overly optimistic?

[Oak88]

In addition to the unforeseen, there will be times when terrain will make it impractical. But I think the big question is why? Do you have a time constraint? I saw a lot of folks in their 20s and in incredible shape get beat up physically and mentally by convincing themselves they had to walk big miles every day. My best advice would be to ease into it, listen closely to your body and only do what you’re comfortable with. What you’re talking is probably doable for you; just make sure you’re not taking from the experience by stressing about millage. I think it’s probably smart to go into it thinking this is the only opportunity you’ll ever have to do this and make the most of it. I caught up to a LOT of fast hikers in VT, NH, and ME who had decided to slow down and enjoy it more.
I’ve never once met a thru hiker who told me they wished they’d gone faster

I agree with the above. I am 59 and did a thru last year 2013. I saw many young uns on the trail early on with over use injuries, knees, ankle, blisters, and the like. Some of them got off the trail. I started slow in Georgia and took many zero days in the beginning. In Virginia I picked up the pace and was doing over 20 miles a day and got my first shin splints ever. Listen to your body the parts you think will give you trouble probably won't, and the parts you think won't give you trouble will. I finished strong doing high miles in very rugged terrain through NH and Maine.

[Julio]

Data, I'll be looking for you.

[Julio]

Karl, There is no "need" to do 20 a day. That's just the pace I hike at. Very comfortable for me. I guess my question should have been is it realistic to Maintain that pace?

[Julio]

This reply is what I was looking for. Thank you.

[colorado_rob]

Karl, There is no "need" to do 20 a day. That's just the pace I hike at. Very comfortable for me. I guess my question should have been is it realistic to Maintain that pace?

The bottom line is Yes, for about half the trail or more. But some sections no way, not even for the very strong (excepting the elite, of course). Given your age and strength, similar to mine, I'm guessing your overall average will be more like 18, but again, just a guess and what I'll wind up averaging (most likely), all said and done. This assumes also that you have a lightweight kit, 12-14 pound base weight or less. If you're one of these carry-the-kitchen-sink types with 20+ pound base weight, fugedaboudid ! :-)

[Malto]

Karl, There is no "need" to do 20 a day. That's just the pace I hike at. Very comfortable for me. I guess my question should have been is it realistic to Maintain that pace?

Here is what I found when relating day or weekend hiking mileage to thru hiking. I was never able to maintain the same pace on my thru as I did on shorter hikes. The main reason for that is because you have to live on the trail. For a weekend you can get by with not washing up as much, doing laundry etc. On a thru you have to do these chores at some point. Also, on a shorter hike you can leave your feet dirty knowing you will get a small blister the next day. No big deal on a shorter hike, you don't have to get up the next day and hike on that small blister, on a thru you do. I found that these types of activities made the biggest difference between my mileage on short duration vs. my thru. It bothered me a bit at the beginning because I didn't understand why I was able to hike 3mph all day everyday. I quickly got over that and focused more on a sustaining consistently high mileage vs. racing on a daily or even momentary basis. Hope that makes sense.

PS. You will also likely take a hit in your daily mileage due to zeros, neros, trail magic and other temptations. It will happen often enough that you will rarely have what I consider a "normal" hiking day. But these are all part of the trail experience.

[takethisbread]

wouldn't 20 mpd be the fastest pace ever by someone over 60? i hope you are the best over 60 hiker ever. I hike a lot and am much younger than u. I can do 20's in areas and have done a 30 once. I am doing a thru hike this year and hoping to average just around 11.5 mpd which is a 6 month hike


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[Slo-go'en]

Since most people hike shelter to shelter, the shelter spacing is what really determins how far you go most days. As I'm now an over 60 hiker myself, I like it when every-other-shelter is about 15 miles apart. When they start to become 20-22 miles apart, that extra 5-7 miles can be a struggle to do.

[Grampie]

Thru hiked in 2001 at the age of 66. My average mileage for the whole way was 10.8 miles a day.

[oldwetherman]

1+ to what Slo-go'en said about shelter spacing....not so much about sleeping in them but rather water and privy availability. Biggest thing I had to learn is to "take what the trail gives you." Somedays
the trail, weather and your energy levels will give you 20 to 30 miles a day.....sometimes it will only give you 8 to 10.

[kayak karl]

That's just the pace I hike at. Very comfortable for me.

,but where are you doing 20 per day. whats your elevation gain and loss? i was doing 25+ in south jersey, Georgia 12
im not saying you can't do it, but failed expectations effect everybody differently.

[rafe]

1+ to what Slo-go'en said about shelter spacing....not so much about sleeping in them but rather water and privy availability. Biggest thing I had to learn is to "take what the trail gives you." Somedays
the trail, weather and your energy levels will give you 20 to 30 miles a day.....sometimes it will only give you 8 to 10.

I saw a graph a while back of some folks' thru hike, with vertical bars representing miles-per-day, arranged along a time axis. There was a clear pattern. Low miles leaving town, miles-per-day increasing each day, peaking just before the next town stop. I can absolutely understand how that happens. Slow start bloated from town food carrying a heavy pack. Pack gets lighter each day, and motivation builds for the next town stop. After two or three days of big miles -- a zero or two in town to recharge, and the cycle repeats.

