I'm planning a trip to the GSMNP next spring. It'll be a 5 night trip, which is longer than I've ever done. I've done several single night trips, and last June I did two nights. On these trips I generally hike 12 miles a day with relative ease, but this is always in Louisiana or Mississippi. There are hills, if you want to call them that, but of course there are no mountains. The three nighted was in the Sipsey Wilderness, which was about 8 miles a day, plus a few detours for site seeing. It was a little more hilly compared to the local stuff, but again it wasn't physically challenging (not that I'm looking for one). I guess maybe that area could be considered the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains? I dunno, the highest point is like 1,070 feet. I've literally never seen a mountain in person.

Anyway, would it be foolish to try to handle 10 or 12 mile days in the GSMNP? I'd like to do that section of the AT (which would be like 15 mile days), or perhaps map out a loop that includes a section of the AT. I'm not worried about bears, or getting lost, or being uncomfortable. I'm more worried about the physical challenge that it might pose. I'm in better-than-average shape, 32 years old, stay pretty active, etc.

BTW, living in New Orleans, which is completely flat, it's impossible to test myself to see if I could handle mountainous/hilly terrain.

You're not foolish to think you can do it. But you are wise to think about how to prepare.

Spending a few days at altitude before your hike will help ( and remember to count your flight on the plane, with the cabin pressurized at 6,000 or more).

And take it easy. Don't try to hurry. Hiking ten miles in three hours at elevation is really had. Hiking ten miles is six hours is a lot easier. Take it easy, enjoy the scenery, and you should do fine.

It depends on your goals. Are you trying to knock out the miles, or enjoy the scenery? My advice would be to keep it under 10 for the first couple days. By day 3, your body is somewhat adjusted and you can see what your limit is.
Here is a recomended mileage:

Day 1- 5 miles max
Day 2- 7-10 miles max
Day 3- 15 miles
Day 4- 15 miles
Day 5- 10 miles max
Day 6- 5 miles max

The last day is a fudge day, in case you find out that 15 miles is a lot.

Driving.



Is this a sort of rule of thumb, or something you know from experience? Either way, that's close to what can be expected between shelters on the AT, northbound. How convenient!

Altitude isn't an issue in the Smokies --- they're not that high relative to sea level. Really, from a west coast perspective I thought there were very few mountains along the AT. Arguably in the Whites, but most of what they call mountains in the east were really just jumped-up hills. You're almost never above treeline on the AT.

That said, I'm not saying the AT is "easy hiking"! The Smokies aren't bad though, other than some elevation gain/loss. When you're planning out miles-per-day for your trip, get something like Guthook or one of the guidebooks and figure out your elevation gain for a given day. When I'm in excellent shape I'm fine with 4000' gain days, but personally prefer to keep most days down to 3000' gain. Train at home by doing a lot of stairs; this is more important than trying to rack up a lot of distance on level ground.

Factor in too how much daylight you have to work with based on the time of year you're hiking. If you're concerned about making your daily mileage goals, don't sleep late in your tent (or shelter) --- wake early to use all of the daylight. If you can just keep going, even at a low average speed you can rack up significant miles if you don't spend too much time in camp or at extended breaks along the way.

Train at home by doing a lot of stairs; this is more important than trying to rack up a lot of distance on level ground.


I second this advice. The way your leg muscles are used to lift your body up an incline is different than how they are used to propel you forward on a level. No amount of level walking can quite prepare your legs for prolonged uphill walking. Or downhill for that matter.

You'll probably won't have any problem, but you might find it's hard work.

I'll offer a point of view I was given which is basically, "It's not the miles, it's the fun you should focus on." That was given to me by a float trip outfitter who had a lifetime of experience and when I finally followed it I began to understand it better.

We rush around all day most everyday so it's pretty natural for us to want to "get the most in" on a backpacking trip and we generally equate that with going as far as we can in the time we allot, and since we also have a "Work Hard" ethic we tend to feel we've accomplished more if it wears us out and hurts at the end of the day. And we have the newer "Xtreme" sports trend that encourages us to climb a mountain as fast as we can and then jump off it so we can fall even faster and if we don't we're not living life to the fullest.

When I finally took that advice I learned that giving myself a break and allowing myself to slow down is pretty darn sweet. It's not easy though. It took me several years to even try it but once I did I stopped thinking so much about "how far can I go" and eventually quit caring about that entirely. Now it's all about leisurely meandering and exploring when I'm out there.

That's a sweet luxury too. Most of us don't allow ourselves to indulge in that anymore but if you actually try it you might, like me, rediscover how wonderful it can be.

I think it's more than just luxury though, I think it's important to help maintain one's well being. We need to give ourselves a break from stress now and then. Not everything needs to be a challenge. With backpacking challenge is an option, so is leisurely meandering.

Perfectly said, Bill; I couldn't agree more. I can get all of the goal-oriented, rush-rush living I want in my everyday life. I go out into the woods to unwind and reconnect, and just wandering and poking around is exactly what I'm looking for. It doesn't even have to be a really neat woods, either. I'm just as happy poking around the Twin Valley Trail just outside Dayton, Ohio, as I am strolling around the Red River Gorge in Kentucky. To be sure, they're totally different trips - but they both restore my sanity and my soul.

Besides, with your house on your back, wherever you are when it gets dark is camp. Some of my favorite nights were spent miles from where I thought I'd wind up. (And no, it wasn't "dangerous" - I had told my wife I would be staying on the trail, I just didn't know where along the trail I'd end up.)

