Hi All, Quick question here. I'm planning to thru hike JMT in 7 weeks and I'm having a hard time working up to my desired mileage. Any tips or training programs that you can recomend? How do most of you train for longer / higher mileage days (miles per week, running, etc)? At my current rate and effort level I can't ever see doing the daily mileage that the PCT thru hikers do.

Thanks for your thoughts,
Todd

Seeing how this is your first post and we don't know anything about you or the training that you've been doing, you're not going to get much more than general advice.

My advice is don't try to do what the PCT'ers do. They've been at it for weeks or perhaps months.

Do what you can comfortably do and don't worry about it.

There is a phrase we use, "Hike Your Own Hike" (HYOH).

Be in generally good shape and you'll work up into what you need by the time you need it.

I incorporated a stair-master machine into my training routine and that helped some. I was training for 12 day trip at 6500-11,000 elevation coming from 2500 foot elevation.
I wasn't afraid that my legs would be the problem but rather the lungs. I knew it would take a while to get acclimated to the higher altitude, which is something that you may not be able to train for.

Thanks Tango, you are very correct. I guess a little back ground would go a long way.

Experience: Little to none. I took up real backpacking this year and have done a handful of overnighters thus far. I do have a pretty good depth of outdoor knowledge in general from my past outdoor activities.

History: Ultramarathons, mountain biking, car camping, day hiking, etc.

Requirements: I have about two weeks vacation time to do JMT. My current plan has me averaging about 17 miles per day. Knowing the terrain is very tough I’m trying to do my best to best physically prepared.

Current level: Just finished a 30 mile weekend (2days/ 1 night) but, couldn’t do another 15 mile day today. Just a little muscle soreness today as opposed to the blisters I got on my last 28 miler.

Gear: obviously all new. Nothing from REI all lightweight, my JMT base weight will be about 13 lbs (including the bear can). My max weight out of Muir Trail Ranch will be approx 32 lbs. Maybe I should note here I’m not currently using trekking poles.

Questions: How do I get from feeling like death warmed over on a 15 mile day to doing the couple of 21 mile days in my schedule and remain fit to do another day afterwards?

Thanks again for the wealth of knowledge and experience,
Todd

I guess I could have added my current training is on PCT near Wrightwood (Mt Baden Powel, Mt Williamson, Acorn Trail, etc). For those now familiar with the area there a few 9000’ peaks in the area but no 14-ers

I was thinking you were up north here. Keep at it, if you train for ultramarathons, this should be easy. At 54 a couple years ago, my first day into Yosemite I did a 18 mile day, my biggest day ever by a couple miles. I was still fine the next day to finish that day hiking thru 4" of snow the last four miles or more. Your pack weight is great, I'm not much for info, stay hydrated, pace yourself, take some breaks, snack, unlike me. I used to ride my mt. bike four times a week for 30 minutes to an hour, then jog twice a week for under two miles, my ankles and knees can't take much. Stay at the trailhead the night before if you can, that helps. I did Track and Cross Country in my tiny High School so I have some training.

If you are doing marathons etc, hiking these distances shouldn't be an issue. But be realistic. Find a pace you can maintain---not one that wears you out. And just like running, you'll need a lot of fuel. My guess is that if you ease off the gas pedal a bit, and keep yourself hydrated and well fueled, you won't have any trouble. 17 miles a day is a long day---but at 2 miles an hour it's just over 8 hours. That's perfectly doable.

At the risk of stating the obvious - just walk as much as you can between now and your trip, and do it on hills as much as possible. And always carry a loaded pack on your walks. As others have stated, pacing is key once you are on the trip. My motto for making miles is to start early and finish late - stretch the hours rather than pushing the pace. 17 miles in 9 hours is easier on the body than 17 miles in 6 hours. And build up to the big days. Take the first few days easier, while you're acclimating to the altitude and getting your body used to the new level of work. By the the end of a week you'll be going full steam.
If you have the time, spending a few days at altitude before the start of the hike will help a lot. You'll want to walk on those days, but don't push it.
Also, are you resupplying at Tuolumne and at Red's meadow? By doing both and then MTR, you can keep your pack weight really low for the whole first half of the trail. 2 days to Tuolumne and camp at the backpacker's campground there means carrying only 2 lunches, one breakfast and one dinner the first leg; then 2 nights to Red's and 2 more to MTR. By the time you get to MTR you'll be walked into prime condition and ready for that long stretch with the bigger load.
Have fun!

