[pct-l] quick question on my hiking performance

Tue Oct 26 22:25:57 CDT 2010

Mark, I just wanted to add in addition to my previous private post, that
Half Ounce attributed his HAPE to his having droped down off of the trail
for a couple of days before it's onset.  That this can make one more
susceptible to HAPE is verified by other posts.

On Tue, Oct 26, 2010 at 8:14 PM, Scott Williams <baidarker at gmail.com> wrote:

> For me, the most important thing I did prior to starting last April, was
> not
> my choice of gear, pack weight, or shoes, but was to train hard, and for
> many months before setting foot on the PCT.  I'm just about to turn 58, and
> when the endorphins get rolling, I have a propensity to just keep going
> because it feels good, and then find myself with an overuse injury.  This
> didn't seem to happen when I was younger, but it does now.  I trained at
> between 10 and 20 miles 3 to 4 days per week, with a 4000 foot elevation
> gain.Even so, when I started I still didn't go over 10 to 12 miles per day
> the first week.  The second week I upped it to 15 to 17 or so, and by the
> third week was over 20 miles per day.  This may have been overly cautious,
> but I know how quickly I can kill myself when I'm feeling good on the
> trail.  On full hiking days, except in the High Sierra where the snow
> really
> slowed us down, I ended up doing 23 to 28 miles per day in most of CA.  By
> Oregon we were mostly over 30 and up to nearly 35, as the trail is simply
> much easier.  Everyone I loosely hiked with got into a pattern of hiking
> all
> day, stopping for dinner on the trail, and then hiking an hour, or two in
> the evening before pitching camp.  By WA we were making a bit less as the
> trail is tougher, and the days shorter, but started out at 27 to 30 still.
> Speeds varied by terrain and goal, but were usually in the 2.5 to 3.5
> range.  One afternoon when we realized we could physically make the bus at
> 6pm into Stehekin, which meant a bed at the lodge and a good dinner, we
> trail ran for hours on a mostly downhill trail, and made it with time to
> spare.   We were well over 4mph that afternoon.  So Mark, I think you are
> well on your way to a great hike of the JMT and TRT.
>
> There's still plenty of time for training, and John, I train at sea level
> to
> 4000 ft. which isn't much, but by the time you get into the high country,
> you will have lots of mid elevation hiking and relatively slow ascents,
> over
> a day or two, to get used to real altitude.  It can still be an issue as
> became clear when Turbo and The Kern had to help Half Ounce, off of
> Forester
> Pass when he developed altitude sickness.  He is a very experienced hiker,
> but was airlifted out of the high country near the Kern River in early
> June.
>
> Steel-Eye's mileage estimates are right on, and his comment of hiking
> versus
> camping became a real joke with us by WA.  Whenever we purposely pitched
> camp early, we would all joke that we were finally "backpacking" and not
> "thru hiking."  It simply felt so restful and enjoyable.  We all promised
> ourselves that next summer we were going "camping."  The time factor is
> real, and we didn't want to make it to Manning Park too late, given that
> "the predominant season in the North Cascades is winter," as we were so
> eloquently told by a North Cascade local who was south bounding.  Our last
> 2
> 1/2 weeks in WA were in drizzle, temps in the 50's and 60's during the day.
> Within 2 days of crossing into Canada on Sept 17th, however, the temps had
> dropped into the 20's and our friends who were within a week of us all came
> out in white out, and some in blizzard conditions.  I was glad to have been
> able to push at relatively high miles, and with fewer zeroes than I had
> planned.  I found that I really liked being on the trail, and simply didn't
> need the rest of a zero as often as I had thought.
>
> Good question,  thanks.
>
> Shroomer
>
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Oct 26, 2010 at 6:45 PM, Mark Hudson <mhudson89521 at att.net> wrote:
>
> >
> > I have wondered the same thing all year.  I have been really working to
> get
> > in shape all this year so as a result I always wondered where I fit in
> with
> > the through hiker crowd.
> >
> > I still don’t know the answer to that question but I can tell you what my
> > wife, my 13 year old son and I average now.
> >
> > We each carry about 10-15lbs on day hikes each.  We average around 15
> miles
> > on hikes with more and more days going over 20.
> >
> > We are usually above 7K with hikes going to 10.6 K  Most elevations are
> > between 7500-9100 I would say.
> >
> > we usually encounter around 3000 feet of elevation gain in a given day,
> > with
> > some days reaching 5K.
> >
> > on a recent 20 mile day with elevation gains in the 5K range I averaged
> 2.5
> > mph.  on a recent 15 mile day with 3K elevation gains I averaged 3.3 mph
> >
> > I use a gps to measure my speed for my own purposes, as I want to see how
> I
> > have progressed over the summer.  Our goal is to hike the JMT and TRT
> next
> > year and to fit that into our vacation schedule we need to hike over 20
> > miles each day, so that’s what we are training for.
> >
> > My brother in law is a pct grad and he makes me look like an old fat man
> > when he hikes with us...so long story short, I have found I have to hike
> my
> > own hike, but I still like to know how I measure up... so I responded to
> > your post as a result.
> >
> > As an aside, I wouldn’t use this as any sort of step or or step down
> > measure, I would simply decide what my hiking goals where in terms of
> miles
> > per day, then decide what average length of time I wanted to hike each
> day,
> > and do the math on mph.  then train for that goal.  that’s all we are
> > doing.
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: John Abela
> > Sent: Tuesday, October 26, 2010 6:09 PM
> > To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> > Subject: [pct-l] quick question on my hiking performance
> >
> > Hey All,
> >
> > I know the issue of "hiking speed" is not one of those issues that is
> > really
> > an issue... so please do not think I am all hung up on this issue - grin.
> >
> > And, I know that there are a ton of factors that go into this issue, this
> > is
> > just me trying to get a feel for what most of you out there are able to
> do
> > on a daily basis.
> >
> > Basically what I am looking for is thoughts on whether my performance is
> > where it should be or if I should "pick it up" a bit more... you know...
> > man
> > up and all that.
> >
> >
> > Just to be clear and honest... the vast majority of my hiking is between
> > zero elevation (lots of trails under 100 feet here in the Redwoods) and
> > 2000
> > feet.... so, pretty much all sea level hiking at this point... kinda
> woosie
> > in that regards.
> >
> >
> > What I have been doing is 10-12 mile trips - with a total pack weight of
> > 12-18 (water dependent) - and I have been doing 4 miles per two hours
> with
> > an average of 1000 feet elevation changes.
> >
> >
> > So anyway, just wondering if that is decent or if that is really pathetic
> > and I need to suck it up some more and push myself a bit harder.
> >
> > Thanks.
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