Hiking 10-15 miles with no food/water or stopping.

[denimlabels]

When I started training last summer I would load up on tea & water, then eat a banana and granola and just go out and hike from start to finish. No further stops for drinks, snacks or resting, unless I had to take a wiz or adjust shoes or trekking poles.

I feel a great relief when I am done and stop to sit down. I feel tired but nothing out of the ordinary. I just have a few swigs of water and move on. My recovery time seems fairly quick within 4 to 5 hours or so.

Ive gotten used to hiking this way. I dont want to stop for anything. If my body starts to hurt or feel pain I just jack the pace down for a quarter mile or more if I have to. Am I addicted to the rush of endorphin? Is training like this just creating bad habits on the trail that will lead to injury in the end?

Keep in mind I am 6 foot and weight 255 lbs.

My goal is to do 15 miles or more per day.

[Puddlefish]

Risking constipation, dizziness, falls at a minimum. I don't see the point of going without water, it sounds like some kind of ill thought out 1950s toughening up football camp regime that didn't actually toughen the kids up.

[denimlabels]

Thats funny! But I never got dizzy, fell down or had constipation. I just always load up on food and fluid big time before my hike for the day. This actually has the advantage of starting you out slow while your body is processing all the food and liquids you just consumed.

I like hearing people on WB say they skip breakfast or dont eat until they do 5-10 miles. Yeeesh! To each is own I guess. I need to eat a breakfast every day with some hot fluids to get the fire going inside.

[MuddyWaters]

I hike 10-15 miles without drinking or eating now and then. But Im carrying food and water at the time. I just choose not to stop and break. Im usually goal set on reaching someplace by a certain time

If I drink a liter before starting on a cool morning, after drinking 1-2L with dinner night before, I may not drink for 10 miles. On warm mornings with predawn start Ive always got 5 miles or so knocked out before bkfast.

[Puddlefish]

Thats funny! But I never got dizzy, fell down or had constipation. I just always load up on food and fluid big time before my hike for the day. This actually has the advantage of starting you out slow while your body is processing all the food and liquids you just consumed.

I like hearing people on WB say they skip breakfast or dont eat until they do 5-10 miles. Yeeesh! To each is own I guess. I need to eat a breakfast every day with some hot fluids to get the fire going inside.

Want to risk dehydration, go nuts. Do you imagine you'll have the same level of starting rest, hydration and nutrition level on a thru hike as you have starting from home?

[rafe]

Dehydration is bad for you. Among other things it can lead to kidney stones -- no fun.

[denimlabels]

Of course not. Im not advocating not eating or drinking while hiking. I always carry water and a bag of trail mix or something but never seem to even want it.

But then again, Ive never done a thru hike so thats why I am asking. Im not sure if its a good thing, (loading up on food and drink early) or a bad thing (not stopping to take food and water breaks). I guess if I ate a lot of salty foods I would need to drink a lot of water more often.

[rafe]

Hydration system (bladder, hose, bite valve) lets you keep hydrated without stopping. Just sayin'.

[denimlabels]

Over the course of a usual 10-15 miles I take pee breaks so Im not dehydrated. This goes for hiking when its in the 80s or most recently when it was like 10 degrees at the same distance.

[Puddlefish]

Of course not. Im not advocating not eating or drinking while hiking. I always carry water and a bag of trail mix or something but never seem to even want it.

But then again, Ive never done a thru hike so thats why I am asking. Im not sure if its a good thing, (loading up on food and drink early) or a bad thing (not stopping to take food and water breaks). I guess if I ate a lot of salty foods I would need to drink a lot of water more often.

For my day hikes, even over 10 miles, I rarely get overly hungry, that's probably fairly normal considering I'm starting off well nourished and plump. Thirst on the other hand is one of those things that it's safest to keep ahead of the curve. By the time you start feeling thirsty, your body is already suffering and it can be hard to catch up.

[rafe]

Of course not. Im not advocating not eating or drinking while hiking. I always carry water and a bag of trail mix or something but never seem to even want it.

But then again, Ive never done a thru hike so thats why I am asking. Im not sure if its a good thing, (loading up on food and drink early) or a bad thing (not stopping to take food and water breaks). I guess if I ate a lot of salty foods I would need to drink a lot of water more often.