Anyways, these guys were routinely peaking at 20-25 MPD in each cycle, but averaging only 13 or so for the trip.

[Colter]

You are suffering from spreadsheet hiking. "Alls you gotta do" is hike three miles an hour for seven hours and poof the spreadsheet says you have 21 miles. Reality is far more difficult than hiking via spreadsheet. But having said that, hiking 20 miles per day for an in-shape, fairly lightweight, motivated hikers is fairly straight-forward. You will do much longer days than you are expecting. I doubt seriously if you will average more than 2.5 mph. Doesn't means your goal is impossible, far from it. You will hike longer hours to achieve the pace. On a thru hike you can choose to get up earlier, hike later, take shorter and fewer breaks. This is the way to get 20mpd, not by worrying about mph.

What he said.

[colorado_rob]

wouldn't 20 mpd be the fastest pace ever by someone over 60? i hope you are the best over 60 hiker ever. I hike a lot and am much younger than u. I can do 20's in areas and have done a 30 once. I am doing a thru hike this year and hoping to average just around 11.5 mpd which is a 6 month hike

With due respect, you underestimate age and endurance, at least for those of us old farts who have kept very fit over the years.

Google up some ultra running sites sometime and look at some of the oldsters that still completely kick butt for very long treks. Just one example, the JMT record was held by a 61 year old, Reinhold Metzger, for many years. Check out Buzz Burrell sometime, and many others.

Aging does suck in many ways, if I remember correctly :-) of course, but one huge bonus of aging is that overall endurance doesn't decrease, in fact, in many ways it increases. I can hike much longer days now that I'm older; maybe it's just the mental aspect of it; we've lived long enough to have experienced enough physical discomfort that we are more used to it and just shrug it off, and suck it up; just my personal theory of why I can go longer now. Sure, raw speed is declining, at least for me and other 60-ish folks I know, hence why I suggested 3 MPH average over rougher terrain is unrealistic, but low 2's doable all day long with no problem whatsoever, 20+ mile days at easy pace are easy as pie.

It all comes down to whether the OP is a typical 60 year old who has let himself go, or if he has kept fit over the decades like many of us.

Georgia????? Having done the southern AT now, I'll never understand why folks keep saying how tough GA is. The trail in GA was smooth and soft and awesome. Sure, lots of up and down, but so what. Breaks up the monotony.

[sluggo]

I turned 66 on the trail last year and in setting my daily targets I estimated 2 miles per hour-and I was very happy when I met or exceeded that goal. Hiking the trail is more about looking at terrain and weather than speed. Your 3mph flat surface speed means nothing on the trail when you have an 800 foot climb over 1.5 miles. And--you cannot actually prepare for the downhills that put incredible strain on your knees, ankles and hips. As you get your trail legs you will be able to go longer distances. I did my first 20 mile day going into Fontana Dam--couldn't wait to get a hot shower! But I hiked a solid 10 hours that day. Don't go on the trail to speed through it You will be experiencing a magical, spiritual time and be forever changed by it.

[drifter]

+1 to Colorado Rob's comment....I can hike much longer days now that I could say 10 years ago (combination of the mental aspect or simply more used to it or both) For years I believed I could only do 12-13 on an average day.....this past summer did 500 miles including GA and put in a number of 18's without problem. I simply never think much about it - definitely stop and take in the sights but simply walk longer each day

[rafe]

I'll echo some of what colorado_rob is sayin' tho he's undoubtedly in far better shape than me. I was a more "efficient" hiker at 55 -- higher average miles per day -- than I was at 37. Lighter load, maybe easier terrain, and also having a fixed schedule for my hikes, so few or no zeroes.

[Dogwood]

Oh, my head is spinning with these posts.

Then everything feels better when I remember to age gracefully - eat lots of chocolate, drink good wine consistently in moderation, everything is not about me, exercise, brush my teeth, laugh often, don't take everything so seriously, and have lots of spontaneous sex.

Julio, you'll figure it out once on the AT. If you don't you will go home.

[full conditions]

Scores of young people have to quit the trail every year due to overuse and traumatic injuries. I take it as a matter of faith that you don't want that to happen to you. Start out slow and low - maybe in the 8 - 12 mile region (less if you have to) and add on miles when you feel like it - but not too much too soon. When I did my thru I was 17 and fairly fit at the start but still couldn't comfortably do the kind of mileage you're talking about (although certainly your mileage may vary). For me, it wasn't until I left Damascus that I felt strong enough to start walking long days and even then I had to listen to my body and adjust and adapt on the fly. Also, instead of zero days, consider half days around five miles-ish - zeros are expensive monetarily as well as mileage-wise plus you'll get nearly as good a rest doing a short day as doing a zero. Lastly, don't underestimate the morale toll that heavy mile days can take - this is supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime not five months of drudgery.

[lonehiker]

I think that you are being overly optimistic to think that you can maintain 3mph over any length of time. 20 mpd isn't tough but doing it in under 7 hours, consistently, is.