[pct-l] Most Common Cause of Thru drop out

[mkwart at gci.net]

Jeff:

I have observed that repetitive foot, leg, knee and ankle injuries are 
the biggest cause of injury related drop out. It is not only important 
to hike to train but to hike for long distances, repetitively with the 
weight you will be carrying on the trail and the same shoes you will 
wear. Your feet may change in size during the hike from the constant 
pressure of carrying a pack. I went from wearing a woman's size 8 1/2 to 
a men's size 9 1/2 shoe. After I switched to men's shoes, all of my foot 
problems disappeared (blisters,ball of foot pain, bunion pain)because 
the toe box was finally roomy enough for the rigors of the trail.

Mentally, long distance backpacking can be incredibly tedious if you are 
not prepared for it. Someone once coined the word "trudgery" to explain 
it. You have to be mentally prepared to go on despite the daily tedium. 
Great views and cool experiences only get you so far. You will be seeing 
many great landscapes--after awhile even the most beautiful landscape 
can become "business as usual" and provide no relief. And you have to 
have good strategies to deal with bad weather--so hike a lot in the 
rain, cold, snow and heat. And you have to be able to prepare for 
logistics challenges along the way--like a bounce box doesn't make it, 
it takes you a long time to hitch to town, you lose or forget an 
important piece of gear while on the trail, etc. etc.

Mental toughness to keep going despite feeling bored, angry, cold, wet 
and thirsty is important. Yet it is also important to recognize when 
conditions become too bad and you need to retreat. It is a fine line of 
constant awareness and knowledge about yourself and the environment. So 
hike to train but include hikes in challenging weather conditions, 
because you will have to do this to be able to thru hike the trail. And 
make a study of the weather and being aware of weather patterns so you 
can make better decisions on the trail.

I hike alone so don't have the added challenges of getting along with a 
partner--which also needs to be factored into the equation.

Goodluck,

Fireweed