{"id":117457,"date":"2020-01-10T09:00:01","date_gmt":"2020-01-10T17:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=117457"},"modified":"2020-02-18T16:15:12","modified_gmt":"2020-02-19T00:15:12","slug":"how-to-get-through-the-thru-hiking-off-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/how-to-get-through-the-thru-hiking-off-season","title":{"rendered":"How to Get Through the Thru-Hiking Off-Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you\u2019re thru-hiking, your days are consumed by simple tasks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll you have to concern yourself with is: What am I going to eat today? Or where should I pitch my tent? Where is my water? And you walk,\u201d says Michelle \u201cSuperClassy\u201d Markel, 47, an experienced thru-hiker who\u2019s tackled the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)<\/a>, Appalachian Trail (AT)<\/a> and other long trails. \u201cThru-hiking distills life down to its most simple principles,\u201d she says. \u201cIt makes it tough to go back to life before you hiked.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s that simplicity that can make the end of the trail that much more challenging. After months of walking and embracing a new routine, thru-hikers like Markel say they struggle to adjust to life back home, especially if the hike was a transformative experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFinding your place in the world can be a challenge after you basically just disappeared for five months,\u201d says Alexa \u201cRise\u201d McRoberts, 29, who hiked the PCT in 2017. \u201cThere are so many people\u2014the noise and chaos!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She remembers coming back home from her thru-hike in the midst of the 2016 presidential election. The near-constant news cycle, which she\u2019d been removed from during her five months on the trail, felt overwhelming, and reading the coverage made her feel shocked and sad.<\/span><\/p>\n

Heather \u201cAnish\u201d Anderson, a 37-year-old <\/span>National Geographic Adventurer of the Year<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>author who completed the Triple Crown of thru-hikes<\/span><\/a>, says she also struggles with readjusting to the rhythms of everyday life when she leaves the trail. \u201cThere are so many micro-decisions and things vying for your attention,\u201d she says. \u201cOn-trail, you don\u2019t have to decide to take each step. Things move slower.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

To weather the adjustment, veteran thru-hikers offered some off-season advice:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Think about your reentry plan before you leave.<\/span><\/h3>\n

After hiker Jen \u201cIronjen\u201d Magnuson, 42, tackled a section of the AT with her husband, she came back to a life that felt unmoored. She and her husband had to leave trail earlier than expected, due to tendonitis he developed during the course of their hike, but because they\u2019d planned to move upon their return, they ended up with no place to stay once they stopped hiking.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, she says, she wishes she\u2019d thought through some of those post-hike logistics before leaving. In preparation for their impending move, the couple had downsized before they left; this meant they didn\u2019t have many material items to come back to.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe fun part of planning the hike is always the gear buying and strategizing resupply and plotting your anticipated progress, but thinking ahead to coming home will save you a lot of stress,\u201d she says. \u201cThe big things I wish we had done were: Arrange for a specific place to live. Have a job lined up. Plan carefully to have access to the things you will need immediately off the trail like street clothes. We had to go buy clothes the day after we left the trail!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Take the time to pause and reflect on your life\u2014while you\u2019re still on the trail.<\/span><\/h3>\n

McRoberts says she was able to take time at the end of her PCT hike to consider her goals and priorities. \u201cReally figure yourself out,\u201d she recommends. \u201cThen let your heart tell you what you should do next.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

McRoberts\u2019 first hike along the AT in 2013 inspired her to move to Colorado, where she eventually found a partner, lifelong friends and a job she loved. She says she made most of these decisions during her last few weeks of hiking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Markel, a trained social worker, agrees. For her, figuring out what came next meant shutting off her devices, podcasts and music while she walked, and simply spending time with herself on the trail. \u201cMost people don\u2019t want to think about life off-trail, but you\u2019re going to end your hike at some point,\u201d she says. \u201cImagine how your life is going to be different. Think about how you can transfer these skills\u2014the ones that make you a better person when you\u2019re hiking\u2014and [bring them] back home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Markel says she tends to find more clarity about her future when she\u2019s on-trail. For her, that insight is one of the benefits of hiking, day after day. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s your purpose to find out where you want to be, in this age of possibility and remote work. You\u2019re capable of changing your life to make it look like you want!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Alexa \u201cRise\u201d McRoberts pauses for a smoky breakfast break with her thru-hiking buddies in Northern California in 2017. (Photo Credit: Kahla \u201cShinex\u201d McRoberts)<\/p><\/div>\n

