I have been hiking sections of the AT as well as other trails for the last 20 years or so - I generally hike around 10 to 15 miles per day (with the occasional 20 miler) Living on the coast of NC, I don't get to hike the hills on a regular basis. After 3 or 4 days of hiking, I have issues with my hips and knees getting very sore.

Is this a common thing? I am planning on hiking the AT in a few years and would like to get ahead of this, if possible. Is this something that gets better as you hike a few weeks? Are there exercises I can do to strengthen muscles in my legs to make this better?

Any insight around this would be appreciated.

Doug