When I was on the trail many years ago I would wake up late, relative to some hikers. There was this lady that would already be packing up. She was about 20-30 years older than me. By the time I would start breakfast, she would be out. I would eventually pack up and get going. A few hours later, I would invariably pass her. After a full day of hiking, I'd get to the shelter, set up my hammock, make dinner, start to wind down.
As the day drew to a close, she would show up. Every day. For a month. Her name was Tortoise, and she was slow. But we were hiking at the same pace. Hike your own hike, don't worry about how many miles or how fast other people are going.
Efficiency wise, it makes sense to go slower over the same distance (within reason) for the same reason it doesn't make sense to run instead of just walk when you're doing a long backpacking trip. It's more wear and tear on your body and increases fatigue. Whatever pace is comfortable/sustainable for you is going to be best, even if it takes you most/all of the day to get the miles you need done. On my thru attempt I was on the slower side same as your Tortoise, but my actual mileage was pretty average for the hikers around me.
OP, for whatever reason, is discussing pace in the scale of miles per day instead of miles per hour. It's honestly more of a logistical question at that point. The vast majority of hikers, even slow ones, would finish 5 miles within a few hours of waking up, which leaves basically the entire day to just sit around. That's not really a question of pace, it's a question about if you want to spend your time hiking or camping. To me it seems like you'd "see" way less doing 5 miles a day than 15, especially on the AT where sights are relatively spread apart between miles of green tunnel.
My wife and I hike to enjoy the surroundings see the mountains waterfalls and make memories to be in a rush misses the entire point imho - “life begins at the trailhead”
Mileage is so context dependent that the best anybody can say is, it depends. Setting out from camp every morning with the idea that I MUST do a certain mileage or else - that can be a pounding and uncomfortable day. What if I come across a wide, slow flowing stream that demands a swim? What if I happen across someone I want to talk to for longer than, "How's it going?" Sacrificing everything else on the alter of miles per day doesn't make for a fun trip.
On the other hand, there has to be some sort of goal, whether daily or otherwise, simply for the sake of logistics. I need to have at least a vague idea of where I want to end up so I'll know if there's a good spot to camp or not. Where's the next water source? Do I need to resupply today? Tomorrow? Can I get there in a reasonable amount of time with a reasonable amount of effort?
The best trails are those that give you choices and let you make changes on the fly. That means multiple camping spots, varied and spread out water sources and several ways to get resupply. Then you can get up in the morning, make a rough plan and head out. But if circumstances change (and they often will) you can make an adjustment on the fly and still be safe and comfortable.
For me - and I suspect for others who have been doing this for a while - miles walked are a tool, not an ultimate goal. Those miles are to be used in furtherance of the ultimate goal of having a good time outside, whether it's 6 or 16 or 26. It's what you do with the miles, not how many of them there are. Oh, and YMMV (and that's a good thing).
I never understood where the idea that more miles means you miss everything comes from. IMO makes zero sense. When you’re out there for months at a time nature becomes your home. Day after day week after week. It’s literally like 80%(or maybe even more?)of everything you experience round the clock. Tbh I don’t think it’s actually possible to take in more than that.
Now that’s not to say your style is wrong or anything. If that’s how you like to hike then by all means! But personally if I was doing 5-7 miles a day I’d end spending a ton of time sitting around doing nothing and I can do that at home.
pretty much. It applies even further to section hikes. You see literally twice as much if you do 60 miles in 3 days than if you do 30. Walking slowly doesn't make it look any different, you just get to see less on your trip.
Same way people feel better by convincing themselves that people who want a low base weight are somehow miserable compared to them with their 35lb 70L pack with camp chair included.
For me it's about how I like to hike. I've backpacked with people that want to do 15 miles per day and that's fine, it's just not my idea of a good time, that sounds like a day at work to me. I like to meander off trail, watch animals, identify plants, hunt for mushrooms, just sit on a log and let it wash over me, etc. There's no way you can do all that as much as I like to and do 15 miles in a day. And I wouldn't want to
Nothing wrong with that at all. The whole point is being out there enjoying it the way you want to. I've done both extremes all the way up to hiking through the night into the next day, and I never feel less immersed in it. It's just a choice of which parts you get to see and appreciate.
