How many miles are you comfortable pushing yourself to do?

[Alpinista55]

I am 68 this August, and only have the time for one or two big backpacking trips each year. I did the North Lake South Lake loop two years ago over 8 days, with a zero day at Wanda Lake. Last year we went into Gardiner Basin over 8 days, in and out over Kearsarge Pass. This August we are circumnavigating the Mt Darwin massif via Haeckel Col and Darwin Col.

I have a long background as an alpinist, and love to get way off the beaten path on cross-county routes. Back in my expeditioning days in the Alaska Range a typical load was 80 pounds or more. At 30 that was doable. At 68 I am an ultralight believer! My base weight for this years hike is 14 pounds, and initial pack weight for our 8-day circuit will be under 28 pounds. Reducing weight has been critical in enabling me to keep hiking.

I don't do big miles because I really enjoy spending time in remote locations, with zero days dedicated to peak bagging, exploring, or just reading a good book on a sunny ledge overlooking the world. We all HYOH. I admire big-mileage thru-hikers for their ability to complete trails like the PCT/CDT. But I get the most enjoyment from really getting to know a remote basin. Last year on our two zero days in Gardiner/80 Lakes basins we climbed Mt. Cotter, Fin Dome, explored the upper reaches of two different alpine basins, and enjoyed three night at a beautiful lakeside camp. We entered the area via one off-trail pass, and exited over another. Short mile, but big rewards.

[happycamper0313]

I'm glad you're excited about your goals, and I'm a little dismayed to see so many folks advising you to change your perspective. One person's joy is not another's, and there is nothing wrong with wanting to cover big mileage days, if that's something that brings you joy. As other posters have pointed out, you should be able to complete the JMT in your allotted time frame using the mileage range you're hitting now. But if you're also just excited by covering distance, that's ok too.

I am also a female turning 33 who is primarily a weekender (with a couple longer trips sprinkled in), and also often go for big mileage weekends, not only because many of the areas I want to visit require it, but because I also love big mileage trips. Challenging myself physically has always made me feel more connected to the environment I'm in, and I appreciate the scenery and nuances even more. That's my own personality trait, and I obviously don't expect others to share my viewpoint. I'm also not saying it's the only approach I use to explore the backcountry, but I certainly love long challenging days. My pack is significantly lighter than yours, usually under 30 lbs in the summer. Actual mileage for me depends on terrain, as others have mentioned; on obvious trail 20+ miles are fine, in very challenging cross country/talus slope country/etc. I often just aim to cover anything over 1 mile per hour.

Thanks for the input and glad to meet someone with a similar outlook

[bharmsen]

Good call considering your recovery. Especially at elevation, your body doesn't recover as well at night. Pushing yourself before acclimatizing to the elevation can increase your chances for needing a rest day or getting AMS, so I like to have lower miles for the first couple/few days so I can ease into my higher mileage days. In my experience, some days have more energy than others, so making a schedule that is consistently at or above your expected maximum daily mileage has the potential of breaking your own morale. Also, do you know your limit for how many feet of elevation you can handle in a day? This will make a big difference in determining your days. And if you can bring that pack weight down you will raise your own limit without any extra huffing and puffing! 12 pound base weight certainly makes the walking easier.

I did the JMT SOBO a couple years ago with a friend, and while he asked for 3 weeks of time off, we ended up finishing in a little over 2 weeks. He was able to cancel his remaining time off and get the days back (for other adventures, of course).

[simonov]

It's supposed to be fun, so my partner and I prefer not to push ourselves unless there is a compelling reason to do so.

When we did the High Sierra Trail a few years ago, we averaged about 7½ miles a day, to complete the trip in nine days. The average daily mileage determined how long we were going to stay out, not the other way around. We like to get into camp in the early afternoon, to allow time for relaxing, exploring, napping or goofing off. So 7½ miles was a good daily average for that. We planned a Wonderland Trail trip a few years ago with the same daily mileage goal and it came out to about two weeks (but we couldn't get a permit).

There are limits, of course. Due to resupply issues, you need to do 10 to 15 miles a day to complete the JMT. If it was me, I'd work out an itinerary that allows the lower end of that range, and I don't think I'd have any problem with it. I just wouldn't have as much time in the afternoons as I prefer. But you gotta do what you gotta do.

However, in any case I don't see myself having the time for a JMT through hike no matter how many miles a day I hiked. So it's moot. And there's a point there: instead of planning a hike at a travel rate that I simply will not enjoy, I prefer to either extend the time I set aside for the trip or tell myself that hike is not for me. We can't have everything.

[zacjust32]

I'm glad you're excited about your goals, and I'm a little dismayed to see so many folks advising you to change your perspective. One person's joy is not another's, and there is nothing wrong with wanting to cover big mileage days, if that's something that brings you joy. As other posters have pointed out, you should be able to complete the JMT in your allotted time frame using the mileage range you're hitting now. But if you're also just excited by covering distance, that's ok too.

