How To Train For A Long Distance Hike
Tip #1: Walk Every Day
The best physical exercise to get in shape for hiking is walking. Walking is slow, methodical, repetitive, low-impact and anyone can do it. It’s also the main component of hiking. If walking every day does not sound appealing, you can forget about completing a long hike.
Start out by walking around your neighborhood or wherever is most convenient. If you live within a few miles of your job try walking to and from work. If you work further away try walking to a bus stop a few miles from home and taking the bus to work instead of driving.
I find that walking for a purpose is more enjoyable than just walking for the sake of training. It’s also not as easy to shirk your daily walking workout if you are doing it to get somewhere you need to go. You might even have to run or jog a few times because you’re running late.
Often the months leading up to a long hike are in the winter and early spring. It may be cold and there may still be snow on the ground where you live, making the idea of walking outside less pleasant. Even better! The less pleasant the prospect of walking is, the better it will prepare you mentally for the rigors of long distance hiking.
You can increase the effectiveness of your walks by adding weight and uneven terrain. Toss a few books, water bottles or some gear in your backpack and head to the nearest park, trail or wilderness area with hills to climb as often as you can. If there are no trails or hills where you live a treadmill with the incline cranked up or a stair climber will work.
I recommend walking two hours every day for a couple of months leading up to your big hike. If you keep a steady 4 mile per hour pace and walk every day for two months you will have walked nearly 500 miles by the time you take your first step on the trail.
Tip #2: Maintain A Healthy Body Weight
Although too much body fat is a hindrance, too little body fat can be just as much of a problem on a long hike. Body fat serves an important biological function, which is to store energy for times when food is not available. And hiking is definitely one of those times.
Most thru-hikers pack around two pounds of high calorie, lightweight food per day. This provides around 3,500 calories. But hiking for 12 hours a day can easily burn 5,000+ calories. This means that you will always be running an energy deficit. So when you start a long distance hike, you basically begin the process of slowly starving yourself.
I have found that I lose 5-8 pounds per month on a long backpacking trip, and this seems to be pretty common. It will vary depending on a number of factors. If you are thin already you will likely lose less weight, if you are fat you will lose more. Women tend to lose less weight than men do. But anyone who has completed a a multi-month thru-hike knows that by the end, most hikers looks like they escaped from a prisoner of war camp.
My PCT Weight Loss - Start (205 lbs) Finish (170 lbs)
What’s the ideal weight to start a long distance hike?
Personally, I like to start 10-15 pounds over my “ideal weight”. Enough body fat to provide for my increased energy needs, but not so much that it’s physically taxing.
As with food weight you should weigh the pros and cons of carrying extra body weight and try to find a happy medium that works for you. The more you hike the more in-tune you will get with your body and how it reacts.
Tip #3: Start A Workout Program
Starting a regimented workout program has two major benefits: The first is that it will improve your strength, health and general fitness. The second is that it helps you build self-discipline, which is one of the most important character traits to have on a long distance hike.
When the alarm clock rings at 5:30am and you drag your ass out of bed to do your daily workout, that is preparing you for cold mornings on the trail when you would rather stay bundled in your warm sleeping bag, but instead you force yourself to get up, choke down a bowl of oatmeal and put 30 more miles underfoot before sunset.
Long distance hiking requires a high tolerance for pain and discomfort. The best way I know of to build this kind of discipline and confidence is to start a serious workout regimen.
P90X Home Fitness Program
My workout program of choice is P90X. It is a 90 day fitness program where you work out for one hour per day, six days a week. I like P90X because it is simple, easy to follow, can be done from home and does not require a lot of equipment.
P90X is not for the faint of heart. This is a hardcore fitness program designed for serious athletes. In 2-3 months it will whip you into the best shape of your life (and it’s not just about looking good at the beach, but developing true functional fitness).
Here is what 60 daysof P90X did for me. They also make a “lite” version workout program called Power 90, which may be more attractive to beginners.