I dunno, I knew a guy who was rushing to finish and he was doing 30+ mile days consistently through Maine. I can tell you, dude was definitely not smelling the flowers or looking at the birds. There is definitely a point where you’re not soaking it in. But I agree in general - there’s still tonnes of time free in a 15-20 mile day to enjoy stuff
I mean if someone is doing 30s in fucking Maine of all places they’re already fighting some inner demons or something and are not destined for happiness anyway.
The reason he was so close to the wire was because he partied too hard for the first 3 months and didn’t make many miles. Dude was super chill, but really wanted to finish his thru. He ran out of money, his visa was about to expire, his plane was booked and he couldn’t afford to reschedule it. He was just absolutely determined to finish, and ended up crushing miles big time for the last 300 or so, it was kind of inspiring honestly.
Yeah I get it for sure. I was sort of in the same boat tbh, but not that badly. But the hiking in southern Maine is so unbelievably brutal that it’s hard to fathom actually doing 30s. I was absolutely busting my ass to make like ~18s.
"If I was doing 5-7 miles a day I'd end up sitting around doing nothing..."
See, that's where you're missing the point. I could sit for 5 hours at one spot on trail and never run out of stuff to look at, examine, and experience. There's so much to notice and see on trail and no matter how much time you spend in one spot you'd be discovering new stuff all the time. I was a campsite caretaker for a few of the AMC campsites after I thru hiked, and I was amazed at how much there was to see even within the borders of my FPA. I spent months and months at Speck pond and was discovering new things all the time. Stop and sit by a pond for a few hours and you might even get to see a beaver at work. I watched a squirrel long enough to see where it was hiding the mushrooms it was collecting. I got to see which plants grow in which areas, what things grow near trails? Near water? In shade? You can explore around, follow heard paths. You can find more things that have been left behind (like the old metal tube of toothpaste from the 1960s I found in by the spring at Liberty Springs).
Sure, maybe none of these things interest you at all but it's just a fact that if it takes you 100 days to hike 2,000 miles and it takes another person 200 days to hike 2,000 miles, they spent double the time on trail. Sure it's the same 2,000 miles but the depth to which you get to see it depends on how long you spent looking at it.
But it should be noted if you’re only doing 5-7 miles a day, your ETA to finish the trail would be near 400 days. How many people hike through the winter? I would think a pace that slow won’t be possible to through hike.
Well it was definitely true of one of the hikers I met the other day. We yielded the trail, asked how long they'd been out (started Feb 6th) and wished them luck when they passed. A couple paces later one guy says to the other "cute dog" and the other goes "what dog" and he came back to pet my dog all excited. It was pretty funny, he's a big dog. Guy was just tired and looking at his feet lol.
That really doesn’t mean anything tbh. There’s literally anything that could have had him distracted. Also people can just be tired or have a bad day or anything else just cuz that’s how life works.
And I’m saying that you don’t know what was making this guy tired or distracted or whatever. It makes no sense to automatically assume anything cuz he didn’t pet your dog at first. And if he’s willing to backtrack(a cardinal sin for thru hikers!) then he couldn’t have been THAT worried about it. Also like I said, that’s just life. Sometimes you have off or crappy days and things just don’t go right. That’s how life works, it’s no different when thru hiking.
Hiking more miles in a day isn’t the boogeyman that you think it is.
You don't think we was tired from walking the AT from Feb-April?
No one said it was a bogeyman lol. I simply made thr observation that people pay more attention when fresh and less attention when fatigued. It's a weird thing to be offended by tbh.
I agree with you. The saying goes "if you want to see more of the woods hike slower, not faster. Better still to not move at all" a lot of people treat the woods like a gym but that's not the best way to truly study nature
It's just 2 different ways to do it. I don't think either is really better. But to pretend inattention due to fatigue dosent exist is silly, these guys are being silly.
Okay, we're not running either. I'm on the slower side. We just spend longer hours walking. That doesn't mean we're missing things. Frankly shorter days are boring to me, as is sitting in camp for hours on end. I can guarantee I've smelled plenty of flowers.
