How many miles per day?

I'm doing part of the AT, from the NY/Conn border to somewhere close to the NY/NJ border. I'm in decent shape (some running, sports a couple times a week), late twenties. Doesn't seem like a whole lot of elevation change in this part of the trail. I'm just looking for a ballpark figure here. thanks

This is a question that we see here a lot. The only good answer is, "it depends". Everyone is different, and every trail is also different. I and my hiking partners (all in our 50's and hiking in the Sierra Nevada) figure on 1 to 1.5 miles an hour. That includes lots of picture stops and lunch. Given this figure we shoot for about 8 miles a day max. However, we have done 12 plus miles to avoid known bear problems (downhill of course). We are possibly three of the slowest hikers around, but it works for us. Your job is to find out what works for you. That is the only way to know.

ken

Agreed... it depends. If you aren't sure, 10 miles a day is a good average, but if you're a slower hiker, plan on less, or a more experienced hiker, you could do more.

And don't be decieved by the elevation gain/loss... you don't get up to high altitudes in that section, but there are sections where there are a lot of ups and downs and back up again. The area right after Harriman (heading southbound) is pretty rough, especially the climb out... pretty much straight up. Harriman itself isn't terrible.

Something you might want to do is check trailjournals.com and look at the AT hikers stats. Casual empiricism on my part while looking over these stats suggests that for the whole trail the average daily mileage is 13 for people your age and in your condition but on the easier parts of the trail people hit 20 while on the hard parts of the trail it's more like 8 to 10.

Of course (quite literally) Your Mileage May Vary.

I haven't been on the AT, but even out here in Oregon I have heard of its reputation for PUDs (pointless ups and downs), so it seems reasonable to assume this will be the case in your section until proved otherwise.

Given your fitness info, you should be safe to figure a ballpark of 8-10 miles a day 'safe' in the sense that, even if it turns out harder than anticipated, you still could make your miles each day by pressing on. If it is easier than anticipated, you'll have that much more energy to putz around, explore side trails and play games during the day.

Trail conditions do make a big difference. To give you an example, I can do 10-12 miles a day on the Pacific Crest trail (PCT), but I recently came back from the Eagle Cap wilderness in eastern Oregon, where the trails are rutted up, rocky, and climb over mountains on a regular basis to get from one river drainage to another. There, 8-9 miles a day was much more realistic for me.

Trails in the Glacier Peak wilderness in Washington State are even more challenging and I would reduce my miles accordingly.

You'll just have to go with a ballpark figure and adjust as you know more. Low-balling your estimate might be the way to go, unless you get all bored and frustrated if you aren't sweating like thunder and blazes.

Happy hiking!

All these estimates are right on. If you have pent up energy you might like trucking on at a good clip etc. Personally, I like to stop frequently and maybe check out the scenery etc. Don't let the wonder and the beauty get passed by.

At my current age (late 50's) 10 miles with any significant elevation change is a big day - 8 is more common, with lots of stops to smell the flowers.

When I was your age, hiking in the Cumberland Gap and southern Virginia area (count on 2 or 3 elevation gains and losses of 500 - 1500 feet each per day), I usually averaged about a mile and a half an hour with a 45 pound pack. The best I ever did, with a 30 pound pack, was 2 miles per hour, with 8 actual hiking hours spread over a 12 hour day.

Mileage ends up being influenced by two things: hiking speed (which is, in turn influenced by elevation change and pack weight, not to mention physical condition) and the number of actual hiking hours you can crank out. I've got a buddy who can do 25 mile days fairly easily (of course, he's 25, Navy SEAL turned firefighter, and an AT thru-hike veteran) - he maintains a 2 mph clip with a 25 pound pack for 12 hours with no problem. I take the short-cut and meet him at camp. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I don't know what the elevation and terrain are like in the section of the AT you're hiking, but as a starting point, I'd agree with everyone who said use 1.5 miles per hour (don't count breaks as hiking time), and adjust from there for the other factors.

(I can't resist: did I get a better "snarky" score this time? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> )