View Full Version : Slow Hiker Society
Hello...my name is firefly...and I am a slow hiker...a REALLY SLOW hiker. I could blame it on my bad knees and bad back but the real truth is I just hike slow.. When I was in my twenties and in great shape I hiked slow. My heart sings when I walk in the woods...it is my special time..and I do not want to rush....I do not want to be herded...I do not want people to repeatedly offer to carry my load so I can speed up. Because of this I sometimes hike alone BUT am careful to do this on very safe very social trails...I file a "flight plan" with a trusted friend..they know where I am hiking..parking..camping ect..they know when I am going and coming back...I hike where there is cellphone coverage and check in when I hit the trail and check out when I am off the trail. I DO NOT use the cellphone on the trail unless it is an emergency. When I hike with groups I carefully consider the agenda. I do not want to force anyone hike slowly for me...I do not want to force people to wait around at the end of the hike for me...I will go on group hikes that have a "destination ending" a campsite or a hike in lodge where I have plenty of time to come in later than the group. I also use the "reverse loop" option. On a weekend hike most the people I know want their high millege on saturday and want a quick exit on sunday. I can drop the speedy people off at the begginning of the trail and then take the car around to the trails end. I hike in from there until I run into them. The next morning we have a quick hike out to the car and no lost shuttle time. This works great...the speedy hikers get to crank it out and I get to cruise...and there are lots of people who want to go hiking with us. I shared this here because being a slow hiker comes up in this forum alot...and I am a female
I am a slow hiker as well :) I am learning to not let it bother me.
I see youare in the Atlanta area. You should check out www.traildames.com
Anna leads a great group of slow hikers.
i too, and always been a slow hiker and live in the atl area and a female. slow hikers unite!!!!
Jason of the Woods
08-03-2008, 15:42
I am not a woman but I am very slow so it's ok to post here. In my opinion going slow is the only way to hike. You actually see things around you and have time to soak it in. A lot of days I stop after lunch and nap for a good half an hour, just because I can. The only time that I go fast is if a lightning storm is fastly approaching and I am on a ridgeline. That happened a little while back, not fun. But Hey HYOK is the bottom line!
Plodderman
08-03-2008, 17:19
I hike slow and have also hiked twenty miles days and I just enjoy life more at my pace hence the name Plodder
Tipi Walter
08-03-2008, 17:35
Perhaps we should applaud slow hikers as much as we celebrate speed hikers. Testosterone poisoning is probably the main reason for the guys who are into speed hiking, and so in this regard you are probably safe.
Blissful
08-03-2008, 17:54
Goin' slow and easy is a great way to enjoy the woods. :)
But I have always hiked fairly fast, for me anyway. Not that I can do a lot of miles at any one time, but I do like to plod along at a good rate.
kizzybean
08-04-2008, 11:25
I think one of the great things about hiking is you can do it at your own pace. It's your hike and you set your own goals for time and distance. I hike slow and steady. I get there but not as fast as others, but I truly enjoy my time in the woods. I hike for no one else by myself.
"Counting time is not so important as making time count".
Enjoy your hike no matter what the pace.
Kizzy (Pokey Princess)
Just Plain Jim
08-04-2008, 14:20
My buddy hikes fast and I meander along the trail enjoying the sites and sounds and taking pictures.:sun When we meet at the end of the day I'll say did you see this, did you see that? He did'nt see anything except his 2 feet. I don't understand his rush to the end because I've got the keys to the truck.:banana
earlyriser26
08-04-2008, 14:49
I've made the complete circle. I started hiking at 13 would hike shelter to shelter, often as little as 5 -7 miles a day. I loved it! Since then I've moved past the 20+ mile days and am once again doing small miles 8 -10. I love stopping by a stream or a overlook and just sitting for an hour or so. Its the trip, not the destination.
Mrs Baggins
08-04-2008, 14:57
As SHOE well knows, I'm also VERY VERY slow on the ups! :D But let me hit flat ground or the "downs" and get the scent of a shelter on the wind and I take off like a shot!
