Hiker Interviews
Here are the interviews I have conducted, thus far, with my fellow hikers. I began interviewing hikers at the halfway point of the trail, Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. Since many of my questions had to do with hiking a large portion of the AT, I wanted to make sure I was talking with hikers who were planning on making it from Georgia to Maine, or somewhat close to that. I discussed the following questions with them:
They gave me answers, which were in the form of a conversation. Hope you enjoy exploring the psyche of a long-distance hiker.
- What motivates you to keep hiking everyday?
- Why have you decided to come this far on the trail?
- What has kept you going this far, when so many other hikers have "dropped off" of the trail by now?
They gave me answers, which were in the form of a conversation. Hope you enjoy exploring the psyche of a long-distance hiker.
2/3 (Two-Thirds)
One of the big things that keeps 2/3 plugging down the trail is the thought of finishing at Katahdin. He also expressed to me that he has never really played organized sports, but has found a home in long-distance hiking. He stated, "If I get to Katahdin, I feel like I'll get to experience that feeling of winning a championship." You can do it, 2/3, make it to Katahdin.
Castaway
Castaway is motivated by the challenge of the AT. He stated to me, "I wanted to do the AT to prove I could challenge myself and complete something harder than anything I've ever done." He feels that finishing the trail will give him the utmost sense of accomplishment. "I want that feeling when I'm done that I know I can do this, I've done something a lot of people can't," he stated to me. If he finishes the trail, he will enjoy the exclusivity of being one of the small group of hikers who finished the whole thing. Castaway credits his love of people, nature and exercise as big factors in getting him out on the trail, stating, "I knew I would like meeting people, nature, and I wanted to exercise. I knew it would be a lot of fun, rewarding and make me happy." Castaway seems to be motivated by his social interactions with other hikers on the trail, as he didn't particularly enjoy a section in Virginia, when he was hiking alone. "In early Virginia, I got between two bubbles of hikers, I hardly saw anyone. The solitude of the trail turned into loneliness. It's nice having someone to talk to."
Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels wasn't overly analytical, he had a simple point-of-view about the trail, and finishing it. A man of few words, he stated simply, "I've gone this far and if I go home I would say I could've finished, so why not finish?" Right on buddy, keep heading for Katahdin!
Jiffy Pop
In my conversation with Jiffy Pop, it seemed this hiker was living his dream and having the time of his life. The fun he was having seemed to be his motivation. He expressed, "People say it's a big challenge, but I see it as a really fun opportunity to travel." Jiffy Pop then stated boldly, that there is not a day when he thinks about going home, he is simply having too much fun. The only thing semi-daunting to this good-natured hiker was thunderstorms. He commented on those. "The rain and thunder can make you think about being somewhere else, but then the next day, it seems pretty badass that you made it." Jiffy Pop is unabashedly unintimidated about trail challenges, stating, "It doesn't seem that hard, for me it's pretty easy, so for me it's just a lot of fun." With a positive attitude like his, it seems that Katahdin will be somewhere in his near future.
Lobster
Lobster had a simple view of the reasons he has stayed on the trail. He expressed to me his inability to quit something he has put this much time and energy into. Simply stated, "When I start something, I can't stop." As I continued to ask for the source of his motivation, it seemed that he didn't want to let a good friend down. He shared, "My friend dropped me off at Springer and I couldn't call him and say I couldn't finish." His response is pretty common among the hiking community. We all have friends and family outside of the trail who are pushing for us, and have poured their support into this hike for us. Although most hikers won't readily admit that this is a reason for persevering on the AT, Lobster was not ashamed to admit that letting his friend down was one reason he had continued on the trail.
Lucky 10
As I was talking to Lucky 10, he expressed to me that his motivation during these past months on the trail has shifted. In the beginning of the trail, he was motivated by the challenge, as well as his love for hiking and camping. Now, after four months on the trail, he remains motivated by the challenge of hiking the AT, but he now is motivated by the people who he meets on the trail. "The hiking and camping, I'm over that four months in. Now, I've added the people because I had no idea what to expect." It seems that this nature-lover didn't anticipate that he would grow tired of hiking and camping, but we all have found that hiking and camping for several months can get old. Lucky 10 continues to be motivated by his experiences on the trail, but the experiences that are new and exciting. He now gets pleasure from, "the different people, different towns and different experiences." Lucky 10 also had some advice for my interview section of this website. Wanting the reader to get a fuller and richer experience of each hiker, he suggested, "You should add a scratch-and-sniff." Even if this was possible, trust me, no one on or off the trail would want that!
