Steep, mountain hike without lots of training.

yirara
yirara Posts: 9,986 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm having a crazy brainwave again. Can you climb 1800m in elevation if you've never done it and live in a flat country? I'm trying to book a last-minute summer vacation and stumbled over this trail here:

https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/greece/crete--3/prionia-skala-mytikas?mobileMap=false&ref=sidebar-static-map

Only from start to the top called Skala as the walk gets technical thereafter, and that's just too dangerous if you're super clumsy, hiking alone and don't have knowledge with the necessary equipment. I think the highest I ever hiked was from 2300 to 3700m, up Mount Teide on Tenerife. It's kind of close, but the difference is that I was two weeks in Utah a while before that and my red blood count was crazy high, while I'm normally more anemic and I live in a completely flat country. I'd need to book an overnight stay at the foot of this mountain as it's too far from the planned accommodation.

Opinions?

Replies

  • MaltedTea
    MaltedTea Posts: 6,286 Member
    I'm of the belief people can do all they put their mind to 🤷🏿‍♀️ With some prudent prep and forethought about "after care" this is bound to be a memorable trip! Check in with your healthcare team then, if they give you the go ahead...

    🗣️ GO FOR IT!

    Caveat: My island city's max elevation is 233 m. And I do about 200 m of that in a predominantly urban context (stop lights, concrete, etc). Only the last 50 m of elevation are forested. So...grain of salt 'n all that.
  • astod4
    astod4 Posts: 49 Member
    The question isn’t wether or not you can do it, it’s wether or not your body can. If you aren’t prepared physically, and you don’t have a high amount of red blood cells then you will have a harder time getting oxygen to your muscles. When you go from low elevation to high elevation your red blood cells may be able to bind to oxygen, but the concentration of oxygen decreases with higher elevation making less for your cells to bind to.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Mount Teide on Tenerife, before it got over-crowded that was commonly just a day trip holiday excursion.

    I just found it a hot, but not difficult, walk, just walking in trainers part way through a beach holiday. No preparation or acclimatisation from living at sea level / holidaying on the beach required. I was just an office worker with no special fitness level, my wife wasn't an exerciser at all but still managed it without a struggle.

    If your planned hike is similar I don't see a problem for someone like you who is a regular exerciser.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,749 Member
    Can you currently hike 12 miles/20k? 1800 m. in 6 miles is a steep climb. How strong are your legs? Since it's a day hike, the elevation may not get to you too badly. If you do have issues you can and should turn around. I found that at altitude when I was not acclimated I slowed down and felt like I was out of shape, but I could hike all right. My husband developed pulmonary edema, but that was only after several days of dealing with 10,000' hiking.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Altitude sickness won't be a problem, but 1,800m is a great deal of uphill to walk. A person who is in good shape and not too heavy should be able to. Again, it isn't the amount of oxygen in the air it's the amount of work you'll have to do fighting gravity.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I think for someone in good shape who exercises regularly it would be challenging but doable even if not trained specifically for it. I don't know that I'd personally enjoy myself though...every few years my wife and I do the La Luz trail here in NM which climbs about 1,000M over 7.5 miles and for my money is just the right amount of challenge to enjoyment factor...don't really think I'd want much more, but that's just me talking.

    I can't really speak to how coming from a lower elevation will effect you as I live at right around 1800 meters above sea level so everything I do is done at elevation. I do know that annually we have tourists who hike the La Luz who have come from the coasts who end up having to be rescued from the mountain...but I also can't speak to whether or not that is purely altitude sickness or if it's being out of shape and bighting off more than they can chew. I know dehydration is a big factor as people aren't accustomed to the desert dry and heat combined with high altitude.
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 12,075 Member
    IMHO, it's less about the elevation change, and more about the pace. As in don't go too fast, be willing to take frequent breaks when winded to catch your breath and get a drink of water. The more fit you are, the more acclimated you are to elevation, then you can increase your walking speed and/or decrease rest breaks. But after having spent the entire last week hiking at elevation while camping, my advice is:

