Zero Days
How many "zero days" does the typical thru-hiker do on the AT?
Alot of people use the general rule, "1 zero
day per 6 days of hiking." Note that this does not depend on what your typical hiking day is like mileage-wise. Last spring, on my Springer->Damascus hike, I had one zero day at Hot Springs. But, I also took an additional half day at Fontana, Hot Springs, Erwin, and Watuga Lake.
We stopped keeping track after 30.
Lots of people took more, lots of folks took less. It depends on so many factors. Money is a big issue, usually the folks with little cash took less days off, becuase zero days were generally spent in town, and town is expensive. Zero days on the trail, however, are a nice alterantive, peaceful, and a great way to catch up with people who are "right behind you". To each his own. Take as many as you want, and as many as you need. We didn't call them zero days, but "days off"...everyone deserves a little break now and then
"It's a dangerous business, going out your door...if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to."-The Hobbit
Don't plan zeros!
In fact, don't plan at all! At least schedule wise. It's just not worth it, and in fact will tend to either discourage you because you can't keep up with what you wanted to be doing, or you will push yourself and end up injuring yourself.
I'm assuming that is why you are asking about zeros. I think 30 is a reasonable number to plan on in order to set your long term schedule. Otherwise, ditto what Jumpstart said.
You will have to take zeros to recover mentally and physically. But you will only know when to take them a few days ahead of time.
Another argument against planning which zeros you want is that you end up staying in some wierd places that aren't very interesting (we took a zero at The Village Motel because it was planned, but we didn't really need it. This place is just a truck stop) and we pushed through some interesting places where we should have taken more time (We should have taken 2 zeros in Hot Springs, but it wasn't scheduled.)
Go with the flow! It took me too long to learn this (Kincora pretty much taught me it... And my wife was thrilled when I learned
Gravity Man
24 Days
To quote Roland Mueser from his book "Long Distance Hiking," the average person takes off 24 days.Originally posted by Alison
How many "zero days" does the typical thru-hiker do on the AT?
Days off for me are just another day spent on the trail - even if I'm in a town. It's all good!
I met a guy at Rusty's that was going for the record of most zeroes taken during one thruhike - I have NO idea if this record even existsbut he was determined.
I got to Rusty's that year on June 8th - he'd been there for about 10 days. His total number of zero-days when I asked was 52! You guessed it, he didn't finish the trail. I later heard second-hand that he decided that Rusty's was Katahdin in disguise and stayed there until he finally went home.
Just to keep this reasonable, though, I agree with the others: 25-30 is enough to let you smell the roses without the roses wilting of old age.
Thanks, everyone! Very helpful.
Amatuers.
53 zero days, and I did finish. Hoodie-hoo!
"I too am not a bit untamed, I too am untranslatable,
I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world." - W. W.
obligatory website link
Well, Sleepy, that JUST might make you the King of Zeroes (Impressive title, no?).
Congratulations!
Alison - be careful about not going to far toward NOT taking zeros either. I went from Pearisburg to Duncannon without a single zero day. At the time I didn't really realize it. We were having a good time and just motoring along. Soon after Duncannon, my burnout set in. I just did not want to hike anymore. In hindsight, I attribute much of it to the fact I did not take the time to relax, smell the roses, look around, and enjoy. Won't make the same mistake this year.
GA - NJ 2001; GA - ME 2003; GA - ME 2005; GA - ME 2007; PCT 2006
A wise man changes his mind, a fool never will.
—SPANISH PROVERB
I don't recommend doing what Village Athiest did - 100 zero days at the Doyle Hotel in Duncannon. A local record. And I never saw him hoisting a Yuengling! Arrived Feb. 18, 2002 and departed June 1. ;-)
As you see from the posts, the number of zero days varies greatly. Some hikers, like myself take very few days off, while others spend almost as much time off the trail as on.
You asked what the average was, so I quotted it. So, I hope you use this information to plan your own hike. Yes, I believe that a base line plan is necessary. Once on the trail, keep it flexible. But, with a base line plan, it tells loved ones where you plan to be when, and it becomes a measure of progress as you hike along.
Another topic that frequently comes up is the high mileage day. People brag about their say, 30 mile day. What they don't say, is that after a big mileage day, they took 2 days off to recover. So, the effect of a big mile day was negated by the zero days that followed.
A much better way to look a progress is the number of miles per week. Based on data published by Roland Mueser in Long Distance Hiking, the average hiker does 87 miles per week. Most hikers average between 79 and 106 miles per week. Only 10% do more miles per week, and only 10% do less miles per week.
I'm aiming for 5 days hiking, 1 day off.
Of course terrain will dictate my progress, but I'm aiming at 100mi/wk after the smokies up until the whites.
I'll be training with multiple 100-300 mile hikes before hand in Vermont and Massachusetts along with my current training program to get myself ready for '04 S>N.
"A man builds a fine house; and now he has a master, and a task for life; he is to furnish, watch, show it, and keep it in repair, the rest of his days".
...Ralph Waldo Emerson
GA-ME Someday (Maybe '06?)
Many Miles in Massachusetts & Vermont...
21 0-days including 6 days visiting friends/relatives and 3 days for traildays. This doesn't count short days. We did 10 days under 5 miles which you will consider almost as good as a zero day. Our theory was if you can get into town early in the morning or leave late at night, it allowed us to save a little money on hostels/hotels. It also helps "easing" you back into hiking after sitting in town for a day. Sometimes heading out of town is very difficult- when you leave town you are almost always climbing back up to the ridgeline and you have a heavy pack full of food. Short days out of town are really nice.
2 days off per weekOriginally Posted by Alison
one every 6th day.
matthewski
Lone Wolf, don't you and Gypsy have the record of zero days? At least in the top five?
Best thing I found was to be consistent. As Peaks said above, a 30-miler followed by two zeros is counterproductive. If you're serious about hiking, it's best to find a comfortable pace and stick to it. "Miles per week" is a better goal than miles per day, for instance, if you're goal-driven, and it's OK not to be.
I found I did better with "near-os"--hike into town early morning, do all your errands, enjoy some good meals, then hike out of town late afternoon. Or take two near-os if you get into town later--try to find lodging that allows early check-in and stay there 24 hours, more bang for the buck. I only actually took three full zeros last year, all of them at friends' houses, but I took lots of easy days with a 24 hour hiking break.
"Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning
Ughhh....and I think I have lung cancer after being there 2 days....
Just kidding, the Doyle was great and so were the cold brews.
We took 8 (maybe 9?) zeros but lots of neros.
And 41 the second time I finished.
In addition, there were 47 zero days the first time I didn't finish, and I haven't tallied those from the second time I didn't finish. So including my best guess, I've probably spent about 160 days not hiking the Appalachian Trail, while out hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Hey, beer don't drink itself!
"I too am not a bit untamed, I too am untranslatable,
I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world." - W. W.
obligatory website link
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
