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View Full Version : Can a slow guy and a fast guy hike together?



KevinAce
04-24-2008, 15:50
I have been looking around here, trails.com and a few other sites trying to find something to accommodate me and my friends. They're both in great shape and can do a lot more miles than I can. I've tried to keep up in the past but have turned each of my two hikes into miserable experiences. I've learned one huge lesson: only do as much as I can handle. I'm going to be very conservative on my next hike so I can actually enjoy it.

I am looking for recommendations within 100 miles (a little further is ok) of Dayton OH. Are there any two day hikes available that'd let me go 5-8 miles each day but allow my buddies to do 10-15 each day? Ideally, I'd like for us all to hike to our campsite together. Once there, I can setup and take it easy and those two lunatics can go packless for some extra miles.

My main question is: do these types of trails exist? Are there trails out there that allow hikers to setup a "base camp" of sorts, then go explore side trails as much as they'd please?

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. On a side note, is the trails.com membership worthwhile? It seems to have a lot of info - I am thinking about signing up.

1azarus
04-24-2008, 16:05
It takes some organization, but I do it all the time. Use everyone's cars. Have them drop you off at some trail crossing 8 miles from a shelter or camp site. Have your buddies drive another 8 or 10 miles to another trail crossing even farther away and leave one car there. If you go slowly enough, and they're fast enough, they may overtake you and you may even get to hike the last mile together -- when they are tired and more sociable!!! The following day, have another car placed so you can cheat 7 or 8 miles by driving from one trail crossing to another, while they keep on walking. Occasionally relocate cars. If you enjoy the planning as much as the hiking, you can figure it out. Clearly, this works best in areas with more trail crossings... and everyone can be happy. Secondary gain is that you have lots of resupply opportunities at the cars!

good luck! I hope this works for you.

Ender
04-24-2008, 16:11
Yes, but the fast guy always thinks he's very far ahead, takes a nap, and ends up losing after the slow guys passes him.

It can be done. If you want to hike together during the day, the slow guy goes first. If you just want to camp together at nights, the fast guy goes first.

SGT Rock
04-24-2008, 16:35
I have been looking around here, trails.com and a few other sites trying to find something to accommodate me and my friends. They're both in great shape and can do a lot more miles than I can. I've tried to keep up in the past but have turned each of my two hikes into miserable experiences. I've learned one huge lesson: only do as much as I can handle. I'm going to be very conservative on my next hike so I can actually enjoy it.

I am looking for recommendations within 100 miles (a little further is ok) of Dayton OH. Are there any two day hikes available that'd let me go 5-8 miles each day but allow my buddies to do 10-15 each day? Ideally, I'd like for us all to hike to our campsite together. Once there, I can setup and take it easy and those two lunatics can go packless for some extra miles.

My main question is: do these types of trails exist? Are there trails out there that allow hikers to setup a "base camp" of sorts, then go explore side trails as much as they'd please?

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. On a side note, is the trails.com membership worthwhile? It seems to have a lot of info - I am thinking about signing up.Camp out in the Slickrock Wilderness. There are lots of trails. You could base camp and do different hikes based on speed, ability, and interest. So while Speed Racer may want to get up to Bob Stratton Bald and back - pokey may want to just hit some waterfalls in the bottom land and go back to camp.

kolokolo
04-24-2008, 16:42
I would check out Zaleski State Forest near Athens. There is a backpacking trail that is made up of a series of connected loops, totaling 23.5 miles. I think that you could work out a 10-15 mile route for your friends that ends up at the same place as your shorter hike. It's a nice trail, too, with campsites for backpackers.

See http://ohiodnr.com/forests/zaleski/tabid/5171/Default.aspx
There is also a map available at this site that shows the trails and lists distances.

I hiked the entire trail last summer over 2.5 days. It was a lot of fun.

Good luck.

Peaks
04-24-2008, 17:05
Well, I see two questions here.

First, can two people that have different paces hike together? And the answer is yes, provided that the faster hiker is willing to be accomodating. This really happens a lot in groups. Groups shouldn't go any faster than the slowest hiker.