I am also a female turning 33 who is primarily a weekender (with a couple longer trips sprinkled in), and also often go for big mileage weekends, not only because many of the areas I want to visit require it, but because I also love big mileage trips. Challenging myself physically has always made me feel more connected to the environment I'm in, and I appreciate the scenery and nuances even more. That's my own personality trait, and I obviously don't expect others to share my viewpoint. I'm also not saying it's the only approach I use to explore the backcountry, but I certainly love long challenging days. My pack is significantly lighter than yours, usually under 30 lbs in the summer. Actual mileage for me depends on terrain, as others have mentioned; on obvious trail 20+ miles are fine, in very challenging cross country/talus slope country/etc. I often just aim to cover anything over 1 mile per hour.

Thanks for the input and glad to meet someone with a similar outlook

I'm with you too! (two?) People will always tell you to "slow down! smell the roses and enjoy it. Pounding the miles isn't what it''s about. You can't possibly enjoy punishing yourself like that." But I disagree. Who is anyone to tell you that your way of enjoying nature is wrong or lesser than their own way. It's like art, your interpretation or feeling doesn't affect their own thoughts or feelings on the work; so they should just hike their own hike. Unless someone's way of enjoying nature comes into direct conflict with preservation, let them do whatever they want, it doesn't affect you.

I personally can't stand going slow. If I see something I like I'll stop, but anything under 2.5 mph is just too slow. The only time I can remember going slow is from Crabtree Meadows to Guitar Lake last year. I had 5 hours to get there and purposely slowed myself down to make the time pass. But the next day I bagged Whitney and made it to the Portal by 3pm. That may (probably will) change when I get older, but I see it as scouting out large areas of land now so I can go back and explore the areas I like when I'm old.

[mrphil]

One thing that helps me is I take my shoes off at lunch and sometimes at other breaks - makes them happier.

I swear by that too. Putting your feet into cold water to cool them down and reduce some of the swelling is another trick I like. And if you can, changing into fresh socks is like a whole new lease on the rest of the day. For the aches: good footbeds and heavier socks sometimes work wonders. For the joint pain: anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen or naproxen. Stretch it out, too. Camp shoes! I use this pair of OPs that cost me $10 at Walmart.They stay on my feet, weigh next to nothing, allow my arches to flex out...the sooner I'm out of my boots for the day, the better my feet feel the next. Happy moments.

Another thing I like to use to regain some energy, as well as find a generally happier outlook on the rest of the day during lunch stops is something to add to my water. Those little packets of diet Snapple and sometimes diet pink lemonade are better morale boosters than most of the food we end up eating. With diet, it's not so much the sugar rush as it is the flavor that lights you up. That's what we like, but it's amazing how much of a selection there is at just about any grocery store.

[mrphil]

Happycamper0313:

I just wanted to add a couple more thoughts for your consideration:

Your daughter is 8. Perfect! I started my daughter when she was 7, and once we got rid of the sequined t-shirts and perceived little girly necessities, she hasn't looked back since. She's now 17, and she books it and kicks serious butt.

With those high-mileage days you did; the pain, the fatigue, sure there were some conditioning deficits involved, but that was primarily your 45lb pack weight. As many others have said, way too much.

You also say you're not too into eating. That might be your personal preference, the altitude, etc, but you're burning 1000s of calories, and you have to replace them. If nothing that you've already tried suits your fancy, find what does. You must eat, period. Choke it down if you have to.

All these things are coming together as messages from your body telling you that something's not right. You make those adjustments, get better messages, things will come together. As I read it, it seems you're kind of working backwards in trying to adjust the miles to your body, not doing everything you can to adjust your body to be able to handle the miles. Trial and error....

[Tom_H]

You also say you're not too into eating. That might be your MO, the altitude, etc, but you're burning 1000s of calories. You have to eat. If nothing that you've already tried suits your fancy, find what does. You must eat, period. Choke it down if you have to. Try just lightly salted chicken and rice.

Very true. Your body has difficulty burning nothing but its own lipid reserves. You can eat fewer calories than you burn, in fact, you need to in order to lose weight. You do, however, need to burn a combination of new food intake along with some of your lipid reserve for your metabolism to work correctly. It is also important that your body not borrow protein from your muscles to convert to glucose and burn as food. That can happen if nutrition and exercise are not balanced the right way. Talking to an exercise nutritionist would be good.

[Tom_H]

My son is now 19 and an Army Ranger. He can run 10 miles in about an hour and a half with close to 100 lbs of gear on,...

It is amazing what a young athletic body can do. It can be hard accepting what age brings on, and sometimes the stuff we did when young accelerates that. Anyway...my thanks to your son for his service.

[mrphil]

mrphil wrote:
My son is now 19 and an Army Ranger. He can run 10 miles in about an hour and a half with close to 100 lbs of gear on,...


It is amazing what a young athletic body can do. It can be hard accepting what age brings on, and sometimes the stuff we did when young accelerates that. Anyway...my thanks to your son for his service.

Thanks Tom. I know they all appreciate the support. He's in South Korea about 10 miles from the DMZ. If things "kick off", he says they're all going to the USO for free WiFi and snacks.

But back to nutrition: it's not the ravages they impose on their bodies from gear weight, exercise, sleep deprivation, and general physical abuse, it's the minimal calorie intake. In the field, 7,000-10,000 calorie expenditures, maybe one MRE at about 1,250, if they're lucky. Their bodies just consume themselves, especially during school, where the guys that don't have enough extra weight on ahead of time wash out, and the rest lose 30-40 lbs.