View Full Version : How often did you take "zero" days?
Hi, I'm new here and have been reading alot. Obsessing over and trying to learn as much as I can, trying to decide if I can pull off a thru-hike. I hope you don't mind, I'm just going to be lurking around and soaking up your knowledge:) I'm curious, those of you that have done thru-hikes... how often do people take zero days? I would need to take one about once a week for health reasons and just wondered if that is alot compared to what others would be doing?
Spirit Walker
05-05-2015, 22:43
I think on all my long hikes (AT x2, PCT, CDT x2) I ended up taking between 20 and 30 zero days. I didn't necessary plan for them, I just let them happen as needed. Sometimes I had to wait for a mail drop. Once I had to take a few days off because of injury. Sometimes the weather was really bad so I wanted to wait a day for it to improve. (It's very hard to leave a warm dry hostel when it's pouring outside.) Sometimes I would do a half day into town, run all my errands, end up feeling exhausted, and decide to take another day to rest up and do nothing but read or watch movies. (Sometimes it's nice to think of something besides hiking.) On the AT I took an extra zero day to go rafting at NOC. OTOH, I had times when I intended to take a day off that I didn't because I was able to do a nero (0 to 5 miles into town), get all my errands done and then leave the next day. On the Pct there were times I didn't stay in town at all, I just got my maildrop, some food and a shower, and kept going. On the AT there's usually plenty of time to take breaks as needed. It's a little harder with the smaller time window on the western trails, but even there, it's doable. In my case, taking breaks was both physically and mentally necessary.
garlic08
05-05-2015, 22:51
For me it varied with my experience. My first long hike, the PCT, I took 14 zeros out of about 130 days of hiking, average one every ten days (three in a row in a bad storm in northern WA). My last long hike, the AT, I took three zeros out of 106 days of hiking, about one a month, mainly to meet friends and family along the way. In one stretch I hiked almost 1000 miles in 50 days without a day off. I learned a good pace I could sustain and taking non-hiking days was not why I was out there.
CarlZ993
05-05-2015, 23:07
I did 12 zero days on my AT hike. The first two zeros were pre-planned - Hot Springs & Damascas. I took the others when I felt like taking them - Pearisburg, Daleville, Waynesboro (double zero), Harpers Ferry, Port Clinton (nasty rain kept me an extra day in the pavilion), Salisbury, Rutland, Gorham, & Monson. Longest stretch before a zero = 21 days. Shortest stretch before a zero = 5 days.
There's a lot of variation, so I don't know that the experience of random strangers (including me) can help you much. But note that zero days can be impacted by who you're hiking with, so potentially unpredictable there. Your budget is of course a factor.
Also keep in mind "the power of the Nero". How many nero's you take, and exactly how you take them, that can impact your need or want for zero days a lot.
It also matters which trail you're on --- that AT offers more opportunities to take time off in town than do some other long trails.
There are a lot of reasons for zero days. Some people (including me) have taken zeros they really didn't want to, perhaps due to disease or illness or injury, perhaps due to friends or family, perhaps due to waiting for a resupply package that didn't arrive on time --- or because the post office was closed that day.
I think it's difficult and perhaps perilous to try to plan out your hike too thoroughly in advance, but certainly is helpful to have flexibility in terms of both budget and schedule.
Starchild
05-06-2015, 07:24
Hi, I'm new here and have been reading alot. Obsessing over and trying to learn as much as I can, trying to decide if I can pull off a thru-hike. I hope you don't mind, I'm just going to be lurking around and soaking up your knowledge:) I'm curious, those of you that have done thru-hikes... how often do people take zero days? I would need to take one about once a week for health reasons and just wondered if that is alot compared to what others would be doing?
I count 11 zeros (up from 10), many more nearos, and some 'town to return to town' or 'town to next town' slackpacking including many nero-slackpacking (very easy days).
-My 1st 2 zeros were at NOC due to a person visiting and was my only double (back to back) zero.
- One in Hot Springs because it was a awesome trail town and I wanted to get in the Hot Springs but didn't have time the first day - a stay & hot springs tub that was gifted to me.
