Training for a Long Distance Trail

hey guys it's Don here today with some advice on how to train to hike a long distance trip [Music] all right guys so lately I've been following a lot of groups on Facebook and on white blaze on people that are prepping to D their first thru-hike starting in March I've seen a lot of kind of banter back and forth on how to train for a longest and type a lot of people talking about doing Crossfit going to the gym and lifting weights and squatting and dead lifting and I kind of wanted to share some advice that I have on what I think is the best way to train for doing a long-distance trail like the Appalachian Trail or the PCT are the CDT so number one as simple as it is hike I've seen a lot of people talking about dead lifting and going to the gym doing a stair climber and and all of this stuff guys the best way to train for it through hike is just to get out and hike I know that sounds so simple but when you break it down you're going to be spending five to six months every single day hiking up and down mountains so the best thing that you can do to train your body is height obviously it's really great to have a physical base and to have a good fitness base so you know if you come from running cycling some sort of physical activity that's great but still the best way to get your body in shape and trained and create muscle memory is to get out and hike when snuggles and I were training to do our hike in 2015 months and months leading up to that hike every single opportunity we had we went out in height we had our full taxon we went and hiked up and down hills we went and hiked on flat trail a lot of times I would even just walk to work there's a couple times where I even carried a full pack all the way to work just to get my body used to carrying a pack and walking every single day I know it sounds simple to just go out and carry a backpack on your back every day but it puts your body through a lot of stress especially if it's repetitive stress so it's the same thing every day so get your body used to that go hike number two know your ear absolutely know everything that you're going to be carrying in your pack you know know your pack know where everything is add in there nor ever things that on the outside know how to efficiently put things in your pack take things out of your pack know your gear it's your lifeline it's what you're going to be carrying with you every single day know it learn it know everything you have and how it works go out and set your tennis multiple times blow your air mattress up know how your sleeping bag works know how your stove works leading up to a thru-hike start making dinner with your camp stove go out and sleep in your tent even only if it's in your backyard know how to carry your pack know the adjustments know your trekking poles know your gear people because when you get out there it's what you depend on it's the only thing you have it's your lifeline so know how to use your gear when snuggles and I were preparing for our hike in 2015 and we went back in 16 with new gear we went out a lot and just set up our tent we slept on the ground with our pads in our sleeping bag trying to get used to it and trying to get comfortable to it so get used to the gear that you're going to be carrying in and know how it works be efficient with it know how to throw a bear bag that's a really important thing you know I'm saying that a lot of people didn't know when they first got out there was how to hang a bear bed how to throw your line up in a tree and successfully get that up so know those things know your gear number three dial your gear down you need to spend time really thinking about what you need and what you don't need you know if on a weekend trip if you're used to taking your your iPad and your camp chair and stuff like that no this isn't a weekend trip that you're not just going to go home after so know that for five to six months you're going to be carrying this stuff on your back so you need to realize what you really need to live that 500 six months and what you don't need there's so many people that carry super unnecessary things believe it or not living five to six months walking from from one end of a trail to the other you don't need a lot and if you do need something you can always get it into town so really dial your pack down I've seen a lot of banter back and forth especially on Facebook where people have been talking about people being mean because someone will put out there base weight and put out what they're packing and you'll have people that have through hikes before or section hike kind of tear it apart and tell them they don't need these things and people kind of get offended by that guys don't get offended by that you know I had a lot of the same stuff when I was starting out a lot of people told me you really don't need this stuff even in the first week I was on the trail and speaking of the first week that you're on the trail if you don't get your stuff dialed down now that's pretty much what you'll spend your entire first week on the trail of doing it's figuring out what you need and what you don't need the first major stop on the Appalachian Trail is Neil's gap and if anybody has ever been there during thru-hiking season you know about the hiker boxes they are full of crap that people didn't need people started off with stuff that they just thought they were going to need all this food these extra supplies a medical kit flashlights bear mace and realize that they didn't need these things in that first week getting there so know it now listen to people's advice and get your pack shut down because you know you're carrying that weight on your back it's super important to be comfortable make sure you have enough room in your pack for things that are really important like food food and water those are your main things that you're going to need while you're out on the trail that keep you going get you energy so the less crap that you have in your bag the more food you can carry and trust me when you get out there it's all you'll think about all you'll think about is eating so go ahead and get it dialed down now do those shake down high and realize what you need and what you don't need before you get out there you'll have such a better hike number 4 embrace the suck embrace the suck look doing along distant ike is super fun it's spiritual it's amazing it's a great community of people it's fun it's nice to be out of society it sucks you're going to be cold you're going to be wet you're going to be hot you're going to get ticks you're gonna get mosquitoes you're going to get scraped up you're going to get muddy you're going to get dirty you're going to stink embrace the suck right now if it's snowing where you're at get outside and hike if it's hailing if it's Sweden if it's raining go outside and hike where which you're going to be wearing for five to six months and hike hike in it know that you can hike every single day in the rain know that you can hike every single day in the cold because it will happen know that you will be uncomfortable you have to be okay with being uncomfortable there are a lot of people that drop off in that first week of doing a long-distance hike because they they just can't bear it they can't stand to be wet for five days straight they can't stand to be cold for three days straight and no way to get warm know that these things are going to happen be okay with it adjust to it so embrace this up again when snow grove and I were getting ready to do our through hike in 2015 if it was raining and it was a weekend we went out and hiked in the rain with all of our gear make sure we are soaking wet and that we were okay with that when it snowed we went in high students know were super cold and known that we would be okay with that so you need to be okay with the idea that you're going to be uncomfortable and it's going to suck and number five have fun got it important you have to keep a positive mindset so while you're training for your through hike and your embracing the suck and your hiking and your knowing your gear keep a positive mindset keep that positive mindset from the getting all the way to the end of your hike and that's going to help you be successful a lot of people get too serious out on the trail I personally had a big problem with that about halfway through my hike in 15 I started getting too serious the trail started to become much more a competition to me I started running about the miles too much I started worrying about getting to the shelter first and that stuff's not important it just makes you worry and it stresses you out and your bodies are already going through tons of stress so you don't need to put your mind through stress either so have fun chill out remember the reason why you're there you're there to see these amazing things and do this amazing adventure keep that mindset stay positive and you're going to have an awesome hike alright guys so again remember hike know your gear get your gear dialed down and take people's advice embrace the suck and have fun and stay positive you do those five things that's the best training that you can do to do a long distance hike I promise it's no more difficult than that I've been following a lot of people on Facebook that are getting ready for their do hike and I'm super jealous super jealousy you guys being able to get out there in the next couple months and enjoy that trail as most of you know I was supposed to be starting a PCT through hike this April but I'll be pushing that off until next April in 2018 get snuggles and I have a couple things coming up at the end of this year so I'll be Sall on all you guys and watching your hike have so much fun because it's going to absolutely change your life and be amazing if you haven't got to change it go over and check me out on Instagram I post a lot of photos of the things that smells and I have going on throughout the week and some previews to the videos that I do every Thursday go ahead and like or dislike this video subscribe to my channel if you haven't already as always guys thanks for watching [Music] you [Music]

Channel: Darwin onthetrail

Views: 216,820

Rating: 4.94171 out of 5

Keywords: appalachian trail, AT, Thru Hike, AT Thru Hike, long distance Trail, PCT, CDT, Pacific Crest Trail, Hiking, Hike, Backpacking, Camping, Training

Id: ekP92ksyIP0

Length: 11min 22sec (682 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 19 2017