[pct-l] Pre-training

[StoneDancer1 at aol.com (StoneDancer1@aol.com)]

Ryel Kestenbaum gives a complete, several month training regimen in his  book 
The Ultralight Backpacker.  On the other hand,   Roland Mueser, in the 
Long-Distance Hiking:  Lessons from the  Appalachian Trail suggests that evidence 
(from extensive surveys of 136  thruhikers in 1990-1991) that those who 
pre-trained were not much more  likely to complete the AT than those who did nothing. 
That, within a month,  those who did not pre-condition were hiking at the same 
pace as those who did.  He concludes that physical conditioning  before the 
hike is not the  sine qua non for staying on the trail... that will is more  
important.  
 
For the PCT, because you run into high mile days right out of the chute,  PT 
can make a difference. Personally, I fell between the two...  walking up to 
seven miles a day, three days a week, for two or three months  prior to the 
Trail.  For me, that was enough... even though I am old and  pathetic. YMMV  

"No Way Ray"  Echols