Suggestions for Senior Thru Hikers

[Coosa]

What I've learned as a Senior Citizen as I prepare for a Pre-Thru Hike ... hiking the North Half of the AT starting next month ...

1- Get your physical and talk to your doctor ... and a Sports Medicine Doctor like I have will do what he must to keep me active ... IE ... Steroid/Novocaine shots in my knees ... After I hike this 'half-a-Thru' he's talking about a referral to an Orthopedist and getting shots that will replace the meniscus missing in my knees. I have arthritis in my knees and my lower back.

2- Carry Giardia meds and hope you don't need them. Carry a Lyme Aid Kit ... you mail the removed tick and a fee in and within 3 business days know if you have Lyme Disease. Even take something for constipation, just in case.

3- Take a vitamin supplement. [I'm also taking 50 mg B-1 daily to keep bugs at bay.] Eat your greens when you go into Restaurants. Get enough protein. Using a protein drink before bedtime is a good idea ... 30 grams of protein is optimal for muscle recovery.

4- Do research on foods high in calories and low in weight so that when your Hiker Hunger kicks in you'll know how to carry the most calories for the least weight.

5- Don't get stressed when reading trail journals ... It's really easy to get panicked when you read about the house and car sized boulders slick from rain and snow in Maine ... and 18" of snow ... Retrain yourself to focus on a simple single goal at the end of the day ... don't dwell too much on the 'big picture' until you get to Baxter State Park.

6- Make a conservative schedule and be prepared to be flexible. If you need a Zero Day or a Nero Day and it's not scheduled ... take it ... If you're feeling super and have the time to make it to the next campsite/shelter ... go for it. Throw out the schedule ... it's for your resupply person, anyway. This is your hike. You are in charge. There's no time table other than getting to Baxter State Park before it closes. IF you find you're going to run out of time ... or IF it's just too hot or humid where you are ... there's nothing 'wrong' about Flip Flopping. Shuttle to Baxter State Park, hike Katahdin and then hike South to where you got off. It's your own hike, after all.

7- Know that you will be hiking 3 to 5 day hikes interspersed with resupply points ... be they groceries or mail drops ... and you can thru hike with a minimum of mail drops if you so desire. You're not expected to carry enough food and water for all 2200 miles. You'll be near 'civilization' for most of the hike.

8- You actually can avoid expensive town stays with some planning ... stealth camping or campsite just before a Trail Town, going in for laundry, shower, resupply ... and hiking out to next campsite or stealth camping. There are places where you can shower for a small fee. You can take a Nero day and do your laundry LNT style while on the Trail. Or use an inexpensive campground and take Zero to do your laundry there. [WhiteBlaze has articles that may be helpful with Hike Planning.]

9- I took a tip from Warren Doyle and started hiking with a full pack ... slowly at first ... 3 miles three times a week and he suggests 5 miles one weekend day. Then adding 2 miles every two weeks. You can be 'in good trail shape' within 10-12 weeks. And it doesn't have to be hiking up and down mountains. You're trying to get your body prepared for carrying your pack ... it's pretty much in the legs ... not injure yourself before your hike.

10- Use Poles ... Youtube has videos on how to correctly use trekking poles.

11- If you have a smart phone, use Google Drive to create off-line files you can refer to. I've got my schedule, my list of resupply points, list of rates for Hostels, list of stealth camps in Maine, list of high calorie/lightweight foods I like and know I'll eat, list of shuttles, and AWOL's AT Guide on mine. [The ALDHA Companion can be downloaded to your Smart phone too]

12- Know that there have been countless others who are older than you and not in the best physical shape who have Thru Hiked and made it all the way ... even with those huge boulders in Maine and Presidential Mountains in NH, and rocks [I hear it's not that bad, just tread carefully] in PA. If they can do it, so can you. And remember the Tortoise and the Hare? It's okay to hike your own personal pace. It's not a race. Make your hike enjoyable. Make it personal, make it yours. You're not competing with anyone else. Unlike the 'real' world, the AT is not a competition.