BumpJumper
08-04-2008, 15:27
If I ever come to N. GA to hike the AT, would you hike with me? I think I am slow, but no one has ever mentioned one way or the other.:D
I think one of the great things about hiking is you can do it at your own pace. It's your hike and you set your own goals for time and distance. I hike slow and steady. I get there but not as fast as others, but I truly enjoy my time in the woods. I hike for no one else by myself.
"Counting time is not so important as making time count".
Enjoy your hike no matter what the pace.
Kizzy (Pokey Princess)
Amen to that
It used to tear at me that I was "slower" than the others in our group. Then another lady joined who I am faster than. Happy day indeed! We hike well together.
I do great at a solid 2 mph. I can hold that for all day if needed. Going uphill sometimes we do 1 mph. I see SO much more now and I get to the end relaxed, not stressed out.
teachergal
08-07-2008, 23:03
Amen sisters! I love hiking, I'd do it every weekend if I could, so one would think that I'd enjoy being part of a hiking club and going out with a group. Nope. I HATE it. Reason, everyone hikes faster than me. Everyone. Easy terrian, hard terrian. I'm also laster than last. I personally don't care, but it completely defeats the whole point of hiking with a group because you don't actually get to hike with anyone and when you do catch up there's the exasperated looks because people have been waiting. Or worse yet the leader send the group ahead and doubles back to find you. If any of you are in the Northern VA/SNP area, IM me....we can try to get together!
Hikerhead
08-07-2008, 23:19
Kerosene wants to join up. He's so slow...he would let everyone pass by then run back to the car and pretend that he got there first by passing everyone somehow. Would he be able to join?
kyhiker1
08-07-2008, 23:30
I used to think that to hike,you had to go fast.Well,especially now that age has creeped into the picture,I tend to go slow and steady.Sometimes I push myself just to see if I can still move along the trail rapidly.I am always noticing more things and seeing nature much differently at a slower pace.:sun
i think im the slowest of all! slow is the way to go!
canoehead
08-08-2008, 19:17
I to am a slow paced hiker, and love it.
WAYSEEKER
08-08-2008, 19:59
Hi, my name is wayseeker, and I am a slow hiker.......
Good to know that others have the same problem as i do !
Firefly, you have a geat attitude.
I have been the slow hiker and the fast hiker. Depends on who I am with. I adjust accordingly. Hike my own pace if I am behind. If I am in front, make sure I don't get too far ahead for my freind who is slower.
I have noticed I am faster later in the day.It is as if I am truly warmed up and in the rhythm.
Gray Blazer
08-08-2008, 23:25
I don't think anyone is slower than me or enjoys being on the AT more than I do.
Odd Thomas
08-09-2008, 06:48
I move slow unless something is chasing me.
The only thing I am fast at is eating and I am damn good at it!
Gray Blazer
08-09-2008, 10:31
The only thing I am fast at is eating and I am damn good at it!
That's me, too!
BumpJumper
08-11-2008, 13:53
Gray,
I noticed that you are even slow at SLEEPING:eek::D
Gray Blazer
08-11-2008, 17:15
Gray,
I noticed that you are even slow at SLEEPING:eek::D
You weren't supposed to tell anyone. ;)
Here's a trio of hikers y'all might enjoy hiking with:
http://www.trailjournals.com/photos.cfm?id=192998
Gray Blazer
08-11-2008, 18:34
My first post on WB was about speed hikers might as well hike the interstate. I was told there was no hope for me, but, here I am. I personally think there is room on the AT for slow hikers and speed hikers. I am the slowest.
adventurousmtnlvr
08-12-2008, 11:05
Glad to know there are others, lol. I always, even when in shape, prefer to 'enjoy' my time in the woods and see all the unusual things, or just to listen to the critters and sounds of the wind in the trees or leaves beneath my feet. So I mostly am 'slow' if you will for that reason. Now days, I nearly have no choice. Full of energy is zero problem; but medical injuries is another story. Glad to see someone began this thread :) Thanks!