Opinion is divided on hot breakfast or not, and whether it happens first thing, at camp, or up the trail a ways. Usually hikers just graze or nosh during the day as the mood strikes. Might or might not take a proper lunch (a long break.) Even that is optional and mostly just opportunistic. I find I need a five or ten minute breather (with a bit a nosh, maybe) every ninety minutes or so. If the weather's great, and especially if there's a pleasant spot with a view or something, a long lunch break is not out of the question.

Ironically where I'm likely to power on through for long periods is when the weather sucks, since there's no incentive to slow down for views, and lots of incentive to get to the next shelter, or to camp.

What you haven't experienced yet is where you're struggling to maintain enough caloric intake to sustain your fifteen miles per day, day after day, week after week, etc. Hang out in Maine and spot the thru hikers as they're finishing. A lot of them are gaunt and haggard at that point.

[Slo-go'en]

You got fat to burn and water weight to loose so you can get away with that, at least in the short term. How long have these training hikes been? Day hikes or a few days at most? If so, that's not long enough to build up an appetite.

Once you loose 60 pounds you'll have to stop to drink, eat and rest a bit more often.

[greensleep]

When I started training last summer I would load up on tea & water, then eat a banana and granola and just go out and hike from start to finish. No further stops for drinks, snacks or resting, unless I had to take a wiz or adjust shoes or trekking poles.

I feel a great relief when I am done and stop to sit down. I feel tired but nothing out of the ordinary. I just have a few swigs of water and move on. My recovery time seems fairly quick within 4 to 5 hours or so.

Ive gotten used to hiking this way. I dont want to stop for anything. If my body starts to hurt or feel pain I just jack the pace down for a quarter mile or more if I have to. Am I addicted to the rush of endorphin? Is training like this just creating bad habits on the trail that will lead to injury in the end?

Keep in mind I am 6 foot and weight 255 lbs.

My goal is to do 15 miles or more per day.

I'm 6'1" and weigh 260 lbs.. Currently on a daily hiking regimen and slowly adding speed and elevation to my hikes; will begin to carry a 38lb pack within a couple of months during my daily routine. This, along with light weight lifting is my way to get to a reasonable healthy weight of 200 lbs or less by the time I attempt my thruhike in 2017. At 6' and 250lbs, you must either be a body builder or are significantly overweight like myself. I know that at my present weight, I need more hydration to replenish my overtaxed muscle and cardiovascular systems than healthy folks. Doing a 15 mile day without frequent watering can lead to more easily strained/torn muscle, cardiovascular stress, kidney issues down the line, less clarity of thought, and needless discomfort. The extra weight of a litre or 2 of water isn't much to carry to avoid potential problems.

[denimlabels]

Im never struggling for calories. Hek I am 60 lbs overweight probably. Maybe thats why I never feel like stopping to eat. I dont really know. There's a name for it when your body switches from burning food to burning body fat. Catosis or something like that. I guess if you are a skinny stick you need to eat every five minutes but if you have a body type like Santa Clause maybe thats the reason for not wanting to eat at all. As much exercising as I have been doing I lost 35lbs over the last year and then its just stopped for months now.

[StubbleJumper]

I use approximately one litre of water every five miles when hiking during the summer. I don't like to be "short" three litres as it's an unpleasant feeling to be that dehydrated, so I would not envision hiking 15 miles without water. I can go without food easily enough, but even at that, I find that it helps to put a bit of gas in the tank every few hours.

[Puddlefish]

Anaerobic is the word you're thinking of. Peaking or leveling at a weight is common. One theory, that's worked for me, is apparently a thing among Olympic athletes now. Work hard for three weeks, and take a week off. Yep, a week off every month. Then when you come back and train, you're able to train a bit harder than you did before.

Warning: This method may have contributed to my foot injury, which then caused me to take five weeks off so far, and has resulted in gaining five pounds. Everything in moderation, it's supposed to be fun after all.

Edit: quoted the wrong person.

[rafe]

Ketosis is when you're "burning off" body fat.

[denimlabels]

Ive been off of my day hikes for a couple weeks now because my big toenail turned black and thought it was gonna fall off. its getting better now.

[Puddlefish]

Ketosis is when you're "burning off" body fat.


Thanks, I was just a bit off!

[Water Rat]

It's a known fact that (most) people can last a whole lot longer without food, than they can without water. I can understand day hikes without wanting to eat. That would definitely change on a thru hike.