3. Hike your own hike\u2014and the same goes for reentry.<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cHike your own hike,\u201d thru-hikers often exclaim on the trail, encouraging each other to embrace their own pace rather than compete with or compare themselves to others. McRoberts says she took that sentiment to heart when it came to adjusting to life back home, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMany people will find a thru-hike to be a very healing, meditative experience which will influence what reentry looks like,\u201d McRoberts says. When she left the trail, she felt a strong urge to reshape her life. But for others, reentry might be a slow and painful process. Both options are just fine.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Stay connected to your trail family.<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cTrail time [flies by] like dog years,\u201d Markel says. \u201cYou hang out for a week and it\u2019s like you\u2019ve known each other for seven. It\u2019s hard to lose that when you get off-trail.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But the people you meet on-trail may scatter once the season ends. This can be tough, especially if you feel close to the people you hiked with.<\/span><\/p>\n

Markel says she makes an effort to keep her support system in tact when she returns from a long hike, especially because her values may have shifted while she was away. She checks up on her trail family, not just by posting on social media, but by reaching out to people directly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMore than likely you\u2019re both feeling a sense of loss,\u201d she says. \u201cKeep in touch with the people who were out there with you because they\u2019re probably going through the same thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This is especially important for peers who are having trouble adjusting upon their reentry.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRoutinely reach out to those people [suffering from mental illness],\u201d she says. \u201cI think for most people, it really is enough to know that somebody is out there thinking of them and has them in mind. It can be tough to get through the day, so reach out if it\u2019s been a while since you\u2019ve heard from someone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Ask for professional help if you\u2019re struggling.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Depression<\/a>, anxiety and other mental illnesses that can accompany reentry aren\u2019t worth shrugging off. If you\u2019re feeling down, make an appointment with a healthcare provider or therapist at a local clinic to talk through what it\u2019s like to return to your life after many months away. These counselors can recommend appropriate treatments. You can learn more about mental illness at the <\/span>National Institute of Mental Health<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>HelpGuide.org<\/span><\/a>. Or, consider reaching out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or <\/span>www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org<\/span><\/a>\u00a0if you don\u2019t have a medical provider you trust in your area.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Take time to rest.<\/span><\/h3>\n

All the thru-hikers we spoke with mentioned taking advantage of the little luxuries they didn\u2019t have on the trail, like eating foods they didn\u2019t have access to, taking several days to veg out and letting their bodies rest and recover.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI’m always excited about returning to a temperature-controlled environment (this includes water),\u201d Anderson says. She uses the off-season to catch up with her loved ones, drink tea, read good books and sew\u2014activities that leave her feeling restored.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Three

Hiking partners pause for a morning meditation beside Colorado’s Mica Lake. (Photo Credit: Matthew Cowell)<\/p><\/div>\n

7. Find an outdoor hobby that inspires you.<\/span><\/h3>\n

McRoberts fills the void left behind by backpacking with downhill and backcountry skiing during the winter months.<\/span><\/p>\n

Depending upon where you live, you may be able to continue hiking through the off-season. But even if you can\u2019t, consider snowshoeing<\/a> or picking up a new hobby. \u201cThru-hiking teaches you to connect to nature,\u201d Anderson says. \u201cObserve what nature does in winter and follow suit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

8. Pick a cause that\u2019s meaningful to you, and direct your energy towards that.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Markel recently launched <\/span>a website<\/span><\/a> that focuses on supporting public lands because she\u2019s passionate about wild places and says the project gives her something to look forward to when she\u2019s off-trail.<\/span><\/p>\n

To maintain positive momentum in between hikes, consider volunteering with an interesting organization, finding a job you feel passionate about, or building your own platform, like Markel did, if one doesn\u2019t exist already.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

9. Plan your next adventure.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Fantasizing about\u2014and planning for\u2014your next thru-hike can be a great way to pass the chilly months. Consider where you want to go and find adventure buddies online. <\/span>Dehydrate healthy foods to take with you<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>organize your gear<\/span><\/a>. These activities can help keep you focused on life ahead rather than the hike that\u2019s behind you, which Markel swears by.<\/span><\/p>\n

10. Integrate aspects of your on-trail life into your off-trail life.<\/span><\/h3>\n

For Anderson, staying in an on-trail mindset actually means avoiding planning her next adventure. She tries to embrace a mindful, simple life back home instead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s hard to stay the course when everything and everyone demands to know \u2018what\u2019s next,\u2019 but I’ve found that the more I stay the course and keep focused on my present, the more steady my life becomes with less difficulty transitioning on and off-trail,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Markel takes a similar approach: After her 2015 PCT thru-hike, she moved into a van<\/a> rather than returning to her former job as an investigator for Child Protective Services. She downsized and has been primarily hiking and traveling ever since. \u201cI think a lot of people realize on the trail that what makes them happy is a simple life; that was the case for me,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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