If you heard that there was a 75% chance you would fail miserably, would you bother trying?
That’s what’s so odd to me about Appalachian Trail (A.T.) thru-hikers. Many start out knowing that about 75% of the people who try to thru-hike 2,000+ miles of the A.T. in one year end up quitting. Yet every year, over 1,000 people go out there and try anyway.
Basically, every single thru-hiker is an underdog from Mile 1 on.
I have to say — I’m kind of in awe of people who know the odds are against them, yet off they go.