Tip #4: Go On Shakedown Hikes
A “shakedown hike” is a multi-day hiking trip where you test out your gear, skills, fitness and enjoyment on the trail, before starting a long hike. Too many aspiring thru-hikers skip this step, only to discover within the first few weeks that they don’t really like long distance hiking, because it is not as romantic as they had imagined it would be. This is one of the factors contributing to the high dropout rates on trails like the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails.
I recommend scheduling at least a few shakedown hikes in the months and weeks leading up to your planned departure date. While you are still working you may only be able to do some over-nighters on the weekends, which is a good start. But try also to do at least one 5-day hike, because five days is the average time between resupply stops on a long hike.
After spending five days in the wilderness you will have a better idea of what the experience is all about, and if you are truly prepared for a trip of this magnitude.
Good luck and happy trails!
Have any questions about training for a long distance hike, or suggestions from your own hiking experiences that you would like to share with others? Post your comments below…
My name is Erik Asorson, aka "Erik the Black." I'm a long-distance backpacker, cartographer and author of 
Hi Erik – I am going on a 90 mile hike on the Camino de Santiago in Spain June 20 – 28th. The trip is broken down in ~15 mile/day increments and I will be an able-bodied person assisting a handicapped person along the trail. I will be going with Justin Skeesuck and Patrick Gray – the I’ll Push You guys if you know of them. I am not a hiker. Have been on an 8 mile hike a few times, and some shorter ones, but truly not a hiker. How can I best prepare? I have been walking, walking, and walking. Am dusting off my elliptical today, and plan to lose ~9 pounds by June by watching what I eat. Any suggestions for a beginner. I am looking into the Power 90 exercise program that you speak about.
My friend and I are going to attempt hiking the Knobstone Trail with the loops at the end in 24hours or less. It’s 58 miles long with about 11,000 in elevation change. Any suggestions for physically and mentally preparing for the hike outside of what you’ve suggested above?
Thankfully we can cache food and water, so we won’t have to pack a ton of weight!
Hi Erik! I am newly starting to the idea of long distance hiking and I am going to start with 1/2 of the Colorado Trail. Starting on segment 15 and heading toward Durango. In your opinion, what is the most difficult/grueling segment of the CT and why? I am trying to find out so i can plan a few hikes that are similar to the worst of the trail, elsewhere. I live in the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado, so all of this is literally in my backyard!
Any other tips would be welcomed also=)
Michelle: In my opinion the southern sections in the San Juans are the most difficult because they are steepest and so much of it is above treeline, but also the most beautiful.
Eric,
My brother wants to do a 30 mile day hike at the end of the month, with 5500 ft elevation gain. I’ve been hiking but after about 15 miles I feel tuckered out. I plan on doing a 150 mile backpacking trip for 10 days prior. Do you think I’ll be ready for the 30, and is this the best way to go about it? I’ve only got 3 weeks to say yeay or nay to go with or not. About 35 lbs overweight now, but decievingly athletic.
@Luke: 30 miles is tough. Even back when I was in my best hiking shape I always found the difference between 20 and 30 miles to be like night and day. The first 20 was a cakewalk and the last 10 felt like a slog. But if you can complete a 150 mile backpacking trip in 10 days I don’t think you will have any problem hiking 30 miles in one day. You might be sore and grumpy at the end of it, but I still think you can do it. Good luck.
Hi Erik-
What do you recommend for training for people like me who live in flatter-than-a-pancake Houston? I’m hoping to do some hiking from Chamonix this year. My fitness level is not ideal, as the last hike i did was 2014 (WTrek) and Kili before that (2013- where I was made to turn around at 13,000 ft do to AMS.) I’m going to keep to trails below 13,000 ft elevation, hopefully in the 10,000ft range only.
Thanks!!
