How do you guys do this???

[adktyler]

This is a great post. I'm not alone! Do any of you nearly cry when the morning alarm goes off? I do.

I think there's some of "why do I do this again" in all of us when the alarm goes off at 3 in the morning!

I just sleep at friends houses close to where I'm hiking....it's who you know I guess and where they live!

Connections! I also grew up in Conway so can always fall back on staying at family.

Warmer weather I camp or sleep in car! Pays to have a big car too, makes it pretty cozy..

You can sleep in your car in cold weather, too! It makes it more challenging that way.
I spent one night in the Noonmark Diner (in the Adirondacks) parking lot with the heater on the whole night. Was pretty crammed with all my gear all over the place in my Subaru trying to dry for the next days trip. But it got down to 10 degrees or so that night, so it was much more comfortable than being in a tent by the trailhead! 8 hours and an 8th a tank of gas later, everything was dry and I set out on my next trip!

[the_swede]

If you live in NJ, you get used to the driving to the mountains...

I'm, being a morning person and light sleeper, can easily wake up any time of the morning and be on the road in a 1/2 hour, given that I have already packed and stuffed the car the night before, made lunch for the hike, etc. etc. I have left my house in Jan at 1am and have been in the ADKs by 5am so I could hike the Dix range in a day. Fortunately didn't have to drive home afterwards but I was quite mobile and awake til like 10pm the same day.... It's all relative to one's natural body, if one is used to it by doing it often. I've driven to the catskills and back in the same day, which would be about 2 hours each way, but usually I will stay the weekend.

Jay

Jay, you're lucky you're a morning person. I sleep heavy and most always wake up feeling groggy. I usually set two alarms if I have something important to do. If I manage to wake up and stumble over to the kitchen and make myself a pot of coffee, I know I'll make the 5AM start at the trailhead...

[grouseking]

Ever since I moved to 2nd shift, I haven't hiked nearly as much. Waking up before 10am is a serious chore, and to get to any decent mountains, you need to be gone from Lebanon by 8 or 9am at the latest. In winter, earlier is better since it gets dark so soon. I thought Leb was closer to the Whites, but it really isn't. Its close to Moosilauke (only about an hour), but there is really no direct way to get anywhere from here. Even the Greens are kinda far away, though I don't have much interest in hiking there.

In general its about 30 min closer from Lebanon to all the major hiking destinations I like, compared to where I used to live...Chester. But I have a hard time getting pumped up for hiking these days. Its kind of depressing.

I am attempting to hike Mt Cube this Sunday, and I feel like I'm already looking for excuses to not go...like cold, waking up early, havent hiked in months...etc. I guess I just need to do it. My last hike in the Whites was nice, but I didn't have nearly as much fun as I usually do. I hope I'm not getting burned out.

[Chip]

You can sleep in your car in cold weather, too! It makes it more challenging that way.
I spent one night in the Noonmark Diner (in the Adirondacks) parking lot with the heater on the whole night... But it got down to 10 degrees or so that night, so it was much more comfortable than being in a tent by the trailhead! 8 hours and an 8th a tank of gas later, everything was dry and I set out on my next trip!

Pretty dangerous. I wouldn't sleep a wink. This is what cheap hotels and expensive sleeping bags are for. I've slept in my truck a couple times (engine off, windows cracked). Not bad in a pinch or a storm, but I prefer my tent.

[KayakDan]

Bought a house in the Whites.
So we would have a place to sleep.

We did the same thing. We've spent one night in the house in five years...
But hey,the tenant is almost done paying for it!

Most of our trips are overnight anyways,so it isn't an issue,but even after camping overnight,I'm toasted on the ride home.

Now we're thinking of doing more dayhikes,but there's no way I'm doing the round trip drive on the same day. Might just drop a tent on the Kanc once in a while,along with staying at one of the "value" motels. Hello Bruno!

[cbcbd]

I am so impressed by the users of this forum. I sit here reading trip reports of leaving home in the wee hours, driving several hours from MA, CT, NY VT Canada, etc...doing a traverse, or bagging several peaks, and then driving home way past hiker midnite.
How do you accomplish this?
The monotony of driving would put me right to sleep after such a grueling day!
Please tell! Maybe I can learn something so I can get out there too!
Sandy

I think the crux for me too was always the drive back. The drive up is always filled with pent-up weekday energy and weekend anticipation... plenty to keep me awake.

