First Timer - Need mileage advice

[jaxalope]

Hello - This is my first post. I have recently set a personal goal to complete the Appalachian Trail in sections over the next two years. As a teacher at an independent school, I have quite a few long vacations throughout the year which I intend to use to accomplish this goal. I am actively training to get myself into shape to undertake this task (regular gym time, day hikes, etc.). The first section that I plan to undertake is from the CT/NY border to the MA/VT border. My question is how much time I allot for this hike. I am a complete novice in terms of daily mileage, etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am 29 and in good physical condition if that helps determine how many miles I can cover per day.

Thanks and I look forward to meeting some new friends here!

[Cookerhiker]

Hello - This is my first post. I have recently set a personal goal to complete the Appalachian Trail in sections over the next two years. As a teacher at an independent school, I have quite a few long vacations throughout the year which I intend to use to accomplish this goal. I am actively training to get myself into shape to undertake this task (regular gym time, day hikes, etc.). The first section that I plan to undertake is from the CT/NY border to the MA/VT border. My question is how much time I allot for this hike. I am a complete novice in terms of daily mileage, etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am 29 and in good physical condition if that helps determine how many miles I can cover per day.

Thanks and I look forward to meeting some new friends here!

Welcome to WB and I hope you find lots of good info.

You're approaching your hike the exact right way. IMO getting in shape aerobically through your gym work and hiking is the most important first step. It doesn't matter how strong your legs are, you ain't getting far nor are you enjoying your hike if you can't make it up the first hill (in your case, 10-Mile Hill) without huffing & puffing & frequent rest stops.

You've picked out a good section to start - no real long ascents until your only one - Mt. Greylock - but not exactly flat except for the Housatonic River stretch which is a nice reward after the steep descent down St. Johns Ledges. The woods in both states are fairly scenic.

My one suggestion is that even though you're in good physical condition, you deliberately keep the mileage down the first few days to allow your feet time to adapt and toughen. Other may disagree - perhaps it's not necessary but I'm sure you don't want to deal with blisters in the first few days.

So how long for this 138 miles? Less than 2 weeks. I'd plan on 10 days and if you find yourself beating this pace, plan on hiking the additional 18 miles from North Adams/Rt 2 in Mass to Rt. 9 in Vermont.

[garlic08]

Two weeks is good for planning, for sure. You might surprise yourself either way, though.

If you're new to distance hiking, you'll likely be making constant changes to your pack and footwear which will greatly dictate your pace and comfort. The lighter your pack and shoes, the faster you'll go, but you'll want more experience to go with less and lighter stuff.

It also depends on time of year and weather. Long summer days with good weather will give you better mileage than shorter, cooler, wet spring days. Are you in camp for 10 hours or 18 hours?

You'll also develop your own style. Some pack just to walk, and stop only to sleep. Others love to camp, and walk only long enough to find a good place to stop and enjoy a good campsite. Needless to say, that's an important pace indicator, too.

Good luck in your quest.

[Lyle]

Check out the articles section (from the "home" page). Many very useful articles can be found. One that addresses your question is Jack Tarlin's extremely useful Resupply Article (multiple parts). I use it all the time and find his estimates of travel time very accurate. You will soon learn to adjust for your own use.

http://whiteblaze.net/index.php?page=resupplypart4


Have fun.

[jaxalope]

Thanks for the great replies. My intention is to start this hike in the first week of June (immediately after graduation) and the great part about it is that I DO NOT NEED to complete the hike in any hurry, which should allow me the opportunity to experiment a bit with pace and style. My hope is that this hike will help me plan the remaining New England sections. Again, thanks for the helpful tips - they are greatly appreciated! I'm sure I'll have many more questions before heading out... as you can obviously see, I am giving myself lots of lead time on this quest so that I can adequately prepare and fully understand what I am getting myself in to!

[gsingjane]

The one thing I will say about backpacking is that it will turn out to be harder than you thought it would be. Try not to get discouraged or want to give up. You will get used to it and then you'll really enjoy it.

Jane in CT

[Cookerhiker]

For the time of year you're hiking, expect hot humid weather keeping in mind that the first week of your hike is at low elevations.

Also you'll have plenty of company in the form of mosquitos! Prepare accordingly especially at night. I recommend tenting or bug-proof hammocks assuming there is such a thing.

[JAK]

I was amazed that sections of the Fundy Footpath could slow me down to 1 km per hour.

I've found that for myelf there is a more or less direct correlation with total weight on feet. That is, when I am 180 pounds carrying 20 pounds, I can cover 25% more ground in the same time and with the same effort as when weighing 220 pounds and carrying 30 pounds. The bigger variable is cummulative elevation gain, and how upslopes effect time and effort. For a fit hiker a 1000 foot gain over a mile will take twice as long, but require perhaps 3 times the energy. If its steep enough that you have to stop and rest along the way then it will slow you down more, but the energy requirement is about the same. It's not yet a pure science how they measure cummulative elevation gain, but I think they are getting there. You will likely develop your own science, or art, depending on what you like to teach.

[Bobbo]

Hey there. I'm right down the road in Fairhaven. Always looking for like minded individuals to share a hike and talk about gear and the trail. When starting out, 10 to 12 miles a day is a safe estimate as far as re-supplying and amount of food is concerned. You'll probably make more, but most likely not less considering your age and general fitness level.
Trail running is a good way to prepare the legs, ankles and feet. There are some ok trails up at Washburn Park for running and walking.
I’m prepping for a thru-hike of the Long Trail this summer – so I can relate to your mindset.
I hiked the AT in 98.

