Hit 500 trail miles this year and I'm actually pissed about it

I just crossed 500 miles on the Appalachian Trail this past weekend near the Grayson Highlands and I'm honestly frustrated. Not because of the milestone itself, but because I didn't plan my route better and missed the section around Mt. Rogers where the wild ponies hang out. I was so focused on hitting that number that I rushed through three days of boring ridge walking instead of taking a detour to see something cool. Now I'm sitting here thinking about those 500 miles and half of them feel like a blur of blisters and bad campsites. Did anyone else blow past a cool landmark or side trail while chasing a mileage goal? Should I just go back and redo that part next season or is that a waste of time?

2 comments

2 Comments

richard1374d ago

Man that hits close to home honestly. Its like when people chase numbers on social media or whatever and totally miss the actual moments happening around them. The whole thing feels like a trap where you set a goal then forget why you set it in the first place. Blisters and bad campsites sound rough but at least you learned something for next time I guess. Go back and do the ponies next season for sure, its not a waste if you actually enjoy it instead of just grinding miles.

hugo_cooper4d ago

Two summers ago I pushed myself too hard on a 60 mile race, ended up with tendonitis for three months and missed the whole fishing season. Took me a while to realize the sag wagon isn't a failure, it's just your brain telling you the trail will still be there next year. If you're not having fun by mile 20, what's the point of pushing through another 60?