Training Thoughts- Approaching First Long Hike

I honestly don't see much difference between # 1 and # 2.

I think short multi day trips would serve more as gear shake out trips than training trips. You only need 1 of these if you really focus on your gear.

In training for the JMT I would focus on hill climbing and descending with a pack similar in weight to the one you will take. These could simply be day hikes in your area if you have decent hills near by.

at 15 miles per day on the JMT, you don't need to be in Olympic shape if your pack is light (and this is BPL). as long as you are in decent shape you'll do fine.

If you are hiking four miles a day to and from work, you are already well on your way. Particularly if you are doing that in less than two hours. If you are doing it in an hour, you would probably smoke most of the people on this board.

But there are two other elements to getting physically prepared for the JMT. One of them is the idea of living out of your pack for long periods of time. Yeah, an overnight hike will help with this…but you also might cheat a bit on those and leave Friday night, live out of your pack Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, and head for work Monday morning early. It would give you a better idea of what life on the trail might be like.

The second element is beyond your abilities in PA. Most of the JMT is above 9,000 feet, and it will take you some time to get used to that. Don't take that first day for granted. Yes, you are only hiking about 7 miles (not four) but you are also going up about 2500 feet witha full pack. And you start at 4500 feet. That will be new to you. You'll need that easier day to get acclimated a bit–because that's the lowest part of the entire JMT.

And don't forget to double your intake of water. The Sierra is very dry (even drier this year) and you will dehydrate faster than you can imagine in PA.

Honestly, I think a lot of it has to do with me overthinking things. I tend to be a pretty exhaustive planner, which tends to make for great trips when I'm actually out there, but a lot of hand-wringing beforehand.

My big hangup isn't the daily mileage- I'm a high teens, low twenties guy on most of my normal trips. I'm just not sure how my body will respond to that kind of daily usage. (I'm young, but rickety.) In the past, I've tended to be way overprepared for my bigger trips, so I don't really have a great baseline for what I actually need physically. I think now that I'm in a position where I haven't been able to prepare, it's just kind of bothering me.

Oddly enough, despite being such a worrywart, the elevation factor hasn't really factored a lot into my thoughts. I am taking it relatively easy the first couple of days, and am more or less taking an "it is what it is" attitude towards it, since I can't fix that. I don't have a ton of experience at elevation, but I've spent enough time at 7-9k feet that I know it doesn't completely kill me. Thankfully, I've already gotten burned on the water/hydration issue in the Sierra (dayhiking Half Dome a few years back), so I'm gonna be prepared this time around. I misquoted the mileage of the trip to LYV, but I've hiked to and around there before, so I know the area pretty well.

TL/DR version of what I just said- thanks for the feedback.

ETA: My pack should be pretty light- very low 20s fully loaded with food/water for the first half, about 29 coming out of my last resupply at MTR.

not really prep. but during the hike you will need to keep up with body maintenance. Start each day a bit slow until you warm up.. stretch at the end of the day. Keep on top of foot issues before they become a problem. 5 mins to throw moleskin on a hotspot saves you having to deal with a blister for the next few days. sun protection is also more important out there than here on the E. coast where we have more tree cover.

Before my Long Trail hike i only did a few overnights and one 3 night trip. Luckily my normal cycling around 100-120mi/ week puts me in good shape. hopefully i'll get to do the JMT at some point, I did go on a trip in the Raes lake area and it is worth going back to.

The elevation changes are what I'd be most concerned about; I think you have a sufficient walking base already. Depending on your leg strength, I'd be tempted to suggest 1-2 sessions of hill sprints in the first few weeks, then do a weekly water jug carry for the remaining weeks.* The last week before you go, doing only your walks to work is probably good for recovery.

* Find a steep hill or set of stairs and put a few gallons of water in your pack. Adjust the weight so your leg muscles and not your breathing is the limiting factor. If using water, you can dump it at the top of the hill to save your knees on the downhill. Go for 1500ft of elevation gain, add some weight and distance each week, but don't get short of breath.

Disclaimer: as with most Internet advice, you should assume I'm making this up off the top of my head. As you mention being "rickety", you might have issues that call for different training methods. The reference I've pulled ideas from is "Training for the New Alpinism" by Steve House, Scott Johnston. It's an excellent read, but assumes a much longer training period is available.)

Thanks again to everyone for the insight.

I have bad knees (hence the "rickety")- I've never really gotten a solid diagnosis on it, but it's some kind of inflammation under/around the kneecaps. For whatever reason, it's never been an issue hiking (I use poles), but running is usually not a fun endeavor, so I don't do it.

My walking is all on city streets, so I try and knock it out at a pretty good clip- my commute is 2.5mi each way, and I'm at the point where I can do that in about 36 minutes if I'm really cooking. I try and fit in a gym routine when I can, which is usually 30-40 minutes on an elliptical with max resistance on the random hill mode, followed by some form of stationary biking to round out the hour. (Basically, all the zero-impact leg stuff I can manage.)

For hikes, I usually seek out stuff with lots of elevation change, since I like the physical aspect of things. I'm not really a stranger to big climbs by any stretch of the imagination, although I've obviously been adding them into my (planned) trips a bit more deliberately of late.

I would say get thee to a treadmill, set it at as much incline as you can, put on a pack, and walk. increase the time and weight in the pack. wear the boots you will wear on the trail. Use your head and don't overtrain and get injured, but its OK to train with heavier gear than your trail pack will be. 3 times a week, or enough to make you sore.

All I do is lift weights, cardio, and running. The cardio/running is about 30-45 min per day. Nearly everyday, yearround.

I never practice with a pack. I Really dont think there is any need to with a sub 25 lb pack.

Not saying it wouldnt have some benefit, but it has never seemed particularly necessary for me.

By about the 4th day of a trip, my conditioning is improving and trail legs are coming in too.

Of course the best thing is to backpack often to be in shape to backpack.

The biggest thing is going to be the elevation gains and altitude. This is how I get ready for these kinds of trips (considering I have been hiking/walking a lot). Also keep in mind that I live at the base of a mountain that is almost 11,000 feet high. There is a trail that starts at the bottom and there is an 8,000 foot elevation gain in the first 10 miles or so.

Week one: hike up 5,000' and return. I'll be sore for a couple days.

Week two: hike up 8,000' elevation gain and take the tram back down. Total mileage is 11 miles. Very little soreness during the week.

Week three: hike up 10,400' elevation and then return down 2,500' to the tram. Total mileage is 26 miles.

Week four: go on trip. I am ready.

Hike year around. Increase the distance, weight carried, and elevation gained/lost starting about 3 months before the beginning of your hike or, in my case, season. Also regularly increase the intensity of the effort on steep sections(sort of like intervals on the track) to increase cardio capacity, particularly useful if you will be hiking at altitude and/or gaining significant altitude rapidly, e.g. Sierra East Side approaches like Shepherd/Taboose/Sawmill/Baxter Passes.