Age and endurance hiking?

[lobster]

Squeaky, how old are you?

It seems that a lot of the well-known endurance athletes don't peak until they are about 40 years old.

I guess they have developed their mental game by then and age is only a minor factor in chipping away at their physical endurance.

[Nean]

I wouldn't want to answer for Squeaky on many subjects, but I think it's ok to say he is 26.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Being well over twice Squeaky's age (closer to three times his age), I'm going to say that the young have natural energy and endurance. The old have knowledge and experience - and generally have learned how to get the most out of the energy and endurance they still have.

The male half of the Frolicking Dinos

[SGTdirtman]

Being only 23 I feel like i have tons of energy, great endurance, I'm in good physical shape.

But somehow my father can still kick my butt out on the trail, doing more miles a day than me and he's 55. One thing that is different between us is recovery time. We can both do the same amount of physical activity and beat the living hell out of ourselves, but he seems to need a few days to recovery where I'm usually set the next morning. Or maybe he's just smarter than me and doesnt enjoy pain as much?

[Mr. Clean]

Usually, the younger guys have more immediate strength and power, but fade somewhat as time goes on. Recovery is fast. The older guys have the staying power and are slow and steady. Recovery can take a while. When you can combine the two into a thirty something backpacker, you get a real hiking machine. This is what I've noticed, anyway.

[Mags]

Usually, the younger guys have more immediate strength and power, but fade somewhat as time goes on. Recovery is fast. The older guys have the staying power and are slow and steady. Recovery can take a while. When you can combine the two into a thirty something backpacker, you get a real hiking machine. This is what I've noticed, anyway.

It is no coincidence that the elite marthoners tends to be in their early 30s.

In the hiking world, Scott Williamson did his PCT yo-yo at 32 (IIRC).

So, I think you are right on....


Of course, I'm 32 soon..but I am better at drinking beer than endurance hiking.

[Programbo]

I would hope that with age would come wisdom (Or at least the world used to work that way) and as hikers got older they would slow down more not because they weren`t physically able to grind out the big miles but because they would appreciate what the trail means and represents beyond just being some sort of course that needs to be run.

[The Hog]

I started section hiking the AT at 22. At 33, I thru-hiked it. Since then I've hiked many other shorter trails (the LT, the Rees-Dart in New Zealand, etc) and now am section hiking the CDT. A few observations:

I'm now hiking more miles per day at 54 than I did at 22. Part of the reason for that is that I'm now carrying much less weight. The other thing is that I stay in shape year round and ramp up my training leading up to a hike.

This ain't rocket science. Minimize pack weight. Maximize physical conditioning. 'Nuff said.