Strategies for staying motivated during long hikes.

General discussions on hiking in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest
mayonnaiserat
Posts: 5
Joined: March 10th, 2023, 10:16 am

Strategies for staying motivated during long hikes.

Post by mayonnaiserat » March 10th, 2023, 10:19 am

How do you stay motivated during long hikes, and what are some strategies for overcoming mental barriers?

User avatar
adamschneider
Posts: 3710
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:02 pm
Location: SE Portland
Contact:

Re: Strategies for staying motivated during long hikes.

Post by adamschneider » March 10th, 2023, 10:35 am

Audiobooks. They don't really "motivate" me, but they distract me from pain and/or boredom.

User avatar
Bosterson
Posts: 2317
Joined: May 18th, 2009, 3:17 pm
Location: Portland

Re: Strategies for staying motivated during long hikes.

Post by Bosterson » March 10th, 2023, 11:12 am

mayonnaiserat wrote:
March 10th, 2023, 10:19 am
How do you stay motivated during long hikes, and what are some strategies for overcoming mental barriers?
How long are the hikes you're doing in the Philippines?
#pnw #bestlife #bitingflies #favoriteyellowcap #neverdispleased

User avatar
adamschneider
Posts: 3710
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:02 pm
Location: SE Portland
Contact:

Re: Strategies for staying motivated during long hikes.

Post by adamschneider » March 10th, 2023, 12:20 pm

Bosterson wrote:
March 10th, 2023, 11:12 am
mayonnaiserat wrote:
March 10th, 2023, 10:19 am
How do you stay motivated during long hikes, and what are some strategies for overcoming mental barriers?
How long are the hikes you're doing in the Philippines?
Hmmm... are you waiting for the other spam to drop?

User avatar
retired jerry
Posts: 14395
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm

Re: Strategies for staying motivated during long hikes.

Post by retired jerry » March 10th, 2023, 12:37 pm

I ban hammered someone this morning that posted about something with a link to something not hiking related

One trick would be to post something innocuous, then change your signature to a link you want to promote

I'm still open to the idea someone might ask how to stay motivated on a long hike :)

User avatar
retired jerry
Posts: 14395
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm

Re: Strategies for staying motivated during long hikes.

Post by retired jerry » March 10th, 2023, 12:38 pm

I listen to audio books, or podcasts also. For a long hike this might be a problem keeping your phone charged.

Aimless
Posts: 1922
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:02 pm
Location: Lake Oswego

Re: Strategies for staying motivated during long hikes.

Post by Aimless » March 10th, 2023, 2:10 pm

My longest hikes have been three weeks a couple of times and two weeks a couple more times. I've had no trouble staying motivated, but I never tried to hike longer daily mileage than I could enjoy, rarely more than 12 miles a day, and after experiencing a calorie deficit on a long hike in my teens, I've always made sure my meals were appetizing and sufficient to meet my body's needs. After that, the trail itself provides the entertainment.

These tactics are not well-suited to something like a PCT thru-hike where the logistics require averaging 25 miles or more on non-zero days and every choice you make is subservient to a grueling schedule. Which is why I will never thru-hike the PCT. ;)

User avatar
adamschneider
Posts: 3710
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:02 pm
Location: SE Portland
Contact:

Re: Strategies for staying motivated during long hikes.

Post by adamschneider » March 10th, 2023, 8:04 pm

retired jerry wrote:
March 10th, 2023, 12:38 pm
I listen to audio books, or podcasts also. For a long hike this might be a problem keeping your phone charged.
This is why I use an iPod nano. It's really a bummer that they don't make them anymore.

leiavoia
Posts: 228
Joined: April 24th, 2015, 9:53 pm

Re: Strategies for staying motivated during long hikes.

Post by leiavoia » March 10th, 2023, 10:48 pm

I put audio books on phone too. Doesnt weigh anything to bring the earbuds along. Helps get me settled down at night.

Its also a nice distraction if you are camping in a place that gives creepy vibes or if you are by yourself.

I recently enjoyed Farthest North about a successful 1895 Norwegian voyage towards the north pole. Was nice to listen to hard struggle walking hundreds of miles over ice with and camping out in the wild. I felt like i could relate to someone on my longer backpack trips.

User avatar
retired jerry
Posts: 14395
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm

Re: Strategies for staying motivated during long hikes.

Post by retired jerry » March 11th, 2023, 6:31 am

I recently listened to "Fuzz" by Mary Roach. Got the CDs from the library and downloaded to my phone. About how humans try to minimize impact from wild animals.

For example, there's a wildlife person trying to minimize bear encounters in Aspen (?). He would like people to not grow crab apples because then the bears come into town to eat them. Unfortunately, he can't get the city to take crab apples off the recommended list of tress to plant. But, at least he can usually get people to have bear resistant garbage cans.

Post Reply