Training for a thru-hike
My approach to training for any long-distance backpacking trip is always the same. I will break down a few key points to focus on. More specialized techniques or tools can be built onto this list after you have the foundation. This approach to training has carried me across the Appalachian Trail, over the highest mountain in the contiguous United States, and through endless adverse terrain.
1. Conditioning
When all else fails, you’ll fall back on your training. When your training fails, you’ll fall back on your conditioning.
Time on the legs is your best asset—preferably with a full gear loadout. Hike with everything you plan to carry on your trip.
You have to put in the time here. Get comfortable. This requires the most dedication, putting in the miles, not taking shortcuts; but it is invaluable. Whatever you do, give yourself at least a month of serious movement on your legs. A year of conditioning before a big thru-hike is pretty common. The general rule is: if you can’t do at least 80% of your planned mileage, on back-to-back days, then you’ll be hard-pressed to do 100% when you set off.
Hiking is not walking. It lies somewhere between a walk and a run.
2. Think in systems
The gear you carry must be organized before any big adventure. There are three distinct systems: Food, Sleep, and Support.
Food includes your packed food, but also your cook system (pot, utensils, stove) and water bottles.
Sleep would be your shelter (tarp, tent, bivy) and your sleeping bag. This includes any stakes, guy lines, cordage, pillows, sleeping mats.
Support is the rest of your proposed gear including first aid kits, knives or tools, maps and navigation, hygiene items, electronics (phone, charging cables, power banks) and extra clothing.
The training method for gear is to pack it and repack it, over and over again. You should know what you’re carrying and where it is, even if you have to find something in the dark.
3. Weight Distribution
Once you have your gear picked out, you need to pack it in a way that will ride comfortably on your back.
If your weight is too high, you’ll be unstable. If your weight is too low, your pack will be uncomfortable. The general rule is to have your heaviest gear toward the upper to mid placement in your pack. Since food is usually the heaviest it will be the focus. This layout takes into consideration the depletion of food weight as it’s consumed to balance out the weight over a period of time. Water also balances overall weight distribution in conjunction with food.
This layout combines all these principles. Pack however you like at the end of the day. But if in doubt then copy this technique.
The tent would go in a front pocket of the pack, separated from the other gear to keep everything dry. It can be deployed first and packed last.
4. Plans and Flexibility
A fair amount of strategy is involved when it comes to backpacking over vast distances. Plans revolve around traveling safely and managing food. Practicing skills at home before a trip is non-negotiable.
Make sure you can read a basic map and calculate distances and rough time-frames.
Practice setting up your shelter in wind and rain while keeping everything reasonably dry.
Cook meals at home with your backpacking stove and cook pot.
Learn how to make fire without taking out your knife to reduce the probability of a cut in remote areas.
Also practice flexibility in your planning. Things change, plans fail. Adaptation is just as important as conditioning. The magic of thru-hiking can be destroyed if your plans are too rigid. So, stay loose and roll with it.
These key points are essential—covering body, mindset, and gear. It seems simple because any good training strategy is simple; it just requires time. They can be backed up with additional skills and workouts, but never lose sight of the fundamentals. If your body is not used to moving 8-12 hours a day, it doesn’t matter how many lunges and squats you can do in an hour.
Know your gear, rely on your conditioning, trust your mind, and you can figure the rest out as you go. Have a good hike.
