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What Happens to Your Body on a Thru-Hike

outsideonline.com

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Re: What Happens to Your Body on a Thru-Hike

#51

Post by Rapzid »

hkmurakami wrote: post #42
kyleblarson wrote: post #8

This guy took a selfie every mile of the PCT. It's pretty cool to see his transformation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyo8OIp7aHM

I brushed over this post the first time but I just watched the first and last segments of the video now. I am mind blown. He is a completely different person in appearance! (2600 miles btw)

The subtleties of it are very interesting. It took ~1300 miles for significant loses to appear(IMHO) but you can see how it took a while for his skin to catch up. For a while his face is a bit droopy giving him a very haggard look. Nothing another 1k miles didn't tighten up lol.

Re: What Happens to Your Body on a Thru-Hike

#52

Post by FLUX-YOU »

ucaetano wrote: post #29
somethingsimple wrote: post #26

How does one get started doing this kind of thing? Ever since moving to the US, and specifically to the PNW, I've been wanting to hike, but I don't know where to start. People here seem to grow up used to it, but I don't know what equipment I need, what food to bring, how to get to the trails (do I drive? what if there's no parking?), etc.

A good way is to sign up for group hikes and camping trips from REI and other places. You can also look for hiking clubs and ask for help, or find people at work/school who hike. Finally, you can start doing research by yourself and learn by (sometimes painful) trial and error. My first major hike (9 days at Torres del Paine, solo, I was 19) was hell, shitty gear, overweight backpack and so on, but was amazing and I…

>https://www.rei.com/outdoorschool/hiking-camping-classes.htm...

Is this the type of thing you mean? REI is a brand I've seen so I wasn't aware they did things like that.

I'll be traveling a lot but I'll be hiking/camping alone since I don't have a spouse, so groups would be a great way to make friends and not have as much risk.

Re: What Happens to Your Body on a Thru-Hike

#53

Post by agentgt »

nradov wrote: post #43

Good article, but just to nitpick a 0.3% hemoglobin A1c change over only 2 tests doesn't necessarily mean anything. Normal people can vary by that much from week to week due to a variety of factors. We would have to see multiple tests over a longer period of time to tell whether there was a real reduction.

Also his testosterone levels were shockingly high but I know from personal experience those can fluctuate dramatically for many men.

Additional tests would have been nice.

IMO strength training will boost my test far more than cardio but I have never carried a 20lbs pack for 500 miles.

Re: What Happens to Your Body on a Thru-Hike

#54

Post by eigenvector »

joeframbach wrote: post #10

After doing 2000-mile treks on the AT and PCT, I can say that hikers generally get their "trail legs" after roughly 500 miles or one month. Damascus VA and Tehachapi CA are big spots for zeroes and recalibration, and then you're off to the races. This post is excellent in showing the changes in those first 500 miles, but doesn't go on to show much about what happens after. That peak performance is maintained very wel…

I agree with your assessment generally, but there are some caveats.

When you start to get into around the 10th week and beyond, there's a wall you can hit if you aren't eating well enough. This is not really an issue on American or European long-distance trails where any sort of nutrition one desires can be arranged in your resupplies (and you can eat ravenously on town days) but if you do multi-month trips in the 3rd world, you'll find trail legs don't last forever when all you're eating is rice and some kind of legume for every meal. At a certain point the lack of high-quality nutrition starts to make you progressively weaker.

Re: What Happens to Your Body on a Thru-Hike

#55

Post by eigenvector »

munificent wrote: post #45
stuckagain wrote: post #3

Secrets to fitness revealed! 1: Stand up 2: Go outside 3: Walk around a lot

Those are the easy steps. You forgot: 0: Acquire the free time and money to not have to work, take care of others, etc. for extended periods of time.

No, that's irrelevant because of all parent's 3 points could easily be part of a job like land or mineral surveying, field biology, forestry, and so on. You don't have to quit working to go outside and walk around all day.

Re: What Happens to Your Body on a Thru-Hike

#56

Post by stuckagain »

eigenvector wrote: post #55
munificent wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those are the easy steps. You forgot: 0: Acquire the free time and money to not have to work, take care of others, etc. for extended periods of time.

No, that's irrelevant because of all parent's 3 points could easily be part of a job like land or mineral surveying, field biology, forestry, and so on. You don't have to quit working to go outside and walk around all day.

I always wanted to be ....

A lumberjack!

Re: What Happens to Your Body on a Thru-Hike

#57

Post by alexlrobertson »

nodamage wrote: post #39

Another good option if you're not interested in hiking is bicycle touring. A few years ago I spent a summer cycling across France, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria and it was an absolutely incredible experience. After cycling for roughly 6 hours per day over six weeks, I lost a ton of weight, despite eating anything and everything I wanted. (Which was more food than I would normally eat at home, considering you're b…

I'm just getting into touring, myself and it's quite awesome. You get the joys of cycling, treking through nature, and can pack a little more liberally than backpacking. The big limiting factor is finding suitable trails and roads.

Re: What Happens to Your Body on a Thru-Hike

#58

Post by waterphone »

somethingsimple wrote: post #26

How does one get started doing this kind of thing? Ever since moving to the US, and specifically to the PNW, I've been wanting to hike, but I don't know where to start. People here seem to grow up used to it, but I don't know what equipment I need, what food to bring, how to get to the trails (do I drive? what if there's no parking?), etc.

Finding a group in your area that's open to beginners can be an excellent way to start out, because they'll be planning the hikes and navigating, and can tell you what you need to bring.

With a bit of experience, you can start to pick up on basic navigational skills, etc., and be able to judge what equipment works and what you're lacking.

You don't need much to start out. Some good sneakers/tennis shoes/running shoes are fine for most on-trail hiking, and then just a liter or two of water (more in hot/dry climates) and some food/snacks for an average dayhike with a group where others are navigating.

On your own, you'd want some sort of map/compass, GPS or phone with GPS capability and relevant hiking maps of your area.

Re: What Happens to Your Body on a Thru-Hike

#59

Post by kevin488 »

nodamage wrote: post #39

Another good option if you're not interested in hiking is bicycle touring. A few years ago I spent a summer cycling across France, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria and it was an absolutely incredible experience. After cycling for roughly 6 hours per day over six weeks, I lost a ton of weight, despite eating anything and everything I wanted. (Which was more food than I would normally eat at home, considering you're b…

I would love to hear a rough outline of your path. Were you mostly on roads with cars or is there a more established bike lane infrastructure? Any issues sharing the road with vehicles?

Re: What Happens to Your Body on a Thru-Hike

#60

Post by paulcole »

nradov wrote: post #43

Good article, but just to nitpick a 0.3% hemoglobin A1c change over only 2 tests doesn't necessarily mean anything. Normal people can vary by that much from week to week due to a variety of factors. We would have to see multiple tests over a longer period of time to tell whether there was a real reduction.

Yeah, Type I here and I've always heard that .5% is within the margin of error.
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