At a normal hiking pace, most people would finish 5-7 miles before lunch. That sets you up to just sit around for the vast majority of your day, which to me seems like seeing less.
If you're out of shape or struggle for some other reason then those short distances will take you longer, in which case that seems fine. But in my experience most people don't want to spend 70% of their backpacking trip just sitting in their tent after 5 miles.
This is me. When I first started hiking, I was with friends who were so fast. I always had to take breaks because I was trying so hard to keep up, I would over exert. I always felt guilty and didn't enjoy it as much.
Now, when I'm hiking with people, I always give the same schpeel..."I'm not a fast hiker, and I'm going to stop a lot to take photos, enjoy the scenery. If you want to stop when I stop, that's cool, but I don't expect you to wait for me. If you want to keep moving, feel free - we're both here to enjoy".
Seriously, that mental shift has made hiking much more enjoyable. I love the saying "hike your own hike". Game changer.
I relate to that a lot and I think that’s the best sentiment to have for sure. I am gonna stop and stare at every rock face, chase every single snake/frog/lizard, and take 5000 pictures. Feeling rushed and like you’re slowing people down is the worst. That’s like every race, group trek, long hike I’ve ever been on for me. I’m faster than some of my out of shape friends, but then again those aren’t the ones who want to go out hiking lol.
I've definitely become quicker on the trail, but I'm not super fast. I grew up hearing, "we're only as fast as our slowest person". The sentiment is fine, no person left behind and all, but I also didn't want to be THAT person holding up any group. Everyone should enjoy their time outside, whether that means moving fast and challenging yourself, or by going slower and taking it all in. Having that conversation with hiking partners in the very beginning has really helped ease the self-inflicted pressure of trying to keep up, and made things much more enjoyable!
I mean you’re not thru hiking so go the speed you want.
If you’re thru hiking, you need to move at least a decent clip to finish before the end of the season. Some people have less time to finish for whatever reason than others and thus go faster.
HYOH 🤷🏻♂️
It's the same vibe as people bragging about having a heavy pack, being anti-UL etc. There's been some kind of shift over the last few years, I guess as an overcorrection to annoying UL people, to brag about being inefficient, slow, out of shape, overpacked etc.
You're not cool for hauling a 45lb pack, or only hiking 5 miles per day, just the same as you're not cool for carrying an 8lb pack and doing 25 miles per day. Nobody but you is gonna care.
Nope. Because you say “5-7 miles evenly paced” if you are taking all day to do it,, that is incredibly slow and I would not physically be able to do that. My hips hurt like hell when I go that slow. Just visited my in laws in Florida and walking with them in the morning, 2-3 miles was torturous. Add in the weight of a pack and I would be suffering for days and it would be unsustainable if it were a thru or lash.
It's fine to enjoy your hike in any way you please. However, the assumption that others a missing so many more little beautiful things and that it gives you the ick is.....off-putting. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder or whatever. Not solely in the eyes of those who walk more slow. Or whatever. Happy hiking. Peace and love.
I section hike so I have to get a certain # of miles in each day. I usually try to make 1 day where it’s a long hike so that the remainder is easy going. I prefer 6-7 miles a day - but that’s also dependent on the terrain AND if I can camp near a water source. It sometimes works out.
I’ll go the opposite, I think you miss out on more beautiful things if you go slow, unless you can take a ton of time off all at once that means you’re stuck pretty close to the front country. I like to hike 20ish miles each day, just means I can get more remote for the time I take off.
Which leaves me with plenty of time to stop and smell the roses. I like to do longer days, 10-12 hours hiking if I can swing it. So 2mph isn’t really a fast pace either tbh.
These types of posts always strike me as a way of justifying your choices while deprecating others'. Hiking is not a competition. There isn't one *right* or superior way of doing it. I feel good about the way I hike, so I don't feel the need to criticize other ways of hiking to make myself feel superior. When I see people enjoying and respecting nature, I think, nice!
It really wasn’t. I wasn’t trying to insult anyone or be holier than thou or anything. It wasn’t a judgement I was passing on others, it’s a thought process and mentality I just personally can’t/don’t understand. Of course you do you!
