stupid idea: long distance hike?
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Nothing. Was the point.0
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We're going to need a follow up on this. you know that, right?0
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I thought so
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When are you going?0
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Not sure yet. I have to 'break in' my new sports shoes as my old one just broke down last weekend (lost 1/4 of the sole while running and was wondering why my foot started to hurt
). I did buy the same ones again, but they still need a bit of getting used to. 0 -
I hiked the entire Appalachian Trail during the summer of 2001 (2167 miles in 4.75 months). I generally echo a lot of the advice given so far, and also see that you seem mentally up for the challenge. Covering 93 relatively flat miles in 4 days with a light pack and B&Bs each night could actually be doable, though still quite a challenge. Give it a shot and, like you said, if you have to change plans mid-course, it sounds like you'd be in settings where you'd have the flexibility to reset expectations and aim for shorter mileage. Enjoy!1
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I can actually offer you some advice here as I've hiked 43 miles in one straight 18 hour session and frequently hiked 30+ miles in one go. I hike the Cotswold Way trail.
You can definitely achieve this though you may suffer some long term issues because of it. Do everything you can to ensure you have the best lightweight shoes that you can, my big toenails have only just finished regrowing (nearly a year) after my 43 miles. I highly recommend you but some 'glove socks', I can't sing their praises enough for reducing blisters.
Bone pain will likely become an issue to you also, for me at least the hardest part was repeatedly putting one foot in front of the other other when every step was admittedly pretty agonizing. Take some pain meds, consider taking them preemptively but understand that it is doing nothing to stop the damage you are causing.
One concern I have is that even at 20-25 miles a day, these issues are going to compound day after day. Think about how much discomfort you are in right after intense training, then how much you are in the day after. I'm often unable to walk the day following a long hike.
Over-stock your med kit with a lot of blister related gear including antiseptic and needles, I hope you don't have those issues but it is better safe than sorry.
You may also want to take a second pair of shoes a size larger than your normal ones to wear the following day if swelling becomes an issue.
Your pace will slow no matter your mentality, I walk at 3.5-4mph on pavements and 3 mph average on hikes, at 1am as I had reached my 'point B' and turned to head back toward 'point A' my pace had slowed to about 1.5-2.5mph.
Take a mobile charger (Battery) to allow you to recharge your phone on the fly.
Is your plan a stupid idea? Well, yeah probably but then isn't climbing Mount Everest or going to the North Pole a stupid idea? Some of us like being stupid
I admire your plan and the courage you have to attempt it, just please don't be afraid to 'quit' in the middle. My hike was actually a failed 72 mile straight hike that I gave up on at 43 miles when I limped into Broadway at 3:30 am and called a taxi to take me home. It wasn't a failure to not hit my goal, one of the greatest successes of my life.
Since you are doing a 4 day split and quite rightly wanting to keep weight down, you could even consider planning your stops, speaking to the B&B's if you are staying there and arranging to send them stuff to pick up each day i.e. a new set of clothing for each day. You can then post back the dirty stuff to your home.
Hit me up with a friend request if you like, I would love to see pictures and hear stories of your achievements!
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Aww, thanks a lot for sharing your experience Jonny Wow, attempting to walk 72 miles straight sounds ... interesting. Still brave of you to try. I'll certainly wear my running shoes as they are supercomfy and a size larger. With glove socks you mean toe socks? I've ordered a pair for running to see how it goes as I have one slightly troublesome toe. I did a little test yesterday and today: walked 10km to work in the morning, and back in the afternoon. At least that short distance was no problem. 1
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Haha yeah it was overly ambitious and I was really new into hiking and training at the time, I learned a valuable lesson at least to not wear brand new hiking boots lol
I do yes! I couldn't remember the name of them, the brand I got was Injinji, I'm sure there are others too but their quality is excellent. My toes aren't very straight so I was having a lot of inter-digital blisters, the feeling when you put them on is a bit weird at first innit but I never had a single inter-digital issue after that.
