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Sierra98
06-21-2006, 23:05
I posted this thread in the straight forward section but I wanted to get some hiking pace answers form the women. If one were to hike 8-10 miles/day, how do you pace yourself? Any advice on techniques for ascending and descending? How do you keep yourself from giving up or giving in to the strenuous task of hiking the trail? Seasoned hikers, do find yourself always playing catch-up with the guys or do you not let their pace affect yours? What has worked for you especially when you first started backpakcing?

gsingjane
06-22-2006, 07:22
Good morning Sierra and welcome to backpacking! Here is one woman hiker's response to your questions:

If one were to hike 8-10 miles/day, how do you pace yourself?

How quickly you move along depends greatly on the terrain, your physical condition, and the weather. If you're on level ground without many ups and downs or obstacles, you're in good shape, and the weather is in the 50's or 60's, you'll make greatly better time than if you're hauling up and down huge hills or over boulders, you're not in as good of shape as you could be, and it's in the 80's or 90's and humid. All that said, when we plan a backpack trip, we plan on covering about 2 mph, which includes 5-10 minutes per hour to stop and have a drink or snack, filter water, take pictures, etc. My pack usually weighs 30-35 lbs. including food and water.

Any advice on techniques for ascending and descending?

On ascending, you will soon learn about the "rest step." I can't explain it well here, but basically what it involves is resting your weight on your uphill leg briefly (to take the weight off your downhill leg), and then repeating. On the uphills, try to maintain a pace from the bottom that you think you'll be able to do all the way up (even if that seems slow at the start). This is much preferable to charging off and getting winded half-way up.

On downhills (which I dislike more than uphills), one issue is overbalancing with your pack. This is one reason I ultimately went to trekking poles, to help support my weight coming down. But you will find that in some ways downhills can be harder on your legs, especially your quads and knees, than uphills! Just take it slowly and watch your footing.

How do you keep yourself from giving up or giving in to the strenuous task of hiking the trail?

If I am in shape before I go, I find that thoughts of giving up enter my mind much less frequently. If you are going out for section or practice hikes before you thru-hike, remember that a few days or a week is not enough time to "hike yourself into shape." I would recommend the following good, practical steps to help minimize feelings of desperation or of being overwhelmed:

1. Achieve an appropriate bodyweight for your frame. Every pound you take off your body equates to that much less weight to have to drag up hills or along the trail. (Believe me or don't believe me, that's okay, I know dieting is a major pain, but I've backpacked weighing 25 lbs. more than I do now, and I am NEVER going back to the fat suit for backpacking. Never.)

2. As a woman, you may not necessarily have a lot of upper body or core strength. I do free weights for upper body and core work three times a week and have found it has made a huge difference in my ability to carry a heavier load and to control my body. Plus I truly like the fact that now I can wear a sleeveless top and not worry about the way my upper arms look.

3. Others disagree, but I also think cardio work is important (it is anyway, for general fitness). Any kind of sustained aerobic exercise (running, jogging, brisk walking, swimming, biking, cardio machines) will prepare your cardiovascular system for the demands of a strenuous activity like backpacking.

Further on the issue of giving up, it is very good for your mental attitude to make sure you have enough to eat and drink as you go through your hike. Even though it's good not to overeat generally, while you're on the trail your caloric needs will increase greatly and that is not the time to deprive yourself. I like to bring special things to eat that I don't usually get at home, to have something to look forward to. Other than that, realize that you will have hard moments and the only "cure" is to get through them. Some people have a mantra or saying they repeat to themselves, such as "no pain, no rain, no Maine" or "whatever does not kill me, makes me stronger," or "when the going gets tough..." You'll figure out what works for you.

Seasoned hikers, do find yourself always playing catch-up with the guys or do you not let their pace affect yours?

I hike with my pre-teen and teenage children and I don't really care how fast anybody else is going. Sometimes they rocket out there and sometimes it is me pulling them along. As long as we don't get separated by more than an hour, I'm okay with it. Some male hikers do seem to get more into the macho exercise of being a mile monster (of course, many don't) and as we used to say in the '60's, that's their trip. I never worry about it.

What has worked for you especially when you first started backpakcing?

I did a lot of reading, both in books and on the internet, about technical details and ideas. Remember that it isn't just the hiking part, it's also all about the gear and how to camp and all that good stuff. But then what really worked was just gritting my teeth, facing my anxieties, and getting out there. I was almost hyperventilating the first time I set off for a multi-day trip (and I still get the jitters before any major trip), but after 1/2 hour on the trail, I felt right at home. And so will you!

Jane in CT

p.s. Also remember that the people you meet in the real-world backpacking community will be different than those in the cyber-backpacking community. I find the trail to be a kinder, gentler place than most bp'ing websites (no offense to the great guys who run this site)... people just won't be as outspoken or extreme when you meet them on the trail.

baseballswthrt
06-22-2006, 07:54
I posted this thread in the straight forward section but I wanted to get some hiking pace answers form the women. If one were to hike 8-10 miles/day, how do you pace yourself? Any advice on techniques for ascending and descending? How do you keep yourself from giving up or giving in to the strenuous task of hiking the trail? Seasoned hikers, do find yourself always playing catch-up with the guys or do you not let their pace affect yours? What has worked for you especially when you first started backpakcing?

