walking. . . can't handle the pace!

I would stretch out the walk over more days and bring less stuff on the walk. Make sure your backpack is comfortable, light and the right size. I don't know why, but people seem to have a tendency to buy backpacks from Deuter, which are ridiculously heavy. Use a light, perfectly fitting daypack and make sure you're only carrying less. Lunch for the day and water. Light night time clothes if you prefer it, a second pair of socks and knickers, small packs of personal hygene items, maybe flipflops or some other light shoes for the evening, money, house keys, mobile phone. You should be able to get around with 5kg plus the backpack.

1.) Do some body-weight strength exercises to strengthen all the muscles you'll use.
2.) Get evaluated for orthotics. It changed my life. NO exaggeration. Your feet shouldn't give out first.
3.) Build endurance slowly.
4.) Pass on this. Later, when everything's working for you, try again.

linzi02 wrote: »

I know this might sound weird but what socks are you wearing?

Bridgedale socks are top range trecking and mountaineering kit.

Don't mess around with your joints. See a podiatrist.

lynseya83 wrote: »

oh - i have been training since the trip was decided. About 4months I've been training for!
At the beginning i got blisters on the soles of my feet so had to wait till they had healed between walks - they seemed to have hardened up now! But even through I've been trooping about in these boots (with proper walking socks etc) when I'm using my pack training, at about 7miles i seem to get rubbing/blisters somewhere or other! -
I've heard that putting vaseline all over your feet can help on long walks. Anyone tried this?

I was hoping that it would be a little easier on me on the walk - ive been zooming round when im training at a good pace (i imagine it will be a lot more relaxed with scenery+chat!) and I've only really walking on pavements when practising. The actual walk will be a mixture of surfaces rather then hard pavement all the time. So i was hoping it would be less harsh on the actual walk in that respect?

My rucksack will be relatively light - the bag its self is only 1.5kg, my tent is 1.5kg, sleeping bag 1kg, and for instance my wash kit etc is miniatures to reduce weight. I wont be taking stuff 'just in case' - ive done a fair bit of camping (without all the walking to get there!) but I'm pretty confident i know what i 'need' to take and what will be a luxury (my kindle!) I will need full waterproofs etc through as its Scotland! When i did a practise pack before it came to 14kg with some food (we will have places to stop for proper meals each day so not in the middle of nowhere all the time!).

If the worst comes to the worst i can always put my pack round with a pack carrying service - one of the girls is already doing that anyway as she has a broken arm!

Any other tips for hiking distances to make it more smooth/less painful?

Cheers! x

Okay, so here is the thing, I could train for this in 4 months. BUT, I have a solid base already built specifically for these kinds of activities (and my pack is lighter). I trail run so that I can hike with a pack. I am a strong powerlifter. The difference that being strong makes is HUGE. For instance, last year I went on a very rough backpacking trip with a friend and my cousin. We are talking bushwhacking through thick forest down and up steep grades. Hell, there were times where I was sliding down a muddy embankment while holding onto a sapling like a rope. 2 miles took us 4 hours. And the friends I went with are search and rescue instructors, and in amazing shape for this stuff. I did fine. They did fine. My cousin? Not so much. She is an experienced hiker. But, four hours of carrying a pack over logs, under trees (squatting and getting back up), etc. had her wrecked. We are talking that midway through she wondered if she would make it, her legs were so shaky. She is a runner, but skips strength. And paid for it. Hiking, rather than backpacking, this trail would not have been so difficult. It was the pack. In fact, that trip is what convinced me to break out my sewing machine and make my ultra-light gear.

Thank goodness we had the next day to float in the lake and recover. You won't. You will be getting up and going for another 20 miles. And from the sounds of it, you've camped and not backpacked. There is a difference. Your body is very clearly telling you that with the base you had when you started, four months was not enough time to train for this. Also, as suggested, you may very well have boot issues. With only 2 1/2 weeks to go, though, you better figure that one out FAST as you may need to break in new boots.

If you are determined to do this, you need to at least get the pack service. Even then, expect some pain and have a bail-out plan if it starts to feel unsafe rather than just hurting.

Along with the boots (yep it sucks) suggestions and have a bailout plan, is there somewhere nearby you can walk on a similar terrain and surface to your long walk? even better if it has loops or easy ways out if you get too much pain instead of being stuck out a distance. See how the pain goes and what type of mileage you can get in preferably several days in a row to see if you can do it before you are stuck out. As much it would suck, if you can't do it on a smaller trip, you are not going to enjoy it the real one if you can do it all. Listen to your body and be honest with yourself
. If not make it a goal to do it at a later point in time and look into training for long backpack trips online (backpacker magazine). I'm sure you could find something that will help you get to that goal faster.

You might look into some exercises for strengthening and stretching the knee, ankle and foot stabilizer muscles.
It will help some, but I don't know if it will be enough in 2.5 weeks. Another suggestion is to use trekking poles, it will change your gait and will probably be easier on the joints, but may aggravate other body parts unitl you get used to it. again tricky with such a short time.