BACKPACKER LONG TRAILS

On my first thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, I met a man who weighed 300 pounds. He was attempting to walk to Maine from Georgia. Some days, he hiked 5 miles, sometimes less. He didn’t know if he would make it the whole way, but that wasn’t what mattered. He was out there. He was taking it step by step. And he was going after his goal. This is what I love the most about thru-hiking. There are so few sports where people of all shapes and sizes feel comfortable and accepted, and believe that their goal is within reach.

That being said, being physically fit prior to hitting the trail has major advantages. It will save you some pain and huffing and puffing on your journey. Being fit before hitting the trail also reduces your chances of injury, which can take you off the trail or cost you extra money. But most importantly, being fit increases your chances of success.

Part of preparing for the trail is preparing yourself physically. Here is some helpful information to get you ready.

So here’s the million dollar question: Do you need to be in peak physical fitness to complete a long trail? Well, no. You don’t need six-pack abs to thru-hike. In fact, sometimes starting with a little weight to lose can be a benefit, because you won’t have to worry as much about losing too much weight. But you do need to be strong. Exactly how in shape you need to be depends on the trail you are doing. On some trails that have lots of water and campsites and a large window to finish (think the AT), you can start the trail pretty out of shape and walk fewer than 5 miles a day from shelter to shelter. Of course, you won’t finish the whole trail in one season this way and it’s going to hurt a lot (if you don’t get injured before that), but that may not matter to you. On trails like the PCT, you may need to walk 16–21 miles your first day to reach the first water source—or else be fit enough to carry two days’ worth of water. If you’re not fast but need to make big miles, you can always put in longer days if you have the endurance to do so. No matter what trail you hike, though, the fitter you are when you start, the happier and more comfortable you will be.

HIKE YOUR OWN HIKE

CONFESSIONS OF AN OUT-OF-SHAPE HIKER

Bill “Pi” Murphy of Ann Arbor, Michigan, tells the story of starting his first hike while pretty out of shape.

When I started my first attempt at a thru-hike, I was at a fitness level best described as “North American Computer Programmer.” As for my diet, when I expressed my intention to hike the whole Appalachian Trail at the local McDonald’s—which I visited about five times a week—one of the clerks expressed concern that I would get lost and never make it back to that McDonald’s. In part because of the shape I was in, I only made it some 373 miles before picking up a stress fracture in my right foot. And then another 20 or so painful miles to get to a road crossing before I quit. If you start a long trail in similar shape, you aren’t being nice to yourself.

The Appalachian Trail can be started with 6- and 8-mile days that roller coaster steeply up and down hills between shelters. If you’re southbound, the first day is a climb 5,000 feet up a mountain and then back down, soon followed by the 100-mile wilderness. It’s even a rougher start for PCT hikers: The PCT begins with a 16- to 21-mile-long waterless stretch.

If you want to be nice to yourself, get in shape before the hike starts. Get to where an 8- or 10-mile walk on a Saturday afternoon leaves you wanting a few more miles on Sunday. Once you’re on a thru-hike, you’ll have all day to hike. So if you can fit in 8 or 10 miles in 3 or 4 hours without a pack, then it’s likely that the first 16 or 20 miles needed on the PCT will be possible given the whole day to get it done. Later thru-hikes have taught me that even being in marathon-ready shape isn’t the same as being in trail shape. No matter how fit, it’s likely you’ll be a bit sore—or worse—for the first few weeks on the trail. Around week three your muscles will feel better, but it isn’t until week four or five that your tendons and bones will have caught up. So hold back when you first start to feel good around the end of the third week. Back to my first thru-hike: Six weeks after leaving the trail to heal up, on my second attempt and with lighter gear, I completed my first thru-hike.

—Bill “Pi” Murphy

I always tell prospective hikers that the best way to train for a hike is by hiking (or walking). Although running is great for cardio, some hikers find it develops muscles that you don’t need walking and your body just starts eating away once you’re on your trip.

Get a pedometer, Fitbit, or other fitness tracker and start writing down your mileage at the end of the day. Over a six-month period, try to ramp up mileage per day by at least one additional mile each week—even if this means walking laps in your house. Walk on trails or uneven surfaces to prepare physically and mentally for obstacles such as rocks, roots, or branches in the trail. If you’re going for a walk around your neighborhood, try to walk on grass or lawn. This strengthens your ankles and legs more than simply walking on sidewalk.