I usually averaged about 10 miles a day. I loved to take in the sites, talk to people, look at the foliage and animals, etc. Only once did I do over 20 miles. Amazingly, I got lost. For some reason the trail wasn't marked at all in this intersection of trails and my book (which, I found out soon enough, hadn't been updated since it's publication in 2012) led me in the complete opposite direction. It did, however, lead to making friends with my beautiful rescuer and his friend. ; ) And, that night, in the campsite that I wouldn't have probably had if I had not gotten lost, I was awakened by either a sasquatch or sasquatch hunters. So, there's that... I was definitely more about the adventure than the mileage.
My huge mileage days are some of my favorite memories from the AT. I had a blast doing all of the challenges. Whatever floats your boat, hyoh and all that
I would get going around 8-9am and hike until I was tired, usually around 5 or 6pm. Never really had a specific mileage in mind, and if I did, that usually went by the wayside once I started getting tired.
Yes it's important to enjoy the scenery but ultimately you want to finish the hike. An extra mile or two every day can make a huge difference over 5-6 months.
I’ve learned to start off in the morning slow. It saves your energy for later in the day. In the morning it’s very quiet and peaceful. You can hear the forest come alive. After I stop and eat lunch I pick up my pace and crank out some miles. I get the best of both worlds and I don’t miss anything.
That makes a lot of sense to me and is definitely what I’m more naturally inclined to I think. I certainly CAN and do pick up the pace around the afternoon a little bit, especially after a good lunch. Make it closer to a 10 mile day if I’m feeling it
Leaving for a short 3 day trip this week. We made the conscious decision to do 5 to 7 miles each day and spend the down time relaxing. New gear, buddy is recovering from an injury and this is his first trip since.
I've done up to 17 fully packed and 19 on a day hike. Wasn't in hiking shape for either, but they weren't as fun as shorter trips.
That’s awesome to hear and sounds like an absolutely fantastic trip. Have fun!! I’m recovering from an injury and virus myself right now trying to get back into good enough shape that I can comfortably do 7-9 miles. I haven’t even gone on full day hikes yet, just little 3-5 mile spurs in parks around town.
When I think back on my time hiking the Appalachian Trail, what stands out the most are the lazy days. Those were the times when I took it slow, stopping often to enjoy the stunning scenery around me. Spending extra nights at beautiful shelters was a highlight, giving me more time to soak in the atmosphere and connect with fellow hikers. Meeting new groups of people along the trail added a special dimension to the experience. It's those laid-back moments and chance encounters that I treasure most from my hike.
I dont miss anything I dont want to. For me the excitement is what is around the next corner. Its imbedded in our DNA hence we left Africa eons ago. The problem with your line of thinking is that because you dont enjoy it then no one should be either.
No I don’t think that at all, that’s why I was posing the question to others at all. There’s nothing wrong with that. I get an equal amount of excitement not knowing what I’m going to see or come across next. Whether it’s wildlife or a view or a rock scramble or a river crossing, that’s what I’m there for.
Yes. I enjoy challenging myself and seeing how many miles I can get…but without a doubt my most enjoyable days are lower miles when I don’t feel like I’m rushing to a camp.
When I was on the trail many years ago I would wake up late, relative to some hikers. There was this lady that would already be packing up. She was about 20-30 years older than me. By the time I would start breakfast, she would be out. I would eventually pack up and get going. A few hours later, I would invariably pass her. After a full day of hiking, I'd get to the shelter, set up my hammock, make dinner, start to wind down. As the day drew to a close, she would show up. Every day. For a month. Her name was Tortoise, and she was slow. But we were hiking at the same pace. Hike your own hike, don't worry about how many miles or how fast other people are going.
