[pythko]

> or rather, I don't know how they continue to find enough reward in the activity to make up for the deprivation, repetition.

I totally feel you on this. I’ve done a reasonable amount of backpacking, and more and more, I’m not sure if I like backpacking or like looking back and saying I’ve done it. I certainly feel a sense of accomplishment from the treks I’ve done, but in the moment, it often just feels like drudgery, shading into misery when the days get long and the trail gets hard.

The exception is when the natural beauty of the surrounding area is high enough, the whole experience is totally worthwhile. The American west (Tetons, Sierra Nevada) still does it for me, but the AT definitely does not.