Originally Posted by srrs
so i left at the beginning of may on what was supposed to be a 10 week long solo tour. i made it two weeks before taking a train the rest of the way. nasty headwinds for 10 out of 14 days. rain and cold for a lot of them, too. it just wasn't that much fun, and by the end of the couple of weeks, it didn't feel like vacation. it definitely changed my life in a lot of ways, but it wasn't at all what i expected.
so at this point i'm wondering, what now? i think i'll try another, shorter tour next year, probably a more scenic route (instead of across ohio, illinois, and indiana).. it's hard though, because i'm fighting the feeling that i'm a big failure, that i couldn't hack it. since i got off the train, my relationship with the bike hasn't been the same - it's been really difficult for me to ride it much. it's almost like i'm afraid of it, like something's gone sour.
can anyone share their experiences after they cut a tour short? what's going on here? is there a way i can conquer this feeling that i failed and should just never touch a bike or a pannier again?
Solo touring is a lot tougher than you think, especially if it's a miserable tour. You have no one to complain to or share your misery with. Stop kicking yourself, you did 2 weeks and you made it x number of miles. Look for something positive about the trip (there is something there, trust me
) and keep planning. After a few more tours...short ones...you'll say to yourself at the end of it, "I'm never going to do that again...Hmmm. Wonder where I should go next time?"
Go look at my trip (link below).