    1. Go at your own pace...it's not a race. Enjoy the scenery along the way, be willing to take breaks as needed.
    2. Drink lots of water...a full liter from start to finish is not out of the question.
    3. Listen to your body...if you need to take a break, do so. If you need to stop and turn around, do so. You are here to ENJOY the hike, not to complete some special mission for national security where failure is not an option.
  • I2k4
    I2k4 Posts: 193 Member
    I'd echo the earlier comment: aside from whatever problems from O2 deficit, be aware of your physical and even your footware readiness for it. Do some practice on stairs or gym equipment to gauge possibly incapacitating soreness, blisters, etc. that could hit days after if not on the day. Re cardio at altitude, you might look into a wrist tracker or fingertip monitor with SP02 (blood oximeter) and heart rate to check against a normal baseline on the march (these have also been useful early warning indicators for otherwise non-symptomatic COVID-19, hopefully never needed.)
  • Indee19
    Indee19 Posts: 52 Member
    I'll add two to the @nossmf list. 4. Pack good trekking poles. 5. Have fun!
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    For USA people: 1,800 meters is 5,905 feet.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,986 Member
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    The nice thing about hiking up is that you can turn back at any time and it's all downhill from there.

    I think this is the most important comment here!
    Thanks a lot all. I'm really excited. Not sure yet if I'll really do it. First need to get used to the temperatures, then see if I really, really feel like doing it. I guess there are two options: drive there and stay the night, start hike in early morning. Or drive there and walk to mountain refuge, stay the night there and walk the rest and then down again. My preference would be the first as I'm not equipped to bring overnight stay gear other than a sheet from my holiday home. Lets see. at least I'll bring my proper hiking boots, my hiking stick, camera, and of course all the other necessary stuff.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,886 Member
    I can only confirm the above statement on walking downhill. I might be out of breath going uphill and feeling the burn in my quads, but (steep) downhill is what really gets me. Sore feet from the impact, wobbly legs from trying to cushion the impact on my feet, exhaustion just from constantly being careful not to slip...
    I have very vivid memories of a 1000m descent where I was crying at the end (granted, I was still obese then and there were cobblestones at the end of the walk that were the last drop for my feet).

    A lot will depend on the nature of the trail (smooth or lots of stones underfoot, continuous ascent/descent or not) but it sounds like a challenging hike.
    Being from a similar area in Europe (flat, hiking in the mountains only while on holiday abroad) I might try this trail if the challenge was only in the altitude (no scrambling, stones underfoot,...) but I would go into it knowing it would not necessarily be pleasant... More to find out where my limits are 😉

    The upside is that it's one hike, not a whole week, so it's a one-time effort. If I were you, I'd definitely plan some calmer days afterwards to recuperate!
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,986 Member
    edited July 2021
    juliafromrf wrote: »
    I took a look at the hike. It sounds great but for a beginner it will be PAIN.

    1900m difference in altitude is absolutely no joke. Also, if you need to go back on the same day, keep in mind that walking downhill will also be painful. I can't echo the comment earlier when someone said that you can turn around at any time and it will only go downhill from there. Walking downhill can be very strenuous as well, it's hard on the knees and sometimes a hike "up a mountain" does not only go up, but there might be some ups and downs (I have not checked the height profile of your hike to see whether this is the case here, but you should definitely keep this in mind); needless to say, the downs will be ups when you turn back.

    I'm living in the alps and I'm an experienced hiker (doing hikes basically every weekend, altitude differences ranging from 800m to 1200m usually) and I would have great respect for the hike you posted. If you do it, please make sure that you are very well prepared (sun protection, cap, enough water & food, a charged phone with number of the local mountain resuce, warmer clothes for the top as a bare minimum). Have a nice trip in any case!

    Thanks a lot. Yes, I'm aware of all those things. I also always have bright colours in case I need mountain rescue and they need to find me. To be honest, going downhill is never that much of a problem for me. Until the next day anyway :D I always make mountain hikes at the indicated time, but up takes nearly twice as long as down thanks to always being slightly anemic and having some really annoying blood pooling issue that only kicks in when walking uphill :D I made Ben Nevis in 7.5 hours, but needed 5 hours up and 2.5 down :D Teide was similar, and so were some hikes in Utah.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Agree about fighting gravity the entire way down being potentially uncomfortable. Also that there tend to be ups mixed in with the downs.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Thanks for the update! Do you have pictures from the easier hike?
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,986 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Thanks for the update! Do you have pictures from the easier hike?

    Yes, but not looked through them yet. Not sure it was an easier hike, btw. It was 1100m elevation instead of 1800, but a lot steeper.
  • cheriej2042
    cheriej2042 Posts: 241 Member
    You can do it! I hiked Mt Olympus. I did not get to Crete but as you said drinking lots of water is key - it’s really hot there. Key is to take breaks, go slower, bring lots of water. You don’t need to carry all your water the whole way - leave on trail on the way up then you can get on the way down.

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