I have had some less proud moments on drives back, pushing exhaustion pretty far while driving. Caffeine helps, finding songs that motivate me to sing along helps, talking to people helps... but many times on drives back I just had to go into a rest area for a quick (or not) nap.
For rest area napping what I liked to do in the winter would be to blast the heat before going into a rest area, settle in for a nap and turn the car off. Usually when the car started to get cold again it was a good waker-upper and about time to get going. If I had the car running with heat there was no way I'd be getting up in less than an hour... and the longer napping the farther away the home ETA would get.

But yeah, I sacrifice a lot of weekend sleep to do the things I like to do. I just make it up on the weekdays... or at least that's what I tell myself!

[Jay H]

But yeah, I sacrifice a lot of weekend sleep to do the things I like to do. I just make it up on the weekdays... or at least that's what I tell myself!

I make it up here at work...

Jay

[DrewKnight]

I complete sympathize with the question, Sandy... Personally, I couldn't take it anymore... between skiing/hiking/biking and other family-oriented outdoor activities, we literally were driving from the South Shore to the Whites every weekend, which meant the entire family was in the car at least 6 hours every weekend, and we really came to resent Sunday nights and having to go home. Also, we were neglecting most aspects of our "southern life". We were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to move to the mountains full-time a couple years ago, and we leaped at the chance.

These days I have a longer commute but I ride-share with two other guys and try to work at home regularly, so my net time in the car is roughly equal to my Boston commute, and maybe less some weeks. I also get my Sunday nights back (a regular work commute is somehow less painful, knowing I will be back in the hills to sleep), and I am able to fall out the door and ride my bike to a lot of good trailheads, or drive to a lot of the southern / eastern Whites in an hour or less -- then we tend to come home directly after hiking to relax locally (so no driving later).

[MadRiver]

Bought a house in the Whites.
So we would have a place to sleep.

Ditto! Now I live here so travel isn't a problem unless I'm heading to Baxter. I do have to admit that I do feel guilty when I pull into a trailhead to meet people who have been on the road a tad longer than my 20 minute commute.

[1ADAM12]

This past weekend I was in the ADK with a 6 hour drive. I started heading home after our hike and I had someone drive half way home while I slept and then I drove the rest of the way.

[J.Dub]

Two big drives and a hike in one day is pretty risky behavior.

Not if you use a condom...

[the_swede]

For those of us who aren't fortunate enough to live close to big mountains, the best solution I've found is exploring locally. Within 45 minutes of my home, I have tons of hills to ramble around. Sometimes I like to just pick out random bumps on a topo map and bushwhack to it. Often enough, I'm pleasantly surprised with what I find. Many of the trailless hills on my NJ peakbagging list have awesome ledges with sweeping vistas.

[Fisher Cat]

Dedication. Devotion. Anything to get some boot time back home. Drive time is inconsequential. I hate driving 9 hours for anything unless its hiking or skiing.
Two years ago we had a surprise 40th wedding anniversary for our folks at the T&C in Gorham. We drove up on Saturday, laid low out of town so they wouldn't know we were there, got up early Sunday AM, hiked up Wildcat A, went straight to the party, stayed up late. Got up early Monday, did a day of trailwork, and drove back 9 hours. It was great. This year on one occasion we drove the 9 hours again in June, hopped out of the car, loaded up the tools, hiked in, and set up trailworkin' camp by 6pm.
Everytime we cross the MA/NH border on the way up, its a huge relief to be back on home turf. The aching back, hours on the wheels, entire nights spent before packing up , they slowly melt into relief. All the preperation and exhaustion have faded away.
There's nothing like the feeling of making it home again, and then to be able to hike and do trailwork as an end result, well.... you just can't beat that.

What wouldn't you do to be on the trails back home again?

[Trainwreck]

Of all the suggestions I've read, I like the moving to NH part the best. It may happen ...one day. Until then, I guess I'll do my NH dayhikes via the internet. I am not good on the road when I'm tired. Caffeine just adds jitteriness to my exhaustion. Camping sounds like the best plan....You guys are machines!!! More power to you!!!
Sandy

[erugs]

Two additional thoughts from me. My parents sold their vacation home in Bethlehem just before I started hiking again. Sometimes after the long drive home I have to use as much of the inner strength I used that morning to get out of bed just to get out of the car at the end of the day. There was one night when I wondered if I could roll to the house.