Night hiking is another fun aspect to try out if you are ever looking to mix things up and it would be a safe thing to try where you live 0 -
I think that because you have the opportunity to bail at anytime, you might as well try it. It's different if you are in mountainous backcountry with no roads and no way to get out again until you've done the whole distance and carrying all your food and sleeping gear and emergency survival stuff, but if you're somewhere with villages and easy access and that kind of thing you're not really at a big risk if you can't manage it.0
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Argh! Weather is fine, I'm sure I'd manage a substantial part of the hike... but I currently can't put a foot down at all! Used my new running shoes in a couple of up to 5k runs without problems. Set out to a long run on Saturday. From 5.5km on I developed a massive blister on the side of my heel. Turned out the stitching there is a bit messed up. Anyway, hopefully none buggy exchange shoes are on the way. But most annoyingly, the blister got infected yesterday and now I can only hop on one leg. No, I'm not doing this one one leg 0
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Thanks a lot! I thought about using my running shoes. They are comfy and I know them. Weather... Well this is the UK but the weather has been marvellous the last few months. I can still decide to cancel a few days ahead if the forecast is not good though. Water: yeah... I'm very much a hot weather girl and don't mind being active at close to 50C (that's over 120F?) or go on a day long hike at way over 30 C. But water is a given. And I'll check out those towns for thai massage salons for a relaxing oil massage.
Nooo my advice would be to avoid the running shoes.
I did a 15 mile hike last summer and wore my runners, thinking "it's flat, it will be fine"... NOPE. Miserable, 5-6 blisters, blood, could barely finish. I would get some good solid hiking boots with ankle support, and break them in before you go.
This is not good advice - a lot of people trail run that distance without issue. It is likely that your shoes and feet were not a proper fit for that activity but it does not mean that it requires "solid hiking boots" for the distance.
Shoe size & fit, lacing, socks matter.0 -
EvgeniZyntx wrote: »Thanks a lot! I thought about using my running shoes. They are comfy and I know them. Weather... Well this is the UK but the weather has been marvellous the last few months. I can still decide to cancel a few days ahead if the forecast is not good though. Water: yeah... I'm very much a hot weather girl and don't mind being active at close to 50C (that's over 120F?) or go on a day long hike at way over 30 C. But water is a given. And I'll check out those towns for thai massage salons for a relaxing oil massage.
Nooo my advice would be to avoid the running shoes.
I did a 15 mile hike last summer and wore my runners, thinking "it's flat, it will be fine"... NOPE. Miserable, 5-6 blisters, blood, could barely finish. I would get some good solid hiking boots with ankle support, and break them in before you go.
This is not good advice - a lot of people trail run that distance without issue. It is likely that your shoes and feet were not a proper fit for that activity but it does not mean that it requires "solid hiking boots" for the distance.
Shoe size & fit, lacing, socks matter.
Yep. Shoes need to be comfy and fit properly. The soles need to be suitable for what your feet need. Ok, I currently don't have any shoes, thus this whole discussion is useless *sigh* oh well.. only delayed, not cancelled.0 -
Get your walking boots measured for you, it was the best thing I ever did when I was doing long distance walking. And wear them everywhere in the runup to your walk - down to the shops, round the park, whatever. The more you wear them, the kinder they will be to you!
The other thing I'd say about long distance walking in Britain is pack a whistle. I did the Clarendon way a couple of years ago and had no phone signal for pretty much the whole walk (my mum got my "just stopped for lunch" text as I was approaching the finish and absolutely freaked out thinking I was still 7 hours away). I'd have been stuffed if I'd been relying on that phone in an emergency. However, there are usually other walkers around and they know what a whistle means and will come and help you if you need it.
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Argh! Weather is fine, I'm sure I'd manage a substantial part of the hike... but I currently can't put a foot down at all! Used my new running shoes in a couple of up to 5k runs without problems. Set out to a long run on Saturday. From 5.5km on I developed a massive blister on the side of my heel. Turned out the stitching there is a bit messed up. Anyway, hopefully none buggy exchange shoes are on the way. But most annoyingly, the blister got infected yesterday and now I can only hop on one leg. No, I'm not doing this one one leg
I hate when that happens! Did the place you buy it from have a return policy? Many good running stores will let you put 50 or so miles (or a month or so) on a pair to make sure they fit. These shoes are obviously bad for you
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What everyone else said: plan well!0
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scorpio516 wrote: »Argh! Weather is fine, I'm sure I'd manage a substantial part of the hike... but I currently can't put a foot down at all! Used my new running shoes in a couple of up to 5k runs without problems. Set out to a long run on Saturday. From 5.5km on I developed a massive blister on the side of my heel. Turned out the stitching there is a bit messed up. Anyway, hopefully none buggy exchange shoes are on the way. But most annoyingly, the blister got infected yesterday and now I can only hop on one leg. No, I'm not doing this one one leg
I hate when that happens! Did the place you buy it from have a return policy? Many good running stores will let you put 50 or so miles (or a month or so) on a pair to make sure they fit. These shoes are obviously bad for you
Yea, the new shoes are on the way and I don't need to return the original pair. I bought them from Amazon as I have no running store within 1h drive from my home. Same model and same vintage as my previous ones. Only one shoes was dodgy from this pair
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