What is your SHORTEST day of hiking?

[WIAPilot]

Where were you at and what were the circumstances?

[fiddlehead]

Flying to Nepal westbound in '92, to do the Everest trek: crossed the international date line.
Lost a day.

[Kerosene]

I'm not going to count zeros or even neros, as those tend to be planned. I think we were planning to do a 15-mile day SOBO from Camel's Hump on the northern Long Trail. Here's the excerpt from my journal:

Date: August 15, 1979 (Day 12)
Location: Gorham Lodge to Montclair Glen Lodge Mileage: 2.6 + 0.0
Weather: Cloudy, cold and windy with heavy rain

Last night was the coldest we had encountered so far. Sleeping on the floor of a gusty cabin didn’t help matters any. [I recently found out that Gorham Lodge was pushed off its foundation by heavy snows during the winter of 2000/2001.] Fortunately, I found a cotton sweatshirt that a previous occupant had left behind. My desire for additional warmth overcame any concerns I had about wearing someone else’s clothing. I ended up depending on this garment for the rest of the hike.

It didn’t warm up much in the morning. The rain kept coming down and the wind kept blowing. In mid-morning we finally decided to pack up our stuff and head south. There was nothing but clouds at the summit now and we kept walking down the mountain until we reached Montclair Glen Lodge, a 31-year old cabin with room for 8.

We prepared a hot lunch, sat around for a while and procrastinated about going back out. Finally, we decided to call it a day, rationalizing that the views ahead justified stopping here. While we were bored until an early bedtime, at least we were warm and dry.

[fudgefoot]

July 2005 section hike. Harper's Ferry Hostel to Harper's Ferry - 2.2 miles. It was 99 degs with with a heat index of 115. Got a hiker room at the Hilltop House Hotel.

[WingedMonkey]

2.5 miles from Holy Family Hospice to Rendezvous Motel. In a pouring rain that just made me want to go back top sleep.

[RED-DOG]

On my 06 thru i camped on Springer MT, woke up to rain,sleet,freezing temps, very cold day made it to Stover Creek Shelter and stayed their, that was 5 miles, it rained constantly my first 8.5 days then it snowed i was in snow from N.C to Standing bear hostel with 3-4 feet drifts on the Higher Elevations in the smokies, luckaly i found a female thru-hiker and we was able to stay warm i think we was the only two in the Park then cause we had the shelters to ourselfs, but thats a different story. on my thru this year i got lucky with the weather and was able to do 20-30 miles a day . So be Prepared for the sudden weather changes it differs from year to year. Good Luck Happy Hiking.RED-DOG ( Flip-Flop 96 & GA-ME 06 & GA-ME 2012 )

[10-K]

Here is ~100 replies:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?58143-what-was-your-shortest-day-on-the-trail&highlight=shortest

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?77025-what-s-the-shortest-hiking-day-you-ve-ever-done-not-including-zero-days&highlight=shortest


http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?56112-Whats-the-shortest-distance-you-hiked-in-a-day&highlight=shortest

Not picking on you, I ask questions that have been asked many times too.... This is just an illustration of how useful the search function can be - especially when asking about tents, bears, sleeping bags, water filtration, and speed hiking.

Especially speed hiking.

[WingedMonkey]

I didn't mention that it has been discussed so many other times because then I am accused of bullying, and start to to get nasty private messages.

My bad...that was covered in my another thread.

[Shack]

went down with my son who just Graduated from college and a friend. I was worried about my son not hiking much, he did better then both me and J 2.7 miles, justus Creek to Gooch Gap and USFS 42 (june 26 th -12)
Was going from Amicalola Falls to Neels Gap, Guy I was with had new shoe's:(
the blister bug bit him pretty hard, thinking of heading back down early sept.

[Rangerman40]

Day two of my section hike I left Hawk Mtn shelter, and wasn't paying attention where I was walking and sprained my ankle really bad about 200 yards from the shelter. I hobbled down to Hightower Gap and the Hiker Hostel people picked me up..... .5 mile total for the day.

[chiefiepoo]

Section hiker here. Missed about 300' of the AT by going up the road to the bunk house at NOC and getting back on the trail from an upper driveway the next day. Drove through the NOC area a month later and got out and walked the missing 300'.

