32 miles in 1 day?

“i cant say if im confident i'll finish or not. if not, i'll jsut have to tarp it for the night. relatively easy trail, gonna be one hell of a long day. as of now, no rain saturday, so it's on. if it ends up raining i'll probably do something else, maybe backpack the same trail over 2 days. i don't think i'll be able to move fast enough in the rain.
ok, bacpac, gear slut, and any others feel free to tell me how stupid i am for this one.
but before you do, let me say i'll be prepared to stay overnight if i can't make it. i'll be uncomfortable but my life won't be threatened. im gonna take a shorty pad and tarp,food, water,a headlamp, xtra socks, and first aid. i think that's it.(not a definitive list yet.) it's gonna be very light though. i'll use my inline filter so i don't waste any time pumping water also.
i think physically i can make it but i don't know if daylight will comply. i might end up in the dark. but, like i said, easier trail than most so.....we'll see. the worst that can happen is i end up sleeping under a tarp and getting back to the car the next day.
i know i probably won't make it but it'll be a fun experience and a good test of limits.”

“It's definitely possible, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I've done over twenty in a day, on level ground at a fast pace- There's also an army unit in Korea that awards you with a belt buckle if you finish 100 miles in four days. I was never in Korea, so thank God I never had to attempt it (Army hiking sux) but it just goes to show it can be done. Good Luck!”

“Go for it dude. Whether you make it or not let us know how it turns out. Endurance sports rock! I can't tell you how disappointed I have been for not getting back into the road racing scene. Have a great time.”

“Go for it!

(It nice to set goals and challenge yourself. It sounds like it'll be fun and you're prepared.)”

“In the rain????? No way!”

“Why?”

“I used to like pushing the miles for accomplishments.

But its more for the outdoors the way I see it know! ENJOY! ENJOY!!

You cant enjoy it if you pass it ALL up!”

“to get the Expert infantry badge the soldier has to do 12 miles in full combat gear in 3 hours as just part of it.

JOSH..hope your in shape..this would kill me!”

“I did 27 miles w/pack last Winter. You'll have more daylight so Just Do It.
Start at daybreak. Drink PLENTY of water and eat energy bars. You don't have to walk exceptionally fast but just get in a good flow and keep going. Stamina, not so much speed. That's the key.
Set goals to be at a certain place on the trail by a certian time. That will ensure you are on pace.
Good luck bro! You can do it.”

“as to the WHY? good question, i've been getting it a lot. just to see if i can.
in the rain? no way, i don't think i can move fast enough in the mud to do it in one day.
ENJOY IT. sorry dude, you know i'll be enjoyin the hell outta some #&%!$ when i get back to teh car. it's not about a scenic walk this time. i will be enjoying it;”

“I bet your body makes it--your mind may not :)”

“I did 67 miles in 3 days back in January just to see if I could.
day 1 - 23 miles
day 2 - 27 miles
day 3 - 17 miles (out at 2:00 P.M.)”

“I have no doubt you can do it if you are in reasonable shape and have the willpower to do it. This past June I went 37.4 mi in one day with a full pack (~28 lb.) . . . and yes finished up in the dark. It's not what I started out to do, but due to a combination of toying around with the idea of finishing the entire hike in one day and the mosquito population where I was going to camp, I went ahead and did it. I don't think I'd have done it if it were raining.

Why did I do it. Well I like to test my personal limits sometimes when I'm solo. And next year I plan on trying for 40 mi in a day. So anyone wanna give it a try?

Like walkindude said start as early as possible, make sure you stay hydrated, and plan on burning a lot of calories. Personally I would divide the day into three segments mileage wise, and not necessarily equal. Maybe even plan on a little longer breaks between segments and eat something substantial . . . I would cook something if doing it again.”

“. . . and most of all good luck!!!!”

“If you finish that you'll have to try the GC rim-rim in a day. Almost did it on my last trip, but other members of the group weren't too crazy about the idea. It's like 28 miles with a camp at 14 and some good water stops. While we were hiking he met an endurance runner running from rim to rim.”

“Have fun and good luck!

8D”

“Josh, I've done some high mileage, big elevation days, but never 32 miles. Sounds like you're prepared, so my only advice is to let someone know your itinerary and to have fun. Anxious to hear how it goes.
Enjoy!”

“What an idiot. You'll never make it.”

“Josh, physical is easy...mental is hard. Drive on!”

“haven't yet though, on back roads, to a nearby state park... i'll let ya know if i ever do”

“Pace yourself and you'll make it. I've only done 22 miles in one day, Up 11 miles and 6000' gain, then down. Go for it!”

“I know just do it!

8D”

“My best was rim-rim, 21 miles, down 6K, up 4500, 8:13, then drove home for 4 hours. Piece o'cake if you have trained and are in shape.

How are your knees?”

“So you wont be hikin with me this weekend??”

“I wouldnt say its ALL on how fit you are but more of your endurance level. How much can you handle is the question.”

“i like it!

go like hell!!

no running!”

