[pct-l] Fit for a thru-hike?

Thu Feb 4 14:07:23 CST 2010

Paul,

Your math is good, but presumes an average start date. What if hikers start 
"early?" Wouldn't they, then, have more time to go slower at first, speeding 
up to their own desired daily mileage to pull in before the snow flies in 
Manning as they get stronger?

Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
South Lake Tahoe, Ca.
    P: 888-996-8333
    F: 530-541-1456
    C: 530-721-1551
    http://www.mountaineducation.org

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paul Bodnar" <paulbodnar at hotmail.com>
To: "pct-L backcountry.net" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Thursday, February 04, 2010 11:58 AM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Fit for a thru-hike?

>
> Hi Gary...
>
>
>
> I totally agree with everything you said...thanks for your great post.
>
>
>
> I would like to add that starting slow becomes a math problem.  The trail 
> is 2655 miles long and you have a small window of about 5 months or 150 
> days to safely hike the trip.  So that is 17.7 miles a day..every day 
> (2655/150= 17.7).  Start off hiking 10 mile days and you have to make up 
> that 7.7 miles for each 10 mile hiking day.  Think this is easy? It isn't. 
> Look what happens if you start hiking 10 mile days for the first two weeks 
> taking a zero day every week (10x12=120 miles), then 14 mile days for the 
> third and fourth week (14x12=168 miles).  You will have traveled a total 
> of 288 miles in a month.  You will have 2367 miles and only four months 
> (150-28=122 days) to finish the trail.  Taking one zero day every week to 
> heal (or to wait for resupply, fun etc.) you only have a remaining 105 
> hiking days.  So that means you will have to hike 22.5 miles a day (2367/ 
> 105 = 22.5).  Hike below 22.5 mile days after your first month and you 
> will have to hike even more miles.  Remem
> ber this isn't including the off trail miles to resupply get water etc.
>
>
>
> Please, get in shape before your hike.  You will have a better hiking 
> experience if you are in top physical shape at the start of your 
> thru-hike.
>
>
>
> For a review of some of the math you can visit the link below.
>
>
>
> http://hikethru.com/about-the-pct/daily-mileage-1
>
>
>
> Paul
>
>
>> >From reading journals and meeting people at the kickoff and on the 
>> >trail, I think a lot of people fail because they aren't hikers. They 
>> >decide to hike the PCT with little or no experience hiking or 
>> >backpacking. Their feet aren't ready, the muscles supporting the knees 
>> >aren't ready, their back isn't ready, they haven't learned the signals 
>> >the body sends out. The best training for hiking is...hiking. Lots of 
>> >it.
>>
>> Having said that, it's very cool to see absolute rookies finish the 
>> trail! And that seems to happen quite often.
>>
>> Gary
>
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