knowing your body is very important and check with your doctor before you leave!
2. Illness. I been sick on and off all year. I think that I overdid it this year with stress and going to far to fast, i.e. driving from New Mexico to Georgia in three days due to the major heat issues this summer. Plus several other trips that should have taken a few days to get home but I had to race home. My body was just drained from the weather and a lot of dehydration due to major weather changes. But starting the trail with a cold is not a good thing. It is better to wait a week, if possible, to be strong at the start.
3. Physically Fitness. You don’t have to be physically fit to start the trail but the problem becomes that you start the trail slow, i.e. I was doing about 6 miles a day at the beginning and 3 miles towards the end because my body was giving out, that mean that you might have issues with completing the trail before they close Mount Katahdin in October. But not impossible.
4. Physically Issues. My ankle was still a bit weak when I started the trail from falling down the 13 stairs. My weight was making my knees hurt more than normal. I have a bit of a bad back but I could still do the hike even with those issue. I just needed to keep an eye on my backpack weight and go a bit slower. But it is important to known those and get around them. Also, to know when to call the hike, if those issues become to much!
5. Injuries. If you have had an injury not to long ago, then you might want to think about waiting and giving it another year. I saw a guy have to leave less than 30 miles in because he went before he was completely healed. Your giving up a lot to do this hike, you should be at your best when you start. On the other hand, I know a guy that was hiking it with one lung.

Basically, if you are having any minor issues, they can become major issues when your on the trail. For me, it is weight and that I am a bit stressed out from doing to much last year which weakened my immune system. I think that these would mean that I would have to leave the trail sooner then I want to, if I started it this year. Next year, I will be healthier and more physically fit. But planning for that now is important.

4 If You Don’t Have Enough Time

I saw a lot of people on the trail that were convinced that they would be able to complete the trail quickly and could not understand why it would take five to six months to complete. After all they could do 20 miles in a day and they divided that about 2,200 mile trail is 110 days which is about 3 1/2 months. They would not be taking zeros or neros. It is unrealistic for most people but you can do 20 miles in a day and for a short time but every day and not take zero or neros. But between weather and some parts of the trail then it really isn’t possible.

Unless you are Karel Sabbe who completed the Appalachian Trail in just under 42 days. Note: he was a Belgian ultrarunner who averaged about 53 miles per day and had support on the trail, i.e. they helped get him with items along the way, set up thing, getting food, etc. Or ultrarunner Joe McConaughy who did it in just under 46 days unsupported.

But for us normal humans, the average miles per day to complete the trail in 6 months is about 12.2 miles per day. That does not include zero or nero days. I don’t understand the racing myself. You should complete the trail in a timely manner but you should have time to do the other stuff along the trail like taking a few days off at Gettysburg or enjoying a day at other places along the trail. Or stopping long enough to enjoy time on the trail.

Many people don’t take enough time off to complete the trial because their to busy planning every move or because they are trying to get home for other life events which makes them do crazy miles and they get injured or they get burnout. They started to make bad decisions plus the hike becomes getting it done rather than enjoying the hiking experience. Most of us only get one chance at this hike.

If you are going to do this hike then plan on 5 to 6 months at the very least. Make a list of milestones but don’t push to hard on the miles per day. I will have another post about this at some point.

5 Expectations and Mental Issues

You need to have realistic expectations of what you want out of a thru hike, what it will cost you (mentally, financial, and physically), and the right mental expectations. You have to want this. It can’t because someone else want it, i.e. your significant other or friend dream and your tagging along, or to raise money or awareness about an issue.

If you want to raise money or awareness about an cause than that is great. If you are following or bring your significant other, a friend, and/or a family member that wonderful as well. But you both have to want this to make this work. You have to be dreaming about it at night! It can’t be about the cause or another person! It has to be in your blood or you will not complete this trail. You have to want to be a thru hiker first and second add the cause. If your bring someone along then they have to dream about the trail or then you will be dragged down.