8-10 miles/day is totally doable. When I first started backpacking I was coming off of a year of chemotherapy and was incredibly weak. I had been laying around for a year and had no muscles and became short of breath withing 200 ft! My husband was still in the Navy and in incredible shape. We started out very slowly. He found my slow pace was harder on him to stay with so he would hike until he was just about out of sight and stop and wait for me to catch up. We did this all day every time we hiked! When I would catch up with him, I would have to sit for 5-10 minutes. We would do about 8 miles/day back then.
I read a lot on the internet about hiking (mostly whiteblaze and trail journals) and decided to get hiking poles. I use(d) them to help pull me up the uphills and support me me on the downhills. At first I was embarrassed that EVERYONE that came by passed me at what seemed to be a dead run! Eventually, I came to realize that some people are in better shape than others and some hike faster than others and that I was enjoying my hike at my pace!
The main thing that kept me going most of the time was that Kevin really really wanted to hike with me and was super patient with me. Having a support partner was a big help for me.
Now I am in better shape, but we still hike relatively slowly. We take at least one break an hour to eat gorp and smoke. We still manage to do at least 10 miles per day. I hike much faster than I did at the beginning, but we make camp by dinner time. Sometimes we are making camp by mid afternoon because the next camping spot or shelter would be too far for us to go at this time.
I wouldn't worry about playing catch up with the guys! Most of the girls hike at the same pace as the guys and guess what!? They are all at the shelter at the end of the day anyway. They may have gotten there earlier than you or hiked to the next shelter, but there is usually someone else at the shelter too.
Hike your own hike and enjoy the experience! There is plenty of fellowship on the trail and your pace will pick up as you get your hiking legs. We only section hike and we easily do 10 miles a day now. You will be fine!

Sierra98
06-22-2006, 18:38
8-10 miles/day is totally doable. When I first started backpacking I was coming off of a year of chemotherapy and was incredibly weak. I had been laying around for a year and had no muscles and became short of breath withing 200 ft! My husband was still in the Navy and in incredible shape. We started out very slowly. He found my slow pace was harder on him to stay with so he would hike until he was just about out of sight and stop and wait for me to catch up. We did this all day every time we hiked! When I would catch up with him, I would have to sit for 5-10 minutes. We would do about 8 miles/day back then.
I read a lot on the internet about hiking (mostly whiteblaze and trail journals) and decided to get hiking poles. I use(d) them to help pull me up the uphills and support me me on the downhills. At first I was embarrassed that EVERYONE that came by passed me at what seemed to be a dead run! Eventually, I came to realize that some people are in better shape than others and some hike faster than others and that I was enjoying my hike at my pace!
The main thing that kept me going most of the time was that Kevin really really wanted to hike with me and was super patient with me. Having a support partner was a big help for me.
Now I am in better shape, but we still hike relatively slowly. We take at least one break an hour to eat gorp and smoke. We still manage to do at least 10 miles per day. I hike much faster than I did at the beginning, but we make camp by dinner time. Sometimes we are making camp by mid afternoon because the next camping spot or shelter would be too far for us to go at this time.
I wouldn't worry about playing catch up with the guys! Most of the girls hike at the same pace as the guys and guess what!? They are all at the shelter at the end of the day anyway. They may have gotten there earlier than you or hiked to the next shelter, but there is usually someone else at the shelter too.
Hike your own hike and enjoy the experience! There is plenty of fellowship on the trail and your pace will pick up as you get your hiking legs. We only section hike and we easily do 10 miles a day now. You will be fine![Thank you for the sound advice. ]

HapKiDo
06-24-2006, 20:26
:)
A mile on the AT is not like any other mile on the AT.

Or ANY trail for that matter.

I'm the spokeswoman for a new and unorthodox method of hiking. It's not by the mile. It's by the hour.

Rather than say "should I hike 8 to 10 miles a day" I suggest you consider how long you want to hike in a day. Let's say you decide (as my hiking partner and I) to start out hiking 6 to 7 hours a day and increasing the time by half to one hour each week. A person has to be knowledgeable of the terrain and where the water and camping sites are, of course. We also plan to divide the time up with a cooked meal, boots off, and siesta in the 'middle' of the day to allow our bodies time to recuperate. Supper will probably not be cooked (we do like our hot drinks though), and full of carbs, fats and protein so our bodies can recuperate while we sleep, too.

This idea is new and it's unorthodox, but I think what we'll prove is that our bodies will be healthier when we complete our Thru Hikes than many other hikers who tried to put out "big mileage days" when the terrain and elevation gain/loss was prohibitive. How many times have you read or heard about hikers taking a day or two off to recuperate after "big mileage days?" How many times have hikers gotten off the trail because of injuries incurred while hiking those "big mileage days?" Every day spent in a town recuperating is an expen$ive day. By pacing ourselves and hiking by hours, I believe we'll be successful and I hope many others will consider joining us in this unorthodox way to hike.

HapKiDo