---
title: "The dark side of thru-hiking – what nobody talks about out loud"
description: "Martin Benc from DvaNaTahu openly on the dark side of thru-hiking that you won't see on Instagram – pain, fatigue, finances and crises in relationships."
canonical_url: "https://gramino.com/blog/the-dark-side-of-thru-hiking"
last_updated: "2025-07-29"
---

# The dark side of thru-hiking – what nobody talks about out loud

Authors: Martin Benc

Date: 2025-07-29

Martin Benc from DvaNaTahu openly on the dark side of thru-hiking that you won't see on Instagram – pain, fatigue, finances and crises in relationships.

Over the past 6 years I've spent more than a year of my life on treks. I often hear an almost romantic notion from fellow hikers and friends about what it must be like to travel through beautiful nature without a care in the world. But somewhere deep down we all suspect it can be a little different.

## **A thru-hike isn't romance, it's often seriously hard work**

Coping with bad weather, injuries and poor fitness on long trails, especially those over 1000 kilometers, is practically a challenge for every adventurer.

There's only a very small chance that rain, cold, extreme heat, wind or snow won't catch you out… Every region and season has its own thing, but if you head out for several weeks or months, you'll definitely get a taste of something and you won't enjoy it.

Being physically prepared still doesn't mean you won't be dying on the first climb. Fitness is the key to success, but inflated expectations and a change to your everyday routine will take down even objectively ripped individuals. The climbs in the first days with a pack on your back hurt everyone – and once you add sunshine with no shade to hide in, you'll be questioning your own mother. Let alone what you're doing on a trek.

We've only got one body, but we can have twenty blisters. You don't have to suffer from them, but they can come. Just like knee pain you'd never felt before, or a twisted ankle. There's a first time for everything, and long-distance treks will probably bring you at least a splinter stuck in your backside.

## **The race against the clock**

When I set out on the [Pacific Crest Trail](/blog/pacific-crest-trail-pct-guide), I had this idea that we'd literally be wandering through the landscape. At lunch we'd sit down by a lake for a couple of hours and properly chill. But nothing like that happened. Every day was strictly planned and there was relatively little rest.

On American trails you're usually limited by the season and by six-month visas. You don't have to be much of a mathematician to divide 4300 kilometers by roughly 180 days and come out at around 24 kilometers a day. Without any reserve for getting to the start / from the finish and lounging around in town.

On the [Continental Divide Trail](/blog/continental-divide-trail-dvanatahu) we routinely got up at dawn and finished at sunset. In other words, up to 14 hours a day on your feet. The lunch break was an hour and a half at most, and during it you'd usually still be cooking and pulling all the wet gear out of your pack from the morning condensation.

[Darn Tough Men's CDT Micro Crew Lightweight](/p/darn-tough-cdt-micro-crew-lightweight-mens.md)

## **Hiking in the mountains costs money, and not a little**

Don't head to the pub without money, as the saying goes. With really long trails it's no different. Everyone's costs are different depending on the comfort they want, on food, and also on the destination they head for. In the end a lot of us manage to keep our spending at the level it would be at back home in town, but… If you set off on a journey lasting several months and you're not a paid influencer or a well-connected rich kid, the flow of money into your account will probably stop. Meanwhile the cash for five Big Macs in a single visit to McDonald's will vanish suspiciously fast and cheerfully. In other words, a couple of thousand euros, and on the really long trails a few tens of thousands, will leave you forever. Don't worry though, the experience is definitely worth it! Money has always been there and always will be, it's us who won't.

## **We eat junk, and women lose weight slower**

Coke, chips, burgers, gummy bears… I could go on forever listing unhealthy foods, and you'd find most of them in your hiking diet. After the kilometers and the elevation gain, calories are the most important variable in the math.

With guys the energy output tends to be pretty enormous and after a relatively short time the body starts burning reserves and losing weight. Women, on the other hand, can run more efficiently and often the weight loss shows on them much later and not to the same extent. I don't want to get into this topic in more detail, and it doesn't always have to be the rule. Just trust me on this one and take it as an observed fact.