If you want to know the answer to the question, try carrying your pack 10 miles a day for six days in a row in New Orleans. If you can't do it there, you won't be able to do it on the trail.

Trail miles are harder than street miles, so there aren't any guarantees if you can do the mile trial.

Which section? The section from Fontana to Clingman going north bound is brutal. The climb from Fontana is suppose to be rough, man. When you get to Rocky Top with a heavy pack you're going to be slowed down. I had an 8 pound pack on day hike to Rocky Top (it's on the AT) and I had slow down to let my heart rate settle. I know several people that compared Fontana to Newfound to be harder than say Newfound to Big Creek.

I've done 32 miles in 2 days from Newfound Gap to Big Creek Ranger station doing 15 in one day and 17 in another, and I was 21 when I did that. I'm 24 right now.

I've done a lot of trips that were in the teens mileage wise in single day, in the Smokies. If I was you, I'd do intense cardio 3 times a week and spend some time in the weight room working out your leg. When you climb steep hills, your heart rate is going to be pounding.. (My still does even though I've done it countless of times) Just get in best shape of your life and come have fun in the Smokies!

Let me know if I can assist you further with specific trail info, if I haven't done it personally I probably know someone who has.

One other point I didn't see mentioned is that the shelters may likely be full of through hikers in the spring so be prepared.

Anyway, I agree that you should train. My 7 year old and I walked the bleachers at the high school to get in shape for heading to Wyoming. We usually did 3,000 stairs (double if you count going down also). It's noticeably harder when you add the pack, too (I trained with only 20 pounds total). What we didn't do that we should have was do the stairs quicker to build up the cardio system. Our legs had no trouble but the core wasn't as strong as it should have been so we had to take more breaks (and I really don't think it was the elevation either).

In general the AT has steep but short ups and downs. Not many switchbacks. I've only done a few short sections though. If you're in the shape you claim you shouldn't have an issue but I'd agree to start with lower miles the first couple days, too.

Do a "rule of thumb" calculation. I use the TOPO program (currently not supported), drawing route lines and obtaining a profile of mileage and elevation gain and loss. If you are young, fit and have bomber knees, you may not have to add any time for downhill - we old folks usually have to. In general, on a well established trail, you can average 2 mph (this includes about 10 minutes an hour for rests). This is a moderate all-day pace. Fit thru-hikers certainly can exceed this rate. Then add 1 hour for each 1000 feet elevation gain if it is steep with no switchbacks. You may want to add half an hour for each 1000 feet of elevation loss too. The adjustment for elevation gain and loss will have a lot to do with the weight of your pack. If you go really light, you can easily cut those added times in half.

For example, say your planned day is 12 miles with a total of 3000 feet elevation gain and 2000 feet loss. 12 miles x 2 mph= 6 hours to cover the distance. Add 3 hours for elevation gain. Add 1 hour for steep downhill (old folks). Total is 10 hours. If you have 12 hours of daylight to work with, that leaves a hour at each end for setting up and taking down camp.

A big part of making miles is to become very efficient at setting up and breaking camp. The more you can work on this the more time you have for hiking. Another factor is wear and tear on your feet. If you are accustomed to walking 12 miles a day, no problem. If not, you could be hobbled by sore feet.

Here on the west coast, Henry Coe State Park in northern California is similar. I have hiked this area extensively - it is like walking over an up-side-down egg carton! It also is near sea level to 3000 feet elevation so not an altitude issue. Generally I can beat my rule of thumb estimates by an hour or so with a light pack.

my wife and I are planning a trip doing the AT in those mountians around late may ish. From what I've read its a 71 mile trip. She wan't to knock it out in 7 days (as of today we have never done any over night trips backpacking). I'm a little sceptical and think we should at least plan for a ten day trip just in case.

It is my experience with hiking with boyscouts in the rockies. I have never been to the AT.

This is really a tough subject, because peoples backgrounds, experience levels, "hiking style", expectations, etc etc factor in greatly.

My wife and I plus a friend just hiked one of the harder PCT sections, 104 miles from Stevens Pass to Stehekin in WA state. We hiked this in about 7 days total (if days are counted in 24-hour increments, i.e., spread over 8 days). So we averaged about 15 miles per day, and that with quite a lot of elevation gain/loss per day. To be clear, with less elevation gain, this would have been pretty easy, but starting that stretch without already being in hiking shape --- 15 mpd was a bit of work. My wife and I are in our late 50's, and my friend in his early 60's.

But we're not new at this, and my wife and friend have been at least to some degree infected with the "thru-hiking style" of backpacking. They don't drink all of the kool-aid, but they have reasonably light packs and do a pretty good job of maximizing the use of available daylight (and just personal energy).

A 100 mile stretch is challenging to do at a slower pace, as you have to carry just a whole lot of food to do that, though we met a Sierra club group who had done so on the very same stretch we hiked, I think they might have averaged 10 - 12 MPD.

On the other end of the spectrum: we got on trail in the early afternoon the first day, and in camp at the end of the second day a bunch of thru-hikers came in and set up around us. They had all started from Steven's Pass that morning, and probably not in the early morning, hiking 25 miles or so. And one told me that this wasn't a particularly hard day for him (I believed him). The faster (and typically younger) thru-hikers can do 30+ days on a regular basis, and the record setters *average* well above 40 miles per day.

So ... it's really hard to compare what's "normal", or "do-able". Some folks with little experience adapt fast and can happily do fairly high mileage pretty quickly. Some will have a variety of issues and/or style choices and perhaps carry relatively high pack loads so that 10 mpd is a challenge.

I think the only way to really know is to do some personal calibration.