View Full Version : Conservative miles when starting a thru hike
I am 54 and looking forward to starting an AT northbound thru hike in 2014. I frequently see advice to not over-do the miles when starting out - 8 or 10 miles per day. I am interested in hearing from folks who planned to do this and actually followed thru with their plan. Did you frequently feel you could have done more miles? If so, was it easy or difficult to stop? Or did you frequently feel that 8 - 10 miles was an appropriate max when starting out. If you successfully completed your thru hike, do you attribute some aspect of your success to sticking with that plan?
Likewise, I'm interested in hearing from folks who intended to limit their miles at the beginning but did not follow through with that plan. Any regrets?
Thanks.
LockJaww
04-07-2013, 21:04
Hello, I was 52 when I began my hike back in 2011. I should preface by saying I walked a buttload of training miles before I arrived in Ga. I spent my first night at Justus Creek,second at Lance Creek and made Neels Gap by lunch time on day three ( 2 1/2 days Springer to Neels ) and I hike on the slow side of average mph.
Im a " tenter " not a " shelter hopper ". I realised from the onset mileage was made by being willing to walk long days,not by fast pace. I saw many around me end their day simply because they reached such and such shelter, even though there might be another 3-4 hours of daylight left. I chose to keep moving. It took me 14 hiking days to reach the Smokeys.
I would say, train/hike before you get there...Dont begin your hike before April..Listen to your body....Dont hang around shelters bs'ing 4-5 hours a day...Get up early, get moving and take advantage of the daylight....WALK !
MuddyWaters
04-07-2013, 21:13
Many do it by default. They arent in great shape or their packs are heavy. Perhaps that is actually a good thing.
What you really worry about is repetitive motion injuries and stress fractures. Bones and joints need time to gradually adjust to the workload. Bones can actually thicken and become stronger in response to the load , but it takes time. The repetitive pounding all day long, especially on downhills, is like repeatedly hitting your lower leg bones and joints with a hammer.
Its not really a question of "could you have done more", but "should you do more", and what is the downside risk.
Runners know this. They know to build mileage slowly , 10% per week, to minimize injuries. Too much , too soon, and they can be set back months in their training. Same thing applies to hiking with a pack.
It takes 5-6 weeks in a walking-boot to heal a tibial stress fracture. Then slow increase of use for a few weeks too.
Pretty much will end a thru attempt .
Oh yeah, I had one once. Never thought it could happen to me.
But especially going downhill, where you drop wt on your leg, thousands and thousands of times repetitively, takes its toll.
I was 51 when I thru hiked in 2010. I did about 10 miles at first not because of any plan or schedule. 10 was about all I could really do even though I had trained to do 15-18 mpd locally. I was in good, not great shape. As is often said here, it's hard for most to train for the elevation changes one faces on the AT. (And I'm only 2-3 hours away). about every 10-14 days I increased it by 2 miles...not by any plan but found I was taking fewer shorter breaks.
In my experience, the ones that tend to push themselves too hard are the ones who hike in groups. Usually this is the younger hikers...they get caught up in miles per day and keeping up with one another. Don't worry about a mileage goal at the start...just hike every day until you feel like stopping.
Old Boots
04-07-2013, 22:08
Iran into a professional backpacker ( leads hikes in the Rockies ) who was hiking @ 25 mod on the AT and got shin splints so bad he had to get off the trail. Just making as many miles a day as daylight will allow is not wise IMHO. Listen to your body and stop when it tells you to.
I'm a big proponent of making a conservative plan and sticking to it.
#Hikers of a certain age heal more slowly than we did when we were young. An injury that might inconvenience a younger hiker for a few days might finish our hikes, or at least plague us for the rest of our lives.
#You know that point at which you feel absolutely great, invincible even? Have you ever acted on that feeling..and gotten hurt? I don't trust that feeling. It leads us into folly.
#It takes much longer for hard tissues--tendons and bones--to reap the benefits of exercise than it takes muscles. When we start to feel a bit fitter it's easy to injure the next weakest link. (See the above point.)
#Rest is a crucial part of the strength-building cycle.
Believing all of the above, I was very conservative at the start of my long hike. I dawdled through Maine and NH. Basically I almost never hiked more than an 8-hour day. Towards the end of my hike I could cover more than 20 miles in 8 hours, but at the beginning I was only going half to 2/3 that far in a day.
