Is it silly to prepare in such a way?

[zeejay]

If I can, I want to hike the trail after my graduation in May.

I'm wondering if it would be ridiculous to prepare for the trail by beginning to wear similar clothing, eat similar food, etc. prior to actually hiking.

I would be doing this for a few reasons, for enjoyment, to prepare, and to save money.

Could anyone offer some examples or tips in regards to preparing before the first thru-hike?

Thanks.

[SGT Rock]

It would probably work just fine.

[Manwich]

I wear polypropylene shirts during the summer anyway. I bring my Pocket Rocket to work every few days to heat up some lunch I dehydrated a month ago.

I just incorporated some stuff from backpacking into my daily life. It's not a bad idea, you get more familiar with your stuff.

I wouldn't screw around with the diet considering you're already poised to lose weight. You might get sick of peanut butter and nutella before you hit the trail.

[Rocket Jones]

I bring meals that I've dehydrated to work for lunch once in a while. It gives me a chance to see what I like and don't like before hitting the trail.

[JustaTouron]

I would say hiking and exercise would be better prep.

Trying out foods you might want to use while hiking would be a good idea, even better would be practicing cooking them over your camp stove.

Wearing the same clothes every day to class and only showering once every two weeks would be a bad idea.

[kayak karl]

i cooked my lunches on construction site on alcohol stove to practice. as far as clothes go, there may come a time when you ONLY wear hiking clothes and your dress suit is just taking your hat off

p.s. find the tallest building in town and run up and down the fire steps.

[zeejay]

I would say hiking and exercise would be better prep.

Wearing the same clothes every day to class and only showering once every two weeks would be a bad idea.

Great point! I suppose that if I live among clean civilians, I would need to be at least somewhat clean as well.

Would you recommend carrying a heavy pack around when hiking? Since that's what I'll be doing?

For example, I live off-campus and the campus has free laundry. So, every two weeks or so, I pack all my dirty clothing into my pack and carry it two or so miles to the laundry machines on campus. Then hike back with a clean load.

Thanks to the rest of you for your comments so far!

[zeejay]

p.s. find the tallest building in town and run up and down the fire steps.

I like this idea!!!

[JAK]

Great idea. I live very similar to the way I hike, food and clothing wise anyways, and I try to walk alot like to work and back. I wear my hiking shorts and a wool sweater just about every day of the year, and wool socks, and cotton flannel boxers might be the only non-hiking thing except I use those on the trail also sometimes. Wool sweater doesn't need to be washed everyday even if worn without a t-shirt underneath. Very cold days I might wear leggings very rarely. Alpaca hat. Wool mitts usually left in pockets. If I eat out, it is an extra large tea with 3 milk at tim hortons for $1.83.

Roll-Up-The-Rim-To-Win

[Blissful]

The best way to prepare is to get out there and hike day after day. Nothing else come close. My 16 yr old son was a couch potato, went on only a few weekends, did no prep (well, I did gear organization), and did the whole thing. It's mostly mental anyway.

[Inwoods]

Like most have suggested, cook some meals( in my case FBC) with your stove, wear your hiking clothes to find whats comfortable, and get some walking in with the shoes/boots you are planning to wear. IMO a little practice and knowledge of what you have should translate to more personal comfort factor.

[stranger]

I would do as much physical preparation as possible before heading out and save as much money as possible...

I leave mid April and have been training for over a month already, I feel great! Get fit, best thing you can do for yourself, oh and save money!

[Roland]

In addition to the physical preparations which have been suggested, above, you may try the following.

1. Simplify your lifestyle. Divest some material things you don't need or will have to sell (or put into storage) before you go.

2. Become more frugal with your money. Be cognizant where your money is going. Eating out with friends, a few beers at the bar, movies, video games, etc add up quickly. Start saving now. You'll be happy to have the extra cash when you reach a trail town.

3. Read a field guide so you can recognize and appreciate the flora & fauna around you on the Trail. When you're tired, and cold, and wet, missing your family and asking yourself why you're out there, deriving some pleasure from the natural beauty around you may help keep you on the Trail.

