Legs get sore on a thru-hike. That's expected. What surprises most people attempting the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail or Continental Divide Trail is how hard the mental side hits — and a recent episode of The Trek's Trail Correspondents podcast puts that struggle front and centre.

In the show's Season 5, Episode 12, titled 'The Mental Game', six of the podcast's 2026 Trail Correspondents reflect on months spent walking America's three big long-distance routes. They talk about stretches of doubt, the moments they seriously considered quitting, and what actually pulled them through. The answers are refreshingly unglamorous: people, daily routines, and small wins like a good meal or a milestone mile, rather than any grand motivational breakthrough.

The contributors are a mix of experienced hikers using their trail names — Logan 'Pipsqueek' Hannah, Parrish 'Quip' McWhorter, Scott 'Steady' Anderson, Sorrel 'Big Dawg' Perka, MacKenzie 'Wilt' Wieder and Danny 'Noco' Nelson. Hosted, produced and edited by Andrew 'Shanty' Baldwin, the episode is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and The Trek is currently running a sponsorship deal with shoe brand Altra (code TREK10 for 10% off at altrarunning.com).

The big takeaway from the episode is that perspective shifts the longer you're out there. Hikers who set out chasing mileage often end up measuring success differently — by consistency, by mood, by whether they still want to be on trail at all. For anyone dreaming of a thru-hike, that's a useful reality check: the physical training matters, but so does building in flexibility, rest days and a support network you can message from a random town.

Even if you're never going to walk 2,000-plus miles, the mental strategies discussed here transfer neatly to any demanding trip — a tough multi-day trek, a solo journey, or any holiday that pushes you outside your comfort zone. The advice boils down to: break the challenge into small wins, stick to simple routines, and lean on the people around you. That's as true on a week-long Camino as it is on the Continental Divide Trail.

For would-be thru-hikers, this episode is a low-commitment way to hear what the grind actually feels like before committing months and thousands of dollars. It pairs well with The Trek's wider library of backpacking advice on the AT, PCT and CDT.