Slow and steady wins the race. If you average twelve miles a day you'll finish in six months. Twelve miles a day is only six hours of hiking, or only four, when you get faster. No need to rush.
When I started section hiking the AT, I hadn't done any serious hiking in 35 years. I did lots of practice hikes/running before I started. However, living in WI, there was nothing to prepare me for the hills in GA. The approach trail was a real eye opener. I had no clue how to properly pace myself or consume the correct amount of water/food during the day. By the time I got to Springer, my legs were shaking on every step. Needless to say, it took a few weeks (and some knee problems) to find my conform zone. Now, each year I start SLOW. I no longer have any goals about getting from one point to another, I just hike and enjoy the views. I force myself to start slow, 8-10 on day one (or less if there are 2000' climbs). It takes at least a week for me to get my trail legs where I might even consider doing 20+ mile days. Don't forget that down hill is just as as hard on you body as going up. Don't be fooled thinking that a full day of downhill will be easy.
I'm 58 and did a section hike from the approach trail to Unicoi Gap with my 24 year old thru hiking son. His plan was to start slow and build the miles. It worked out well for both of us. The first two days were 9 and 8 miles. The third day we kicked it up to 13 and then a couple of 11 mile days. I finished off with a 10 mile day. My knees were starting to ache on the downhills the last two days. My son has now worked it up to 20 mile days and has no injuries. If I were to be hiking MY hike instead of his, an extra 8 to 10 mile day or two to start would have eased my knees in better. Just a note, neither of us were doing vitamin I to take the strain off as some people do.
LockJaww
04-07-2013, 23:32
I have to say Im somewhat surprised by the replies here. I was 52 when I left Springer and not an " uber " hiker by any stretch. Eight to ten miles a day? Really?....You can easily have eight miles done by lunch. What do you do with the rest of the day? You are there to hike ....Right ? Slow and steady?...My point exactly...Train before you begin your hike. Listen your body. Rest if/when you need to. A pace of only two miles an hour is pretty slow, even in the mountains carrying a backpack. Break camp and be walking by 0730.....You'll be surprised at how many miles you can knock out per day. Walking slow and steady.
LockJaww
04-08-2013, 00:00
I dug out my guide book from my hike ...14 hiking days to the Smokeys was from memory...Looking at my notes, some were short days leading into a town/the NOC. Eleven complete hiking days to reach the Smokeys....Dont underestimate yourself.
Stir Fry
04-08-2013, 00:33
sb1004 Maby I'll see you I too am 54. I retire Febuary 2014 and plane to start my thru on March 30. I have hiked from Springer to Domascus and I do beleave its best to start slow. I will definatly follow that advice next year. By the time you get to Fontana you will start to get your trail legs and will be keeping up with all but the fastes hikers. I don't know if I'm tipical or not but the first week always herts. Walking at hoome helps but the only way to get used to hiking 8-10 hours a day is to hike 8-10 hours. I have seen alot that get the 8 miles inn by 1 or 2 in the afternoon and push on only to quit after 100 miles. Most, I beleave would have been better off to have started slower and built up the time hiked. The distance will come but the time, takes time.
peakbagger
04-08-2013, 06:50
My normal goal in the first week is to adjust my pace as I go so that I dont have to stop because I am working too hard. Thats means slowing down heading up hill and worse case taking extremely short slow steps on the steeps, then ans the grade flattens out speeding up. I do this for about 55 minutes and take a 5 minute break every hour with a half hour for lunch. I do this for 8 hours 9 hours max if there is a logical goal point. Sure I get to a campsite early but the next day, I can do the same distance or a bit more. After week of this, then I would start adding hours. It took me awhile to get over the crank out the miles hard the first few days approach as inevitably later in the week I would regret it and have to slow down due to some sort of overuse injury.
I use the pace adjustment approach in the whites (where the trails can have very steep long uphill stretches. Most folks blow by me early on but usually I catch up with them as they get into the "stop and go" mode which is real drain on energy
Monkeywrench
04-08-2013, 07:51
For whatever it's worth, you can find all the detailed statistics of my 2009 thru-hike here: http://allenf.com/blog/?p=261
I started out hiking 60 - 80 miles per week. A few weeks later I was doing 100+ miles per week through the Smokies. I think my biggest week was 133.3 miles in Pennsylvania, at the end of June.