4. Begin preparing yourself mentally, by letting go of romantic fantasies about the Trail. Expect that 20% of the days will be too cold; 20% too hot; 20% too wet; 20% too dry; and 20% will be ideal hiking days.

[Blissful]

Exercise can help cardio-wise and keeping weight at a good level (which can always help), but nothing prepares your body for the constant pounding of trail and carrying a pack up and down mountains every day.

I agree money is a good thing to plan on ahead of time, for sure.

[prain4u]

I am not a thru hiker--yet. But I have done plenty of other hiking over the past 30-40 years. Here are some thoughts from my experience:

Last summer, I had a new alcohol stove. Furthermore, a doctor had recommended a major change in my diet to exclude wheat and dairy products (I had developed possible allergies or sensitivities to those items).

I spent some considerable time during the spring and summer trying out new wheat free and dairy free meals that were suitable for hiking. I also cooked them on my new stove.

I ended up changing stoves--twice (to a different kind of alcohol stove) because the first two were not to my liking. I also found some meals that I liked--and several that I DEFINITELY didn't like.

It would have been pretty rough to discover stove problems and food problems in a wilderness area (with no resupply available). I was glad that I spent time at home trying things out prior to my bigger hike.

Prior to hiking, I always try to spend some considerable time "living in" the exact same clothes, pack, and equipment that I will be using on the trail. (Either on some "shakedown" hikes or around my home area). What feels pretty good for an hour in your house--can sometimes be problematic when used all day outdoors.

This past summer, I discovered that a new hiking shirt felt fine wearing it around the house--but it chaffed A LOT near the armpits when I carried a full pack for a few hours. Thus, I bought myself a different kind of shirt. Again, I would have HATED to have learned that in the wilderness.

I try to train for hikes by walking up and down hills and stairways in my area in order to build up hiking muscles. I have hiked up and down the stairs in buildings. I have also hiked up and down stairs and bleachers at local high school football stadiums. I often wore my full pack when doing this. The best way to train for hiking--is by hiking.

[SGT Rock]

I lived in a hammock for 6 months.

[sbhikes]

The best way to prepare for backpacking is to go backpacking. If you can't actually go backpacking, you should wear your pack on day hikes to build up your strength and learn whether the stuff you are carrying is too heavy. If it's a day you can't go hiking, put on your empty pack and walk to the grocery store or put your dirty clothes and walk to the laundromat. Walk as much as you can. You want to test out your pack and your shoes and socks.

You should test out your tent. Set it up in your backyard a few times. Leave it up overnight and see what happens to it when the dew falls all over it. Try sleeping in it in the yard or on a weekend backpack trip.

Test your cooking equipment. Practice cooking the meals you plan to take. Don't expect your hiking food to taste as good if you didn't hike all day first. For some reason it tastes a lot better on the trail.

This will do you much better than just wearing your hiking clothes and eating similar food. In fact, you might want to consider eating much better than you normally do. Your diet is going to get really bad, so eat your veggies and fruit while you can.

[d.o.c]

i went out for a section hike of the smokies and ended up in maine all u gotta do is walk i didnt realy do any major prep befor my hike it just kinda happend i allready ownd all my gear and hiked thru boy scouts and stuff. just go for it but what ever physical fittness u can bring to the trail befor will deff help you.

[JAK]

I'll be eating my hiking food left over from my last trip. 5 pounds of oatmeal, almonds, skim milk powder, and dried blueberries all mixed together in a big plastic tub. lol

It's actually not that bad. Better with plain yogurt than with plain hot water.

[climber2377]

a few suggestions. make a few meals on your stove with your pots and gear. you will learn how you are going to drain your pasta and what you can put on noodles etc. i found that hot sauce goes on anything and you dont need a lot of it. i also found that if i use little stretchy gloves i can handle my hiney pots when they are hot, just to name a few things i learned.
i also suggest going on a few overnight trips and use your gear. might find you do or dont like some things. also how much of your gear have you never used? or have you been out with it before?