There have been winter days when the three-mile walk to town has felt life-threatening. Other days, a Class 4 climb feels like a walk in the park.
There have been winter days when the three-mile walk to town has felt life-threatening. Other days, a Class 4 climb feels like a walk in the park.
"Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning
Exactly. This reminds me of 10-K's account on his BMT Thruhike whereby he had to call out for rescue when it rained too much and he got caught on the wrong side of a raging river. How difficult was the trail then?
Or my experience last February during a 19 day trip when I caught a terrible 10 day long bout of influenza and/or norovirus with hacking coughs and was lucky to make 2 miles a day from camp to camp. How difficult were the trails I was on? Almost impossible.
Last edited by Tipi Walter; 08-02-2017 at 10:14.
it would have been even harder if you were in the whites, no?
sure, one trail that is easy on a sunny day might be hard on a rainy day, but if we assume constant variables i dont think there are many, if any trails where trail A is easier than trail B when its tunny on both of them, but suddenly if its raining in both palces trail A is the harder one.
compare apples to apples, not oranges.
that said, trail maintenance is an excellent point. there are trails, especially if you leave the AT, where they are harder than they would otherwise be, in any weather, because of their level and type of maintenance.
having recently spent 1.5 days hiking 36 miles on a trail that practically boasts about how poorly maintained it is, i think i can safely say i do not like these kinds of trails.
Depends how fast you walk. The slower you go, the easier it is. I like to average 1 mph overall, 2 mph while walking. Almost 700 miles now and this rule seems to hold up. I'm sure it will change when I go north but I ain't there yet.
Theres days leaving town that I power up 2000 ft rapidly without a pause.
And days where I have taken 5 steps and rested on gentle incline all way to top
I recall going downhill to get water at an AT shelter once,....I could not get back up hill. I had to rest 30 min.
Physical state, glycogen level (if any) and dehydration all play a role in how tough the terrain seems.