I did my first 20+ mile day on day 4 out of Neels Gap, but I followed that up with an extra short day as it beat up my feet a bit. I was in fairly good hiking shape when I started, but especially at the beginning I found my legs could walk more than my feet could tolerate. You need to let your feet toughen up or you will pound them into hamburger.
As a point of reference, I was 50 the year of my thru-hike.
Old Hiker
04-08-2013, 08:01
I had a goal of 15 miles per day to finish before I had to go back to work. Never got there - best was 16.6 miles.
Why?
1. Not enough training in a HILLY environment. I'd been doing 15-20 miles every weekend here in flat Florida - not good enough. 5 miles in FL = 1 mile in the mountains. When going up hills the first time, I could only go 50-75 steps before having to stop. By the time I was in VA, I was going 250-400 steps, depending on the slope. Don't ask me about Jacob's Ladder!!!
2. Too much weight - started with a 52 pound+ pack. Never went below 40-43 pounds. Packed my fears big time. Hiked down to Erwin with 43 pounds actual weight at Uncle Johnny's. This AFTER 5 (?) days of hiking.
3. Up too late - I ALWAYS started my morning late. Never could get out of bed. I always stopped about 30-45 minutes before sundown to set up camp, though, to give me time to set up the tent, hang the bag, eat and get ready for bed. This cut my hiking time down by at least an hour, maybe two.
Next time: I start training at least a year out - 2015. Stairs, ramps, etc. in addition to just walking. I've already started cutting weight down. I'm going to make a conscious effort to get out of camp earlier so I can hike longer, so I can put more miles in.
Good luck - hike your own hike.
fredmugs
04-08-2013, 08:15
Next time: I start training at least a year out - 2015. Stairs, ramps, etc. in addition to just walking. I've already started cutting weight down. I'm going to make a conscious effort to get out of camp earlier so I can hike longer, so I can put more miles in.
My primary training device is an exercise bike. It has made my knees stronger and gives a little better cardio. If all I do is ride a bike my feet aren't tough enough so I have to make sure I put in the miles on foot and as well as miles on the bike. When I started section hiking in my early 40s a 15 mile day killed me. Now I can 20 miles on day 1 no problem and I never put a pack on until I hit the trail. Riding that bike has made a huge difference for me.
My general advice would be to start hiking 60% of the miles you think you can do at 75% of the pace you think you can hike at. After a week evaluate and adjust accordingly.
rusty bumper
04-08-2013, 09:23
I was 62 when I started my AT thru-hike in 2011. I spent 8 months prior to beginning my hike getting in shape by hiking/walking about 50 miles a week with and without my pack. Unfortunately all of those miles were in northeast Ohio so I didn't get in too much climbing or descending! I started at Springer with a pack weight of 24 pounds, and for the first week I walked the following miles per day: 10.1, 12.8, 10.6, 11.4, 11.4, 13.7, and 6.3. On each of those days I felt pretty strong and never really struggled. After the first week my miles increased and I quickly found myself in the 15-17 mile per day range for the next five months, with some days a bit longer and other days a bit shorter. I stayed in my tent nearly every night. My daily routine was to get going well before 8 am in the morning, hike steadily until 6 pm or so when I started looking for a flat spot to set up my tent...sometimes I found that spot pretty quickly, other times it may have taken as much as an extra hour of hiking. Most nights I was sound asleep by 9 pm. By hiking this way, my daily miles were determined by the roughness of the terrain and the weather, rather than the distance between shelters.
Your attitude is correct. Do low milage 8-10 days when you start. Being a older hiker you will need more time for your body to adjust to the daily riggors of a thru-hike. You will know when you are ready to hike more miles. Once you damage your body by over doing, it takes a long time to recover. Remember the old addage about the turtle and the Hare. slow and steady will get you to your destination.
I was 66 years old when I thru-hiked. I took my time. My daily average was only 10.5 miles. I did not have any serious medical, physical or mental problems. It turned out to be quite a adventure. Take it easy, don't give up your chance to have one.