- One at 4 pines Hostel due to rest and recovery and rain. The 1st night I had trouble sleeping, I snagged the only bed for the second night and slept much better.
- One at Damascus, we (4 of us) had a awesome place (not in guide book) and it was cheap, we decided to stay a extra night.
- One at Front Royal, recovering from lack of towns/civilization through Shenandoah, and waiting for a friend to join me. Saw a movie.
- 1 near home (logistical, needed to relocate my car, my cat, and also visit a former g/f)
- 1 in MA, Trail Angel took us home, next day gave us her car to drive to a 4th of July party in CT (sleeping on the beach) and returned the next day.
- One at Chet's place, needed a day to recover from the section Kingman's Notch to Franconia Notch, got out very late, saw another movie. More of a mentally/emotionally recovery as I felt very frustrated about the slow pace as I was hiking with a friend who was slower.
- One zero was right before Mahosic Notch due to pouring rain, and is the only 'backcountry' zero I took. Sort of just rested the entire day in the shelter along with about 6 others.
- One in Monson getting rested before the 100 MW, another gifted stay. I did feel 'trail weary' and needed that extra day.
The "average" completing NOBO takes around 20 zero days in 24 weeks of hiking. The 25% of completing hikers who take the most end up taking 28 or more zero days while the 25% who take the fewest take 12 or fewer zero days. So the mainstream middle 50% of hikers take 13 to 27 zero days. If you took one a week that would put you in the mainstream (unless you took less than three months or longer than seven months to hike:eek: ).
These numbers come from a study of 240 completing NOBOs who kept thorough journals at trailjournals.com between 2001 and 2010.
i take a nero every week ( every 5-6 days ) when resuppling and a zero about once a month thats all i need, a zero a week would not be alot, the average thru-hiker takes one every week or every two weeks.
AT 06'
If I remember correctly.
129 days hiking
12 zeros
5 zeros in a row to go to my daughters college graduation
1 zero in for my anniversary
2 zeros when i reached my house (I lived 1/2 mile from the trail then)
1 zero in Damascus
1 zero at the NOC
All of that was before Harpers Ferry.
1 zero at the hostel before Mt. Moosilake (sp) in Maine as it was raining heavy and I did not want to slide off the mountain.
1 zero in Hanover, NH
If you are trying to keep expenses down use the nero vice the zero as much as possible. Town life is expensive. Hit town, eat a lot, get cleaned up, resupply, eat some more, hit the trail and camp outside of town. Or not. Do what seems best at the time. If you are really tired and need a break you will know it.
If you get into hiking really big days (25-30 miles) I think it promotes the need for zeros. I only went over 25 miles 1 or 2 days on the whole hike so I was very seldom really tired. I did 26 miles into Damascus and then took a zero, but then I probably would have taken a zero there if I had camped 2 miles from town.
I seemed to hike better when I did not take zeros as I always felt lethargic after zeros, but then all the zeros in the first half of the hike probably gave me lots of time to get strong.
I would say listen to your body. My zeros increased the longer I was on the trail. I was 55 when I walked from GA - WVA and needed the recovery time.
Tipi Walter
05-07-2015, 11:31
I do all my zero days in a tent and never in a town. What's the point of staying in a town when the whole point is to get out of a town and go backpacking? It's much cheaper, too.
Then again, there's the tendency in bad weather to bail to a town and sit out storms. Scruffs and Woodstock did this repeatedly on their winter AT thruhike---during the Jan 6-7 so-called arctic cold snap they bailed to a motel---and for two weeks during a cold snap with rain and snow they stayed put the whole time in Damascus.
A person can do all these zeros inside their tents if they are willing to carry enough food to pull a "Frazier" i.e. sit put and hunker in during bad conditions. See Steven Frazier's example here---
THE RESCUE STORY OF STEVE FRAZIER
Steve planned a 5 day backpacking trip into Yosemite NP on Oct 28 2008. He hikes 20 miles in and sets up camp. A 3 day snowstorm dumps 2 feet of snow and he can't find the trail, " . . . effectively trapping him at that location." What does he do? Does he stumble and posthole for 5 miles and dies in a heap? Does he call 911? Does he strip naked and run screaming from camp? Naw, this is what Frazier does---
He spends the next 12 days hunkered down in his tent and making his last 2 days of food last 12. He finally gets spotted after missing his plane flight on Nov 9. This is a great story!