However, it is a lot harder on your body to not drink water. If you are planning any multi-day hikes, I would seriously rethink the not drinking all day method you say you have going on - Even if you don't feel like drinking.

By the time a person is thirsty, they are already becoming dehydrated. Water helps every system in our body, and is what keeps us going. People lose roughly 4 cups of water per hour of exercise (depending on weight, how much you perspire, etc). The more you sweat the more fluids you lose via perspiration (roughly 1-2 quarts per hour fluid per hour through perspiration for a moderate workout in a milder climate).

It is a lot easier on the body if you consistently take in water during your hike. It helps to decrease fatigue, the chances of muscle cramps, chance of heat stroke… It can also help you to avoid constipation, kidney stones, bladder infections, skin breakdown (which can lead to blister issues or infections setting in). Becoming dehydrated on the trail is something that can become a very serious issue, very fast. So much easier just to stay hydrated.

[kayak karl]

dehydration can cause problems with nails...just saying :-?

[shelb]

Im never struggling for calories. Hek I am 60 lbs overweight ....

Congratulations on your weight loss!!!

Personally, I have lost over 60 pounds in the years I have been backpacking! I still wish to lose a few more!!!

Regarding water and food intake, each person needs to do what is best for him; however, since I have been working with a nutritionalist (spelling) and exercise person for the past year and a half, I can give you their professional opinion:
- - When exercising (YES, that includes backpacking!), drink 4-6 liters of water
---- Food: Eat every 2-3 hours. Preferable foods: go heavy on protein first (nuts, jerky) and carbs second (raisins, etc.)

EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT HUNGRY or THIRSTY: drink and eat!

[Malto]

Let's separate the discussion between food and water. You should watch your water intake but generally your body is more capable of dealing with a lack of water then most people fear. This is also very weather dependent.

Food on the other hand is different. There is some to be said about pushing your body to the wall. You will train your body to burn fat. but even that has its limits but 5 hours at your mileage isn't coming close. I used to do 20 mile training runs with neither food or water and I'm still ticking.

ok, time to hear the chorus of dehydration fear mongers.

[MuddyWaters]

ok, time to hear the chorus of dehydration fear mongers.

I ran 10 miles one evening last week.....get this.....without water. Didnt even camel up beforehand...And I not no gifted runner type.

Course it was 50 F, that helps.

[Deadeye]

If you like to hike all day without food or drink, why give a hoot about what any of us think? If that's your way, do it your way.

[colorado_rob]

Let's separate the discussion between food and water. You should watch your water intake but generally your body is more capable of dealing with a lack of water then most people fear. This is also very weather dependent.

Food on the other hand is different. There is some to be said about pushing your body to the wall. You will train your body to burn fat. but even that has its limits but 5 hours at your mileage isn't coming close. I used to do 20 mile training runs with neither food or water and I'm still ticking.

ok, time to hear the chorus of dehydration fear mongers.You won't hear it from me, sorry, as I agree with all you said. People these days seem to way overhydrate. We call them "hydration Nazis".

A rather large group of us, coincidently, went on a 15 mile after-work walk last Thursday, flat, soft surface terrain, cool evening air (50's). We held a 3.5 MPH pace, took 4+ hours. We start and end at a bar. I drank nothing and ate a few jelly beans during the walk. Back at the bar I had a 1-litre Fat Tire and a big fat juicy burger. Talk about a delicious recovery meal! I firmly believe in the benefits of "deprivation training". We do this once a week, ramping up our mileage to about 21-22 miles a month from now getting ready for our Rite of Spring Grand Canyon trek. Good times!

[MuddyWaters]

Seriously, today when expecting to be participating in an outdoor activity in hot weather, the tell people to start hydrating......days.....in advance. And the people may only be working under a tent selling tickets or drinks.

So I agree with a little overkill going on.

At same time, a friend of mine had to be hospitalized after passing out working a hot stadium concession stand at college football game. He was 65. The other 60 people were fine.

Not everyone is the same, obviously.

[shelb]

I ran 10 miles one evening last week.....get this.....without water. Didnt even camel up beforehand...And I not no gifted runner type.
Course it was 50 F, that helps.

You just brought up two important points... You completed the milage without water in a short time, and the temperature was low...