- [REAL Turmat Creamy Salmon with Pasta](/p/real-turmat-creamy-salmon-with-pasta.md)
- [REAL Turmat Pulled Pork with Rice](/p/real-turmat-pulled-pork-with-rice.md)
- [Summit To Eat Beef Stew with Potatoes](/p/summit-to-eat-beef-stew-with-potatoes.md)
- [Adventure Menu Penne Bolognese with Parmesan](/p/adventure-menu-penne-bolognese.md)
- [REAL Turmat Chocolate Muesli](/p/real-turmat-chocolate-muesli.md)
- [REAL Turmat Reindeer Stew](/p/real-turmat-reindeer-stew.md)
- [Summit To Eat Pasta Bolognaise](/p/summit-to-eat-pasta-bolognaise.md)
- [Summit To Eat Chicken Tikka with Rice](/p/summit-to-eat-chicken-tikka-with-rice.md)
- [Adventure Menu Cricket Protein Penne with Creole Creamy Chicken](/p/adventure-menu-cricket-protein-penne-with-creole-creamy-chicken.md)
- [Summit To Eat 5 Bean Cassoulet](/p/summit-to-eat-5-bean-cassoulet.md)

## **Two's company, but not always…**

The idea that we'll only meet like-minded people in the mountains can be a mistake. Last year on the CDT the police even arrested one hiker, because he was verbally and then apparently physically attacking other hikers. You need to be prepared for that too – always carry a knife. More likely, though, you'll meet people who'll strike you as idiots, like the older lady on the PCT who was washing herself in the desert at a water cache with a five-liter jerrycan of water. Even though the sign clearly said a maximum of two liters per head, or rather down the throat. On the [Kungsleden](/blog/kungsleden-trail-martin-benc) I met a guy, or rather a piece of work, who was doing his business right on a wooden boardwalk about 30 centimeters wide. And there were plenty of spots where he could have had far more privacy and not left his treasure on display for the next visitors.

You can somehow come to terms with strangers, but it's worse when long-standing relationships break down. And yes, that's common on trails too. We can know someone for many years, then all it takes is a certain amount of discomfort, a different pace and different expectations, and an argument is born. It's up to each person how they handle the situation. For me the only key to success is empathy, rationality and a cool head. And above all, talking everything through in advance and correctly assessing whether a longer trip in the mountains together even makes sense. Expectations about timing and fitness should be the first warning sign. It's not always enough though, and even I already have my blacklist of people I really won't go with again.

## **Even the best gear can break**

You buy the best tent on the market and the very next day you've got a little hole in it from a cactus. Or you snap almost-new carbon poles? And what about shoes or a backpack that tears after 100 kilometers? I've been through all of this and only one rule applies – don't let it ruin your mood. Something will always break or won't fit you, it'll hurt financially, but it's the last thing you'll remember.

## **Is it even worth heading out at all?**

Maybe you're thinking right now, what nonsense is he writing. My whole body is supposed to hurt, I'm supposed to drain myself financially, tell my friend to go to hell and twist my ankle in the process, sleep in a leaky tent during a downpour and still enjoy it? Yes! Anything can happen to you on trails and you need to take off the rose-tinted glasses. It's not always just fun, there'll be ugly stretches, huge fatigue, pain. But if you stick with it, what always stays are mainly the good memories, the ones you originally wanted to go on a trek for. And that's really worth it!

#### **About the author**:

This article was written by **Martin Benc**, one half of the DvaNaTahu duo and a long-time Gramino ambassador. Martin has thousands of kilometers on long-distance treks in Europe and America behind him.

- [Hyperlite Mountain Gear Pods](/p/hyperlite-mountain-gear-pods.md)
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- [Liteway Wash Bag](/p/liteway-wash-bag.md)
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- [MSR PocketRocket Deluxe](/p/msr-pocketrocket-deluxe.md)
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