BumpJumper
09-09-2008, 15:58
No Gray...I am the slowest.....wanna RACE:D:D:D
Gray Blazer
09-09-2008, 20:14
No Gray...I am the slowest.....wanna RACE:D:D:D
Wrong again.
adventurousmtnlvr
09-09-2008, 20:55
so are the two of you sayin' that if someone on a walker taking a stroll was there, that person would "pass you" ... LOL
Gray Blazer
09-09-2008, 20:59
so are the two of you sayin' that if someone on a walker taking a stroll was there, that person would "pass you" ... LOL
Prolly.....LOL
Alright women, I'm out of your forum. Later.
BumpJumper
09-09-2008, 21:03
Yeah.....take that!:D
Nearly Normal
09-10-2008, 00:33
Hi, my name is wayseeker, and I am a slow hiker.......
Good to know that others have the same problem as i do !
It's not a problem.
fancyfeet
09-10-2008, 01:57
Sorry, but I've got you all beat. When I first started hiking, it took me 23 days to get to Monson (SOBO). No joke! I even took a couple zeros in the 100-mile wilderness. You see, I like camping almost as much as I like hiking.
One of my favorite hiking quotes:
If you're in a hurry, why are you walking?
sweetpeastu
09-10-2008, 10:07
I wanna join the slow hiker society! I'm young and relatively in shape and I hike slowly too. :) Good to know theres more of ya out there.
SOooooo should we plan a slow hiker society trip?
BumpJumper
09-10-2008, 10:48
Fancy, I am with you on that. I love to camp as well. Nothing like stopping whenever you want, pitch the tent, lay back and smell the bear shiot....:D
BumpJumper
09-10-2008, 10:51
I move slow unless something is chasing me.
And isnt it a hikers saying, "I dont have to run fast....I only have to outrun the last hiker!" ??
So Odd....if a bear is chasing me, yes, I can HIKE fast:D
SoulSista
09-22-2008, 06:20
Nuthin wrong with stoppin to smell the roses I say....glad there are others out there like me!! YAY! I don't feel pressed to out hike or outpace anyone..pass me by if you want to....let me enjoy my hike and my day.
I'm not out here to please anyone but ME.
Peace
Soul Sista
Slow is definitely beautiful. Sign me up.
sweetpeastu
09-24-2008, 17:28
uhhhh actually outhiking the last hiker inthe event of a bear attack may be a bad idea. Mr. Bear might think you're running and it WILL nail you. Best to band together, raise your hiking poles and try to act bigger than Mr. Bear. Unless Mr. Bear happens to be a Ms. Bear with cubs.....or if you're out west and it is a grizzly bear....in either event....well nm.
BumpJumper
09-24-2008, 19:23
That sounds like a plan Sweet!
Either way is right. I wont run. I will just stand there and cry like a damn baby!:D
birdygal
09-26-2008, 15:07
I hike slow also, My DH likes to hike fast I just tell him to go ahead without me but he usually just slows down. I hike to see nature not my feet. The only time I will hike fast is if it is getting dark and I am not where I need to be
Now ya'll are my kind of hikers! I like to refer to myself as a "relaxed" hiker. I like to amble along enjoying the sights as I go. I backpack solo so that I can go at my own pace and on my own schedule.
sandykayak
09-30-2008, 18:20
And I call myself a Wimp Walker...overweight, out of shape, and with a two-year-old hip. The Sierra Club (Miami) I used to go with was great, walk for 45 mins, rest for 15...but the spring hike was canceled.
I read umpteen hiking books (No reading "In Beauty May She Walk - enjoyiing it), watch videos, buy gear. Let's just say I'm a fast armchair hiker.
I turned 62 this year and was supposed to retire but due to housing crisis etc...will be putting in another 5 years. My dream is an easy loop hike on the AT...that was my plan for my 60th but had hip replaced...did go to Walasi Yi and had my picture taken and walked in a few hundred feet. It's still on my wish list.