You can get the mileage I did on my AT thru-hike (listed at the top of each daily journal entry -- I started April 10th which was an excellent time to have started an AT thru-hike that year). Use that mileage for a guide to starting "relatively" slowly. I sure wouldn't be doing any pace faster than what I did on my AT thru-hike if you're wanting to start slowly. The hike to Justus Creek on the first day from Springer was a little more than what would be "hiking slowly" but the rest of the days were about how you should look at your hike considering the terrain between where my start and stop points were for the days in Georgia and North Carolina.
I was in pretty good shape when I started the AT -- In 2013, you should get out and carry your fully loaded backpack this summer and fall for at least two weekends per month and then plan to take two 1-week long backpacking trips in the mountains (not camping, not dayhiking to a car) before winter so you can see what you'll be facing -- this will help you size up the circumstances (it'll likely be tougher than your weekend backpacking trips and your two 1-week long trips and remember, you'll be hiking in the rain most days for the first month or so).
Here's a link to my on-line AT thru-hike journal:
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=5030
Datto
Feral Bill
04-08-2013, 13:00
I'll ad to what several people have mentioned. Going uphill will make you work and tire you out. Going downhill is where you take real damage. Resist the temptation to make miles going down.
Another Kevin
04-08-2013, 13:28
Here's a link to my on-line AT thru-hike journal:
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=5030
Thanks! I hadn't seen that one before, and it's hilarious!
I think that there can be a lot of variation in this, and certainly how much weight you're carrying is a big factor. I was 54 when I hiked the AT, and started in pretty lousy physical condition --- I had had foot surgery 3 months before and for most of the intervening time wasn't able to walk much to train. I averaged 12 - 13 miles per day the first week out and generally increased it from there, and once out of snow did 20+ pretty much every full hiking days apart from in the Whites.
That start worked fine for me; for someone else a slower start might be more prudent. It's hard to quantify, but I'm sure that the fact that it wasn't my first long distance trip helped too.
For me having a lot of Patience in the beginning was KEY to having successful Thru's.
I was 53 when I thrued and started doing about 10 miles a day and bumped it up from there. I saw many people trying to bust out big miles in the beginning ending up with knee problems. Throughout my hike I tried to keep mileage under 20 a day, although on several occasions I went over. It can be tough when everyone else is doing 25 - 30 miles a day. They didn't finish any faster than me, I just took fewer zeros. You can see the milage I did at:http://trailjournals.com/donhoward
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/Eloquent/miscgreen/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by Datto http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/Eloquent/buttonsgreen/viewpost-right.png (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=1456506#post1456506)
Here's a link to my on-line AT thru-hike journal:
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=5030
Thanks! I hadn't seen that one before, and it's hilarious!
Thanks -- I had lots of fun writing my on-line journal every day of my AT thru-hike. Glad you're enjoying it.
Datto
I did not have any serious medical, physical or mental problems. It turned out to be quite a adventure. Take it easy, don't give up your chance to have one.
Grampie, no offense but...you may have been ok physically or medically but the fact that you wanted to even attempt a thru, much less complete the thing, is seen by many (hikers or otherwise) to be evidence of a pre-existing mental problem.;) If I had a nickle for every time someone told me I was crazy for walking 2200 miles with a pack on my back I'd probably have about $4.22 if my math is correct.
Another thing that can contribute to hiking very low miles at the beginning of a hike is the time it takes to get going in the morning and to deal with evening chores. A new aspirant I'm keeping in touch with this year lamented that it is taking him two full hours to get going in the morning. I doubt the evening routine is any easier. For a lot of new hikers, the strangeness of the camping/hiking/camping routine is disturbing and exhausting. It cuts way into the time and energy available for moving forward.
For whatever it's worth, you can find all the detailed statistics of my 2009 thru-hike here: http://allenf.com/blog/?p=261
I started out hiking 60 - 80 miles per week. A few weeks later I was doing 100+ miles per week through the Smokies. I think my biggest week was 133.3 miles in Pennsylvania, at the end of June.
I did my first 20+ mile day on day 4 out of Neels Gap, but I followed that up with an extra short day as it beat up my feet a bit. I was in fairly good hiking shape when I started, but especially at the beginning I found my legs could walk more than my feet could tolerate. You need to let your feet toughen up or you will pound them into hamburger.
