Mileage for a newbie?

[Prettywoman0172]

It is 3am and I cant sleep. My whole body just hurts. I am bruised, blistered and scraped. I have lost 2 toenails so far and I can barely walk. I am NOT exaggerating. I have never felt a world of hurt quite like this.

I experienced my first two days on the trail with a pack Monday and Tuesday. Walking with an experienced hiker, CamoJack, we covered 11 miles each day - starting at (I think) Connecticut 41, Under Mountain Road and finishing at U.S. 7 in Sheffield, Massachusetts.

My pack, a LL Bean White Mountain weighed in at 35-40 pounds with 5 liters of water (yes, I needed that much, I drank it all both days) and food for two days. I know I need to find a way to lighten the load because there was no sleeping pad or water filter in there yet. And I wore Merrill Moab booths with Smart Wool socks.

I can tell ya, I didnt expect the trail to be what it was, all up, down, up, down, up, up, up, up, up, up, down, down, down. I didnt expect to have to climb straight up and then go straight down. Some of it was actually SCARY and I think I just learned that I am afraid of heights.

I am physically fit - an avid runner and cyclist. And I have lifted weights for more than two years. But this was an endurance work out unlike any I have ever experienced. So tell me...was this just too many miles for a newbie to start out with? Or is this just not going to happen for me?

[IronGutsTommy]

your pack weight could be the culprit.. 35 to 40 is alot. generally u want ur pack weight to be one fifth of your body weight (20%), fully loaded with water and food. unless you weight 180 or more you just need to find ways to lighten your load, that should help. less weight less strain on your body. 11 is at the high end a bit, they recommended mileage is about 5 to 10 miles a day til u get ur trail legs, about 2 to 3 weeks, then its usually upped to 15, 20 a day. but those numbers vary person to person. i think the pack weight was your only setback. try to trim it down to 20% or less and u should notice a big difference

[aaronthebugbuffet]

Two toenails lost after two 11 mile days?
Are your shoes too tight?

[IronGutsTommy]

hah did my math wrong. to carry 40 lbs you should weigh around 200.

[IronGutsTommy]

yeah shoes sound tight too. remember your feet expand from all the walking, sometimes ppl will gain a shoe size while on the trail. what fits in the store may prove too tight on the trail

[Prettywoman0172]

Ooohhh, no...I no longer weigh in excess of 200lbs. I am about 135 right now. My running shoe size is a 7.5 and my hiking boots are a size 8. They were professionally fitted at the LL Bean Flagship in Freeport. I tried on many pairs, walked in them, etc. They feel good on my feet. Merrill Moab.

[IronGutsTommy]

ok 135.. you should aim for a pack weight around 27 pounds. 40 is he man status at your size

[Prettywoman0172]

Looks like I am buying more new gear - all light weight, because I cannot figure any other way to reduce it other than replacing what I already bought with lighter options. There was no sleeping pad or water filter in there yet. So back to the outfitters

[IronGutsTommy]

you can carry aquamira tabs and forgo the water filter , pads are kinda light.. u should list all that you carried, alot of people know more than I do. its possible youre just carrying unneeded clothes or equipment. if u made a list i bet ppl would be glad to help find ways for you to cut the weight down

[aaronthebugbuffet]

Looks like I am buying more new gear - all light weight, because I cannot figure any other way to reduce it other than replacing what I already bought with lighter options. There was no sleeping pad or water filter in there yet. So back to the outfitters

Do a ton of research so you don't waste money. There's a lot of lightweight options that may not be available at your local outfitter.

[kayak karl]

ok 135.. you should aim for a pack weight around 27 pounds. 40 is he man status at your size

thats just numbers and its ....... a 300lb man should carry a 60# pack? LOL
i watched 100# women hike past me with 35# packs. with the 20% theory you will never be able to hike the 100 mi. wilderness.
for your feet go back to the professionals at the LL Bean Flagship in Freeport.
were your laces tight? you weren't wearing sock liners were you??

[aaronthebugbuffet]

with the 20% theory you will never be able to hike the 100 mi. wilderness.

Not necessarily true.

[IronGutsTommy]

hey dont shoot the messenger, that 20 percent thing came from backpacker.com but ann, may i suggest you go to the thru hiker specific category in the forum and find a post called help with gear list. its originally by tamijo i believe.. in it ppl post on various ways of cutting weight down and getting rid of unneeded items.

[IronGutsTommy]

ps should be on first page of threads, no hunting needed

[IronGutsTommy]

similar post by tamijo in the female topic forum as well

[JAK]

A better rule of thumb is height x height = max pack weight.
For 5 feet, 25 pounds. For 5.5 feet, 30 pounds. For 6 feet, 36 pounds.
If you are overweight, you need to carry considerably less, not more.

Outfitters will ALWAYS sell you too much gear and clothing if you let them.
That's what they do.

[brotheral]

That's just too many miles on that type of terrain...with unfamiliar gear. The idea is to ease into this. Make sure your gear (boots & pack) fits properly and is comfortable via shorter hikes 1st, then go longer. Have fun and don't feel like you have to impress anyone.

[Sierra Echo]

I have news for you. You got back out in those same boots, you are going to lose some more toenails. I was "professionally fitted" for a pair of
Merrills too. And they felt great walking around on the store floor and on flat trail. As soon as I got into the big hills I had problems. Here is the thread about it:

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=62978

Bottom line is, most women wear boots that are to tight. When you have your boots on, bend your knees like you are skiing. While doing that, you should be able to easily stick a finger down the back of your boots. If you cant do this then your boots are too tight. Your feet are nothing to mess around with.

[rickb]

Looks like I am buying more new gear - all light weight, because I cannot figure any other way to reduce it other than replacing what I already bought with lighter options. There was no sleeping pad or water filter in there yet. So back to the outfitters

Before you go back to the outfitters, you might want to check out your recycling bin and even Salvation Army/Wal-Mart.

I am thinking disposable water bottles (much lighter than Nalgenes, etc and good for alcohol fuel also) and stoves (home made from cans), old nylon running shorts and such. And a old cheaply made aluminum pot, a big spoon and light plastic mugs?

And how about all the stuff you didn't use (or didn't need to use) on your hike?

As for carrying 5 liters of water, that can make sense but not usually. Didn't you pass any streams along the way when you had a couple of full bottles in your pack.

BTW, one thing that a lot of people don't say much is that backpacking does hurt. Perhaps not as much once you get your trail legs, but thats the truth.

The best way to minimize the hurt is to adjust the number of hours you are hiking in a day, IMHO. But nothing wrong with some aches.

No way you should have lost toe nails right out of the gate like that. I suggest that you consider going out in a proven pair of your work sneakers next time, and perhaps keep any eye our for trail runners like New Balance or some clone.

[Spokes]

The Mountain Crossings Gear List on the top end is only 18 lbs- and that's a winter pack!

On last years thru I averaged 16 miles per day with a total of 7 zero days. Some did more, some did less.