Pain
Pain is a hiker from Germany, who readily shared many of his views regarding perseverance on the trail. He credits much of his never-quit attitude being a "German mentality." He expressed to me, "Even if you have injury or pain, you try to keep going." Pain also really enjoys his life of adventure on the trail, and seems unintimidated, although it is his first time in another country. He loves meeting new people and has enjoyed all of the colorful characters he has met on the trail. Pain has a great circle of friends and family back in Germany and expresses, "If I think of quitting, friends and family help to encourage me." Pain also feels that hiking the AT is "helping to build myself personally." He thinks it is a great thing to be in the small number of hikers that made it to Katahdin. He also feels that,"If you can hike 2000 miles, you can handle big problems." Pain closed our interview with this bit of trail inspiration, stating, "Will is everything. You have to get up every morning, put on your hiking boots, and go on."
Slow Foot
Slow Foot's plan to hike the AT has been many years in the making. Like many hikers, his plan included taking time off of work, making travel arrangements (in his case, getting a visa and flying trans-Atlantic from Germany), saving money, getting gear and preparing physically. He knows that if he can't finish the trail this year, he may not have many opportunities to finish it in the near future. He estimates that it could take five more years, if he doesn't finish, to get back to the U.S. to finish his hike. Slow Foot stated, matter-of-factly, "You make a plan and follow through." Simple, but this mantra has motivated Slow Foot for over 1200 miles. Besides his own motivation to finish, he credits some encouragement from good friends that has helped to keep him going.
Tall Oaf
Tall Oaf was the easy-going type. When I asked him the questions I had, he stated that he had continued to hike the trail this summer, because, "I don't know what else I'd be doing." He expressed that during the dog days of summer, when the heat was getting to him, he thought he might quit. He quickly changed his thinking and described the reason for his change of heart, "I thought I might quit, but then I'd go home and think, now what? Then I'd have to get a job, and that would suck." He described himself as, "Not usually highly motivated." Although he describes himself this way, he also admits that he feels, "There is a reward in perseverance." I've met others with this mentality on the trail, those who feel they have to finish, they owe it to themselves to finish, because they are not the "finishing" type. Tall Oaf explains, "After 1400 miles, another day of hiking isn't the greatest thing, but you just keep going. It is my goal to finish, and I am at the point that I can't not finish."
Uncle Oops
When I began talking with Uncle Oops, and asking him my interview questions, he expressed to me that he actually finds it more interesting that people stop the trail; he figures, why would they not want to keep going? Uncle Oops also set reaching the top of Mount Katahdin as a personal goal, but he doesn't expect all hikers will share this goal. Oops describes, "Katahdin is a personal thing." His grandmother told him as he left, that he would, "Be back in a week." Oops has greatly surpassed that prediction, as during this interview, he was about three months into the trail. Uncle Oops concluded our interview with a little more introspection. He shed a little light onto why it seems many hikers travel through the forest, on foot, seemingly depriving themselves of all comfort. He expressed simply, "I find the less I have, the happier I am."
Riff Ralph
When talking to Riff Ralph, he compared hiking the trail to working at a job, going as far as to say, "Now it's just what I do everyday, it's my job. Sometimes you don't like it, sometimes you do." It seemed with Riff Ralph, that he had settled into the pattern of hiking everyday, so motivation was not necessarily on his mind at this point, he seemed to be driven on by routine and the goal of finishing that he had set for himself. "Sometimes it's just the goal. Sometimes I just want to get it over with, other days it's just fun." I have met a lot of hikers who seem to take this approach on the trail, after settling into the routine of the trail. They have stopped analyzing why they are here, and have stopped toying with the idea of leaving the trail during challenges. "Now I'm at mile 1600 and I'm almost done, I want to get up and hike," Riff Ralph explained to me. He went on to explain his earlier motivation. "In the beginning it was tough when I still had 1500 miles to go, it was the people [on the trail] getting me up and keeping me going." It seems that Riff Ralph may not be ready to leave the trail in 600 miles, as he ended our interview, stating, "Now it's like a job I enjoy." If only we could get paid to do this...right Riff Ralph?