As a point of reference, I was 50 the year of my thru-hike.
Monkeywrench:
I absolutely loved your spreadsheet and statistics. I plan to do the same in 2014 and you gave me the blueprint how to do it.I am an active member in another forum( that has nothing to do with hiking) and they call me statistics Guy or in short stats guy.
Thank you.
evyck da fleet
04-08-2013, 22:56
I planned to start off at 12 mile days when I hiked last year which is what I was doing on weekend hikes. I like to challenge myself so it was difficult to keep to that mileage. A couple things I did was stay up late around the campfires so I would get up late and hike until around four or five instead of stopping early and wondering what to do. I'd also find someone(s) who was planning to hike the same mileage the next day so I'd have to keep my word and stop where I said I would. I did try to push it too hard too early and wound up shutting up to Trail Days a day early to take four days off to rest a leg issue that had developed from stupidly trying to do several back to back twenties so I could hike into Damascus for Trail Days.
If you go to trailjournals.com you can see what I did starting out two years ago at age 57, with light pack, plenty of experience, but overweight and limited pre-hike conditioning. I found that for the first two weeks I averaged almost exactly 1.5 miles per hour (including stops, photo ops, meals/snacks, getting water, chatting up other hikers, etc.) from the time I started hiking in the morning until I stopped hiking in the evening. If I wanted to go 12 miles, I needed to budget 8 hours; for 15 miles, 10 hours, etc. By the time I got to Hot Springs at the end of 3 weeks, I was approaching 2 miles per hour rather than 1.5
Hope that helps. I had a destination in mind each day, and I would basically keep walking till I got there. Sometimes I went farther than planned, and got ahead of schedule. This felt really good whenever it happened, and led to being able to get some hostel stays and restaurant meals I had not planned on. I never stopped short of my goal. Just my way to do it. HYOH.
Georgia is legit tough and some water sources are miles apart. If you are hiking entire trail, don't be concerned with milage. Hike what is comfortable. I'd say 95% of the trail in Georgia is either up or down. Very few flat areas.
For the first couple days, just shelter hop, hawk is a little over 8 miles in, the next is less then 8 from Hawk, take it slow see how your body is doing and then add more miles.
Kerosene
04-10-2013, 17:16
My body has significantly aged over the past 13 years of AT section hiking (age 42-55), mostly due to knee cartilage loss associated with decades of soccer. Of course, the soccer kept me in good enough shape that I could step onto the trail and crank out consecutive 20+ mile days at 2.5 mph down south, but I knew that I was always playing the odds with regard to stress injuries.
I accompanied a thru-hiker from Amicalola in April 2004, just to get a sense of the thru-hiker herd. We started slowly with 3 consecutive 12-mile days, which was a lovely way to break in. Early start from Amicalola to Hickory Flatts Cemetery, then the top of Ramrock Mtn., then Neel Gap. As I only had a week, I used that nice warm-up to crank out 3 consecutive 18-mile days in lovely weather (Blue Mtn. LT, Dicks Creek Gap, to my car at Standing Indian Campground via Kimsey Creek Trail). I should've kept on to Winding Stair Gap as that section proved a lot easier than I had been told.
In general, I'd suggest 10-12 mile days to start, keeping to a moderate pace throughout the day. You will be ready to ramp up the mileage to the high teens (or higher) long before your body's tendons are ready, so increase slowly (the 10% per week number is probably a good rule of thumb). There are certainly a lot of people, usually younger ones, who can get out of the gates faster and never get hurt, but there are a lot of others who end up having to get off due to injury and are never heard of again. In fact, one of my soccer/hiking buddies on the last 12-mile day in Georgia tried to push the envelope in pace and ended up wrenching his knee, forcing him off at Neel Gap.
Jack Tarlin
04-11-2013, 17:02
One very quick thought: After more than six weeks of daily observation and inter-action with new prospective thru-hikers in North Georgia, the vast majority of folks seem to do best when they're doing 7-12 miles a day at first, and then move up from there. There have been many who insist on doing 12-16 a day at the outset of their hikes. Most of these can now be found in the same location. It is called "home."
