I will be 67 next month. My husband and I are planning to thru hike the AT beginning April 2007. Grampie mentioned that he averaged 11.5 miles/day. What is the average per day for some of the rest of you. I cannot wait for the trip to begin. Thank you in advance.
Margaret
Margaret
Pack weigh, BODY WEIGHT, are the key physcial factors. Both light, east hike.
IF knees, joints bother you I can’t say enough good thing about chondrotin, msm, and glucosamine. Takes about three weeks to work and you will not realize how much it helps until you stop taking it. Sore feet…to avoid this don’t hike. Comes with the territory. I turn 60 in December. I section hike the PCT every year depending on how much time I can take off. I usually get 100-140 miles each year. I use tennis/trail running shoes and love them.
deadman
Thanks Deadman. I sincerely appreciate you reply. We are getting physically fit at this time.
Sincerely,
Margaret
Margaret
A few years ago my daughter and I hiked the JMT. She was 21 and I was 50. We had done a few overnighters but nothing more than 25 miles round trip. At the top of Whitney my daughter signed the register and wrote “next the PCT”. It has remaind a dream for both of us but she has sinced married and has two small children and I haven’t had the time to do the whole trail.
The bottom line is that I will retire at 61 1/2 which will be December 2008. There are many things I can do between now and then but in the spring of 2009 I hope to hike the PCT. I know that my children will join me for a few days of the trail.
When I climbed Ranier at 53 the 20 year olds kept asking me how old I was. I didn’t think my age was a big deal but I guess they did. Last year I met a 70 something fellow his daughter and grand daughter on Foresster pass, they were just a few miles from Whitney and the end of the JMT. He didn’t seem to think his age was a big deal either. As long as everthing still works I will keep using it.
Thanks for the encouragement:)
Bill
My husband and I are currently hiking the CDT - he is 66. He was told before we left that he needs knee replacement surgery - so pain has been a big part of this hike. However he is very determined to keep hiking, so we do. He did his first long hike (AT) at 54, second (CDT) at 60, then third (PCT) at 61. There were problems with knees on the AT, but not on the PCT because it is graded so gently. He has had foot problems on all trails (blisters mostly, but also nerve issues and a broken foot on the PCT), and back issues (sciatica) but again, if the will is there, you can continue.
Biggest thing with older hikers is to keep the pack weight as light as possible (not so easy on the CDT with long food carries, heavy water and cold temps), and to remember that injuries take longer to heal as you get older, so take it easy to begin with so you have fewer injuries. We know 60 plus hikers who regularly do 30 miles a day but we generally do 16-20. On the AT you can easily complete the trail with an average of 12 mpd. So go out and enjoy.
Spirit Walker