I'm going to ask what hasn't been - are you training at elevation at all? How do you do above 8,000 feet?

You're going to be going up a lot. Your first real pass is Donahue - over 10,000 feet. Slog, slog slog, slog, slog... talus and switchbacks, slog slog slog... and that's the first pass. The next two are 9,000, the couple after that a little lower... and further south, more passes. You'll eventually get to Forester Pass. 13k. And then the top of Whitney. But you knew that. But do you know the symptoms of altitude sickness and what to do about them? Do you know how your body will react to high elevations? Do you know how it feels to carry that 30 lb pack over a high pass? I'd find out before you're out there, if at all possible. Start training at elevation.

Are you trying to push yourself to complete the trail in a set number of days? Slow down. You will be in the most beautiful sections of some of the most scenic places in the mountains - why rush? You don't need to do 20 mile days. It's only 230 miles long. do 10 mile days, with a few 15-20 milers in between - you'll get your legs around day four, and be cruising down the passes.

Toughen your feet now and baby your feet on the trail! Air out feet a couple times a day on the trail. A marathon is a one-day event. The JMT is 2 weeks- you have to get up and walk every day. If you get blisters or feet problem early on, you may not be able to finish. So when you "train" wear the same shoes you will on the trail.

Also, on any long distance backpack, pay attention to daily personal hygiene. Do not let yourself get a bad sunburn. Bloody cracks on fingers are a problem due to the dry high altitude air. Do not let yourself get "crotch rot". Etc. Little problems that do not matter that much on a weekend trip can become real issues on a 2-week trip.

Then there is motivation. I find that a well thought-out travel plan helps me have a daily goal. This works well in the Sierra because the weather is generally not an issue. It also keeps me from over-doing any one day. If I reach my goal at 3PM I may be tempted to go another 5 miles and get over-exhusted. Then the next day I am toast.

And lastly, camp efficiency is just as important and walking. If it takes you 2 hours to pack up and get going and 2 hours to find campsite, set up and cook dinner, this cuts into your walking time. I once did a trip with a fellow who, no kidding, took 3 hours to get packed up and going every morning!

And about food...

Don't plan to eat the same powerbar for two weeks. That way lies madness. Get yourself a variety of flavors. Take food you like - people find that they lose the appetite at elevation, and it's still important to pump in calories. Take candy, nut and fruit mixes, snacks - whatever appeals. Take hard cheese, it'll last the first week out at least and it's great to eat right before bed to fuel that furnace that'll keep you warm down to 25F. Those prepackaged meals? They all taste the same to me. Mix it up with instant rice and potatoes, add some Just Tomatoes brand freeze dried veggies, throw in a 3 oz packet of tuna or chicken - less MSG, less sodium, more flavor. Look at trailcooking.com for a lot of examples and google one pot wonders for more. Take electrolyte tablets or powders to add to water.

Send a resupply to MTR for yourself and make sure you can get that in the bear can you use - packing bear canisters is an art. You will not get 10 MH propacks in one. They need to be repackaged. No bricks of freeze dried food - you need loose flowing foods, like couscous and instant potatoes in ziplocs, to flow together and take advantage of every square centimeter of air space in the canister.

Filter your water, or treat it. There are a lot of people and livestock on this trail. The river water in Yosemite does have giardia in it, and the last thing you want is to be at the base of Whitney suffering from it, asking the ranger at the Crabtree station to medivac you. If you are not well versed in picking and choosing which water sources will be clean... treat it! Not worth the weeks of antibiotics and terrible gastrointestinal symptoms.

I may be repeating things you already know... but I might not be. I have long since failed to be surprised at the things people assume and don't ask about. Seeing a huge bear vault packed full of sodas and cup a soups is a real jaw dropper.