Another Kevin
04-11-2013, 21:31
One very quick thought: After more than six weeks of daily observation and inter-action with new prospective thru-hikers in North Georgia, the vast majority of folks seem to do best when they're doing 7-12 miles a day at first, and then move up from there. There have been many who insist on doing 12-16 a day at the outset of their hikes. Most of these can now be found in the same location. It is called "home."
I'm a clueless weekender, but that makes sense to me. I'm a snail at home, I typically do 8-12 mile days on trail in good weather, often much less on bushwhacks or in winter. Why would I try to start with more in Georgia? They tell me that if you do a long hike, start easy and have patience, the miles will come. Since I can only get out for a few weekends and short sections, they've never come to me, but I have a good time doing what I can manage. Isn't that supposed to be the point?
stranger
04-14-2013, 21:57
I am 54 and looking forward to starting an AT northbound thru hike in 2014. I frequently see advice to not over-do the miles when starting out - 8 or 10 miles per day. I am interested in hearing from folks who planned to do this and actually followed thru with their plan. Did you frequently feel you could have done more miles? If so, was it easy or difficult to stop? Or did you frequently feel that 8 - 10 miles was an appropriate max when starting out. If you successfully completed your thru hike, do you attribute some aspect of your success to sticking with that plan?
Likewise, I'm interested in hearing from folks who intended to limit their miles at the beginning but did not follow through with that plan. Any regrets?
Thanks.
I have not thru-hiked, but spent alot of time on the AT over the years. I've sectioned (500 miles+) from Springer twice, at 19 and 33 years old. I personally think that the whole 8 mile thing is a little conservative. I turn 38 next month, smoked for 20 years, and drank heavily for 15...not the worlds' most fit guy! From my experience, there is no reason why someone can't start out pulling 12-16 miles per day, even 16-18 if they take the time to prepare physically. Even if (IF) I'm a faster, stronger hiker...scaled down that would still mean 10-14 miles per day. This also assumes someone would have SOME experience, and not start with 35-40lbs on their back.
8 miles would take me 3 hours, less if it's raining...that's alot of time sitting around shelters or campsites thinking too much. For me, I'm out there to hike, and sitting around camp for 6 hours is NOT HIKING. So, for this guy...it makes little sense.
I would probably recommend something like starting early, say 7am, hiking your 8 miles...rest for 3-4 hours, then hike another 5-7 miles for the day, arriving into camp around 5-6pm. I think this makes alot more sense than hiking 8 mile days and sitting around camp for 5 hours waiting for it to get dark!
I also take the view that we all have a limited amount of days on the trail, a somewhat fixed number...I don't believe it's infinite. So an 8 mile day means you are losing a day and only hiking 8 miles, most hikers don't get to Katahdin, I never did and I can hike 30 miles a day when fit...I would rather spend time getting fit, then hitting Springer ready to go, thus maximizing my time on the trail. I think alot of hikers quit early cause they've been out for 2 weeks and have only hiked 100 miles, and I'm sure just as many quit from starting out too fast as well - it's a gamble either way.
But starting with experience, with a 25lb pack, and in trail shape...that can't hurt you, EVER. That's what I would do. Then just take it day by day, and in some cases hour by hour.
Feel free to ignore much/all of this, you'll be fine either way, just do what makes sense to you.
I think you should be able to easily start at 8 miles per day and add 1 mile per day every two days to 14 miles. So, Day 1 is 8 miles, day three is 10 miles, day 5 is 12 miles and day 7 is 14 miles. You should be able to increase this a bit but by the time you build to an 18 mile day in 10 days, you should consider a NERO day - this is about a half day or a third of a day (Nero = nearly zero miles). Nero days are great because you get something done in terms of trail miles but you also get some "town time" (laundry, shower, reading, a bunk somewhere, etc.) - - -I find that my average miles per day can easily get to 20 but over 3, 4 , or 5 weeks or more (up to a thru) that an average of 14 miles per day (including down time) is really pretty legit.
stranger
04-14-2013, 22:05
Upon reading my entry...I think it can be summed up by saying hiking is mostly mental, regardless of miles, you will be fine if your head is straight.
Short days, long ones...doesnt' really matter if you are strong upstairs, and no amount of physical training can prepare for the mental part really, but it can make the hills easier and the miles come with less effort, which MIGHT mean less stress on your noggin, more confidence, and less blisters and tendonitis - probably a good thing.