@Diana: I think the next best thing to hiking in real hills is to join a gym that has a good selection of treadmills. Most high end treadmills have pre-set workout routines that simulate hiking in the mountains by automatically adjusting the incline and pace as you go. You can even fill up a daypack with some weight and wear it at the gym. You could also try interval training to ramp up the difficulty of training on the flat ground. That is where you alternate between walking at a brisk pace, and then sprinting as fast as you can. I usually start by walking for four minutes and then running for one minute. As you get into better shape you can decrease the time walking and increase the time running within that 5 minute circuit (ex: walk 3 minutes, run 2 minutes.) You could also try stair sprints (like Rocky) If you can find a long flight of steps to use, load up a daypack and jog up the stairs, then walk back down, and repeat that for half an hour.
I just found your website and love it! I am a 70 year old woman who is in fairly good shape. My 57 year old husband and I want to do some hiking (about 2 weeks long) in the Swiss mountains/alps. I would like to know if you can recommend a good training program for a woman my age? Many thanks!
In the process of looking up information to prepare myself for a serious journey that I want to take my life on and that was inspired by watching the movie “Wild” a few years ago, I stumbled across your site and have found it to be very interesting. So here is my question for you. I am definitely in no shape currently to make this journey, but am officially putting myself into a 15 month training plan. Do you have any suggestions for me on information to read, programs to follow, or other advice on what to do to prepare myself? I am also wondering if there are any good resources to find a hiking partner, as right now I am planning on going alone, but am being advised that that would not be a good idea. However, those that have said this, have no intentions on joining me on this journey. Thank you for all your information.
@Melinda: The best training for backpacking is walking. If you live in an area with foothills and hiking paths nearby that is the best place to go for your training. Start by walking an hour a day and once you get used to that work in longer hikes on the weekends with a backpack. Gradually increase your mileage and the weight you are carrying. By the time you are ready to start your hike you should be able to comfortably do 20 mile day-hikes with a 30 lb pack.
I also recommend doing several overnight shakedown hikes where you camp out and test out all of your gear. It is not wise to start a long hike with untested gear. Hollywood loves to portray backpackers as bumbling city folks trying to figure out how to set up their tent the first night on the trail. That’s entertaining, but not smart in my opinion. Your gear and your body should be tried and tested before starting a long hike. If you don’t live anywhere near trails, you can simulate climbing hills on a treadmill at the gym (most treadmills with incline adjustments and circuit training presets for hills, mountains, etc.)
A long-distance hike requires passion so the only way to find a hiking partner that is going to stick with it through thick and thin is to find somebody who is planning to go themselves for their own reasons. Lots of people try to get their spouses or friends to go along with them on a long hike, but that person doesn’t have the same desire that you do, they are just tagging along, so they drop out. But it is not necessary to find a hiking partner before you start. Nobody hikes the Pacific Crest Trail completely alone, unless they are anti-social and want to be alone. There are lots of other hikers, so within the first week you will meet dozens of people and you will most likely fall in with a group of friends that you can stay with for the entire hike. Or you can keep a more loose affiliation where you spend some time hiking alone and some time hiking with others, but since you are all going in the same direction at about the same time and pace, you will keep bumping into the same people over and over again.
The only other advice I have is keep your gear light. There is lots of information here on my blog about how to go that. Good luck and happy trails!
We are hiking the JMT north to south in September 2017 for 20 days. Do you have a recommended resupply point/method for the last 1/3 of the trip? Is it worth spending a day to get out to a place like Independence and a day to get back on the trail? Or would you recommend carrying more food and staying on the trail? Ideas? Experiences? Guidance? Thanks much.
@Jay: It can be pretty time consuming process to resupply in Independence. There is the hike over Kearsarge Pass and also hitch-hiking into and back out of town. I have found that getting back up to the trailhead is the hardest part. The only place the road goes is up to the trailhead so the only traffic is dayhikers, and they are usually going to be heading up the hill early in the morning on the weekend. If you happen to get stuck in Independence trying on a weekday or in the afternoon good luck getting back up to the trailhead, you might be standing there with your thumb out all day. For that reason I think it is more convenient to resupply at Muir Trail Ranch and blast through the entire second half without leaving the trail, even though you will have to carry more food.
Thanks for building this neat site and your writing. Its very helpful for someone like me to plan and train for a long distance trek.