I go to the Miami Chapter of Fl Trail meetings but most of their hikes are really strenuous in the Everglades, or they clash with kayaking trips I have, or I don't want to get up so early in the morning and leave the doggies. But I'm going to make a bigger effort.
berninbush
09-30-2008, 23:53
I'm a slow hiker too. :)
There's more to hiking speed than just whether you stop to "smell the roses" or not. A lot has to do with your natural length of stride and "rhythm." For better or for worse, I'm 5'1" and have correspondingly short legs and stride. (I think I measured my stride at 18 inches per step one time, as opposed to the average 30.) And my personal rhythm is just slow. So when I'm keeping up with a long-legged person, I'm taking twice as many steps as they are and it feels terribly rushed and unnatural to me.
It *can* work if your hiking partner is willing to match your pace. One time I day-hiked with a guy friend who naturally has a long, fast stride. We knew in advance that this was an issue and he offered to hike at my pace. We made it work by going single file on the trail with me in the lead so he couldn't accidentally "walk away" from me. It meant I was having a conversation over my shoulder all day, but it worked! :D He was nice enough to say he enjoyed taking it slower.
Of course, most of the time when I go out I'm wanting to be alone anyway, so it's not such an issue for me.
BumpJumper
10-01-2008, 20:46
Yeah...what Bernie said.
adventurousmtnlvr
10-01-2008, 21:34
I'll be really slow for many reasons ... but back to the bear thing (even though I can't run any more due to knees) ... and Knowledge wise I know to PLAY DEAD always with a bear eating you (from nature shows and those who survived an attack in creeks) ... but if I visualize it in my head my brain says I'll mow down whomever is in my way, LOL. (don't know that I really would do that but when I visualize it ... hummm)
BumpJumper
10-02-2008, 20:02
Cat, how do you play dead while being eaten by a bear???:D:D:D
adventurousmtnlvr
10-02-2008, 21:26
hopefully you'll be in shock by then, LOL
but no joke ... I watched a documentary on a lady that survived .. lived rather ... by being attacked in a creek by a bear after the same fish I guess. He threw her all over rocks, I think ate a lot of her leg ... and with as much pain as she was in ... she knew to play dead ... and it worked as the play thing wasn't fun anymore for the bear and fish were more tasty. Later she crawls with arms only to the creek and took days to get to where someone could find her. She was on some show. So all jokes aside ... play dead ... don't run.
but on a happier note .... if a bear bites ... bite him back! lol ... but I'm still using someone standing still as a ladder up a tree I hope he can't climb (yes, I know they climb in trees) lol
tom_alan
10-03-2008, 01:29
I have talked to hikers here in Colorado and they have seen a bear coming down the trail and all they did was move out of the path a few feet and the bear just kept going down the path. This has been reported to me on several occasions.
Some of them were hunters but didn’t have a bear tag. They were ready to shoot; however, they didn’t have to.
Me ~ I would run off the path!
What really bothers me is when I'm hiking and I see large fresh cat prints.
Three weeks ago I was hiking down Barr’s Trail from the top of Pikes Peak and it had been raining most of the day. My partner was doing some Geocaching (www.geocaching.com (http://www.geocaching.com/)) so I told him to go ahead and I would meet him at the car. The rain had stopped but the trail was still soft and muddy in places. As I was going down the switchbacks I saw several sets of prints. I assumed it was the same cat, but they couldn’t have been more than a half hour old. When I got down I asked my partner if he had seen them and his reply was, “Oh yea, and those weren’t very old.” A bear makes a lot of noise but a cat doesn’t.
Notsosure
10-03-2008, 09:28
Slow hiker here to - and right down the road from you in Snellville - we should plan to meet and take some hikes this fall perhaps.
i too, and always been a slow hiker and live in the atl area and a female. slow hikers unite!!!!
I am slow too. My trail name proves it. I am the Virginia Tortoise!
adventurousmtnlvr
10-03-2008, 11:19
What really bothers me is when I'm hiking and I see large fresh cat prints. A bear makes a lot of noise but a cat doesn’t.I couldn't actually run from a bear or cat ... cats are faster. Wonder what type you have there. When I lived in Seattle we had a TON of Linx everywhere while camping! and I mean everywhere (well the mountains nearby not in the city, lol). I like stepping off the trail idea better for sure, than trying to run from a bear, lol (again never do that in reality .. run I mean).
on a separate note .... hello Virginia tortoise ... want to race :D ... we may break even!