The trail has been romanced through blogs, youtube, books, and movies. If your expectation are the romantic idea of the trail, i.e. finding yourself, making a trail family, running away from something in your life, trail magic, etc. Your bubble will be popped quickly. My first day, I dreamed of walking up the waterfall stairs. A storm came through days before I was going to start and the stairs were gone. It was the first little dream that was smashed for me on the trail. It was not a big deal but it was something that started my hike off badly. I love waterfalls and that was going to be a big deal for me.

On April 1, 2021, I started the Appalachian Trail but I had to leave the trail on May 1st. The first night, I had an asthma attack which I did not bring an inhaler because I had not had any issues for along time so I did not even think to bring anything. My food bag went missing and just a lot of little things went wrong. I am going to write about these things but to tell the truth, I need to wait a bit. But I also lost 15 pound in that 30 days, it was to much to fast for my body. Plus I pushed to far because my food bag went missing toward the end of that 30 days. I was weak as a kitten and my body was giving out.

The reality of hiking the Appalachian Trail is that you are so tired at the end of the day that getting to sleep usually is not an issue. Except when your in so much pain every muscle in your body is screaming out that you are crazy to do this.

The weather can change in a heartbeat. The same storm that took out the stairs a few days before I arrived; it dumped a major snow storm in other areas of the trail. I believe several hikers had to hide in the restroom at a National Park to stay warm because they did not get the message that it was coming. Or the guys that I meet the year before that had to take a “nero” because they had to wait for a store to open but due to the heat they stopped hiking at 1pm to ensure that they survived the heat wave.

Over the 5 to 7 months on the trail, you will experience extreme cool and heat conditions. Nights that are so cold that every year someone gets frostbite. Days that are so hot, you can’t move let alone hike. Days were it is raining so hard that your hiding in your tent to keep dry until you have to leave it to use the bathroom. If you are lucky enough to find shelter before it started to come down.

Days were you can smell yourself and it is not good. Think of the Dog Park trash can in summer where it is a heat wave an it has not been emptied in a week. It will smell better than you do. This was hard on me as I use to take a bath every day when I woke up like clockwork.

Running out of food or water and having to hike extra miles without it. (The first night I went through more water then I thought I would and my food bag was stolen at one point. Both affected my having to leave the trail early.) Getting to that spring that you were planning on filling your water up on and finding that it is dry as a bone or worst, the water looks wrong. Then having to keep going forward 3 mile for the next water or having to backtrack a 1 mile to get to the last stream that you skipped because you really did not want to walk .3 miles straight down a hill.

Looking forward to sleeping at a shelter so you don’t have to put up your tent that night but finding that it is full of other hikers, mice, or snakes! I did not get the snakes but I was at one that was full because of a rain storm and I had to setup my tent and spend the day because it was raining so hard that I did not think that it was safe to hike that day. Hint: read the book at each shelter before pulling out your things to check for mice or other shelter issues!

Visiting Clingmans Dome Observation Tower only to find that you can’t see the view due to clouds, fog, or other weather conditions. Getting to Bear Mountain-Harriman State Park Zoo which is along the trail at 7 am and having to wait until it opens at 10 am or 4:30 pm and either having to wait for the next day to see it or having to skip this. Getting to the post office five minutes after they close on Saturday and having to stay in town until they open on Monday because you need something in that drop box that is so important that you have to wait and spend money on a hotel or go back to the trail to sleep.

Having equipment missteps, i.e. I brought a tent that zipper broke the first day and felt like a tomb to be in. Or having the strap brake on your backpack. Running out of fuel for your cooking stove. Your phone dying. Your pants ripping out and the only choose is to buy something at high prices because it is along the trail or going without.

Your going to have days that your feet are so beat up that you can’t walk. The blisters will hurt for days but you might need to get to town for supplies or simply to get water. Either way, you will have to walk on those blisters and possible pop them. You may have other injuries that you will have to walk off or that will take you off the trail just 200 mile from finishing or even before you make 200 miles. Or a hand that you have to not use because you hurt it.