I’m thinking that packing amino powder (the pre workout stuff that basically just adds flavor to water, rather than one of those big gloppy whey protein post workout drinks), would be a great way
to keep extra proteins and amines available to your body every day.
This would keep a steady supply of amines in your bloodstream to build and strengthen muscle and would allow your body to burn off fat rather than having it eat your muscle fiber, which you want to retain.
Erik
New to your Website and am enjoying it immensely. You give detailed and honest opinions on gear and I appreciate that. Do you have any experience with the Oboz ScapeGoat Mid Hiking Boot? If so what is your opinion. I am looking for a lightweight mid hiking boot that still offers some support and can handle roots and rock type terrain. I am 50 yrs old and don’t have the ankles for low cuts anymore yet still want to be light in foot as I pack light and cover elevations and ground fast.
I only have one month to train for a 10 mile hike..Im out of shape…can I do it??…Im over 60
@Dane: I think you can. 10 miles is pretty easy to do in a day, even if you are out of shape. You just need to wake up early and hike at a slow and steady pace. In the meantime, the best training you can do to get ready is walking (preferably on an incline, but if that’s not available flat walking is OK too.) Just walk as much as you can around the neighborhood, in the hills or at the gym.
I am going on a 16 mile hike. I am 61 and 35lbs overweight. How fast should I be hiking? the trail is from rodeo beach to the bonita lighthouse in the bay area. I need a good pair of shoes to hike. Any suggestions on where I can get some hiking gear and shoes?
Erik, in response to Carolyn’s post I’d like to comment on lacing up your shoes. On an 18 mile hike today I noticed my pinkey toe beginning to hurt slightly. Sure fire sign of the bastard blister rearing its ugly head. My shoes are a half a size big and size ee so I was confused. Prognosis? After my half-way there rest/nap where I removed my shoes and socks, I laced em up a little to tight in the toe box area. So, can you comment?
Hey Erik,
I just stumbled upon your site tonight and it is incredibly helpful!
I’m curious to know your input on the best way to ship resupply boxes?
I am hiking the AT in May (ps: I’ve never camped or hiked before
@Lyndsay: The best way to ship resupply boxes is to send the by US Postal Service to Post Offices along the trail “General Delivery”. The post office will hold your package for a couple of weeks and you can pick it up with your photo ID when you arrive in town. If you ship them using Priority Mail the Post Office will even forward unopened packages free of charge at your request. Another options for shipping resupply packages is to send them to hotels, hostels or trail angels in towns where you plan to stop.
Mr eric.
Planing on a oregon only portion of the PCT .wondering
if you had a pocket Atlas and where I could find one ?
@Jim: The Oregon PCT Atlas is still in development but not available yet. Once it’s finished I will post it on the site.
Do you have a recommendation to prepare my FEET to walk from Philly to DC? I walked last summer for 4 days, 13 to 18 miles per day and by the third day, my feet were blistered. I think I can prepare my body for my walk in April, but I worry about my feet. I have what seem to be good quality hiking shoes that have a few hundred miles on them.
@carolyn: Blisters are caused by friction. It is possible to toughen up your feet somewhat so they are less susceptible to blisters just by walking a lot. But if your shoes or socks are rubbing your feet the wrong way that has to be fixed. Finding the right shoes and socks that work for you is sort of a trial and error process. Some things you can do is make sure your shoes are big and wide enough (hikes often buy shoes a size bigger to accomodate feet swelling). Make sure your socks are allowing your feet to breathe and that they are not rubbing against your foot in a wierd way. Sometimes adding thin nylon liner socks under thicker hiker socks can help.
Hello,
I am going to climb Mount Kenya in exactly a month.
I have been gymming for a year now and have been doing physical activities all my life. For some reason I am worried if I’ll make it to the top. I am overweight, but like I read in one of your replies that isn’t necessarily a hindering factor, correct?
My question is- How do I know if my lungs and heart are fit for the high altitude? I smoke very occasionally (and will stop completely this month). Going to a doc for a checkup really is not an option for me.
Please help!