Slow hiker here to - and right down the road from you in Snellville - we should plan to meet and take some hikes this fall perhaps.
woo hoo snellville......well the weather is cooling and i am planning to make a habit on going on regular day hikes and overnigthers. send me a pm!!
tom_alan
10-03-2008, 12:14
Wonder what type you have there. When I lived in Seattle we had a TON of Linx everywhere while camping!
Bob Cats and Linx ~ More of the smaller Linx.:eek:
adventurousmtnlvr
10-03-2008, 13:04
Bob Cats and Linx ~ More of the smaller Linx.:eek:gee Colorado has everything ... beautiful views, incredible snow skiing and all the animals, no wonder I still want to live there! :) But I prefer a close up of teeth and claws with a photo lens rather than with my skin, lol.
tom_alan
10-03-2008, 13:42
gee Colorado has everything ... beautiful views, incredible snow skiing and all the animals, no wonder I still want to live there! :) But I prefer a close up of teeth and claws with a photo lens rather than with my skin, lol.
I heard that:banana
hikernutt
10-08-2008, 21:31
If any of you would like to join us, please do so.
Hmmm, I think my name says it all. What do you do when you want a group to slow down? Put the slowest hiker in front. That's me PaceCar. And yes that's how I got the name. I ended up chaperoning a group of Venture Crew girls on a 20 mile hike last minute (the female chaperone had to cancel out last minute which left my hubby heading into the mountains with 4 teen girls NOT - really wouldn't go over well) I was in no condition to do it in the first place and then got a stress fracture in my right foot 5 miles in. Long story short I finished the hike, last one off the trail!
adventurousmtnlvr
10-09-2008, 01:06
very admirable PaceCar :) To finish is always an accomplishment regardless of WHEN :)
adventurousmtnlvr
10-09-2008, 01:11
thanks for the invite Hikernut. I looked at that prior as well in your thread. I was put in a soft cast today (well Wed 10-8-08) ... just getting home 9th technically. I have to wear it 6 weeks. I am also sponsoring (and still going cast and all) to 6 flags on the 25th so that date conflicts. I shall look forward to meeting another time or joining in another gathering in the future! :)
I'm new and probably really slow, but as long as I enjoy it and forget about what other people think, I have lots of fun. It's always good to know I'm not alone :)
Lemni Skate
10-13-2008, 12:11
Well, I hike slowly because it's the hike that matters to me...not the destination.
desert spirit
11-13-2008, 17:57
I'm not just one thing every time ... sometimes I go so fast even men can't keep up with me, other times I'm so slow you could pass me if you were standing still. That's one reason I don't care to hike in groups ... it's just too hard to match up my pace with others.
BumpJumper
11-13-2008, 22:39
Yeah, Trailtalker and I were talking about this today. She has got longer legs than both Bluegill and me put together so she hikes faster than both of us. She waits, then hikes again. I dont rush. I dont care if I get left....I will catch up sooner or later.
Well, I say I'm a slow hiker, and the majority of the time I am. I get exceptionally slow on the ups, but don't seem to have problems with my knees so the downs are much better. I love to pick up the pace on those gradual downhills and cruise or even jump into high speed and keep up with the teens. Doesn't last long, but it's fun while it lasts!
Bigglesworth
11-21-2008, 22:57
Whoever finished first...loses! That's just a joke, fast is fine but not for me, by choice and by natural slowness. Don't let it intimidate you to be slow. It can be very enjoyable, seeing much more, being relaxed. I never did a 20 mile day on my thru, in large part to my slowness, but I made it! A funny thing is I often hiked with the same people much of the way, all of whom were faster than I. The joke was that I never went fast, but I rarely stopped (as in too many zeros). Even if they got ahead, I always caught up, and I wasn't really trying to. I just kept walking and enjoying myself. Funny how it works...
bananawind
02-07-2009, 10:02
WOW...I too, am a slow hiker, partly knees and I hike alone so I am extra careful in case I fall etc, Like you all too, I love to SEE things along the trail, I have SPURTS of kicking up the pace, usually uphill but downhill, I am very slow. I think (even in groups) folks need to hike their own pace...hiking speed means different things to different people.