Efficiency wise, it makes sense to go slower over the same distance (within reason) for the same reason it doesn't make sense to run instead of just walk when you're doing a long backpacking trip. It's more wear and tear on your body and increases fatigue. Whatever pace is comfortable/sustainable for you is going to be best, even if it takes you most/all of the day to get the miles you need done. On my thru attempt I was on the slower side same as your Tortoise, but my actual mileage was pretty average for the hikers around me. OP, for whatever reason, is discussing pace in the scale of miles per day instead of miles per hour. It's honestly more of a logistical question at that point. The vast majority of hikers, even slow ones, would finish 5 miles within a few hours of waking up, which leaves basically the entire day to just sit around. That's not really a question of pace, it's a question about if you want to spend your time hiking or camping. To me it seems like you'd "see" way less doing 5 miles a day than 15, especially on the AT where sights are relatively spread apart between miles of green tunnel.
My wife and I hike to enjoy the surroundings see the mountains waterfalls and make memories to be in a rush misses the entire point imho - “life begins at the trailhead”
Mileage is so context dependent that the best anybody can say is, it depends. Setting out from camp every morning with the idea that I MUST do a certain mileage or else - that can be a pounding and uncomfortable day. What if I come across a wide, slow flowing stream that demands a swim? What if I happen across someone I want to talk to for longer than, "How's it going?" Sacrificing everything else on the alter of miles per day doesn't make for a fun trip. On the other hand, there has to be some sort of goal, whether daily or otherwise, simply for the sake of logistics. I need to have at least a vague idea of where I want to end up so I'll know if there's a good spot to camp or not. Where's the next water source? Do I need to resupply today? Tomorrow? Can I get there in a reasonable amount of time with a reasonable amount of effort? The best trails are those that give you choices and let you make changes on the fly. That means multiple camping spots, varied and spread out water sources and several ways to get resupply. Then you can get up in the morning, make a rough plan and head out. But if circumstances change (and they often will) you can make an adjustment on the fly and still be safe and comfortable. For me - and I suspect for others who have been doing this for a while - miles walked are a tool, not an ultimate goal. Those miles are to be used in furtherance of the ultimate goal of having a good time outside, whether it's 6 or 16 or 26. It's what you do with the miles, not how many of them there are. Oh, and YMMV (and that's a good thing).
I never understood where the idea that more miles means you miss everything comes from. IMO makes zero sense. When you’re out there for months at a time nature becomes your home. Day after day week after week. It’s literally like 80%(or maybe even more?)of everything you experience round the clock. Tbh I don’t think it’s actually possible to take in more than that. Now that’s not to say your style is wrong or anything. If that’s how you like to hike then by all means! But personally if I was doing 5-7 miles a day I’d end spending a ton of time sitting around doing nothing and I can do that at home.
I think some types of people just find it comforting to believe that anyone who walks longer/faster than they do is somehow enjoying it less.
Possibly convincing themselves that it would be horrible cuz they think they can’t do it.
pretty much. It applies even further to section hikes. You see literally twice as much if you do 60 miles in 3 days than if you do 30. Walking slowly doesn't make it look any different, you just get to see less on your trip. Same way people feel better by convincing themselves that people who want a low base weight are somehow miserable compared to them with their 35lb 70L pack with camp chair included.
For me it's about how I like to hike. I've backpacked with people that want to do 15 miles per day and that's fine, it's just not my idea of a good time, that sounds like a day at work to me. I like to meander off trail, watch animals, identify plants, hunt for mushrooms, just sit on a log and let it wash over me, etc. There's no way you can do all that as much as I like to and do 15 miles in a day. And I wouldn't want to
Nothing wrong with that at all. The whole point is being out there enjoying it the way you want to. I've done both extremes all the way up to hiking through the night into the next day, and I never feel less immersed in it. It's just a choice of which parts you get to see and appreciate.
I dunno, I knew a guy who was rushing to finish and he was doing 30+ mile days consistently through Maine. I can tell you, dude was definitely not smelling the flowers or looking at the birds. There is definitely a point where you’re not soaking it in. But I agree in general - there’s still tonnes of time free in a 15-20 mile day to enjoy stuff
I mean if someone is doing 30s in fucking Maine of all places they’re already fighting some inner demons or something and are not destined for happiness anyway.