Eric I have noticed that your equipment list does not include hammocks is there a particularly reason why not?
@Chuck: Since I live in the west and often hike in places where there are not many trees I’ve never really considered a hammock for a primary backpacking shelter. I hear they work well back east though where there are always trees to hang from.
Do you have any suggestions for shakedown hike in the missouri arkansas area. I am totally new to this and am going to start training. Would like to plan a shakedown to give me my first goal.
Eric, I am hoping to do a 3 week hike on the PCT this April with a few friends much younger than i and in great physical shape. I am a 65 yr. old female who has never hiked and i am 40 lbs. over weight. I do Bikram yoga, have been walking laps for an hour in a pool 3 times a week and occasionally go to the gym to do weights. Am i crazy to think that i can hike 200 miles this April ?
@Nella: The fact that you are 65 and a bit overweight doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t be able to hike. Hiking is a different kind of fitness. It’s a slow and steady endurance test. You would be surprised at what some long distance hikers look like (not always your typical athlete bodies.) You mentioned that you will be hiking 200 miles over three weeks. Assuming you will take at least two days off during the trip to rest and resupply, that leaves 19 days to cover 200 miles, which is only 10.5 miles a day. I am fairly confident that this pace is very doable for most people with an average level of fitness.
The best training for hiking is hiking. Between now and your hike I would recommend that you start walking every day. If you live in a place where there are some trails and mountains I would do it there. But even if you live in the city, walking around the local parks and neighborhood streets will be good training. Walk 5 miles every day during the week (which should only take 60 – 90 minutes with no pack.) On the weekends head for the nearest hills with a day pack (carrying 10+ pounds) and do some 10-15 mile day hikes. Spend the last few weekends before your big hike doing over-night shakedown hikes: on Saturday morning park at a trailhead and hike 10-15 miles in with a full pack (carrying everything you plan to take on your trip), camp out that night and test out all your gear, cooking setup, etc. and Sunday hike back to your car.
You’ve got about six weeks to prepare for your big hike. If you start training now I think you can be ready to hike 200 miles by April, and you might even leave your younger hiking companions in the dust 😉 Good luck.
Wow Eric, I happened on your page and am loving your advice. It’s such a treat to read advice from one’s experience.
I appreciate your response to nella, with all that rich detail. It’s inspiring to me to do the same, and I’m in a similar situation, fitness and weight-wise.
Can you recommend a decent yet not spendy brand of women’s day-hiking backpacks? There are so many out there, brands, models, fits, styles, etc…
My experience has been solely with Jansport backpacks for college. I don’t know what to look for, other than personal fit and comfort. What should I look for, for a day hike or overnight hike, where I’d need to be able to carry a tent and sleeping bag, etc.?
Thanks!
Amber
Gosh, nevermind my question about backpacks, Erik. (facepalm…)
I just found your other links…hahaha.
I’m bookmarking your site. Love it. Thanks!
How many miles should you train to be able to hike a day on average? I know everyone is different, but you want to be able to know how long it will take you to get to the next stop. haha.
@Wendy: Technically you can hike as few or as many miles as you like, but the less ground you cover each day the more supplies you have to carry. I like to go for about five days between resupply stops, and the towns are usually about 100 miles apart on the trails here in the west, so that equals out to 20 miles a day. I think this is a good goal to shoot for for long distance hiking.
Hi Eric,
I would like to do a 5-6 week-long hike (maybe a part of PCT, or PNT) and ideally, I would like to do it on my own. But. the fact is that I don’t have much experience with “serious” backpacking. I have only backpacked for 3-4 weeks once on a pilgrimage route in Spain where everything was taken care of for the hikers – safe routes (busy and clearly marked), villages (with food supplies) and guesthouses everywhere. How do you think I could prepare/learn all necessary skills to survive? Ideally I’d like to do my trip in July of this year already:) Thank you very much!