Some days, you will just want to cry all day and then you have trail magic and you are on a natural high. The emotional ups and downs of the trail are no joke. The trail is a beautiful vacation from life but it is not a vacation for long. It is a new lifestyle. Just think about how many days that you are happy or sad in a 6 month period at home. It is not much different on the trail except that you have things to distract you from your emotions, i.e. friends, tv, movies, work, etc. The highs and lows seem larger on the trail then in the real world.

But the emotion that you will feel most is boredom. At first, you see this great mountain that you are going to climb up and when you get to the top you get a great view. Then you get to climb down it. After several of these up and down, you realize that this is your new life. Going up a mountain just to come down it and go up the next.

The trail goes from high points and climbing up the mountain takes time time depending on how fit your are to going down the mountain which if your not careful then you could twist your ankle or fall. Then of course there is Rocksylvania were the rocks can be so bad in some places that you have to go slow. Or having to cross a creek and have wet shoes or stop to change them.

In addition, if you don’t like yourself, then this might not be a good place for you mentally. You have a lot of time alone. The longer that you are on the trail, the more time you spend alone. Only 20% of people complete the trail. Between March 15th to April 15th, those that are going North Bound are fighting for space on the trail, in shelters, at lodgings, etc. You not alone for very long as you almost always have a hiker passing you or your passing them. After a while, your alone most of the day except for weekender or those that are going about your speed or passing you or getting back to the trail. But you might not see anyone for a day or two after a few months.

For me the worst was trying to avoid to different guys on the trail. One that wanted me to be a trail wife and do what I was told, i.e get firewood for him to burn, he would watch the packs and I would go to town for supplies, and a whole list of items which included me paying for a hotel if I wanted one because he did not have to leave the trail but he would be good enough to stay with me. The other one, wanted me to join him in his tent. I was not interested. But the next day, he was talking on the phone to his wife or girlfriend.

It cost me 4 nights at lodging off the trail and 2 nights in one camp as I thought that they would move on. But it seems that they were still around when I returned each time until I spent two night in camp. At least one of them told people about me. I am not sure what was said but because I was asked about my relationship with them. I am sure it was warning other off of me for whatever reason, i.e. I was their property or I was a difficult to deal with. Warning for all females, men are the same on the trail as off the trail. “Real” hikers tend to be more respectful.

If you have an mental issues then this might not be the place for you. You shall really think and talk to your doctor, family, and friends before you go. This is place that many people find themselves but it is also a place that can destroy a person. You can find out who you are but you might not like that.

In addition, if you spend a lot of time on the trail, coming home could be a bit hard. You have been in a bit of bubble by yourself for a lot of time on the trail. It takes time to relearn to drive because you have not been behind the wheel for 5 to 7 months. Taking in the noise and not listening closely to what is happening around you, i.e. on the trail your listening for animals and other things but at home the traffic is white noise. Jumping back into the life that you left can take a while.

Conclusion

The Appalachian Trail is for almost anyone as it cross some beautiful places and many that you can drive too, do a day trip, a weekend, or a section of it. But a thru hike is for those that are mentally, physically, and financially ready for it. I know that this is not the year for me this year and I want to try a second time but I don’t believe that I would try a third, therefore, I will wait for next year.

The trail can be an amazing place but not if you are not ready to be on the trail. Without putting your house in order, you should not leave it behind for long periods of time. It is like not being sure if you left the coffee pot on when you leave the house. You worry about it all the time and you can’t really enjoy yourself.

The trail reminds me a lot of boot camp but without the Drill Sergeants. Therefore, you have to be your own Drill Sergeant which is actually so much harder as you have to think for yourself and motivated yourself! Again, if you don’t like yourself then this might not be a good place for you mentally. It takes determination, luck, a bit of skill, being able to entertain yourself, a toughness to keep going when you are having a bad day, a little trail magic, and most of all, the will to push yourself!