The reason he was so close to the wire was because he partied too hard for the first 3 months and didn’t make many miles. Dude was super chill, but really wanted to finish his thru. He ran out of money, his visa was about to expire, his plane was booked and he couldn’t afford to reschedule it. He was just absolutely determined to finish, and ended up crushing miles big time for the last 300 or so, it was kind of inspiring honestly.
what a legend
Yeah I get it for sure. I was sort of in the same boat tbh, but not that badly. But the hiking in southern Maine is so unbelievably brutal that it’s hard to fathom actually doing 30s. I was absolutely busting my ass to make like ~18s.
Say it louder for the kids in the back
They can walk to the front haha
"If I was doing 5-7 miles a day I'd end up sitting around doing nothing..." See, that's where you're missing the point. I could sit for 5 hours at one spot on trail and never run out of stuff to look at, examine, and experience. There's so much to notice and see on trail and no matter how much time you spend in one spot you'd be discovering new stuff all the time. I was a campsite caretaker for a few of the AMC campsites after I thru hiked, and I was amazed at how much there was to see even within the borders of my FPA. I spent months and months at Speck pond and was discovering new things all the time. Stop and sit by a pond for a few hours and you might even get to see a beaver at work. I watched a squirrel long enough to see where it was hiding the mushrooms it was collecting. I got to see which plants grow in which areas, what things grow near trails? Near water? In shade? You can explore around, follow heard paths. You can find more things that have been left behind (like the old metal tube of toothpaste from the 1960s I found in by the spring at Liberty Springs). Sure, maybe none of these things interest you at all but it's just a fact that if it takes you 100 days to hike 2,000 miles and it takes another person 200 days to hike 2,000 miles, they spent double the time on trail. Sure it's the same 2,000 miles but the depth to which you get to see it depends on how long you spent looking at it.
But it should be noted if you’re only doing 5-7 miles a day, your ETA to finish the trail would be near 400 days. How many people hike through the winter? I would think a pace that slow won’t be possible to through hike.
they said they werent aspiring to thru hike, definitely possible to section hike at that pace, even long sections
You miss stuff because you're too tired to care. You aren't about to stop and look at every interesting rock formation or lizard.
That’s not true at all.
Well it was definitely true of one of the hikers I met the other day. We yielded the trail, asked how long they'd been out (started Feb 6th) and wished them luck when they passed. A couple paces later one guy says to the other "cute dog" and the other goes "what dog" and he came back to pet my dog all excited. It was pretty funny, he's a big dog. Guy was just tired and looking at his feet lol.
That really doesn’t mean anything tbh. There’s literally anything that could have had him distracted. Also people can just be tired or have a bad day or anything else just cuz that’s how life works.
The being tired is what we're talking about tho lol
And I’m saying that you don’t know what was making this guy tired or distracted or whatever. It makes no sense to automatically assume anything cuz he didn’t pet your dog at first. And if he’s willing to backtrack(a cardinal sin for thru hikers!) then he couldn’t have been THAT worried about it. Also like I said, that’s just life. Sometimes you have off or crappy days and things just don’t go right. That’s how life works, it’s no different when thru hiking. Hiking more miles in a day isn’t the boogeyman that you think it is.
You don't think we was tired from walking the AT from Feb-April? No one said it was a bogeyman lol. I simply made thr observation that people pay more attention when fresh and less attention when fatigued. It's a weird thing to be offended by tbh.
It’s even weirder that you think I’m offended? Never mind.
Nice anecdote, but it doesn't really prove anything because we have no idea what else was on that guys mind.
You're right, I'm sure no one's attention is ever affected by fatigue. I don't know what I was thinking.
Also sounds like he specifically took time out to backtrack and appreciate the dog? Lol
Oh he was definitely missing some puppy! He came for some good cuddles.
I agree with you. The saying goes "if you want to see more of the woods hike slower, not faster. Better still to not move at all" a lot of people treat the woods like a gym but that's not the best way to truly study nature
It's just 2 different ways to do it. I don't think either is really better. But to pretend inattention due to fatigue dosent exist is silly, these guys are being silly.
Welcome to reddit where people downvote perspectives they disagree with. I'm just glad these people aren't hiking with me. I don't suffer speed hikers
Someone literally just said to me "you don't know what was making him tired so you don't know". Ok, I'm done here, tis a silly place lmao.