@Ludka: I would recommend starting by doing day hikes in your local area. Once you are comfortable with that you could move up to overnight trips where you park at the trailhead, hike in and camp for one night, and then hike back out to your car. This will give you an opportunity to get comfortable with hiking and camping in the wilderness without getting to far from home. It’s also great physical training. The amount of gear you need will increase as the length of your hikes increases. Gear has a lot to do with safety (staying warm, hydrated and not getting lost are the most important considerations.) There are lots of articles about gear on this website that should point you in the right direction. Once you have the confidence and the gear the hiking itself is pretty easy. For the most part trails like the Pacific Crest Trail are well-traveled and easy to follow, and even if you start alone there are a lot of other hikers who use the trail, so you will meet people out there and won’t be completely alone.
Hi Erik,
I work for Backpacker Magazine and am doing a Q&A for or website about how to train for a thru hike. Any chance you would be interested in being the expert for the piece? Unfortunately, it is time sensitive and I would need to speak with you by this weekend. Please email me (bpedit1@aimmedia.com) if you are interested! I look forward to hearing from you.
Ali Herman
@Ali: Sorry I’ve been so busy lately and didn’t see your comment till now. Good luck with your article.
Hello everyone
I am looking into the thought of doing the pct in winter. I have done it in sections over last summer and I love winter hiking much more then summer hiking. Everything I have found is about the summer hikes. Anyone know if hikers have tried the pct in winter.i want to break it into sections and do it over two winters because I figured that I would be moving slower and carring more gear. Would love to get input. Thanks
@Eric: There are two guys attempting a winter thru-hike of the PCT right now (Justin Lichter aka Trauma and Shawn Forrey aka Pepper.) As far as I know it has never been done before. You can follow their blogs here:
Trauma’s Blog: http://www.justinlichter.com/blog/
Pepper’s Blog: http://www.shawnforry.com/
Climbing stairs 45 minutes a day without momentum, which means keeping your arms still, will get you into great shape. I’ve lost tons of weight this way. I day hiked up and down the mountains around LA without difficulty.
I’d add not to bring any booze onto the trip. On the last trip, I gained weight, mostly because of liquor my buddies dragged on with them. Great article!
Respectfully,
ilgar
ilgars.blogspot.com
Some Great tips here – I have a long hike in northern ontario planned for the fall and I guess i’ll start here.
Thanks for the great tip on P90X. I am using P90X now as one of my primary physical preparations for a summer JMT hike. I really like the way P90X gives you strength, flexibility, balance and stamina.
Erik,
I bought the first section of your PCT Atlas and that was when you first published.
When will the 3rd edition come out?
And, I’d be interested in your TRT Atlas
when you publish. The Tom Harrison map is too large a resolution. With snow, the trail is not easy to follow.
@Don: The 3rd Edition PCT Atlases will be coming out one-at-a-time between Spring of this year (2012) and Spring of next year (2013) starting with Southern California. The Tahoe Rim Trail Atlas should be ready this summer (2012). At least that’s the plan. It usually takes longer than I expect to complete the Atlases so I can’t provide any concrete release dates yet, but as soon as they available are I will let you know.
I consider being in “trail shape” to include both physical fitness and being trail tough.
Erik did a great job of discussing the need for physical fitness. I include weight-training at my local gym for the strengthening part of my physical fitness. I guess the P90X program has similar desired results. I might try it.
I have not found a training regimen that will prepare ones feet for the rigors of banging out 25-30 miles over ~12 hours per day for weeks or months on end. Most of us live in a conveniently smooth concrete world that weakens our feet and ankles and lead comparatively sedentary lifestyles except for our prescribed workouts. We can hit the trail on day hikes as often as possible during the months before our big hike, but nothing can replicate the daily rigors of 12-hour hiking except starting the big hike. Take it easy in the first week. Ease into it gradually, allowing your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints time to respond and adapt to your change in lifestyle away from the concrete world.
Thanks Erik, I plan on doing a lot more of it!!! I tried the socks on my pack but couldn’t seem to get enough sun to dry them. I had rain from Donahue Pass (which I crossed in a thunderstorm, no way to get out of it) until I left John Muir Wilderness. Beautiful after that all the way to Whitney. I’ll try the running socks as you recommend and also the NB shoes as well. I used Merrell Outbounds which are quite heavy but I was worried about my ankles. They kept me from a couple of, what could have been bad, ankle turns. The side roll is the problem. Again, you were and are a tremendous help, THANKS!!!!
