Poll: Fast Hiker or Slow Hiker?

“5 mph is pretty dang fast.......

*hey wait, do you use one of those people movers? LOL!
last edited: 1/15/07 11:46:35 PM”

“Do 'The Escalator'(?)


no bare feet
face forward
attend children
avoid sides
no wheeled vehicles...”

“wait a minute, semper means always.

semper gumby, always flexible.”

“When in Rome...”

“I’m the same, USA. I break camp quickly. As soon as I wake, I’m usually rolling my pad and bag. As I exit my tent I’m often collapsing it behind me.

I hike at a steady 2mph. That’s a slow walking pace. If I know mileage, I can look at my watch and have a close approximation as to when I’ll reach my next camp.

Harvey Manning said, “Make your world larger by going slower.” Colin Fletcher (The Complete Walker) hiked at 2-2.5 mph. If two of the gurus of backing hike at that pace, I know I’m not alone in what kind of experience I’m looking for when I’m backpacking.

Hiking is like meditating to me. I like to look at scenery. I like to take pictures along the way. I like to stop and smell the flowers. One of my favorite sounds is wind blowing through leaves.

I hiked in Glacier one year with a guy who hiked at 4mph. It turned into the Glacier NP Eco-Challenge. I avoid backpacking with speed-hikers whenever I can. All he was focused on was achieving his next goal. The temperature was an unusually warm mid-eighties that year. He was all red and sweaty when we reached camp. But he was happy.

It appears that some “type A” people decided to take up backpacking as a way of testing themselves. I’ve got very little to prove to myself anymore. I don’t backpack to accomplish goals or to squeeze as much as I can out of one trip. I meditate, listen to sounds, notice different smells, look for wildlife, and generally immerse myself in the environment while I hike.

It’s the journey, not the goal, that’s important to me.”

“Egg-zactly.


Time for that Pirsig quote again?

"Mountains should be climbed with as little effort as possible and without desire. The reality of your own nature should determine the speed. If you become restless, speed up. If you become winded, slow down. You climb the mountain in an equilibrium between restlessness and exhaustion. Then, when you're no longer thinking ahead, each footstep isn't just a means to an end but a unique event in itself."

Robert.M.Pirsig
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
(1999, p. 204)”

“I pack up and leave camp very quickly and immediately slow to the point my blood is in danger of clotting. Not intentionally slow, it's as fast as I can go. Roadkill isn't much slower than me. The only time I fly (maybe 2.0mph), is the last day on the trail with an empty pack and visions of a shower and a town meal dancing in my head (believe me there's room for them both to dance).”

“Break camp slow, hike fast. I hate packing :-)”

“Both.”

“I go to the woods to relax. I get up, have breakfast, let my bag air to lessen the moisture from sleeping, roll up my stuff, hit the trail and take my time....5mph is HAULING...(LOL) (I think military forced march is 4 to 5 mphs)

I do 2.5 to 3 depending on how I feel. Sometimes slower sometimes faster...LOL.”

“You must have hiked with my brother-in-law. The last time I kiked with him it was a DEATH MARCH. Maximum miles at fastest pace.

Guess why I haven't backpacked with him lately. Although did a day hike end of December, he was huffing & puffing. He's 15 years younger than me guess he's getting old?! :-)”

“I'm not real fast packing up, but I’m no slouch. As for hiking speed, it depends in terrain. I generally hike the same speed regardless if I’m dayhiking or have a weekend backpack. On flat trails I hike average 3+mph all day including breaks. On steep trails (1000’ per mile or more) I slow down to around 2mph. On bushwhacks speed is often measured in feet per hour.”

“Robert.M.Pirsig
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
(1999, p. 204)

That must be a newer edition, I read that sucker in '79.
The next year I spent 90 days on the road and didn't experience any of the insanity.

Two miles per hour is a good pace for me including breaks. I will haul ass though when the terrain permits.
I'm not a terribly fast packer.”

“I look at backpacking like I do other things I enjoy in life. I take the pace that makes the other participants enjoy the activity. I go for the fun and relaxation...why push it, I get my neatest thrill from watching the others enjoy the fun.”

“It was just that particular copy, is all.”

“Don't worry, there aren't any in Green Bay either;)

This entry for MarkO's latest.
last edited: 1/16/07 9:02:52 AM”

“medium”

“* Speed demon on descents
* close to turtle on accents
* fairly fast on even terrain

I like a good workout.”

“I commute to and from work doing a fifteen minute mile, twice my trail speed.”

“umm... is there a catagory beyond slow? :?)

Being gimpy has its own rewards. Learning to overcome a competitive nature may be one of them.”

“Amen, Rev. 'tis something to overcome and whoever gets slower faster is the winner!”

“so is this one of those "first shall be last and last shall be first" things?”

“Yes, and the geeks shall inherit the earth.”

“If no one else wants it.”

“I just follow Jimmy San.”

“Then you must eat a lot of blueberries ;-)”

“Well, on that hike, he followed me.”

“2 to 2.5 mph average.”

“Definetly a pokey butt!!! I dilly dally, want to see everything.”

“Just depends on how I'm feeling.Some days I can get my groove on and haul a$$ others I struggle just to get my pack on!”

“2.5 mph w/pack and flat terrain, 3 mph w/day pack. An absolute crawl on uphills no matter what monkey is on my back.”

“I tend to be fast, but I hate having people walking behind me, so I will let them go up ahead or I just bolt out so I can walk at my pace and be lost in my own thoughts.”

“""I take the pace that makes the other participants enjoy the activity. I go for the fun and relaxation...why push it, I get my neatest thrill from watching the others enjoy the fun.”""
XL400236

I bet your wife appreciates you...
; )”

“Just call me Mo Lasses.”

“Just to be a snot nosed twit... molasses can move at 25-35 mph even in January as demonstrated in the great Boston Molasses Flood of January 15 1919.

http://earthdude1.tripod.com/molasses/molasses.html”

“lmao! yeah, wild berries for SURE slow me down!

there has been so much emphasis on speed, esp these last few years. this thread has convinced me more than ever that different people get out and backpack for different reasons.

before TT i used to hike alone and my reasons for backpacking were my own. after TT, aside from an increased tolerance to alcohol and a real appreciation of what a true hangover can do to a person, i find that i enjoy the HIKERS as much as i enjoy the HIKING. you can't enjoy the peeps as much if you run away from them... :)

now i often ask myself, "who are you trying to impress?" the answer quickly comes back as, "nobody, i just like the feeling of my heart beating wild in my chest!"... and that's a good enough reason for me. before TT i am thinking it would have been harder for me to answer that question.”

“LOL I still remember one of the Playboy cartoons in the 1980s' showed this little granny there in the Wild West she is looking at this STRAPPING tall cowboy and saying, "Hear tell they call you the Fastest Gun in the West...back East we call that Premature Eja*(*&^lation."”

“Moderate-speed hiker, though I'm forever stopping to take pictures, so it averages out to one pretty slow pace.

Haven't overnighted in years, so I can't say how my packing abilities are anymore...”

“On my own, I tend to be out of camp fast and to hike very long days. In between I go slow and stop whenever inspiration strikes. In the summer, I love to stop and take a swim when I can.”