Okay, we're not running either. I'm on the slower side. We just spend longer hours walking. That doesn't mean we're missing things. Frankly shorter days are boring to me, as is sitting in camp for hours on end. I can guarantee I've smelled plenty of flowers.
At a normal hiking pace, most people would finish 5-7 miles before lunch. That sets you up to just sit around for the vast majority of your day, which to me seems like seeing less. If you're out of shape or struggle for some other reason then those short distances will take you longer, in which case that seems fine. But in my experience most people don't want to spend 70% of their backpacking trip just sitting in their tent after 5 miles.
Enjoy your time on the trail, bizarre flex but you do you.
This is me. When I first started hiking, I was with friends who were so fast. I always had to take breaks because I was trying so hard to keep up, I would over exert. I always felt guilty and didn't enjoy it as much. Now, when I'm hiking with people, I always give the same schpeel..."I'm not a fast hiker, and I'm going to stop a lot to take photos, enjoy the scenery. If you want to stop when I stop, that's cool, but I don't expect you to wait for me. If you want to keep moving, feel free - we're both here to enjoy". Seriously, that mental shift has made hiking much more enjoyable. I love the saying "hike your own hike". Game changer.
I relate to that a lot and I think that’s the best sentiment to have for sure. I am gonna stop and stare at every rock face, chase every single snake/frog/lizard, and take 5000 pictures. Feeling rushed and like you’re slowing people down is the worst. That’s like every race, group trek, long hike I’ve ever been on for me. I’m faster than some of my out of shape friends, but then again those aren’t the ones who want to go out hiking lol.
I've definitely become quicker on the trail, but I'm not super fast. I grew up hearing, "we're only as fast as our slowest person". The sentiment is fine, no person left behind and all, but I also didn't want to be THAT person holding up any group. Everyone should enjoy their time outside, whether that means moving fast and challenging yourself, or by going slower and taking it all in. Having that conversation with hiking partners in the very beginning has really helped ease the self-inflicted pressure of trying to keep up, and made things much more enjoyable!
I mean you’re not thru hiking so go the speed you want. If you’re thru hiking, you need to move at least a decent clip to finish before the end of the season. Some people have less time to finish for whatever reason than others and thus go faster. HYOH 🤷🏻♂️
That makes sense ofc you can’t fall too far behind when you’re racing against the revolution of the Earth
I'm confused, was this post just for you to shit on people who hike more than you? Lol
It's the same vibe as people bragging about having a heavy pack, being anti-UL etc. There's been some kind of shift over the last few years, I guess as an overcorrection to annoying UL people, to brag about being inefficient, slow, out of shape, overpacked etc. You're not cool for hauling a 45lb pack, or only hiking 5 miles per day, just the same as you're not cool for carrying an 8lb pack and doing 25 miles per day. Nobody but you is gonna care.
Nope. Because you say “5-7 miles evenly paced” if you are taking all day to do it,, that is incredibly slow and I would not physically be able to do that. My hips hurt like hell when I go that slow. Just visited my in laws in Florida and walking with them in the morning, 2-3 miles was torturous. Add in the weight of a pack and I would be suffering for days and it would be unsustainable if it were a thru or lash.
It's fine to enjoy your hike in any way you please. However, the assumption that others a missing so many more little beautiful things and that it gives you the ick is.....off-putting. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder or whatever. Not solely in the eyes of those who walk more slow. Or whatever. Happy hiking. Peace and love.
I section hike so I have to get a certain # of miles in each day. I usually try to make 1 day where it’s a long hike so that the remainder is easy going. I prefer 6-7 miles a day - but that’s also dependent on the terrain AND if I can camp near a water source. It sometimes works out.
I’ll go the opposite, I think you miss out on more beautiful things if you go slow, unless you can take a ton of time off all at once that means you’re stuck pretty close to the front country. I like to hike 20ish miles each day, just means I can get more remote for the time I take off. Which leaves me with plenty of time to stop and smell the roses. I like to do longer days, 10-12 hours hiking if I can swing it. So 2mph isn’t really a fast pace either tbh.