Thanks very much Erik–big help
Hey Erik,
I absolutely love your posts!!! I did the JMT in September. It took me 3 weeks. I used your book and had no problems nativagating!!! And thanks to your advice on so many things I was pretty well prepared!!! I lost about 40 pounds myself,down to 250 from 290, but I was quite overweight to begin with. You are actually reading about someone who has basically not camped since I was in my teens and I’m now 48. I live in FL and it is so hard to train hills. I have a 4mile trail I do 3-4 times a week and my pace is 4mi per hour. My friends thought I was insane!!! haha I’m 290 threw 60-70lbs, way too much of course, on my back put my head down and just plain did it!!! I had never even been out west and I said hell with it if I’m going to do a trail and truly get into it, I plan on doing at least 1 big 1 a year, the JMT packs more turn for turn scenery than just about anywhere!!! I will be much better prepared next time!!! Nothing like life thru experience!!!!!!! One question, and this I had a hard time with, drying your socks when no fires allowed and enough rain to never get them dry hanging them on your back. How do you cope with it???
@Matt: Congratulations on your JMT hike. I’m glad to have helped in some way. I wear lightweight running socks that dry quicker than the thick wool hiking socks. I carry two pairs. When one get’s really wet I switch to the spare pair and pin the wet ones to my backpack with a safety pin to dry in the sun.
Hi Erik,
I like your post very much. I just finish AT thru hike (4/5-9/28/2014),it takes me 177 days to do it. My highest body weight lost is 21 pounds (from 145 to 124)after 2 months,at the end of hike,my weight is 135 still lost 10 pounds. After back to normal life,I try to eat more and gain weight back. My question is how to maintain a healthy body after thru hike and also prepare for April-2015 PCT thru hike?
@MJ: Congrats on finishing your AT hike! The good news about the PCT is that the terrain is easier than the AT, so you are already ahead of the game in that department. But the PCT does have it’s share of challenges too (like heat and long stretches between water sources in Southern California, elevation in the Sierras, fewer resupply stops, shorter hiking season, etc.)
My advice would be to try and get back to what you consider to be your ideal body weight this winter, plus about 5-10 lbs of extra. This little bit of extra fat will provide a buffer against the weight loss you will most likely experience on the PCT next year. But, instead of doing what a lot of hikers do after finishing a long hike (which is sitting on the couch all winter long and pigging out on junk food) try to put weight back on in a healthy, slow, methodical way, by eating whole natural foods in generous amounts. And maintain some sort of regular cardiovascular and strength training regimen throughout the winter. That way when you hit the trail next spring you will already be in great shape and ready to go.
Here is what I am doing this fall and winter to get in shape for next year’s hiking season:
Mon: P90X Chest & Back
Tues: 3 mile Run
Wed: 5 mile Run
Thurs: 3 mile Run
Fri: P90X Shoulders & Arms
Sat: 10 mile Hike
Sun: Rest
Since you just finished a thru-hike you are probably in better shape than I am. So it’s probably not necessary for you to exercise six days a week if you don’t want to. You could probably get away with doing as little as an hour a day for three days a week to maintain a good baseline of fitness. Your metabolism is probably already running in high gear, so there is room for enjoying life and indulging in some of the foods you have been missing while hiking. But if you can do it in moderation, that first month back on the trail next year will be much easier and more enjoyable. Good luck!
Hi. Im 52 and quite fit through a running and swimming regimen. There’s a nearby trail that’s 16 miles round trip but within it there’s 5, 1,000 ft elevation ups and downs that are steep enough to be a scramble requiring hands and arms in spots and is a work out.! A man friend dropped 9lbs on the day one trip. The climate is very warm and my thoughts go to acclimatizing. Just visiting for a few weeks in Seattle last summer I felt so cold. Any suggestions?