[jersey joe]

29 and in good shape...I'd say 10-15 miles per day is very doable and a good goal through this section.

[Many Walks]

If you carry all of your gear, a couple of liters of water, and 5 days of food (or equivalent weight) on day hikes you'll have a good idea of the mileage you can make. Be prepared to explain what your doing as you may get some interesting looks on shorter trails. You might also explain to local rangers so they don't think your stealth camping in their park, if camping isn't allowed. Just a thought, you might plan on hiking the sections furthest from your home over your longest vacations simply because you'll have more drive time involved. You most likely realize it, but it's a long trail and in some cases you might be driving more than you're hiking. Best wishes on your hiking goal, but most of all enjoy it. The AT is a wonderful experience.

[stranger]

No one can really tell you what you can expect in terms of mileage, everyone reacts to miles quite differently.

I think most people tend to be a bit conservative about mileage. If you are fit, and train with a pack on, there is no reason why you can't do whatever mileage you want do, within reason of course.

Most hikers seem to average about 2 - 2.5 miles per hour, a few average about 3 or more per hour. But only you will know how many hours you can hike before you are shot.

[Jim Adams]

Start slow to avoid injury and don't sweat the miles...too many variables- weather, terrain, temps, pack weight, body metabolism at the time. Starting with a short section is good. If you get it completed quicker than expected then you can plan on more miles. If it takes longer, then you will see what your speed is being slowed by and be able to plan distance better. Just walk that first section and see how it goes...you will be surprised at the amount of things that you will learn on that trip.

geek

[Marta]

As everyone else has said, it's impossible to predict how long it will take for you to do that section. If all goes well, you might be done with it in 10 days or less. If one thing goes horribly wrong (bad blisters, tweak some important body part, major gear failure...) it could take longer.

There's also that personality component--some people like to spring up bright and early, roll out of the sack, and start hiking. They like to keep hiking until close to bedtime. Even if you average a very ordinary 2 mph, 12 or 14 hours of hiking will net you over 20 mpd. Other people find the camping/socializing component of the trip to be more enjoyable. Those folks often sleep later, spend more time eating, drinking, and just sitting around, and are more than happy to quit walking when they reach whatever their target is (often it's the next shelter, 7 or 8 miles away), even if they've only been walking for a few hours.

If you have a chance to get out for an overnighter backpacking trip or two between now and then (Easter, Mem Day weekend), you will get to iron out some of the kinks, and should get a better idea of your pace and daily distance.

[Ekul]

The one thing I will say about backpacking is that it will turn out to be harder than you thought it would be. Try not to get discouraged or want to give up. You will get used to it and then you'll really enjoy it.

Jane in CT

cant agree more. if you arent use to it the first couple of days huffing and puffing suck. keep your head up and one foot in front of the other. good hiking. 10miles a day is great for a beginner. Summer hiking I typically get more done. Winter hiking I dont roll outta bed as quick as I need to and only set my goal for 10miles/day.

Good hiking

[Berserker]

As everyone else has said, it's impossible to predict how long it will take for you to do that section. If all goes well, you might be done with it in 10 days or less. If one thing goes horribly wrong (bad blisters, tweak some important body part, major gear failure...) it could take longer.

There's also that personality component--some people like to spring up bright and early, roll out of the sack, and start hiking. They like to keep hiking until close to bedtime. Even if you average a very ordinary 2 mph, 12 or 14 hours of hiking will net you over 20 mpd. Other people find the camping/socializing component of the trip to be more enjoyable. Those folks often sleep later, spend more time eating, drinking, and just sitting around, and are more than happy to quit walking when they reach whatever their target is (often it's the next shelter, 7 or 8 miles away), even if they've only been walking for a few hours.

If you have a chance to get out for an overnighter backpacking trip or two between now and then (Easter, Mem Day weekend), you will get to iron out some of the kinks, and should get a better idea of your pace and daily distance.

I was about to say the same thing, Marta gave some excellent advice. I have been hiking for years now, but started section hiking a little over a year ago. Just in 6 section hikes my "style" has changed. I used to like to hit camp real early in the day (leaving 3 hours of light or so), and typically didn't do over 10 miles. Then last year I did the GA section in 7 days, which required me to do some 15 mile days and one almost 17 mile day. What I found out from that was first off that I could actually do that mileage, and second off that I didn't mind hiking till dark and then setting up camp.

So I guess my advice would be to just get out and hike a couple of times to see what your style is, and then take it from there.

As for getting in shape, if you are more of a novice I would highly recommend loading up your pack with the amount of weight you expect to be carrying (use weights or just your gear), and taking walks with that a couple of times a week at least a few weeks before you go. If you have hiking trails you can walk on with the pack loaded up that is ideal. I have found this to be the only way to get my entire body prepared for a long hike. Before I started training like this I would just exercise regulary, and the problem I had was that I would put on the pack at the trailhead of the first day and groan under the weight (i.e. my upper body was not prepared for it). Now when I hit the trailhead on the first day it's no big deal...just like another training hike.

The other piece of advice I would give that others have already mentioned is to lighten your pack as much as you can. I usually start off in the low 30s, and it is awesome compared to what I used to carry (upper 40s to lower 50s).