Stop calling 20 miles a day a "casual" route

I had a guy in the Smokies tell me his 18 mile day was just a warmup and I laughed until he was limping by lunch. The problem is people throw around big mileage numbers online without mentioning their pack weight or elevation gain. Why do backpackers feel the need to one-up each other on daily distance instead of just talking about the actual trail conditions?

3 comments

3 Comments

drew_jones315d ago

...see I gotta push back on this a little bit. My buddy and I did 22 miles in the Shenandoahs last fall with 35 pound packs and it felt totally fine, no limping or anything. The thing is, some people just have a different baseline. I've been hiking my whole life so a 15 mile day with some elevation is just what a normal walk looks like to me. Not saying everyone needs to do that, but calling it bragging feels a bit harsh when some folks are just built different. Trail conditions matter sure, but so does your own fitness level and experience.

the_drew5d agoMost Upvoted

Honestly, I get what you're saying... I'm kind of in the same boat. I've been doing long days in the mountains for years now and a 15 mile day with some climb just feels normal to me too. It's not about trying to show off, it's just what my body got used to over time. I remember when I first started hiking, 8 miles wrecked me, but now I can push through 20 and still feel pretty good the next day. Everyone's got a different starting point and that's okay.

sean8545d ago

My buddy brought a flask of bourbon on a 10 miler once and we ended up lost for three extra hours.