91–100 of 281 posts
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.
Ya but how many toenails does he have left? Every time I've hiked > 15 miles at a time they start turning purple
I've done quite a few very strenuous, multi-week races on bike, including riding the Colorado Trail in 7 days [0], and riding to, then summiting all the Colorado 14ers in 34 [1] - as well as participating in the Tour Divide [2] twice. I would call my fitness before these races as "peak", but I wouldn't call myself anything but near, "onset of over training syndrome" afterwards. The only thing I experienced similar to…
"One thing that stuck out with me is that they only hiked for 8 hours/day. That seems like a light day! compared to these races," Really. Carrying a 20kg pack for eight hours over rough terrain is less strenuous than bike riding? Do this for over 500 miles? Ever done this before? Hike on foot with 20kg packs on consecutive days? Make camp, make food, rest, break camp. Everything on your back. This is a lot more stren…
Actually, this is probably true. 8 hours a day, averaging 18 miles per day for 486 miles over 29 days is not that much. I don't see where they say they had 20kg packs, which is quite high weight for a thru-hiker. (EDIT: See now where he says he had 40 pound pack, which is probably at heaviest point with full load of food, still high for thru-hiking and maybe a reason they logged less miles/day.) 18 miles/day is probably right around average for thru-hikers, who are mostly out for enjoyment and sense of accomplishment, not for speed. You have to be in decent shape, but it's not a high-intensity endeavor.
There is a fairly sizeable subset of thru-hikers who do go for speed, though. Many average well over 40 miles per day for several months and over 2000 miles. (They're definitely not carrying 40 pound packs.) They accomplish this mostly by hiking for longer hours each day, not by moving faster, since going faster breaks their bodies down. E.g., see this article:
http://www.adventuresnw.com/heather-anish-anderson-speed-que...
Ya but how many toenails does he have left? Every time I've hiked > 15 miles at a time they start turning purple
Is this with toenails trimmed and shoes with enough room in the toe box? For a couple of years, I hiked in shoes I thought of as really comfortable. On long walks (especially 35m+ in a day), I'd get blisters around my heel and sore toes. I just figured that was what happened when hiking a lot. Changed shoes (same brand, but larger and better cushioning) and haven't had those problems since.
I came across three emaciated, bearded men on the continental divide trail in glacier national park. When I asked one of them where he was from he looked at his buddies and they all replied excitedly, in unison, "Mexico!". It was at that moment that I came to realize that these men were one day away from completing the entire thru-hike. I vividly recall one of their dinners: Dried ramen noodle, straight from the bag.…
I did El Camino de Santiago 3 years ago weighing at 220 pounds. 600 miles and 35 days later i was 160 pounds and had new perspective on life. As someone who always struggled with extra weight I've been able to keep the weight off ever since. Never felt better physically and mentally. By the way, I've met a lot of folks who started with the Camino as their first thru-hike and went on to do AT and Continental Divide. I…
Are results like that typical?
I came across three emaciated, bearded men on the continental divide trail in glacier national park. When I asked one of them where he was from he looked at his buddies and they all replied excitedly, in unison, "Mexico!". It was at that moment that I came to realize that these men were one day away from completing the entire thru-hike. I vividly recall one of their dinners: Dried ramen noodle, straight from the bag.…
When you carry your gear for a thousands of miles, you reevaluate what you really need. A stove is not needed because food can be consumed raw. A full tent is not needed because a basic tarp and careful site selection are enough to keep a person dry while sleeping. Toilet paper is not needed because smooth rocks, leaves and other material found on the trail can be used to wipe.
Hiking is great, but it seems like you can get the same effects a lot more efficiently -- eat less calories and no carbs (to reduce body fat and train your body to burn fat), and do heavy lifting at the gym (to raise testosterone). It doesn't require an 8-hr-a-day program :)
Wake up, eat, walk, eat, walk more, eat while walking, eat more, sleep. That is literally what life is on a through-hike.
I did El Camino de Santiago 3 years ago weighing at 220 pounds. 600 miles and 35 days later i was 160 pounds and had new perspective on life. As someone who always struggled with extra weight I've been able to keep the weight off ever since. Never felt better physically and mentally. By the way, I've met a lot of folks who started with the Camino as their first thru-hike and went on to do AT and Continental Divide. I…
60 lbs in 35 days is really dramatic! Is that even possible? Are results like that typical?
[1] https://www.outdoors.org/articles/amc-outdoors/how-many-calo...
I did El Camino de Santiago 3 years ago weighing at 220 pounds. 600 miles and 35 days later i was 160 pounds and had new perspective on life. As someone who always struggled with extra weight I've been able to keep the weight off ever since. Never felt better physically and mentally. By the way, I've met a lot of folks who started with the Camino as their first thru-hike and went on to do AT and Continental Divide. I…
60 lbs in 35 days is really dramatic! Is that even possible? Are results like that typical?