Re: [pct-l] What about the tedium and boredom?

[Paul A Magnanti <pmags@juno.com>]

>>one if I am on a bad genetic or physiologic timeline. What was your 
>mind>>like at the end of a thruhike of the PCT anyway?


 While I have not done the PCT, I have done a thru-hike of the AT. The
terrain, the scenery, the towns, and trail may be different..but I
imagine the mental challenge is the same.
     To continue with Jim's  Meyer-Briggs example, I was an ENTP before
the trail, and I am still an ENTP. (Basically..a a guy who talks a lot,
and gets bored easily. ;D ). The differences in my personality were
subtle, but profound.  A thru-hike was like a mental and spiritual
catharsis. Seems as if all the non-essentials in my character were
stripped away. The good parts of my character seem to have been enhanced,
but the less desirable traits of my personality seemed to have been
lessened.
     Since the completion of the AT,  few things bother me.  My tendency
to be cocky has been replaced with a more quite, assured, confidence. 
The stubborn streak that is a trademark of the Magnanti family is still
strongly present, but it has been tempered by flexibility that was
learned on the trail.
    I imagine when you thru-hike the PCT (a journey I hope to make
someday), you will find many things out about yourself.  Sure, you might
be bored at times, and hiking every day does become tedious sometimes. 
But overall, you will do much thinking. 
You will think about things that have long been buried in your head, you
will question what means the most to you, and you  will think about what
food you crave the most (Hey..not all the thinking is serious!)

Enjoy the trail. The physical part of your journey will be memorable. But
I think the mental and spiritual journey you will make on trail will have
an affect on you for a long time.

Paul "Magaroni"


PS.

>I think you may be starting to figure out why a thruhike is 95% 
>mental >and >5% gear. 

As usual, Jim is right on the money when it comes to the "philosophy of
hiking".
The most important piece of equipment is the lump of tissue we call "the
brain".
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