I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences. Planning on a SOBO in 2025 and like yourself having been doing lots of research. Thanks for sharing.
You are sure right about not getting caught up with "the vortex" as you put it. There's a female with a RU-vid channel on the AT now who is all caught up with this "tramily" stuff, and it's obviously detrimental. She's having to flip now from somewhere north of Harpers Ferry because she's lost so much time being involved with these characters. And most of them end up quitting anyway, which then adds a layer of lonliness and negativity, which is not what you need out there.
I attempted a thru-hike this year. I started at Springer and had to step off in Front Royal with a hernia that I had repaired on 08/09. My plan is to try again in 2025. However, currently, I have zero desire to "re-hike" the 972 miles I already covered, so I will be starting where I left off and becoming a LASHer. I'm okay with that. If you were to try again, would you start at Springer or where you left off?