A few years ago, I tried to use a “Personal Trainer” to prepare for a modest AT hike. She suggested a number of things based on her “imagination” of what would be useful, including walk/stair climbs (real stairs) and elliptical machines because it is “like using hiking poles.”
On the first hill, I could tell that you should never accept any training advice from anyone who doesn’t actually backpack. I was having a real hard time.
The steps that I climbed ever so many of, were just steps, The hills had uphill steps and almost none of those darned real steps were nice and flat and evenly spaced. So my balance muscles were severely taxed, and not practiced or strengthened from the “stair climbs”.
I rehab, following a recent surgery, I was introduced to the balance exercise on a thing made of an inflated portion of a rubber sphere with a platform on top. You stand on the platform and maintain balance while you move your upper body into various positions. With practice, you can jump up and down and still maintain balance.
Both the muscle development and the balance practice come in play when you are moving up a steep and rutted trail, or one with just pretty uneven rocky composition.
So, for those of you who live “in the flats” like I do, this exercise can be a good help to make the first few days or weeks more comfortable.
I will be taking a small bookbag pack with me and adding maybe 10 – 30 pounds of weights to improve the resemblance to real trail conditions.
Yes, I saw a guy lifting weights while balancing on this thing.
Would be interested in your thoughts about the Colorado Trail and if there are any different preparations needed than what you wrote here. Thanks
@Jeff Koenig: The Colorado Trail is a high altitude trail (ranging from 5,500 feet up to around 13,000 feet above sea level). If possible, it would be good to get some high altitude training in before you start. If there is no high country nearby I would just plan on going slow for the first week to give yourself time to acclimate to the thin air.
The Colorado Trail also gets a lot of lightning and thunderstorms in the summer (pretty much every day). They don’t last long (just a couple hours) but they hit quick and hard with little warning. So make sure you pack good rain gear.
Women simply do not loose weight during distance hiking the way that men do. Most you guys seem to just waste away unless your food is perfectly dialed in like Eric D. and Scott Williamson (they can usually maintain and even gain), or you drink alot of beer (like Lint).
Female bodies are built for holding on to localized areas of fat and excell at endurance. On both of my sobo PCT attempts I gained 10 to 13 pounds while hiking the 1/3 of the trail that I completed although I confess I did begin underweight which I do not recommend. Also I’ve seen plenty of women on the home stretch of their thru-hike who are quite chunky even after walking 2000 miles.
thank you erik this my first yr on th A.T. I am not doing the full thur hike but about two week still learning how to pack light this helps
Any thoughts on the Tahoe Rim Trail. Have a suggestion on the best guide book or map with resupply points, etc…
@John: I hiked the Tahoe Rim Trail last September and recorded GPS waypoints and notes for the entire trail for my upcoming Tahoe Rim Trail Atlas, which I hope to have finished this summer.
There are two major resupply points on the trail: Echo Lake Resort (small store, post office) and Tahoe City (small town with everything). Since the trail is a loop you can start at any of the trailheads for each segment.
In my opinion the best way to do it would be to start at Tahoe Meadows (on the northeast side of the lake), pick up a food drop in Echo Lake and resupply in Tahoe City. This breaks the trail into three sections, so you shouldn’t have to carry more than five days at a time.
The guidebook (like all guidebooks) is too big and heavy for me. I used Tom Harrison’s Map and my hiking partner carried the Trails Illustrated Map. We used both and both were fine. The trail is well-maintained and easy to follow the whole way.
Hey Erik,
Good post! But quick point — not everyone loses weight on a long distance hike. I gained about 7 pounds on the PCT, probably b/c my legs got stronger and more muscle-y. And I ate a ton :). I think I remember Teatree saying the same happens to her.
Sage
@Emily: That is a good point, thanks. If you increase muscle mass your overall body weight could stay the same or increase, though you are most likely still burning fat and replacing it with muscle wieght. I wish I could do that. As soon as I look at a trail I start wasting away, despite eating everything that isn’t nailed down 😛