[pct-l] (no subject)

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

On Jun 27, 2008, at 6:42 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
> Subject: [pct-l] 20 mile times
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Message-ID:
> 	<35acb5240806271510r3492f598x1441d39a640402ee at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> Ok folks, quick question for you all! First and foremost, hello!  
> Secondly,
> if there are some of you who have hiked 20 or more miles in a day;  
> how long
> did it take you? What was your age, weight and physical condition  
> at the
> time? (well i guess it must be pretty good if you can hit 20 miles  
> in a
> day)And also, was there time for you to "stop and smell the  
> roses," (for
> example enough time to take a nap) or did you have to blaze through  
> the
> trail to save time spent under the sun as opposed to the stars? Any  
> and all
> information is appreciated. peace!
>

I'm 43 and a strong hiker but by no means the most fit, thinnest or  
fastest on the trail. I also don't hike ultralight.

My longest day so far was 28 miles and it took no longer than any  
other day. I was simply more determined and there was a long downhill  
stretch where I got mad at the trail and poured the coal on. Getting  
mad at the trail always ended up in a 25+ mile day for me.

Think about it. If you hike at a leisurely 2 miles an hour and hike  
for 12 hours you'd hike 24 miles. In Southern California the trail is  
almost level all the time so I hiked closer to 3 miles an hour  
without trying.

Some of my longest days I stopped for 3 full hours in the middle of  
the day and took a nap. I found that the nap and long break made my  
feet feel like a brand new day. I always got 6 or so free miles  
whenever I got a good sleep the night before.

I will admit to not stopping to smell the roses much, however. A  
pressure arises to keep going. Either it's the desire to get to the  
next water source or good place to camp (surprisingly lacking in So  
Cal), or it's the desire to reach a destination of some sort.

Diane