Another Kevin
04-14-2013, 22:15
A lot of people just can't start out in trail shape, either because they live in the flatlands, or because winding matters up before starting a thru consumes all the time that they'd spend getting in shape.
You're fit, even if you are a onetime smoker and drinker. I know for me, never being in trail shape (since I'm always just a clueless weekender), that my personal Naismith rule is "half an hour per mile, plus 40 min per 1000 ft elevation change." Coming off an inactive winter, I didn't make even that in todays six miles around the local nature preserve (which is a gorge, so there were a couple of 600 ft pointless downs and ups). I know, I'm a snail. But for me, a 12-mile day would have been a solid eight hours walking. More than 12 would likely have left me hurt.
And it's taking me frustratingly long for conditioning to improve. I'm afraid that I'm getting to be an old man, and that sort of thing doesn't come quickly any more.
Just a clueless-weekender point of view.
SunnyWalker
04-14-2013, 23:00
Hare and Tortise all the way. Purchase some good trekking poles, they will help your knees and etc., on the downhill if you use them right. If you read some of the books and journals you'll see that it seems to appear that many hikers received injuries due to a refusal to slow it down a little. The continuous high mileage seems to be a real stressor on the ole body.
Actually the time issue is key, I think. For a hike that lasts more than a weekend, I want to be almost completely recovered from one day before I start hiking the next morning. For me that means hiking an eight-hour day, or less. If I'm not very fit, or there's snow on the ground, or the terrain is difficult, I might just cover 12 miles. If I'm in great hiking shape and things go well, I might cover 24 miles.
Hiking speeds vary wildly. It's not just speed covering ground. It also includes time spent getting water and fiddling with shoes and gear. Resting. Catching your breath...or not needing to. If, for instance, if a hiker is having blister problems, they should stop and deal with hot spots before they become blisters, rather than just toughing it out. That cuts way into one's speed. People who aren't used to backpacking can spend crazy amounts of time just trying to find stuff in their backpacks. Or getting the load well balanced. Or figuring out the right mix of clothing for a given weather condition.
For a lot of people, the whole pre-hike period is so stressful that they arrive at the start tired and mentally exhausted. They don't sleep well, and feel crummy during the day.
What I'm saying is there's no perfect mileage that works for all hikers. If eight miles only takes you three hours to cover, you will probably want to hike further. But if eight miles feels like a full day's work, don't let someone else make you feel like you're never going to make it.
When I was starting SOBO, the NOBOs coming towards me were engaging in a lot of chest thumping about their awesome mileage. I found it rather obnoxious, frankly. I get that it's very gratifying to become fabulously fit and strong, and one has a right to be proud of the accomplishment. But making oneself feel good doesn't need to involve making other people feel bad.
It's not a competition. Especially as one gets older, and recovery from injuries becomes slower and more difficult, it's best to err on the side of caution at first.
For me, hiking low miles at the beginning of my long hike was also partly about freedom. For the first time in my adult life I was answerable to no one--not kids, not parents, not husband, not boss, not co-workers. If I felt like knocking off "work" at one in the afternoon and going for a swim, I could. If I felt like laying in my tent and listening to the rain in the morning, instead of getting up and making some miles, I could. When I go hiking it's my damn hike and I can do whatever suits me.
Btw, I hiked the JMT in 20 days, usually only hiking from about 8:30 or 9 am until one or two in the afternoon. It was FABULOUS! I had all kinds of time to explore and play.
Thanks for your advice here. It's a great help in planing my hike next year. I will be turning 60 before I leave next April 1st and have begun my hiking workout this past week and every week now until I leave. Having to work is a hindrance in building up elevation hiking. I was able to hike the Temescal Canyon loop six times this week with 5 lbs in my book bag. It's a 3 mile loop with a 1000 ft. elevation gain. I walk dogs as my primary "job" at an average of eight to ten miles a day but it is basically on level ground. It is not one continuous walk since I have to drive from dog to dog/. I am wearing my book bag on all the walks to get used to the weight gradually. I hope to add 5 lbs a month until I am comfortable with a 20 lb backpack. That is the weight limit I have set for myself and when I reach it, that's it for what I will take. I imagine I will be taking out things to trade for other things. ha.
