[pct-l] Reasons for leaving the trail

[rogercar@pacifier.com (Roger Carpenter)]

Jim Serio wrote:
>>Anyone want to speculate what the number 1 and 2 causes
of leaving the trail are? I'd guess feet problems
and depression (or some sort of other emotional
issues).<<

My experience tells me that a "mental edge" is needed during the first few
weeks to overcome the initial discomforts of hiking (such as sore feet).  In
'96 on my thru-hike, I reached a point in 2 months where nothing was going
to stop me, except for a serious, disabling injury.  This came somewhere
between Tuolumne and Echo Lake.  To paraphrase the Doors song, I broke on
thru to the other side.  I walked thru two bouts of tendonitus while still
maintaining a real good pace.

The year before, in '95, after taking a few weeks off I got back on the
trail in the Sierras and found the mental edge was not there at all, so I
went home.  It's happens to a lot of people, I believe.  I just wasn't
having a good time. I also had lots of good stuff to go home to, which seems
a more positive way to put it.

Roger Carpenter
P.O. Box 651 
Vancouver, WA  98666
(360) 696-1746

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