"I had to pull a Frazier" is now in my lexicon and has become my new winter mantra. It's how you survive being stuck in place---by hunkering in and waiting. 12 days seems excessive but he did it. In deep snow and during a series of blizzards the best place to be is inside your tent. Where else will you be warm and dry? Packing up and leaving in deep snow when the trail is gone and you're postholing a half mile in an hour is not and will never be as good as pulling a Frazier and sitting put. Hunkering in.
Sure he missed his flight and probably his job and his friends got concerned but he didn't leave an itinerary so he did the next best thing---waited it out until he could move or rescue. I wonder if after 12 days the rescuers didn't find him lounging in his tent whittling a Peruvian flute and laughing with a couple girls from the swedish bikini team.
"We're here to rescue you!"
"That's okay, I'm doing great." And then yell out as they leave---
"Stay thirsty my friends."
The girls will giggle as he does a Ron Burgandy flute solo. Now that's hunkering in style. Ten frozen hikers are dead in the snow in a 10 mile radius of his tent but he's adjusting or removing bikinis and carving multiple panpipes for an impromptu flute trio. Now that's pulling a Frazier.
"Walt! How the heck did you make it??"
"No problem, I just pulled a Frazier."
Amen, pass the corn chips and pecans. 99% of backpackers hate pulling a Frazier cuz they must get out at all costs and not alarm wives or friends or lose their jobs or be too long away from their cars parked at the trailheads. It's easy to hunker on a 22 day trip, and in bad weather you give yourself 5 days to get to the road and hitch out if necessary.
mattjv89
05-07-2015, 11:51
I'm part way through right now sending this from Damascus, so far have not taken any zeroes since March 26 start. Trail days will likely be the first. I much prefer the nearo for cost reasons, much longer than part of a day in town and the $$$ really starts to add up plus I just get restless. I also like using the extra time to take side trails and see attractions in the woods which seems to be an exception among most my age. Many hikers I talk to have taken 5+ by this point. A big thing that seems to cause zeroes is pushing for marathon mile days into town. For example going into Hot Springs a few hikers did a 30 something mile day to beat some rain that never came and were still in town recovering when I rolled through a day and a half later, tortoise and the hare kind of thing. OK one last note since you mentioned it, don't spend too much time obsessing over details leading up to a thru. After 468 miles the biggest thing I would have done different is spend about 90% less time on Whiteblaze thinking I had to figure the whole thing out ahead of time.
Christoph
05-07-2015, 12:53
As of now, I started 18 days ago at amacolola under the arch. I've reached Franklin, Nc which was my 1st resupply point and Nero day, then I've reached Hot Springs from which I'm sending this on my first zero. Legs just couldn't go any farther so I figured I'd better listen to my body and give it a break. Tomorrow morning in back at it and I already feel great!
Lot's of hikers zero at our hostel. Bad weather is probably the #1 reason.
As mentioned above, any day in town can be real expensive and a big hit to the hiker budget. So many places to spend money: outfitter, grocery store, restaurants, movie theater, liquor store.
Thank you all for your responses, I appreciate you taking the time. Definitely a lot of variation. Was just wondering if I'd be left in the dust:)
OK one last note since you mentioned it, don't spend too much time obsessing over details leading up to a thru. After 468 miles the biggest thing I would have done different is spend about 90% less time on Whiteblaze thinking I had to figure the whole thing out ahead of time.
Thank you:)
MuddyWaters
05-10-2015, 13:14
I like to plan a near-0 a week. It may be different.
Hike in to town in evening, get dinner. In the morning eat bkfast, shop and laundry, eat lunch, and back to trail
A night in a bed, shower, 3 big meals, feel renewed , and only a half day used up..
DrRichardCranium
05-15-2015, 11:53
Whenever you feel like it. A thru-hike is an occupation. You take the occasional day off just like you take weekends or holidays off at your job. I often try to time a zero when the weather's going to be bad.