[Rasty]

Hurt my knee last year in the Smokies. Spent a night at the Fontana Hilton resting. Got up the next morning feeling OK but not great. Started walking back to the dam. Felt good going up hill, but hurt a lot going down the hill towards the dam. Total mileage was maybe 1/4 mile. That's my all time record.

I think I'm going back this September to do a Smokies AT BMT loop or Roan mountain to Partnership shelter. I've done three 45 mile three day hikes this year so my knee feels much better. Last week I ran 5 miles downhill without any pain. I ran because I didn't have a flashlight and it was getting dark.

[Rasty]

Here is ~100 replies:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?58143-what-was-your-shortest-day-on-the-trail&highlight=shortest

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?77025-what-s-the-shortest-hiking-day-you-ve-ever-done-not-including-zero-days&highlight=shortest


http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?56112-Whats-the-shortest-distance-you-hiked-in-a-day&highlight=shortest

Not picking on you, I ask questions that have been asked many times too.... This is just an illustration of how useful the search function can be - especially when asking about tents, bears, sleeping bags, water filtration, and speed hiking.

Especially speed hiking.

What if the question is about a bear using my filter while sleeping in my bag and tent. Would my running away constitute speed hiking?:confused:

[rocketsocks]

What if the question is about a bear using my filter while sleeping in my bag and tent. Would my running away constitute speed hiking?:confused:I don't even know what to say to that, when my nose stops bleeding cause I hit it on the dresser when I fell off my chair, what's wrong with you, hehehe!

But know, that is a completely unique question, I think, but I didn't search it either.:D

[fredmugs]

I guess mine would be the 6 miles from US 302 to the Carter Notch hut. Those were 6 tough miles.

[kayak karl]

6 in maine. reason, i just didn't feel like hiking anymore that day.

[modiyooch]

I have been stopped in my tracks due to blisters in the early part of my backpacking career in 1980. to hobble off the trail and pitch my tent in the middle of the day.

[modiyooch]

I have been stopped in my tracks due to blisters in the early part of my backpacking career in 1980. I had to hobble off the trail and pitch my tent in the middle of the day. correction

[FarmerChef]

ok. I'll bite. Me and the fam were hiking in northern PA to Wind Gap to stop for some grub and press on a couple miles to make camp for the night. As we approached wind gap, it poured rain for about an hour even though the weather said we should get a 1/4 inch. That evening, at the sports bar, they had the news on and it showed a giant system coming up from the Gulf of Mexico and oh something about Tropical Storm Lee. What??!!!?! How could the Weather Channel not know a ton of moisture was coming up. Still, it showed only localized showers and yet again a prediction for 1/4 inch of rain (more in local areas). So we trudged on up the mountain in advance of a small red blob on the radar. Just as we got there the heavens opened up and we were nailed. Got the kids (ponchos on) into the tarp and the dog in last (soaking wet). The temperature dropped and dropped and dropped down to the 50s. So did the forecast for the next day. We plugged up the tarp with the ponchos and got the inside temp up to 70 - woot!

I woke up in the morning to more heavy rain on the way and temps in the upper 50s to low 60s...in late Summer. We decided that was not the kind of hiking we came prepared for nor what we wanted the kids to remember the trail by. So we packed up and hiked the 1.5 miles back into town and the laundromat. A laundromat has never felt so good in my life. My wife's folks came and picked us up and shuttled us to our car in DWG.

[Spokes]

1.4 miles from Lake of the Clouds Hut to Summit of Mt. Washington. I had an infected cut on my leg and needed to to get to the hospital in Gorham, NH to get antibiotics before continuing....

The weather conditions during that little trek was:

Visibility on summit 25 feet. Winds 45-65 mph winds. Wind chill 18 degrees. Trail conditions - poor with puddles and slippery rocks. Ozone - good.

[Mags]

My shortest day of hiking was when I as 12 on Mt. Lafayette in NH. Probably about 5'2" at the time.

Now my hiking days are merely just short. I'm only 5'6".

[About_Time]

Less than 200 yards. At two different shelters I "hiked" to the privy and back to the shelter and spent the day watching it rain...