This is so much fun......are we done yet?

[Danielle]

I normally feel high strung with things coming at me 100 mph. I love the feel of physical exertion, and the point where the body feels tired and mentally things start to slow down. Anxieties go away, things are calm. Perfect combination of physical exertion and mental clarity.

I admit to feeling very similarly when I'm out in the woods. I truly enjoy the "physical exertion and mental clarity" of being out on a hike. But at the same time, some days it just feels GREAT to take off the boots and know you're done for the day However, that doesn't mean I love it any less.

And as they say, a day out in the woods, even if you're tired, cold or wet, is better than a day at your desk

 

[Orsonab]

As many have said, the middle is the best. I know few people who enjoy the downhill as much as the uphill - I know I don't, especially if I'm "yo-yo'ing" the trail. It might also have something to do with the fact that I'm lucky if I get to hike twice a month and, thus, I'm not really in shape for these 12 mile hikes, so by the end of the hike I'm well and truly knackered.

Having said that, I'd hate to have a car spot at the summit...though the cog train as often been very tempting as it waits there...

 

[Neil]

Hikes that have been as much fun right to the bitter end as they were at the start were all bushwhacks, car to car bushwhacks that is, with no approach trail.

Often when on a trail towards the end of the day you enter "slog mode" and you switch off 99.9% your brain, at least I do. OTOH when you have to keep on thinking, observing and continue making those profound decisions like, " uh, should I go right or left around that fallen tree" then it's still a hike.

Compare that to a 15 hour day that ends with 5 miles of nght hiking on a trail.

 

[bubba]

Personally, the last three holes of a round of 18 are more painful than the last mile of a hike!! IMO, the more experienced a hiker, the more tolerant we are about hiking out. Agree with Neil, tut, P-dox and Bob.

I also think we should make it unanimous that the best reason to anticipate the end of the trail is the cold one waiting… come on, you know it’s true!! (especially after a nice ski out!!)

 

[Grumpy]

This thread brought back some wonderful old memories.

Back in the early to mid 1960s I frequently hiked in the Adirondacks with my former scoutmaster and some college buddies. Invariably, as we piled in the car to head for home (in the Syracuse, NY area) at the end of the hike, the first remarks in the road trip conversation went something like, “Whew! Glad that’s over. Never again.”

That didn’t last long.

Invariably, someone soon would bring up a highlight of the trip – some great view, challenging bit of trail we’d tackled with success, humorous incident, favorite meal, chilly dip in a stream like the Opalescent … you get the idea. Then, in short order someone would change the conversational drift again, and start laying out a plan for the next hike.

Before long we recognized our pattern in this respect, which became a source of amusement in and of itself. I think we (especially the younger ones of us) were gaining appreciation for the complexity of our own human-ness.

Finishing a hike continues to be a mixed experience for me: Glad the effort is over, sad to leave the experience behind, expectant, optimistic and hopeful about future plans. I just don’t know any other way and don’t question it much.

G.

 

[Bob]

I find the true test is not how misearble it seems while doing it, but how I feel Monday morning at w**k.
Usually I start daydreaming about how much fun it was, and can't wait to get back.

 

[Davehiker]

I've noticed this phenomenon, as well. It seems especially pronounced with ice fishing and winter camping with me. While I'm participating in these activities, it doesn't always seem like fun, but after I return, especially after a couple days, I remember it as having been a lot of fun.

I guess my silly little brain remembers the good parts, and ignores the bad.

Maybe that's why I always remember my last hike as my favorite hike ever...

 

[giggy]

I find the true test is not how misearble it seems while doing it, but how I feel Monday morning at w**k.
Usually I start daydreaming about how much fun it was, and can't wait to get back.

yea - this pretty much sums it up. some trips are much better after they are done.

 

[Neil]

yea - this pretty much sums it up. some trips are much better after they are done.

Hey, some of my trips were a lot better before they even got started.

 

[jfb]

Whenever I find myself happily anticipating the end of a trail I've driven 230 miles to hike, I have to stop and wonder what I'm doing wrong.

I've felt the same way at times. I think it happens when my brain bites off more trail than my legs can chew. Afterwards, I remember the good parts of the hike and try to get into better shape for the next hike.

 

[smitty77]

It depends on my fame of mind going into the hike. We all hike for various reasons, and they may change from trip to trip. If I'm going on a hike just to hike peaks X, Y, and Z then it is more likely I'll say something negative about the end of the trip. On a 4 day backpack in the Pemi, Max and I went from Ethan Pond over Willey/Field/Tom and out via A-Z and Zealand Falls. It was a long day, there were no summit views and the skies were ever so clear, we were out in all kinds of weather for 4 days, we were both looking forward to a shower. I couldn't wait for that last part from the hut to the road to be over.

On the other hand, I hike every Saturday morning with the dog (locally) just for mind and body fitness, and I never have that feeling when we get back to the car. I'm usually sad it's over so soon, but family and household chores beckon, and I must bid the forest farewell for another week. Last week we did a favorite 4 mile loop in about 80 minutes, and I could have done it again (though not as fast).

I look at it this way: After working 10 or 12 hours, commuting 3 more hours, standing in line buying milk, behind some spaz that hasn't got the memo that writing checks is so last decade, I come to the realization it's a good thing I don't own firearms or I'd be "that guy" on the evening news that just went nuts and took out 7 people at a Stop & Shop. I don't feel this way even after the most punishing and grueling hike, with a roadwalk.

It's all good.

 

[WhiteMTHike]

Is it because we're anticipating the sound, smell, and taste of that first ice cold beer? BINGO!

That plus the sense of accomplishment.

 

[weatherman]

Views from the Middle

I think the point many of us are dancing around, IMHO, is that the bad thing about the end of (most) hikes is getting back in the stinking car! Well, my car stinks anyway. I always hike slower at the end of a long hike, sure some is because I'm tired but most is I don't want to leave the woods. The best end of a hike I ever had was in Baxter where 3 bottles of homebrew were stashed in a stream at our campsite... and we DIDN'T have to go home. Best of both worlds: taking boots off and soaking feet but also getting to do it again the next day. Maybe I will thruhike when I'm 70...
Weatherman

 

[audrey]

You can't enjoy certain things as much when you're never deprived or never tested:

Your bed after sleeping on the ground;
your bare feet after 8 hours in boots;
your back/hips/legs after you take the 40-pound pack off;

Non-hikers can never enjoy a long shower as much as we can;

After all, as someone said, It's not to climb Everest, it's to have climbed Everest!

Just think what wonderful memories we are storing up for when we're ancient.

 

[Paradox]

You can't enjoy certain things as much when you're never deprived or never tested:

Amen to that!