I love this forum and so happy to find it!! SLOW HIKERS UNITE!!!
So pleased to find this thread. Thought I was the slowest hiker on earth. Ergo my February start date for my 2010 thru-hike. Have done a lot of winter backpacking in Wisconsin and the UP so not too concerned about the cold. Slow and steady, and if I have to do high miles (for me), I start early and end late. Once had to bail out of a backcountry trip due to a family emergency and did 22 miles in a day to get back to my car. That's double my average daily mileage, but I did it even though the last hour or so was by headlamp. 2mph is me on a good day on flat terrain with no camera, no views, and nothing interesting to stop and admire.
Im not necessarily a slow hiker, but if i see something i like, I definately will stop and enjoy it, and thats often. So that may result in about the same milage per day as a slow hiker. My concern is being able to get to Katadyn on time. I heard if your not their by Oct. 15 then your SOL. I really wanna take my time as well and enjoy everything, but not at the expense of the finale summit!
opps...katahdin....in not on a race to summit my waterbottle i guess :D
Spirit Walker
03-26-2009, 14:06
Two miles per hour is actually a pretty average pace on the AT. If you get up at dawn and hike until late afternoon, you can easily do 20 or more miles a day, at a 2 mph pace.
If you want to make miles, you don't have to go fast, just go steady. We saw the story of the tortoise and the hare enacted time after time on the trail. A fast young hiker would do a 30 mile day, then take two days off to recover. Or they would hike quickly to town, but take several days to leave town. Or they'd hike shelter to shelter - arriving at 1:00 and staying put all afternoon. OTOH, some of the older hikers would hike all day, every day - stopping at 5:00 or so. They finished the trail a month or more before the younger jackrabbit hikers.
There is plenty of time to finish the trail, if you don't take a lot of time off. I averaged 12 mpd and finished in 5 1/2 months, with a lot of zero and nero days. Starting April 1, I finished by mid-September. If injury slows you down more than that, you can always flip flop. A number of hikers do that every year.
I had originally planned to thru hike, but somewhere around Erwin I pretty well decided to take it slow and enjoy it, even if that meant I wasn't going to make it all the way to Maine. I had gotten to the point where I could do 20 mile days, but it just wasn't as fun as the times when I'd sleep in a bit and then hike 2 miles down the trail and stumble upon a really cool campsite that most people would just pass by because they had only gone 2 miles...I'd pitch my tent...sometimes I'd find a book in a shelter and lay there for 2 days reading it. I took more zero days than I'd care to count, but 90% of them were taken on the trail...I just love being in the woods more than I like hiking I think, though I do love hiking too.
I spent a lot of time smelling the roses along the way...it took me 4 months to make it to Waynesboro where I got off the trail...but I have no regrets...from time to time I think about doing it again.
fancyfeet
04-12-2009, 04:24
Bronk, you hike like me. I take more zeros in the woods than in towns. Just reading, listening to the wind through the trees or sitting by a brook is my idea of a rest day.
lilypond
05-04-2009, 17:04
well I feel better now. I would like to do a thru hike but have been concerned about finding a partner because I too am a slow hiker. Factors- age, asthma, bad knees. I have decided my trail name should be Trail Snail. I don't get out as much as I would like to because, as my son says, the local hiking club walks like death is chasing them. Still get to the same place just a little later. The trail is the thing- not the destination.