“Nothing wrong with doing something just to see if you can. Watch yer step towards the end.”

“my biggest problem is how long this week's gonna take.
i have talked to the ranger out there and he's not real keen on the idea but he's not gonna try to stop me. he did say he could send someone to pick me up at a road if i called him. there are a few road crossings along the way. mostly towards the end too.
one of my concerns is getting tired at the end of the day and tripping on stuff for lack of picking my feet up off the ground.
they just built little shelters at the trailhead so i'll be on the trail at daylight.
thanks everyone for the input, especially bacpac.”

“32 miles in one day? Only if I'm ridin' a f^ckin' bicycle!”

“Energy bars and/or Gu. Keep tossing those down the gullet and you'll be fine.”

“i've got a question about my dog. should i just feed him his normal food? i usually toss him a bunch of jerky and pieces of powerbars. this is gonna be one hell of a day, though. i've been thinking maybe he should stay home, i don't know. he goes on almost every hike with me and i've never passed him up yet, so.....
im planning on taking in 400-500 calories an hour. sound about right? when working out i burn around 1000 an hour and i would think i generally won't be too much out of breath so it probably won't be so high.”

“walkindude i posted that before i read yours. i did that again the other night.”

“I've done it twice once in the Kern Canyon years ago and once with Snow Nymph and the gang on Whitney this month.
We started before it got light and walked with our LED headlamps until dawn...the theory was it's better to walk in the dark when you're fresh than at the end of the day when your pooped.
You might want to try a pre-dawn start time too.”

“that's what i did on the Zaleski trail a few weeks ago. i was walking with my headlamp for about half an hour. i liked watching it become morning. i was walking before the birds even came out.”

“Do your dog and yourself a favor and leave it home. You can do it but the dog will be a distraction.”

“Dont take your dog. He/she will not enjoy this plus you add the risk of your animal being injured.”

“the dog would definetly be a distraction!!!


so I guess thats a NO, that we are not hiking this weekend??”

“Go for it.. Very cool you're attempting it.

Like that guy says in The Waterboy.. "You can do it!!"”

“He will need his dog to bail him out when he collapses.

"Go get the ranger, Lassie, I am toast."”

“Whenever I read one of bacpac's posts, I here that song that goes "have you heard about the lonesome loser" in my head.”

“good luck josh! i'd take the dog &make him pack his own food, but thats just me. hell, i'd take the trip in 3 days and enjoy the scenery, lol.”

“I counsel against taking the dog. If you do, I predict that you won't make it.
However, I think it's a goal worth attempting and I'll be interested to see if you make it.
BTW, did you mention which trail you are hiking?”

“...and The Army of Northern Virginia covered 40 miles one night. 40,000(?) men (including my 3x grandad) - vanished w/o a trace. No wonder Grant could never out-flank him...

Napoleon pulled a similar stunt - an offensive against the Austrians. He crossed a mountain pass, too.”

“About 10 years ago I hiked from Lehigh Gap to Smith Gap and back, a total of 32 miles. I did it, albeit blistered and sore. Those were proud blisters though.”

“it's part of the American Discovery Trail.”

“Go for it Josh, and if you don't make it this time, try another time. It's great to look back and realize that you did it just once in your life. It does not take an exceptional human to do it, just grit and determination to push on and suffer the pain, which after all is only temporary. The memory and the pride are forever.

I traveled with just a day pack, food for the day, and water. Once I reached the turnaround point, I had to go all the way.

I started fairly early in the day and finished when the sun was just beginning to go down.”

“I did 29 miles in a day once, with my regular pack on. It was an interesting experience. Go for it!”

“I gotta go with bacpac on this one. There is no way you'll ever make it. Don't even bother trying.

Don't let that stop you from making up and posting a trip report though.”

“No prob JOSH, you can make it. The dawgie issue is a terrible idea, this is something for you, not your pooch. You cain't sustain a steady pace with bowser. Like WD sed, it's not speed, just stay with a decent pace. My longest was coming into Bastain, VA along the AT, completing 29.5 miles in plenty of time before dark, pack weight of about 45 lbs.

Rain? Why be afraid of a little humidity? Unless it floods, you'll be fine in the rain, didn't ya say it was relatively flat? Just don't avoid the puddles, losta fun marching right into them.

I would suggest ya take a small fannypack, and wear it on your front side with snacks. Snickers are good (of course energy bars are great), Fig Newtons are a great filler and energizer. Nuts or Gordetta Snacks too, something salty. A hydration system would certainly simplify thangs, drink even when you're not thirsty. At scenic places do a see/rest/pee combo, do lunch on the go, and the rest of the day keep a steady regular pace. No prollem!

FYI - a good many thru-hikers every year attempt a whole state in one day. It's Maryland and the day's hike is 40 miles and some change.”

“Distance walking (?hiking?) like that goes against everything I go hiking and backpacking for. If I wanted to do volumous miles, I'd do some urban walking, or take up jogging/running. But to each his own, I guess.”