daily mileage

[n9643750]

I'm planning a thru hike of the AT this season and am trying to figure out what a reasonable daily mileage would be for an average. I feel inclined to guess somewhere in the range of 18-20, but find that everyone here thinks 10-15 is more reasonable. I know that 20+ days are not uncommon for PCT hikers, and am wondering if anyone has any thoughts about this

[neo]

i like to do 20 miles a day on an average day,25 mile days were pretty common in va,maryland,pa,ny,nj,ct,mass,i have done 2 30 miles days,they are not that fun.:sun neo

[wacocelt]

20+ days aren't uncommon on the AT either, though they most definitely aren't for everyone that hikes. I have never seen the PCT, though from what I hear the only real comparison between the two trails, is that they are both trails.

[Skyline]

Many AT hikers do 20s, at some time during their hike, but I doubt 18-20 MPD would be a typical average. Once you figure in shorter days at the start, zeros, and the tougher miles in NH and ME, that 10-15 MPD average seems more realistic for most.

[PROFILE]

On our thru it took us 5 months 13 days. Took 21 zero days. We avg 12.8 miles a day over the entire hike and just hiking day (minus the 21 zeros) the avg was around 15 miles per day. We rarley hiked 20 miles in a day, and I do not recomend it. Especialy the first 2-3 weeks. Just my 2 cents.

[rocket04]

It's the same old answer: depends. For some people 20 mile days is a lot, while guys like Pony Express put in 30 mile days all the time and I think even some 40s. I find 20 mile days to be pretty reasonable in most circumstances. Many other hikers do too. You'll figure out what works for you as comfortable hiking mileage is about as subjective as it gets.

As for the PCT comparison, from what I udnerstand, it's not a good one to make because while the PCT has much higher elevation, it is graded much more gently than the AT. Others who have done both trails can confirm/refute this.

[RedneckRye]

If you need to be back home in three and a half months, do 20's. If you can stay out till October, do 10's. I did mostly days between 12 and 17, but also a few 25's and one day of a whole 1.2 miles (coming out of Harpers Ferry, pretty much the only town that isn't a big climb to leave). If you have a finish date in mind, figure an average per week, but disregard that number until you hit VA because GA NC TN will probably be less than that number. You'll make up ground in VA WV PA NJ NY CT and MA. When you hit New England you will have most of it figured out, and you can slow down a bit either to make the whole trip last a bit longer or because NH and ME are tougher.
But whatever you do - listen to your body. Your knees know what is best and a zero here or there (especially in the woods) never killed anyone!!!

[chris]

I'm not going to say anything about the AT vs. PCT thing. Except, that it is paved and flat and viewless and people who think there is a vs. thing should stay on the AT and be happy knowing that they are on the superior trail.

For the AT, if you haven't done much hiking on it, are carrying a standard load, and start in about the shape that many hikers do, I would say that you should expect to average about 10-12 miles per hiking day. Again, this assumes standard weather, standard motivation, etc. Count on a day off per week at the start.

Once you clear the TN-VA line, you'll think you've got it made. Well, most of Virginia is just as hard as what you just did. Only, you've broken a psychological barrier and are now in better shape. Plan on 15-18 miles per hiking day from now on.

If you are willing to put some time in getting in shape, dropping weight from your load, and getting experience (all tough to do so soon), then you could certianly average 15 at the start and 20 from VA north.

I will say that I averaged the same number of miles per day on my PCT thruhike and on my last AT section hike: About 25.

[Spirit Walker]

Do you need to be in a hurry? If you enjoy hiking, enjoy camping, enjoy spending time on the Trail, why not relax and enjoy the hike? The sooner you finish, the sooner you have to be back at work.

My AT hikes were 5 1/2 month hikes, I averaged about 12 mpd. Reality was I did a lot of 20 mile days in the mid-Atlantic, but I also had a lot of short days into town and zero days in town and short days in New England. If you have the time, take it. This may be your only chance to do a thruhike, why not enjoy it?

And yes, the PCT is a totally different experience. It is basically wheel chair trail, wide, graded for horses (less than 10 percent grade) and smooth. There are no rocks and roots and scrambles. There is rarely the kind of all day rain that you get on the AT that makes you want to hole up early. Water sources are often 20 or more miles apart, so you really don't have much choice but to do long miles if you don't want to carry multiple gallons of water. Also, especially for the northern half of the trail, you don't go to town very often, resupply is at little campground resorts on the trail, so you don't take as many zero days as on the AT. With no shelters, hikers tend to hike from dawn to dusk, which makes it easy to do 25 mile days. My average on the PCT was 19 mpd including days off. Given that we hiked with a sprained ankle and a broken toe, that's not bad.

[Jaybird]

most thru-hikers take 6 months to complete the fantastic voyage.....that equals out to 12 miles a day average



enjoy the hike! :D

[MOWGLI]

Here is some stats from my 5.5 month hike. I took 26 days off during that time. I don't know how typical this is. I suspect I did more 20 mile days than most hikers, but lots of folks did more than me.

Longest Day 24.60
Shortest Day 1.8
Number of Days over 20 miles - 29
Number of Days between 15-20 - 46
Number of Days between 10-15 - 44
Number of Days between 5-10 - 23
Number of Days between .1-5 - 3

[bearbag hanger]

One of the best things you could do to answer your question is go to http://www.trailjournals.com and radomly select 2004 through hiker journals. Try to find someone your age, hiking style, etc. and then click on "Stats" and you'll see how many miles they hiked and two columns of miles per day, one adding in zero days, the other without zero days.

