Your Thru-Hike May Not Be the Spiritual Experience You Want. Here's Why.

Many people set out to complete a thru-hike because they are searching for something. It could be they’re fulfilling a lifelong dream; it could be that they’re feeling dissatisfied with the routine of day-to-day life and they want to figure out what else is out there. It could just be that they want to learn something about themselves that they can’t at home. Whatever your reason, a thru-hike can seem like an incredible way to break down your ego and find some enlightenment. It’s not a new idea: From Spain’s Camino de Santiago to Japan’s Kumano Kodo, people have been walking long distances in search of spiritual growth for centuries.

But after hiking over 22,000 miles along long trails in the USA and Canada, I can say that your thru-hike likely won’t be the spiritual journey that you were hoping for. I always wondered if I would experience dramatic personal growth on trail, and in many ways I certainly have: Long-distance hiking has grown my confidence in ways I could have never imagined. I’ve overcome obstacles alone and navigated circumstances that I never would have imagined. But at the same time, I haven’t often felt like a different person after making it to the finish line of a journey. Here are some reasons why your thru-hike might not wind up being the profound spiritual awakening that you were hoping for.

You spend your entire thru-hike with other people and rarely get time to yourself.

I do believe you can grow and learn about yourself in the presence of others. But it can be much harder to be introspective and take time with your thoughts when you’re never alone. Some of the most significant moments of self-discovery that I have had occurred while I was suffering by myself on a thru-hike. In 2025, I spent most of the year hiking alone, and dealt with a lot of obstacles. Going through things alone makes you adaptable and builds resilience. It is easier to endure hard times with comfort and support from someone else—that’s a wonderful part of being human. But managing those challenges solo shows you what you are truly capable of, and is something you can only experience when you spend time alone on trail.

You are spending most of your time escaping your thoughts by partying and drinking on trail.

For some people, socializing and partying is one of the best aspects of a thru-hike: They’re in a different environment with new people, and the usual social mores and obligations don’t apply. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as it’s what you want. But if you are also trying to find yourself during your trip, those things can also become barriers. Hanging out all day with friends, spending nights in town and hostels, partying, and having a blast is a wonderful thing, as long as you don’t overdo it. On the Appalachian Trail in 2023 I hiked with two other individuals for nearly the entire trail, and it was an absolute blast. We had a lot of fun and definitely did some partying, but never forgot about our primary goal, which was hiking the AT. If you aren’t careful, I believe you can start to lose sight of why you got out there in the first place

You might not be challenging yourself enough mentally. 

Many people find that their first thru-hike is the most physically and mentally demanding thing that they have ever done. Experiences like that will shape you, change you, and help you to grow. But for some people, simply setting out on a standard thru-hike with no time constraints or mileage goals will not be enough of a challenge. I have found that the times where I truly broke myself down and built myself back up again were when I had to push through my suffering and found out I was capable of more than I thought I was. At one point when I was hiking the Calendar Year Triple Crown in 2025, I calculated that I would have to average 38 miles a day for months on end if I wanted to beat winter. I had never hiked such massive mileage consistently, and wasn’t sure if I could handle the strain. But for 10 weeks, I pushed myself past any limit that I had ever imagined, and found out that I could. Those were some of the most challenging times I’d ever encountered, but some of the most life-changing as well.

While thru-hiking is hard, it is surprisingly easy to take a break from the discomfort. It might rain all day, so you choose to stay in town and take the day off. It is very common for hikers to wait out bad weather, particularly hot days. While some hikers rarely spend the night in a bed, others might try to experience those luxuries as much as possible. While opting out of suffering every now and again doesn’t make you weak, throwing yourself into those challenges instead of avoiding them is an essential first step to growth.

You’ve forgotten why you went out on trail in the first place. 

You left home with an idea of the adventure you wanted. But while you’re out on trail, your priorities shifted, and the experience that you thought you were going to have no longer matches up with the one you’re actually having. As long as you’re still feeling fulfilled, there’s nothing wrong with that. On the other hand, if you find yourself thinking that you’re not having the experience you wanted, it’s never too late to course-correct. I’ve hiked with some great people and still made the choice to branch off and fly solo when I decided that was what I needed.

I’ve always found that I can’t force connection, and really need to listen to my gut and do what feels right. That might mean leaving a group behind to hike alone, or linking up with a group for the first time in a long time. Switch things up, shift your focus, and make sure you’re getting everything out of your hike that you had hoped to.

Your ego is standing in the way. 

Long-distance hiking is a humbling experience. That’s true even for thru-hikers with a long trail under their belt: When I set out for my second thru-hike on the PCT, I felt supremely confident. I thought that I was hot shit and knew everything I needed to. It wasn’t until I actually gained further experience, navigated hard times, and witnessed the resilience of more experienced hikers that I realized just how much I still had left to learn.

I have personally seen this a lot in the thru-hiking community: the more experienced a hiker is, the more humble they tend to be: The hikers in the shelter who are the most quiet, and who refrain from bragging about their accomplishments, most likely have a whole lot more to brag about than the person who is going on and on about how great they are. Even when you think you’re pulling big miles, pushing your boundaries, and testing your limits, there will always be someone out on trail doing more than you are.

In the end, any thru-hike is pure magic, no matter how you do it. If you want to spend your time on trail hanging out, partying, and going slowly enough to soak it all in, then that is a great choice for you. But if what you want out of your hike is to learn something deeper about yourself, then make sure you give yourself the space to do it.