ShoelessWanderer
06-02-2009, 17:02
Hello...my name is firefly...and I am a slow hiker...a REALLY SLOW hiker. I could blame it on my bad knees and bad back but the real truth is I just hike slow.. When I was in my twenties and in great shape I hiked slow. My heart sings when I walk in the woods...it is my special time..and I do not want to rush....I do not want to be herded...I do not want people to repeatedly offer to carry my load so I can speed up. Because of this I sometimes hike alone BUT am careful to do this on very safe very social trails...I file a "flight plan" with a trusted friend..they know where I am hiking..parking..camping ect..they know when I am going and coming back...I hike where there is cellphone coverage and check in when I hit the trail and check out when I am off the trail. I DO NOT use the cellphone on the trail unless it is an emergency. When I hike with groups I carefully consider the agenda. I do not want to force anyone hike slowly for me...I do not want to force people to wait around at the end of the hike for me...I will go on group hikes that have a "destination ending" a campsite or a hike in lodge where I have plenty of time to come in later than the group. I also use the "reverse loop" option. On a weekend hike most the people I know want their high millege on saturday and want a quick exit on sunday. I can drop the speedy people off at the begginning of the trail and then take the car around to the trails end. I hike in from there until I run into them. The next morning we have a quick hike out to the car and no lost shuttle time. This works great...the speedy hikers get to crank it out and I get to cruise...and there are lots of people who want to go hiking with us. I shared this here because being a slow hiker comes up in this forum alot...and I am a female
Yay! So glad to read your post! I am a slow hiker, always have been, always will be! I actually lead a local hiking group, and when we start out in the morning, I tell them the planned route, they all have maps, and I tell them I'll see them at camp! 1- No one has to worry about "babysitting" anyone on the trail, and 2- I can hike my own hike at my own slow speed!
So glad to hear that there are other slowpokes out there still enjoying the journey anyway, and that you're okay about it. Just got back from 10 days on the Trail with my fit, 20-something daughter. Our 3rd year of this and we have a workable system: she goes on ahead and waits for me every couple miles, and never leaves the trail without leaving me a very visible sign. We each stop to rest when we want to, but meet to share special overlooks, major road crossings etc. So we get the benefit of both a solitary hiking experience and someone to share it with at the end of the day. I know she could go much further/faster without me, but luckily she's willing to put up with that in return for having me to share this wonderful experience - and as long as she's willing to do that, I'll cherish these moments and keep plodding along behind!
reddenbacher
06-04-2009, 22:53
slow hiker here.love it.
11 months 850 miles
boarstone
07-22-2009, 08:27
Hiked by myself for years, :)then tried it again w/partner but after having testosterone test tube tell me I hiked too slow, took too many breaks, criticized my choice of food, hiking method, camp set-up/take-down:mad:...well you get the picture...so I now go by myself, take my pics, see where I'm walking, where I'll go, rest, walk, camp when I want. Add me to the membership! If I'm expending all that energy to walk, I want to see what I'm hiking in! Plants, trees, all the flora and fauna...neat places to revisit at different time of year etc.....:)
LaurieAnn
07-22-2009, 16:16
I'm a slow hiker. I originally thought it was because I was overweight but now that I have lost a ton of weight I've noticed I still hike slow and on canoe trips I portage slow. I'm not opposed to 25 km days... but I do it at my pace... meet you in camp (maybe that's why Bryan calls me Turtle). Part of the issue is that I like to stop and take photos and such. For me it's not just the destination but the journey. As sarbar said, you see so much more.
carolina
07-24-2009, 09:44
hurray for taking ones time hiking,to me hiking is a way to relax,enjoy the outdoors.is not a race.ive done half of the AT and have enjoyed every bit of it by not being in a hurry:o
Rhapsodist
10-25-2009, 19:30
high fives for slow hikers! what's the point of running with your head down?
heyoka87
10-25-2009, 19:42
Howdy fellow slow brothers and sisters. My trail name is Snailmail cause I work for the Postal Service and I,m slower than anyone I,ve ever encountered. I section hike the trail with my son Not so Sane and he jokes that I leave a " slime trail "like a snail on the rocks. I did manage to get through Mahoosuc Notch last month in a all day nasty rain storm though it wasnt any, with apologies to Bill Bryson , any walk in the woods !!
TinaLouise
10-31-2009, 08:57
I've gotta say, that after reading all the wonderful posts here, I feel much better about those climbs I did where I averaged about 1/2 mile an hour!! I don't think I missed much (meaning I saw the snake, the dead mice, the rutted up ground, all the different colored mushrooms, the views, the weird trees, ect.) on that trail and I loved it!! I did find that I could go down the back side a tad bit faster.
TinaLouise
rambunny
11-07-2009, 22:14
You Go Girl!!!!!