You're excited! You should be! The adventure ahead of you is going to be one of the most transformative experiences of your life. Part of that transformation, however, is going to come at the expense of long, monotonous hours of walking and discomfort the likes of which you've likely never encountered. Every person attempting a thru-hike is motivated, but that initial surge only lasts for so long and your success will come to rest on the discipline you can maintain for months on end.

The trail is a great equalizer. It only does one thing--it offers a footpath from Springer to Katahdin. It doesn't care how much money you spent on gear, how athletic you are, or about your Master's degree. You vs. the trail, plain and simple. The vast majority of the effort will come in mental strength, an intangible quality that some people just seem to have more than others. There's no other way to put it.

At some point in your hike, you're going to come to understand that hiking everyday sort of becomes a job. Days when you simply don't want to hike won't be uncommon, but for a variety of reasons, a successful thru-hike will depend on your ability to get up and walk all day anyway. Not everyone naturally shares the same level of enthusiasm about that prospect. Buckle in and be ready to hike, even when you aren't feeling it.