A lot of people just can't start out in trail shape, either because they live in the flatlands, or because winding matters up before starting a thru consumes all the time that they'd spend getting in shape.
You're fit, even if you are a onetime smoker and drinker. I know for me, never being in trail shape (since I'm always just a clueless weekender), that my personal Naismith rule is "half an hour per mile, plus 40 min per 1000 ft elevation change." Coming off an inactive winter, I didn't make even that in todays six miles around the local nature preserve (which is a gorge, so there were a couple of 600 ft pointless downs and ups). I know, I'm a snail. But for me, a 12-mile day would have been a solid eight hours walking. More than 12 would likely have left me hurt.
And it's taking me frustratingly long for conditioning to improve. I'm afraid that I'm getting to be an old man, and that sort of thing doesn't come quickly any more.
Just a clueless-weekender point of view.
I agree with this. A lot of hard core hikers don't realize that people that hike the AT come from all over. I hiked Springer to Clingmans last year and met 6 hikers from Florida. None of us had put in major miles before the hike(I'm also from Florida). There's only so much you can do in a gym. I remember meeting a strong hiker from Germany that took off like a bat out of hell and was doing 20 miles a day from the start. He ended up dropping out a week later because he got hurt. I remember getting to Neels Gap and seeing hikers that flew past me limping around in pain. The general rule of thumb I used was to hike 2 miles/hr. I was out there to enjoy myself. There were places I stopped for an hour or 2 to enjoy the view or checked out wildlife or whatever. It's not a race.
stranger
04-18-2013, 07:32
A lot of people just can't start out in trail shape, either because they live in the flatlands, or because winding matters up before starting a thru consumes all the time that they'd spend getting in shape.
You're fit, even if you are a onetime smoker and drinker. I know for me, never being in trail shape (since I'm always just a clueless weekender), that my personal Naismith rule is "half an hour per mile, plus 40 min per 1000 ft elevation change." Coming off an inactive winter, I didn't make even that in todays six miles around the local nature preserve (which is a gorge, so there were a couple of 600 ft pointless downs and ups). I know, I'm a snail. But for me, a 12-mile day would have been a solid eight hours walking. More than 12 would likely have left me hurt.
And it's taking me frustratingly long for conditioning to improve. I'm afraid that I'm getting to be an old man, and that sort of thing doesn't come quickly any more.
Just a clueless-weekender point of view.
I think it's a few different things...for one people need to learn HOW to hike, pace, breaks, stride, etc...this takes time. Knowing when you can push and when it's not a good idea to, etc... Then it's fitness, how fit are you? Cardio, muscles, etc...But then it's also experience...are you out of shape or is it just a tough day for whatever reason, weather, lack of food, heat, etc...
I guess all is meant was that I would recommend walking most of the day, instead of sitting around camp for hours (unless you like doing that of course). If 12 miles takes you 8 hours...so what? You have alot more than 8 hours out there to hike, might as well fill the time. In time this will improve.
On training prior to leaving...I know this well, it can be difficult. However, even something like walking stairs for 20 mins, 3 times a week with a pack on will make a huge difference. We can always go for a run, do a day hike on the weekend, hit the gym...everything helps.
You'll be fine, and we're all getting older comrade!
Another Kevin
04-18-2013, 11:15
I guess all is meant was that I would recommend walking most of the day, instead of sitting around camp for hours (unless you like doing that of course). If 12 miles takes you 8 hours...so what? You have alot more than 8 hours out there to hike, might as well fill the time. In time this will improve.
Oh, I don't sit around camp for hours! I usually take a lunch break and a couple of other stops with the pack off, and I have the guilty vice of compulsive photography, so I'm likely to take a quick break on trail that turns into a block of evaporated time as I'm trying to get a better shot.
On training prior to leaving...I know this well, it can be difficult. However, even something like walking stairs for 20 mins, 3 times a week with a pack on will make a huge difference. We can always go for a run, do a day hike on the weekend, hit the gym...everything helps.
You'll be fine, and we're all getting older comrade!
Hey, I like where I am. I'm having fun. And I do get my litle bit in every day. (I stuff my daypack with books and a big laptop computer, and walk to work, a mile each way with a little bit of elevation change, even in winter, so I'm not totally inactive.) I'm just not as mileage-driven as some people that I've hiked with, and