Sounds like me! Actually, I've managed to get the packing up time down to a little under 2 hours without rushing things, but I'm still not exactly an efficient speed demon in camp, probably because I just don't like being in a hurry!

As a mountaineer you learn to get going quickly! Those "alpine starts" where you get going at 2AM are torture even when you can get ready in half an hour. Actually at NOLS a big part of our training early on is teaching how to get going. Even when we had to build fires and clean them up we got people up at 6AM and were on the trail by 8AM. We really worked on teamwork and efficiency skills. The slowness of getting started gets magnified many times when you deal with large groups. I cannot imagine getting 20 boy scouts going in the morning! Now I am down to being able to get going in 1 hour if I really concentrate on it, 1.5 hours at a leisurely pace. If I were to just eat a trail bar at breakfast I could save half an hour. I am a real slow eater. But I seem to do best if I have a hot cooked breakfast. I also do not try to dry the tent in the morning - I usually haul it out at a later in the day rest break. I also get somewhat organized the night before.

Another thing to think about - scheduling the high passes and walks up to peaks in the morning, so you aren't the highest point in the afternoon thundershowers.

One of the most gung-ho hikers I know gets up at 4 am and starts in the dark to get over the high stuff, get sunrise light on the peaks for pictures, and spends the afternoon fishing and exploring the low bits.

Thanks for the wealth of knowledge and advice. Packing enough food into a bear can has been a concern. I've been trying to count calories consumed on my weekend trips but, have a feeling my consumption could change drastically after the first 4 or 5 days. Great idea adding the instant rice, couscous, or potatoes to dehydrated meals. Over this past weekend I tried bringing salami, wax coated cheese, and tortillas, a couple weeks before I tried peanut butter and crackers for lunch. For dinners I’ve been going the dehydrated route. I do tend to loose my appetite and have to force myself to eat. With the ultra marathons it’s easy; I just got all of my calories from liquid. Easy to digest and just carrying powders.

I have been training in altitude along my local section of PCT (up to 9400’). I also plan to summit Mt San Gorgonio (11503’) and Mt Baldy (10,068’) before my trip. I have done a couple of trails where the elevation gain is nearly 1000’ per mile for a couple of miles. So I’m defiantly not hiking on flat ground. Pace is about 2 mph including breaks. This past weekend was a little slower but there was lots of elevation gain to go with it.

Of course the big time constraint is work. I’d like to get this done in two weeks but my wilderness permit has me starting in Tuolumne on a Tuesday. So, I’m staying in the Valley for Saturday and Sunday night. Depending on how good I feel and my fitness level I might just try to day hike Happy Isles to Tuolumne on Monday carrying just a day pack but, that will be a decision once I’m there. I’ve heard this section is tough not to mention long.

Speaking of long, what kind of miles do most of you do on a multi-day outing? Am I being aggressive with 12 – 21 mile days? Am I out of line thinking everyone does 15 plus mile days? As far as my fitness it’s been over a year since I’ve done anything nearing the marathon level so, I’m not in near the shape I used to be in but, I’ve learned to suffer from my prior experience. I really wasn’t looking forward to two weeks of suffering.

Altitude tends to give me headaches and bloody nose after a few days at 8000’+. Lots of water seams to help. I hear canned peaces help for some odd reason. I’ve spent a fair about of time between 8000’ and 11,000’ but never been higher than that.

Re-supply strategy is to pick up my bear can etc at Tuolumne Meadows, re-supply at Red’s Meadow, and one last re-supply at Muir Trail Ranch. Trying to keep light, I know that is the one area I can control. I’ll be treating all water with Aqua Mira. Oh and carrying 30 lbs over a 13000’ pass, I have no clue but I did just carry 26 lbs over a 9400’ pass on a 16 mile day. I will say I’m still sore from my 30 mile weekend. Do most of you find that after a few days on the trail things start moving along better usual (i.e. easier)?

Well, that’s probably plenty for now. Again, thanks for all the wonderful advice,

Read this guy's journal. He's done it!

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=8115


I couldn't resist, Pika.