LT lit: ‘Appalachian Trials’ by Zach Davis

The tag-line is “a psychological and emotional guide to successfully thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail”; Davis promises strategies for “unshakable mental endurance” – I’ll take some of that, please (though the AT is about 9x longer than Vermont, AT/LT in VT is known as one of the AT’s toughest parts).

Making lists of why you want to thru-hike is a big part of mental preparation (p.28), as is public announcement of the thru-hike – “it makes your plan more real. Seeing the reactions in others will help to put into perspective how badass you really are! …more importantly, it makes you accountable…  you’ll have a lot of people to answer to” (p.31). Hence this blog.

Davis recommends meditation before and during the hike (p.88-89). I’ve been trying to be more meditative, but struggle with not naturally being a very still, quiet or immediately-present person (fidgety; drummer; forward-looking). One thing I’ve liked about my time already on the LT is how it slows me down physically and makes me focus on the now. According to Davis (p.90), “[practicing] meditation while hiking … requires a conscious shifting of focus out of your head and into your body and/or breath.” OK!

As I’m also planning the LT hike as a way to complete the weight-loss I started a couple of years ago (the last pesky ~10 pounds) , I’m also interested in Davis’ discussion of on-trail weight-loss and post-trail weight-gain. Apparently the keys to avoiding post-hike bulking up are an emphasis on lean protein, avoidance of sugar-carbs, and continuing to be very active in daily life (p.112-113). I can do this.