Second, where can you base camp for a while and hike the surrounding area. Many good choices. Some have already been mentioned. One of my favorites is the High Peaks of the Adirondacks.

KevinAce
04-24-2008, 17:08
Thanks for all of the feedback. I will check out Slickrock Wilderness SGT Rock. Your name sounds familiar. I believe a fella named Tabasco mentioned you (also saw a log entry in the book I think) when we ran into him at the Thomas Knob shelter on the AT near Damascus.

UHfox I did Zaleski a few weeks ago with them. I tried to do the whole 22.5 and had to bail early (ended up doing ~18.5). The 12.5 the first day to the NE camp kicked my ass. There are definitely a few other options there that could accommodate us - I'm just looking for some place new.

KevinAce
04-24-2008, 17:10
I checked out a few of the places you guys mentioned and they're a bit too far for us. We're just looking to do a 2-3 day weekend hike. My friend's school/work schedules conflict with anything longer (so we can't drive 6-12 hours to get somewhere).

Anybody have any feedback on trials.com as mentioned in my original post? It seems like that may be a great resource for me to research surrounding trails.

Footslogger
04-24-2008, 18:19
Depends in part on how big of a difference we're talking between "slow" and "fast" but regardless you'd have to have a clear understanding up front regarding pace and logistics.

My wife tends to hike slower than I. Years ago we agreed, rather than interfere with each others hiking style, to hike at our own paces. When I, normally being in front, come to a fork in the trail or a road crossing I stop and wait for her to catch up. We generally take a break at those locations and then resume our hiking.

'Slogger

mudhead
04-24-2008, 18:35
Remember, your range will increase over time. Keep moving, at a happy pace.

boarstone
04-24-2008, 19:26
Remember, your range will increase over time. Keep moving, at a happy pace.


A happy pace makes a happy face!......:)

saimyoji
04-24-2008, 21:20
Check out some of the state parks in PA. World's End, Rickets Glenn both have great camping with miles and miles of trails. The mid-state trail is a good choice, as is the Loyalsock, lots of loops and you can plan your hikes to meet back at base camp.

Kerosene
04-24-2008, 21:53
On a linear trail like the AT, it's not all about speed, but about total miles over a day. Hikerhead (aka, Hokey Pokey) typically gets out of camp before me, I usually catch him in the first hour (especially if it's an uphill trail), but he always meets me at camp at the end of the day (or perhaps a little after the end of the day!). The guy's a mule...slow and deliberate on the uphill sections but he can walk all day and into the evening. I like to walk at a brisk clip, but I also like company at nice viewpoints, sometimes for lunch, and at camp.

For example, I covered the 18.3 miles from Blue Mountain Shelter to Dick's Creek Gap in 9 hours after we both started at 7 am. Hokey Pokey hit the highway 5 hours later in the dark, but he made it and put in another 15 miles the next day. Climbing out of Crawford Notch in the Whites, he started an hour before me. On the steep Webster Cliffs Trail, I caught him an hour later as I tend to power up the uphills while he stops about every 5 steps.

Different hiking styles and paces, but we had fun!

steve43
05-03-2008, 07:32
another trail you may want to check out is the shawnee trail near portsmouth, ohio. the main trail is a 40 mile loop (m/l), but there are other trails to make the hike shorter, and still wind up where you started. your fast hiking friends could do the big loop while you do a smaller one. as i recall there are 7 or 8 designated campsites and each has a good water source (some are closer than others). the view from #5 campsite is so spectacular you'll have a hard time believing you're still in ohio. after i do my section hike on the AT in june, i'm planning to hike the shawnee in july. imo the shawnee trail offers some of the best hiking in ohio. fifo

KevinAce
05-03-2008, 13:34
Great recommendation Steve. I also love the map they have on the site:

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Portals/18/forests/pdf/Shawnee%20Backpack%20Broch_2.pdf

The topo with mile markers from point to point is very helpful.