“Why, an Indian would die laughing his head off if he saw the Trail. I would have never started this trip if I had known how tough it was, but I couldn’t, and I wouldn’t, quit.”—Grandma Gatewood, 1955, on her first of three thru-hikes.

13- Make up a mantra that you'll use to pep yourself up when things get hard.
Hard climb: Wow, that was worth the view.
Hard downhill: Turn around and say Wow, I am a downhill hiking machine.
Day of rain: Ah, liquid sunshine. Think I'll do a 'spit bath' before bed.
More than one day of rain: Great, there will be water available at the springs.
A dry spell: Well at least I don't have sopping wet shoes to hike in.
Getting to a Road Crossing and Trail Town: Wow, that didn't take long.
..... You get the idea. While on the Trail, you'll come up with more of your own. Write them down in your journal ... who knows, they may turn into a poem or a song.

14- Expect hard days. Expect awesome days. Write about the Awesome Days in great detail. Write about the hard days briefly so you don't dwell on them.

15- There will be days when you think you want to quit ... when you 'know' you want to quit. I had one of those in 2009 and I regret quitting. If I knew then what I know now, I would have take a Zero day or two to recuperate and more than likely completed that 500 mile section hike. I had pushed myself ... still too goal oriented I had made my hike a competition ... and I was exhausted. I nearly broke my leg and with my 'all or nothing at all' personality, I talked myself off the Trail.

16- There is an excellent book entitled Appalachian Trials Zach Davis which talks about the trials and the mental preparation for a Thru Hike. I recommend it for your Library. Blog Here Zach's personal Blog here

17- Do your "lightweight" gear research before you buy your gear so you don't spend money replacing gear.

18- Practice your night time and morning ritual before you get on the Trail. Learn how to put up and take down your tarp, tent, hammock in the rain and in the dark. Learn your knots. Practice your breakfast and dinner rituals. DO NOT go to bed without eating something ... that's why I have my protein drink. No matter how tired I am, I can mix it with water and gulp it down.

19- Go as lightweight as your comfortable with. Remember that it's your fears that cause you to carry too much weight on your back. At the same time, be sensible and carry what you need. Use your mail drops to mail yourself cold weather clothing and be willing to use a Bump Box for items you don't need 'now' or mail back to your resupply person any clothing or gear you know you won't need.

20- Plan to replace some items ... shoes wear out, insoles wear out. Put it in your budget. Send your shoes back to Mountain Crossings for their collection or to some other place which collects old shoes.

21- ENJOY YOURSELF. Through it all ... have a good time. You'll undergo great emotions on this hike. Live in the present. Laugh when you're happy, cry when you're overcome with beauty beyond your comprehension, overcome your fears, gain new insights, get wet, get cold, get sore feet, know that you'll hurt at the end of the day and sometimes when you get up in the morning, be spontaneous. But most of all, enjoy yourself.

These were written as a post for other Senior Hikers as much as for me. Especially number 21.

Coosa

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

[Swordpen]

This is a great post, & inspirational. Thank you for writing it!

[rocketsocks]

Really well thought out Coosa...great stuff here. I will read again and again till it sinks in...thanks!

slow and steady wins my race.

[moytoy]

That's a good read for any long distance hiker. Well thought out Coosa!

[1azarus]

I'm going to suggest you underline number 9 -- the start walking suggestion. The pack isn't even that important for the practice walks, especially if you take the advice of number 19. Basically, for several months you will be an obsessive walker. Best to start well in advance -- and even better/healthier to plan to continue when you finish the AT. You may well find that walking is wonderful -- always, and the AT is just an excuse to do a lot of it. Find some interesting places to walk near your home, and vary your walking destinations.

Nice post, old man!

[Wise Old Owl]

Journal your post Coosa

[treesloth]

I'm going to suggest you underline number 9 -- the start walking suggestion. The pack isn't even that important for the practice walks, especially if you take the advice of number 19. Basically, for several months you will be an obsessive walker. Best to start well in advance -- and even better/healthier to plan to continue when you finish the AT. You may well find that walking is wonderful -- always, and the AT is just an excuse to do a lot of it. Find some interesting places to walk near your home, and vary your walking destinations.