If the OP takes 6-12 hours to hike, he will need to drink more water than someone who hikes 4 hours.
If the OP is hiking in 50 degree weather, he will have to drink Significantly less water than if he were hiking in 90 degree heat!

Yes, there are many variables with regards to hydration!

[SkeeterPee]

What kind of hikes are these training hikes and are you wearing your 30 +/- lb pack? I average bout 2 miles/hours backpacking in easy conditions. So you are talking about 5-7.5 hours for a 10-15 mile hike. in 80f, I could not imagine comfortably going 5-7.5 hours without water while hiking. The other thing is if you are backpacking you have to consider where your water sources are located. Drinking regularly and refilling at streams would likely work better than not drinking all day. You may not want to camp right by water some times.

[MuddyWaters]

J
You just brought up two important points... You completed the milage without water in a short time, and the temperature was low...

If the OP takes 6-12 hours to hike, he will need to drink more water than someone who hikes 4 hours.
If the OP is hiking in 50 degree weather, he will have to drink Significantly less water than if he were hiking in 90 degree heat!

Yes, there are many variables with regards to hydration!

Of course.
But it only take 5 hrs to hike 10 miles.
When I do that Im usually starting ~5am on cool morning, and hit that by 10 or so. Nothing to it.
And, usually carrying water anyway.

If its really hot and strenuous,
I can drink 1L per mile

I recall a mostly downhill hike into town one morning, only 9 miles. Started with normal ~2L. Took 2hr 45 min. Needless to day, didnt break stride or even consider pausing to drink

[jj dont play]

I used to run a lot. Typical training was 60-70 miles a week. Many 10-15 mile runs, rarely drank or ate anything during, rarely felt the need. And morning runs were on a completely empty stomach. The key is to fuel up properly before and after. Although I think in a thru hike setting you may not feel the need at the beginning but that could change after some time.
Listen to your body, if your hungry eat, thirsty then drink.

[Gambit McCrae]

I usually hike throughout most of the day without taking breaks for food. Maybe a snickers for lunch at the most. But I have learned to drink up all my water at water sources and refill. Running out is not fun. I take my water 100% more serious then food. I can run out of food and be ok, water I have to have.

[kimbur96]

There is no one size fits all answer when it comes to food and hydration. Each of us has a place where our body is comfortable operating and that can vary greatly from one person to the next. I don't think there is any harm in skipping meal before a hike or workout, provided your coming from a normal healthy well fed state. OTOH when you are hiking for days at a time and facing a nutritional deficit, breakfast may be a good idea, or any easy way to help get those extra calories in to help offset the deficit.

Water. There is much discussion favoring both sides. Both dehydration and over hydration pose health issues. The best answer is to keep yourself somewhere in the middle. How hard you are working and for how long plays a part as does temperature and humidity. I'm guessing our own personal experience plays into which side we tend to lean too. I live in FL where it is hot and humid and hydration is key. I used to run and was volunteering at an aide station during a 50K in April of last year. It was abnormally hot for that time of year and people got behind in there hydration, despite feeling like they were drinking enough. Long story short, I sent 2 to the hospital with heat related illness/dehydration issues. So I am on the stay well hydrated and take electrolytes side of the fence. YMMV.

[Otter Boy]

As someone who is still young and not overweight, I need to drink water every 20-30 minutes of hiking. I end up drinking around 4-5 liters a day. I wouldn't restrict water when you are hiking just because you can, or because it's easier. If you are going to be hiking and don't want to stop, use a hydration pack or a handy water bottle on your side. It's not that difficult to drink water and keep moving.

[DavidNH]

I don't understand why you or anyone else would want to hike 10 + miles without stopping but that's just me. I will just say that attempting to hike so far without drinking any water is stupid and potentially dangerous. You NEED water.. everyone does. you will hike better and stronger if your body is hydrated.

[cbr6fs]

My advice for fellow members is if you come across a post from someone that advocating the idea to "camel up" don't bother reading the rest of the post, just skip to the next post as IMO the poster has zero credibility after that.

Only thing worse would be someone seriously putting forward "deprivation training" as a viable idea.


In my experience these type of posters are more interested in putting forward some sort of macho image to steady their insecurities rather than basing themselves in reality.



Simple fact is we are humans NOT camels if you are well hydrated then you cannot "camel up"

If you are even slightly dehydrated then drinking vast quantities of water quickly is the exact opposite of what you want to do.


