[pct-l] Starting Mileage

[Scott Williams]

There are so many ways to do just about everything in regards to a long
hike, and pretty much all of them are good for someone out there hiking a
great hike.  For me, at 57 and prone to overdue running and hiking when the
endorphins kick in, I needed to start slow as Ned suggests, and it worked
well for me.  I trained a lot before hitting trail, at 15 to 20 mile days,
but when I left Campo I promised myself only 10 to 12  for the first week,
then 15 or so the second, and only allowed myself to get over 20 on the
third week.  What I found was that I was so fit at the start, the trail was
never as hard as the training I'd been doing.  That was a real plus as many
were dying those first few weeks, which in 2010 was the time of highest
attrition.

Many hit trail at 20 and more, and lots did just fine with that.  But I can
think of 5 just in the people I hiked with over the summer who were off
trail during that period with overuse injuries due to starting out of the
gate at 20 and more.  Three of those came back and ultimately finished
their thru hike, but came back slow and let their bodies build on trail.

The speed seems to come naturally as the summer and your muscles progress.
 By the time we were out of the High Sierra, we were all so damned strong
we began walking 14, sometimes 15 hour days, 2 and 3 hours in the evening
after a dinner on trail, and just about everybody was doing it.  It wasn't
hard at that point.  By Oregon we were routinely over 30 mpd and for me up
to 35.  Some cooked off some incredible mileage during this mid part of the
hike, much more than me.

If you know what you're capable of, by all means, start at 20, but if
you're unsure, as I was, give yourself that break in period.  If you can
hike injury free, the mileage will come on its own.

Shroomer