[pct-l] Being 61

[Gary Wright]

On Mar 15, 2008, at 11:39 AM, William A. Chavez wrote:
> I exercise on a regular basis so I am a bit
> disheartened. I plan on doing 20 mi. days once on the trail so I am a
> little nervous.

A few suggestions in no particular order:

-- read up on lightweight hiking and gear, the lighter you
    can make your base weight the less you will stress your
    body but feel comfortable picking and choosing the
    gear/techniques that work for *you*

-- use hiking poles, especially going down, poles will
    take some stress off your knees

-- adjust your pace, you may find that 15-20 miles at
    2mph is quite doable whereas at 2.5mph you're hurting.
    Learn how to be efficient at breaks and when setting
    up and breaking down camp if you need some more time
    during the day to make the miles.

-- make sure you've eliminated any shoe/foot issues that
    might be limiting your milage/endurance

-- make sure you are hiking on trails when evaluating your
    milage capabilities.  10 miles on pavement is much
    harder than 10 miles on trail.

Radar