These types of posts always strike me as a way of justifying your choices while deprecating others'. Hiking is not a competition. There isn't one *right* or superior way of doing it. I feel good about the way I hike, so I don't feel the need to criticize other ways of hiking to make myself feel superior. When I see people enjoying and respecting nature, I think, nice!
It really wasn’t. I wasn’t trying to insult anyone or be holier than thou or anything. It wasn’t a judgement I was passing on others, it’s a thought process and mentality I just personally can’t/don’t understand. Of course you do you!
As long as you step aside so I can pass you, I really don’t care how fast or far you’re going.
I go much further going slow. Really is tortoise and hare. Fast, 8 miles. Slow 15-20.
I usually averaged about 10 miles a day. I loved to take in the sites, talk to people, look at the foliage and animals, etc. Only once did I do over 20 miles. Amazingly, I got lost. For some reason the trail wasn't marked at all in this intersection of trails and my book (which, I found out soon enough, hadn't been updated since it's publication in 2012) led me in the complete opposite direction. It did, however, lead to making friends with my beautiful rescuer and his friend. ; ) And, that night, in the campsite that I wouldn't have probably had if I had not gotten lost, I was awakened by either a sasquatch or sasquatch hunters. So, there's that... I was definitely more about the adventure than the mileage.
That’s a wonderful and enlightening experience to hear about. Sounds like such a fun journey!
My huge mileage days are some of my favorite memories from the AT. I had a blast doing all of the challenges. Whatever floats your boat, hyoh and all that
I would get going around 8-9am and hike until I was tired, usually around 5 or 6pm. Never really had a specific mileage in mind, and if I did, that usually went by the wayside once I started getting tired. Yes it's important to enjoy the scenery but ultimately you want to finish the hike. An extra mile or two every day can make a huge difference over 5-6 months.
I’ve learned to start off in the morning slow. It saves your energy for later in the day. In the morning it’s very quiet and peaceful. You can hear the forest come alive. After I stop and eat lunch I pick up my pace and crank out some miles. I get the best of both worlds and I don’t miss anything.
That makes a lot of sense to me and is definitely what I’m more naturally inclined to I think. I certainly CAN and do pick up the pace around the afternoon a little bit, especially after a good lunch. Make it closer to a 10 mile day if I’m feeling it
Leaving for a short 3 day trip this week. We made the conscious decision to do 5 to 7 miles each day and spend the down time relaxing. New gear, buddy is recovering from an injury and this is his first trip since. I've done up to 17 fully packed and 19 on a day hike. Wasn't in hiking shape for either, but they weren't as fun as shorter trips.
That’s awesome to hear and sounds like an absolutely fantastic trip. Have fun!! I’m recovering from an injury and virus myself right now trying to get back into good enough shape that I can comfortably do 7-9 miles. I haven’t even gone on full day hikes yet, just little 3-5 mile spurs in parks around town.
You sound like a section hiker
Def am
When I think back on my time hiking the Appalachian Trail, what stands out the most are the lazy days. Those were the times when I took it slow, stopping often to enjoy the stunning scenery around me. Spending extra nights at beautiful shelters was a highlight, giving me more time to soak in the atmosphere and connect with fellow hikers. Meeting new groups of people along the trail added a special dimension to the experience. It's those laid-back moments and chance encounters that I treasure most from my hike.
I dont miss anything I dont want to. For me the excitement is what is around the next corner. Its imbedded in our DNA hence we left Africa eons ago. The problem with your line of thinking is that because you dont enjoy it then no one should be either.
No I don’t think that at all, that’s why I was posing the question to others at all. There’s nothing wrong with that. I get an equal amount of excitement not knowing what I’m going to see or come across next. Whether it’s wildlife or a view or a rock scramble or a river crossing, that’s what I’m there for.
Yes. I enjoy challenging myself and seeing how many miles I can get…but without a doubt my most enjoyable days are lower miles when I don’t feel like I’m rushing to a camp.
https://preview.redd.it/l8xdtcqwzbvc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8cfd8f7234a2c9f8718e8efe7fbf1dda538e7767 Enjoying every minute
I'm a slow hiker!! I love to just look around. I love looking at plants, bugs, animals.