Nice post, old man!

Auntie Coosa be a woman.

[poopsy]

This is one of the best posts i've read. It distills a lot of collected information into some basic principles. Make it an article. Well done.

[1azarus]

Auntie Coosa be a woman.

I suppose you can add another suggestion for us older folks, which would be helpful in my case ... have your eye sight evaluated. Sorry, Auntie Coosa.

[BrianLe]

As moytoy suggested, what strikes me in this collection of ideas is that most of it is universally applicable, not things just for seniors.

There are a few things that tend to separate older hikers from the younger IMO. Most use trekking poles (a pair, and all the time), and most use an inflatable air mattress, often a relatively thick one such as a neo-air. Most are also more disciplined on average than their younger counterparts; they might ultimately do about the same daily mileage, but if so they do it in a sort of "tortoise and hare" manner: waking fairly early, walking steadily with relatively few breaks. I think that older hikers can often sustain a pretty good pace (very much depending on the individual) except when the trail goes steeply uphill --- that's the place in particular that no matter how great shape the older hiker is in, the younger one just sort of "walks away" with a sustainably higher pace. So just having that as part of expectations can help some, I think.

The other expectation I think is learning to manage pain and physical discomfort. I'm not saying that it should "hurt all the time", but I suspect that most older hikers are willing and able to walk through some pain at times that their younger counterparts do not have to deal with [as much, anyway]. Fortunately, older hikers are at least *sometimes* wiser hikers, and so can hopefully be more sane about knowing what IMO is one of the key pieces of trail wisdom: "Know when to listen to your body, and when to tell it to shut the hell up".

[Coosa]

I suppose you can add another suggestion for us older folks, which would be helpful in my case ... have your eye sight evaluated. Sorry, Auntie Coosa.

And a proof reader. After posting I noticed at least one editorial error and one grammatical error.

I could add a few other things ... like "accept the Trail Community for what it is and be open to learn and to teach at appropriate times and to keep your vast array of knowledge to yourself when the audience isn't receptive."

And "listen to your body. Being older means you're probably more attuned to when the pain can be 'walked through' and when it might be something more serious."

And "AFTER YOUR HIKE ... read the book "Good Calories Bad Calories" by Gary Traube AND eat low to moderate GLYCEMIC foods in order to maintain any weight loss."

Good Article on Eating Here

Let me work on this post and polish it up before I submit it to be an article.

Your suggestions appreciated.

Auntie Coosa

[Coosa]

As moytoy suggested, what strikes me in this collection of ideas is that most of it is universally applicable, not things just for seniors.

There are a few things that tend to separate older hikers from the younger IMO. Most use trekking poles (a pair, and all the time), and most use an inflatable air mattress, often a relatively thick one such as a neo-air. Most are also more disciplined on average than their younger counterparts; they might ultimately do about the same daily mileage, but if so they do it in a sort of "tortoise and hare" manner: waking fairly early, walking steadily with relatively few breaks. I think that older hikers can often sustain a pretty good pace (very much depending on the individual) except when the trail goes steeply uphill --- that's the place in particular that no matter how great shape the older hiker is in, the younger one just sort of "walks away" with a sustainably higher pace. So just having that as part of expectations can help some, I think.

Interesting you should mention the sleeping pad. I still use a ZRest ... But I can fall asleep lying on concrete, even with my arthritic back. So using an 'inflatable' is not a universal for a Senior Citizen.

Coosa

[Rolls Kanardly]

Please explain how shots can replace living tissue. Muske-gon

[Coosa]

Please explain how shots can replace living tissue. Muske-gon

My doctor said that there is a new treatment for missing meniscus that includes injections ... ask your orthopedist. This article may be what he's talking about ... Using Stem Cell Injections

Coosa

[Hot Flash]

Vitamin B-1 helps your body in a number of ways, but repelling insects is not one of them.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/49...osquitos-away/

[theoilman]

I appreciate all your effort to pass this all along.