Go for training walks in the rain or on windy days—even just around your neighborhood—to prepare physically and mentally for what to do when the conditions get tough. It will also teach you how to dress and layer your clothing during less-than-ideal conditions.

Train in the brand, model, and size of shoes you plan to use for your hike. This can help break in your shoes to prevent blisters, or reveal that those particular shoes are not a good choice for a long hike.

A strong core helps with balance and stability as well as your pace on the trail. Strong feet and ankles are important too; foot and ankle injuries are among the most common injuries that take people off the trail for good. Try the exercises on pages 311–313, or substitute others you know and like.

A Bosu ball helps you work on your core and ankle strength at the same time. A free substitute is standing on one foot for an extended period, then standing on your other foot. You’ll feel your ankle wobble a little at first, but as your ankle and core get stronger, it’ll become easier. It seems silly, but this “exercise” can be done while you’re standing in line or greeting a friend on the street.

There is a big difference between walking 10 miles with and without a pack. Your back, core, and shoulders need to adjust to having the weight of a pack on your back all day. Start by walking with an empty pack. The next week, add a small amount (5 pounds or so) to your pack. Ramp it up each week in small intervals.

You can add weight to your pack using actual gear, or by using water bottles, rice bags, or sandbags. You can also use dumbbells, but they don’t distribute weight across the whole pack as well. I carry a small weighted day pack wherever I go in town—shopping, on errands, and during my commute. It can be a bit uncomfortable and you may get some looks, but it’s a great way to sneak some training into an otherwise busy schedule. Many hikers train by walking during lunch breaks with weighted packs or ankle weights.

If you have your gear ahead of time, try doing your walking exercises with a fully loaded pack. At the beginning of each exercise, pack your pack as you would on the trail. When you’re done, unpack your pack. This will help you find an efficient way to pack your pack and increase your pack-up speed.

Training for elevation gain can be hard—especially if you live someplace without mountains. Walking hills—even short ones—and repeating the climb several times is the best way to train. If you have access to a treadmill or stair climber, these are solid substitutes. You can also use public stairways, like those found in a parking garage, or even the stairs in your own home. If you don’t have access to these machines or want to train in your home, consider doing stair step-ups. I’ve enjoyed them in my training, and all you need is a step stool. And you can even do this exercise while watching TV. Aim for at least 2,000 feet of elevation gain per week, or more depending on your trail.

Squats and deadlifts can help you develop stronger quads and glutes (big-time hiking muscles), as well as hamstrings. They also help develop your back and shoulder muscles, which is important since they will be holding your pack for hours each day. Sign up for a class or a personal training session at a local gym or YMCA if you’re not familiar with these techniques and want to try them.

Yoga is not just for hippies and soccer moms anymore. Like hiking, yoga is not just a physical practice, but also a mental one. One mental skill you can learn from yoga is how to ride the fine line between pain and discomfort, and to use that information to avoid injury. The physical practice of yoga also strengthens muscles that traditional weightlifting may not hit, like ankles and deep core muscles, both of which work to keep you from falling or slipping as you hike. Good yoga practices also teach breathing techniques that are beneficial to hikers on uphills or during stressful moments, such as during storms or wildlife encounters.

Many section-hikers say that the hardest thing about section-hiking is that they’re finally fit by the end of their section, but then they have to go back to work. When they return to the trail later, they have to get in shape all over again. The best way to address this is by staying in shape even off the trail. On the plus side, overuse injuries are less common on section or shorter hikes.

Overuse injuries are among the top reasons people quit the trail—and it usually happens early in the trip. I see it time and time again, even among some very skilled, fit, and well-trained former military members. Avoid the temptation to overdo it by setting your daily mileage lower at the beginning, ramping it up after a week, and then ramping it up more. Even if you’re training 20 miles per day at home, start your hike off at a lower mileage—after all, you have to get up and do it again the next day. I advise starting with one-half to two-thirds of the distance you can easily hike at home, then ramping up slowly over the course of three or four weeks.

Avoid injuries that will take you off the trail for good by being able to tell soreness from injury. If anything feels off in your first few days of hiking, stop and slow your pace or call it a day. Take a zero (a day off). A day off may mess up your schedule, but injuries can take you off the trail for good. We’ll talk more about soreness versus injury and zero days in chapter 9.

+PREPPING PHYSICAL FITNESS