To make matters worse there is absolutely NO real world gain to be made if you "camel up" even IF it worked.
At best you are risking dehydration and it's associated problems like kidney stones, DVT etc.
In cold weather it has been shown there is a direct correlation between dehydration and the onset of hypothermia.

As most know if you allow yourself to get dehydrated you are dramatically reducing your bodies ability to repair itself and to recover, it has a noticeable negative effect on performance both mentally and physically throughout the day as well.

All these pretty serious risks for absolutely no gain what-so-ever.


For food as long as you are not diabetic, not eating for 5 hours while carrying out low energy activities like walking is not going to be a problem.
I wouldn't recommend doing it on a regular basis though.

For hydration and eating my goal is a little and often.
Don't tend to have a problem keeping hydrated as my mouth tends to feel dry, i do struggle eating though as i just don't tend to have much of a appetite when hiking/running/MTBing

[garlic08]

A simple rule in my life: After two hours of rigorous hiking, it's time for a break.

[heatherfeather]

When hiking, I drink when I'm thirsty and eat when I'm hungry or feeling my energy levels flagging. I don't think it particularly hurts to go relatively short stints without, as long as you are relatively in tune with your own body and its signals.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BonBon]

I understand what you do- I also don't take a lot of breaks. But I learned on the AT that going up and down those hills with a lot of weight is VERY different than training hikes- especially day after day after day. I did develop a routine of sorts and fueled my body regularly during the day. I didn't lose any time because I hiked stronger than I would have if I just powered through, and I didn't bonk like I did when I pushed through. And..I enjoyed the hike a lot more. Sitting alone in the woods, staring up at the trees, eating that snickers bar..I sure do miss it. The AT is your teacher and you are the student. Your teacher believes in spankings. You will def. get one if you don't take care of the fuel.

[Uncle Joe]

I have a friend who's diabetic who does something similar. He will load up before he ride his bike and typically not take a lot of water. He said he's been under hydrated for years.

[nsherry61]

First: You can always carry food and water in a way that you don't have to stop to eat and drink, so there is no problem going non-stop AND straying fed and hydrated.
Second: Your endorphin high is tied to your output intensity and duration, not your starvation and dehydration. So can get your endorphin high while still eating and staying hydrated
Third: We can argue all day about the merits and dangers of your patterns of eating . . . oh, that's being done well in this treat above.
Finally: There is extensive literature on feeding and hydrating for endurance athletics and that is exactly what you are asking about here. There is no doubt you can survive doing what you are doing, and maybe without any measurable ill effects.

BUT, over time, you will find that steady nutrition and hydration throughout your event (day of hiking) will allow you to go further and faster with better recovery for another hike the next day. AND, if you can go further and harder over the day of hiking, your endorphin high will probably be even better.

Have fun.

[lonehiker]

Do what works for you. Adjust accordingly as your hike progresses.

[Christoph]

This sounds familiar. I 'd get up in the morning and pretty much be the 1st on trail without eating a hot breakfast most days. I'd go until I got hungry or thirsty, then either eat/drink on the run or make a quick meal, then get going again. I'm 6'2 and weighed in at 230 when I started. I actually made it 750 miles, just north of Daleville/Troutville area, then I got off trail. I lost 46 pounds in 43 days. I was hiking 15-20 and some times more, right from the start. Gotta figure, that's 10-12 hours of a constant workout/elevated heart beat. I felt good... until I looked in the mirror and reality set in. For me (I say this because everyone is different), when I attempt my 2nd thru, I'll strive to eat a breakfast, lunch, and dinner and slow down a bit. I always drank plenty of water though and overall I'd say I felt great! What an accomplishment at the end of the day. But the 2nd attempt, I'll used what I learned. Everyone is different though so keep an eye on yourself and if you need rest, don't be afraid to take a break and restock the body. All of this was my downfall.

[evyck da fleet]

If you will have eaten and drank the same amount whether you camel-ed up at the start, ate throughout the hike or waited until you stopped for the day the only thing you have done by depriving yourself throughout the hike is to increase the time it will take you to recover. That seems like the opposite of what you want to do if you are repeating an activity day after day after day....

The body needs water to work most efficiently and to burn fat. Maybe you're an exception and it works for you for now but maybe a different action will work better.