Immersing Yourself in Nature: A Guide to Thru-Hiking

Have you ever dreamed of escaping the modern world and reuniting with nature for a while? Michael Lantagne, nature-lover and theology teacher at St. Mary’s Academy, turned this dream into reality with his passion of thru-hiking. “Thru-hiking” is hiking an established end-to-end hiking trail or long-distance trail with continuous footsteps in one direction. Recently, Lantagne returned from a northbound Thru-hike on the Colorado Trail. He hiked from Durango to Denver, which spanned four-hundred eighty-five miles. The lessons and experiences that he encountered on this eight-week hike will last him a lifetime. 

Lantagne first became aware of Thru-hiking when he was living in Vermont due to his proximity to the Long Trail, the oldest long-distance hiking trail in the United States. Sparked by this curiosity and his love of nature and mindfulness, he has embarked on numerous Thru-hikes in his lifetime; These include the Camino de Santiago in Spain, the Te Araroa trail in New Zealand, the Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail and the Long Trail. With each hike, Lantagne gained more knowledge of how to better prepare, embarke and enjoy his time on the trail. 

DAILY ROUTINE  

• Wake up at dawn 

• Prepare his body to walk

• Pick up camp and pack up his backpack 

• Get in a few miles of walking 

• Eat breakfast from backpack near a stream 

• Filter water for the rest of the day 

• Continue walking and eat lunch on the trail  

• Stop depending on the location of water 

• Find where you’re going to sleep (preferably higher up) 

• Eat dinner 

 Only break routine for resupply (every week or so) or to hike a Fourteener! 

MEETING PEOPLE ON THE TRAIL 

• While hiking you will meet people with varied life experiences and beliefs.

• You pass them, talk for a bit, exchange stories and tips, and continue on. Sometimes you may meet someone and walk with them for a few days. At times, hikers run into people they have met on previous trails, which happened to Lantagne around week two on his most recent Colorado trail hike! 

• At times it can be very quiet on the trail and you may be in solitude for a few weeks. 

WHAT DID YOU EAT ON THE TRAIL? 

• You eat pretty routine meals.  

• Oatmeal and some sort of calorie bar in the morning.  

• Tortillas with peanut butter and honey and some other carbohydrates for lunch. 

• Another carbohydrate, protein and cookies and cream protein bar for dinner.  

DID YOU EVER GET LONELY? 

• “No, but I’m unique in that sense. I would be lonely if there was no end date or if I wasn’t meeting people on the way (hearing and thinking about their stories).” 

• “My biggest fear before the Pacific Crest Trail was being alone for six months and doing the same thing, but that all changed when I was on the trail” 

• Thru-hikes are great for deep-thinkers and the introspective because they give you a space to be alone with your thoughts and nature. 

WHAT WAS THE BEST PART OF YOUR HIKE? 

“Generally speaking, the feeling that is almost like prayer. I love how everything else eventually fades away. It’s just you, your routine, the trail, and natural beauty. You are surrounded by wilderness and you lose yourself in it. It is freeing and why I’ve fallen in love with these hikes. More specifically, I would say San Louis Peak Fourteener. When I got up there, it was a 360 panorama and I felt completely immersed. That’s when that feeling really sunk in, everywhere you look is wild.”  

DID ANYTHING SURPRISE YOU ON YOUR HIKE? WHY? 

“The first week surprised me. I was way more tired than I thought. I forgot how hard it was to get your body in the groove. A pleasant surprise was when the wildflowers bloomed. They pop up one day and it’s meadows full of wildflowers.”  

WHAT WAS YOUR MAIN TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EXPERIENCE? 

“I already knew how much I loved doing stuff like this, but I love the number of people that were doing their very first through hike: The wonder, nervousness, and excitement in their eyes. It’s kind of like teaching and it’s wonderful to see the growing interest in this activity.” 

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ON THE TRAIL?

• Little techniques, for example to cinch the backpack so there's more weight in hips. Always stay open to doing things a little differently. 

• A whole lot geographically about Colorado. 

• A good sense of the state and place.

WHAT ARE FIVE TIPS YOU WOULD GIVE SOMEONE NEW TO THRU-HIKING? 

1. Let the trail be your trail. Go at your own pace. 

2. Be aware of the balance you want to strike between comfort and lightness. (If you want to bring a book or air mattress it will be heavier, but you will be more comfortable) 

3. Water is life. You have to know where it is, when you’re going to get it and to carry it. 

4. Don’t get caught up in timing yourself for how quickly you’re going to finish. Be willing to do side trips. Don’t let the trail determine everything. 

5. Be diligent about food. Bears are a reality, but so are chipmunks and squirrels. (Also, always put pack cover over straps. If you leave the shoulder strap exposed a rodent will get through it and break the strap! Then you will be hiking with one strap for weeks and that is no good at all.

WHAT WERE THE TOP FIVE ESSENTIAL ITEMS YOU COULD NOT HAVE GONE WITHOUT? 

1. Water filter. 

2. iPhone. Have things to occupy yourself: a digital map, audiobooks, music. 

3. Air mattress. 

4. Something sweet that you will look forward to eating. Not just Cliff bars and tuna packs; for example MET-Rx cookies and cream protein bars.

5. Basic hygiene items. Brush your teeth and clean your face. 

WHICH BOOKS AND PODCASTS DID YOU READ/LISTEN TO ON YOUR HIKE? 

• Books: The Other by David Guterson, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. 

• Podcasts: Malcolm Gladwell Revisionist History, New York Times- The Daily, and NPR (Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me!). 

WOULD YOU SUGGEST THIS EXPERIENCE TO OTHERS? 

“Of course. Length determines what people can afford in terms of time and money. Regardless of the length and time you spend, absolutely. I recommend letting yourself go: give yourself up to the trail and what is left of nature in this world. And once you’ve immersed yourself in nature like this, it is hard not to fight for its survival.”