Learning what your body can do and getting it in shape are really hard - when you start hiking in your 60s (or pick up in my 60s after the last was when I was 18. Yes, I am talking to myself.)

No, I am not a thru hiker, and I doubt if I will ever do the whole trail even in smaller sections, but just learning to pace myself to do 40 to 50 miles in about a week is hard.

I have learned - if you are so tired you don't want to eat dinner, eat it anyway. I appreciate the comments about quantity of protein - excellent.
If you are so tired you can't eat - it's over! Get off the trail! Your body needs a day or two to recuperate (or maybe a week or two now at over 60) - sugars and protein!

(Hiking went to the top of my bucket list after triple bypass heart surgery 3 years ago. Thankfully I don't have the knee and other joint problems. I am planning a thru hike of the Jesus Trail next spring - still a year to learn how to keep going. It is a short trail, 65km/40mi, but it is still a learning curve to get in proper shape and learn to listen to what my body will do, and how to adjust so I can keep going.)

[EllieMP]

Thank you for a wonderful posting.. I'm at the start of my preparation for next my hike next year. You give a very nice inspiration that helps ward off the negatives that I read here in the forum. I do know my body and my abilities. Now to refine them into a comfortable hike by making the right choices that will have to be made. April 2014 seems so far away but just enough time to be ready!

I'm looking at "The A.T. Guide , A Handbook for Hiking the Appalachian Trail" and have been studying the "NOBO plan @ 12 miles per day".. It actually ranges from 7 to 12 miles a day. If followed, it allows for suggested time off the trail and reaching Katahdin in 185 days. It is well planned out.

I am wondering about the day light. As we hike north and the days get shorter I don't see any compensation for loss of day light hours. Do most hikers begin hiking in the dark to cover the miles?

[Coosa]

Vitamin B-1 helps your body in a number of ways, but repelling insects is not one of them.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/49...osquitos-away/

Just because it doesn't work for most doesn't mean it doesn't work for a few.

For instance ... Nature's Sunshine makes a combo of herbs called "BP-X" which is kind of a 'blood cleaner' combination. For some people, it will dry up Poison Ivy and Poison Oak 'from the inside' ... If I get Poison Ivy, it travels in my blood stream and comes out on the inside of my forearms. If I take 4 BP-X pills every three hours, within two days the Poison Ivy is all dried up. Then I take a maintenance dose daily. Doesn't work for everyone ... but works for me.

I think it's a 'know your body chemistry' kind of thing. What works for one may not work for another.

YMMV and HYOH,
Coosa

[Coosa]

Thank you for a wonderful posting. ... I am wondering about the day light. As we hike north and the days get shorter I don't see any compensation for loss of day light hours. Do most hikers begin hiking in the dark to cover the miles?

You're welcome ... I wrote that for my blog initially but wanted to share it as I know how daunting the preparation can be.

Recall that Earl Shaffer hiked "sun up to sun down" on his final thru hike. An older and slower hiker has to make adjustments to get those 8-12 miles a day in and it may mean getting up before dawn and starting to hike at first light, hiking through the daylight hours and setting up camp as the sun goes down. Which is why I suggest learning to set up your camp in the rain and the dark.

Also consider Flip Flopping as an option based on weather and daylight.

What I think will happen is that you'll be pleasantly surprised to find that you can travel farther than you thought possible after a couple weeks or months of hiking. There are sections that are 'fairly' level or with not too much elevation gain and you'll find yourself 'trucking along.' That's why I suggested a very conservative 'schedule' and being willing to set it aside and hike as time and ability allows.

I tend to 'over think' ... and a thru hiker told me that "that part of my brain will go into hibernation after a couple of weeks of hiking."

As someone here said to me ... You'll figure it out once you're out hiking the Trail ...
Coosa

[Nooga]

Great post! One thing that really affected me last year was sleep or the lack of. I am a very light sleeper and the noise and stirring in shelters had an adverse effect on my sleep, so I tried to tent if possible. Motels / hostels were also an issue if noisy or too hot. I found that I slept best in my tent (with a neo-air).