Mileage Considerations

“I know I am going to get an answer like 'hike your own hike' and I do... BUT.. for me.. I want to be challenged.

I typically do 8-12 miles a day. I like this. It is enough, yet not too much. There are folks who like more, and folks that find this to be extreme.

The hikes where I set up 8 miles a day, I have had folks wanting to do 12-15.. and certainly vice-versa. Just out of curiousity.. what do you guys plan for an average day in a 3-4 day backpack?”

“To me it all depends on the goal and how much time I got for the hike.

Typically 15 miles a day is nice and easy, but when soloing I find that it gives me a little too much down time that can make you feel a little lonely.

I think my next solo is going to include more lengthy days. I never seem to feel lonely when I'm hiking, only when I have a lot of time to sit around camp, do I start to miss the company of anouther.

So maybe 15 miles per day with friends and 20 without.”

“wow.. I would need to lose weight or hike easier trails to do 20/day.”

“Also if your doing a thru-hike than 20 to 30 mile days might not be too unrealistic. Of course there are those who say thats too fast, and that you don't have enough time to enjoy yourself. Thats where you say hike your own hike.

I hope to thru hike the Pacific Crest Trail 2 to 3 years from know.”

“Well it also depends a lot on how much your pack weighs. How much is your dry weight TD?”

“Dry weight?.. I pack 25-35 pounds.. and weigh WAY too much.

The dawg is a fat dog.”

“Dry Weight= Weight without food or water.

Mine is probably 20 without and might be less this summer with some lighter stuff. I'm not carring 2.5 lbs of fishing gear this year. 1 lb at most. Maybe I'll try fly fishing, all those lures weigh a lot.

Oh yeah, TD how much do YOU weigh? :)”

“Ah.. have no idea what my dry weight is.. My packing philosophy is not so much what WEIGHT, but what do I NEED? I only know my finaly pack weight cos I have done it so many times now, I can pretty much tell that I am 'in the range'.

My weight?.. I hover a little over 250.”

“My primary hiking purpose is destination, scenery, and wildlife encountered along the way. Also, the company when hiking with others. Milage is usually secondary to terrain which I prefer to be challenging.”

“Knocking out 20-25 miles on flat land does not appeal to me. I would much rather do a strong 4-5 mile climb.. and enjoy a 8-12 mile day.”

“I like the 10-12 mile range. More for ridgelines. Wet pack weight for 3 days in cool weather is around 27#. I can get down to about 25# in summer.”

“If I am hiking with someone, I like the 8 to 12 mile days. When solo, I tend to make 15 to 20 depending on terrain.”

“3 to 4 days of BP'ing.....Milage is secondary also. After studying the topo for elevation and water sources and bedding areas I try to plan accordingly. I'll pick the areas that offer the most of what I'm wanting out the trip. Point to point. If I have to hump it more in one day that means the next day will be easier. I try to keep it to 6 to 10 miles a day but again that will vary.
I always look for escape routes, short cuts/loops just in case I underestimated what I intended do.

There will be days were I may arrive early into camp, giving me time to do whatever, make a nice camp, collect wood, side excursions or just some good R&R. Then there are the days when I may have barely have enought time to do the things I like to do, like making camp, building a fire and eating before I'm completely drain of energy. Those type of days I try to avoid. AHHHH conserving energy now that is important for me to have a enjoyable hike.”

“And the more days out, the better!”

“Skully: Agreed.. I have to settle for 2-3 dayers.. but my fav have been the 4-5 (and more) dayers! There is something kewl (and zen-like) that happens to me after two or three days in the woods.

Briar Rabbit: Agreed. Would much rather get an EARLY start and get into my camp before dark that night.”

“In mountainous terrain 8-12 miles a day suits me fine. I’ve never reached my campsite and thought, “damn, I should have planned a longer day” but I’ve regretted planning too long a day on occasion. We'll have to hike together one day Dawg.”

“Violin: I hope we do someday. I have always thought you were a pretty kewl cat.”

“I typically like to do around 7 miles a day. I like to stop to admire nature and her wonderful ways and besides, I'm just a slow hiker!! LOL”

“If it's only a 2-4 dayer, it means that it is a shake down hike for me. That means I'm not in shape. So then it comes down to elevation gain and mileage. 5 miles and 2000' is my limit on a shake down.

On a longer 5-6 dayer, after a couple days things go a lot easier. I have done 12-13 miles and up 1500' and down 2500'. Took a few hours, but not too bad.”

“Depends. In addition to pace, to know how far you want to go, consider all the factors and be ready for contingencies.

What about...
1. Terrain
2. Weather
3. Pack Weight
4. 5-10 Minute breaks per hour
5. Stream Crossings (5 min / person?)
6. Size of Group (1% per person)
7. Elevation Gain / Loss
8. Physical Conditioning
9. Blow downs
10. Scenery

...”

“"4. 5-10 Minute breaks per hour"
tekapo

Yep, that's about my rate when I'm starting trips. Maybe not five, but four of those 10 minute breaks each hour. After about two months I can get down to one short break per hour. However, I get delayed when I encounter a good sitting rock or log. I force myself to rest, because I have no idea how far it is to the next good spot. (I grew old too fast.)”

“That brings to mind a trip years ago. I was hiking up a trail and just veered off within the trees for a while. Sat under a tree and looked straight up at the branches swaying in the wind for a while. Oblivion.

Sometime later, got up, found the trail, and just kept going.

I think that was my conversion to outdoor life.”

“What is the avg. miles per hour when hiking. I am sure that the terrain plays into it. When you are doing an backpacking trip of a day or more how many hours do you hike in a day. Do you plan on where you are staying each night or just setup camp when you are ready.”

“The Naismith Rule says an average to use is 3mph when hiking and 2mph when backpacking. Add an hour for every 1000 feet of elevation gain while backpaking and a half hour for hiking.

The hiking time depends on what you want. Some like to night hike. Others will say an hour of daylight is appropriate for Winter camp for safety reasons.

Setting up camp whenever you are ready is often what happens, but that doesn't mean you couldn't plan to get from one location to another. You're looking for water and sometimes you're keeping to an itinerary for those at home.”