View Full Version : 20mpd,again
littlebill31
09-09-2008, 20:01
Thanks for the incite.I'm prior 12 year infantry Marine corps. and used to doing 30 miles in 8 hours with full combat gear.I'm just trying to get a base to set for my trek.This will help with the zero days and uncontrolled events.
I was an A/NGLICO Marine just prior to starting the AT. So you can imagine painfully heavy gear loads, but mostly of level east coast terrain (LeJeune).
The AT was a totally different sensation. The steepness of the terrain really makes you rethink things. I was genuinely shocked at the difficulty of the Georgia hills. Climb, descend, repeat. Part of the difficulty was simply that I loaded up my mileage early on. My first 2 days were 16 miles and 14 miles to Neel Gap. Most others thought I was crazy. I found it challenging.
So YES, you can do 20 milers, but you most likely will NOT be able to do the 3-4 MPH pace you are accustomed to on road marches and humps on high-speed terrain. Plan on 2-3 MPH at most, with many longer climbs being less than 2 MPH. Just plan on hiking longer each day.
And don't plan on sticking with a 6-month schedule after the first 2 or 3 weeks. It just doesn't happen.
Pedaling Fool
09-09-2008, 21:49
...And don't plan on sticking with a 6-month schedule after the first 2 or 3 weeks. It just doesn't happen.
My schedule was out-the-window in the first week. My schedule looks pathetically funny when I look back on it (still have it on the computer). When I look at it I just :datz
fiddlehead
09-09-2008, 21:50
I was a sailor and spent most of my Navy days down in the engine room on bilge pump watch.
When i hike, 20 mile days are ok but i prefer bigger mileage days.
The body can do it. It's the mind that matters.
Thanks for the incite.I'm prior 12 year infantry Marine corps. and used to doing 30 miles in 8 hours with full combat gear.I'm just trying to get a base to set for my trek.This will help with the zero days and uncontrolled events.
You shouldnt have a problem doing ~20 a day coming from the marines. I did 16 a day average for my hike, finishing in 4.5 months and was way less conditioned than a marine should be, going into it.
The body can do it. It's the mind that matters.
And nothing screws with your head like 3000 foot elevation gains at altitude:D
Everything is relative
What works well in the flats can kill you in the mountains. Bearpaw called it right....I see lots of people that fail to adjust
They generally figure it out pretty fast