Me, I did about 12.8 miles per day while hiking, 11.0 miles per day when zero days are added in. I started out doing about 8 - 10 miles per day, went up to about 12 - 15 per day thru VA, MD, PA, NJ, NY, CT and MA. Things got a little slower as I hit the Whites and the beginning of ME. I did some 20+ mile days, but not that many of them. I found the hundred mile wilderness easy.

Take some of the 25 - 30 mile per day claims with a little grain of salt. I remember a little before the Whites about three hikers came into the shelter bragging about how they just did 27 miles that day. The next day I struggled to make 15 miles to the next shelter and about an hour later, the same group came in making the same claims. Couldn't get rid of them for several days after that, no matter how slow I hiked!

[Mags]

Datto had a nice .jpg chart showing the average daily miles of hikers and what pace they did.

It is probably useful if you want some data:

http://friends.backcountry.net/datto/pic/HIKES03.jpg


FWIW, in 1998 when I was not in the shape I am in now and had a base pack weight nearly three times what I have now (10# vs almost 30#!), was able to do a 5 month hike.

I just took few town days and was consisent in my hiking (up on the trail by 7AM, did not camp until later in the day).

Generally speaking, you can have a comfortable 6 mo hike by average 10-15 MPD while hiking, 12 MPD overall (with zero days).

[Panama Red]

the only advice i can give you is hike your own hike with mileage. i never walk slower than my average pace because slowing your pace down reaps havoc on your body. if i pull a 10 -15 mile day its because town isn't far away or im meeting friends within that range

[Peaks]

As many of the posts have indicated, the average thru-hike is about 5 1/2 months. Now, as a recommendation, I would plan on an average of around 100 miles per week rather than 12 or something miles per day. 100 miles per week allows for days off and it averages out the big mileage days if you do them. People suggest starting out slow, less than 100 miles per week until Virginia, then pick up the pace a bit through Virginia until Massachusetts, and then back it down for the remainder of your trip.

If you want to look at statistics, then get Roland Mueser's book Long Distance Hiking, or look at the statistics on trail journals.com.

[weary]

...i never walk slower than my average pace because slowing your pace down reaps havoc on your body. ...

Hmmm. Then you must never walk faster than your average pace either.

[MOWGLI]

Interestingly enough, my biggest days mileage wise almost always involved leaving town late, and then hiking til dark or until after dark.

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=86845

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=87601

Based on my experience, you can do big miles right up until Glencliff, NH. That's when it got tougher for me, but even then, I did a 17+ mile day leaving Glencliff, and I didn't get started until almost Noon.

I picked it up real good just south of Waynesboro. For me, it was a necessity as I had a deadline hanging over my head. What I learned about mileage was that all my worrying about cranking out the miles south of Damascus was just plain silly.

Peaks is right on about the weekly average. Some folks will hike a 25 mile day, then end up taking two days off recovering. It's all about staying within yourself - IMO.

[Nightwalker]

I'm planning a thru hike of the AT this season and am trying to figure out what a reasonable daily mileage would be for an average. I feel inclined to guess somewhere in the range of 18-20, but find that everyone here thinks 10-15 is more reasonable. I know that 20+ days are not uncommon for PCT hikers, and am wondering if anyone has any thoughts about this
If you do 14 mpd average, you can take one zero day per week and finish in six months. Figure it up or down from that.

A lot of people--maybe most--do a lot more miles from Va to Pa. Someone told me Lone Wolf did some 35 mile days somewhere in the middle (!!!). That isn't my thing, but we're all out there for different trips on different days. I'd guess that even if that were true, he'd tell you that he wouldn't do that these days (the old boy's kinda mellowed out). After enough days on a trail, though, you're liable to try any old thing.

Frank/Nightwalker

[superman]

It's not a race. It's your hike and you are free to do it any way you want. I've heard thru hikers speak with pride that they hiked the AT in some short amount of time. I feel that a quality AT hike should take as much time as you feel good with. Most of us take about 6 months even though we could do it in less time. Some folks like the shelters while I avoid them. Some like to do the hike on the cheap while I enjoyed my town stops. Some took side trips to concerts and other stuff but I just kept doing my miles. The AT is the most social hike of any of the trails and who you hike with on any given day is like a deck of cards being shuffled. I used to tell people while I was hiking the AT that "hiking the AT was my reward...not my punishment." It was the biggest and best thing that I'd ever done for myself....I didn't hurry.:)

[MileMonster]

Double Nickels and I finished in 125 days including 4 zero days. That's about 17.5 mpd over the entire trip. 48 days above 20, only 7 of which above 25, none above 30. Here's a link to our thru-hike mileage data on my website:

http://www.milemonster.net/ATPages/at_miles.htm

You'll figure out what you like and what works for you. Resupply and mail drops will work out no matter what your daily ave. Start with enough to gert you to Neels Gap and adjust from there on out.

[Pooja Blue]

It's an individual thing; I averaged 11 miles per day. I did some in the high teens but preferred doing 8-12 miles per day, depending on the terrain.