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Early Preparation:
I Didn't Know It Then (~1974), But I Was Training For The PCT At An Early Age
Getting Fit Again:
While on a long hike on a very hot day in Utah in the Summer of 2014, I experienced an intense heat exhaustion experience, that was probably borderline heat stroke. I realized I just wasn't fit enough to do hikes like that in remote areas. When I returned home, I changed my diet and started going to the gym and doing hard workouts 4-5 times/week. Then I started adding some trail running to my day hikes. The first time, I think I could only manage about a half mile going down hill. A couple years later I was able to do a 30 mile, unsupported trail run. In early 2020, I was feeling very fit and ready to start on the PCT.
While I tried to stay fit during the COVID lockdowns, not being able to go the gym definitely had a negative effect. It confirmed for me the benefits and synergy of doing varied workouts. I'm finally almost back to where I was two years ago, definitely (hopefully) ready to knockout 20+ mile days on the PCT.
Specifics:
I do a variety of workouts and push myself pretty hard, but because I'm middle-aged I listen to my body and go easier on days when my body and energy levels aren't in the mood to get a participation trophy. My overall philosophy is strain, not pain. Below are the things I do pretty much every week:- Stretch - every day
- Treadmill
- Eliptical
- Spin bike
- Stairmaster
- Weights
- Various types of pull-ups
- Push-ups
- Various abs
- Fast, flat run - 8-14 miles
- Alternate between hiking (including hikes with a weighted pack) and trail running - 9-18 miles
- Rest Day
Other Preparation:
Besides fitness, there a lots of other things to do before starting a long-distance hike. There are many, many online sources these days, so a simple web search will bring up more information than you could ever use. A few things I focused on are:- Trail research - every trail is different, I think it's important to understand what you are likely to encounter on different sections of the trail. You also need to continually be aware of trail closures and conditions (the recent closure of the Tuolumne Meadows campsite forced me to change my plan to stay there and had a ripple effect on my plans for multiple days).
- "Leave No Trace" awareness (https://lnt.org/).
- Permits (https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/permits/).
- Total weight strategy - do you care about being ultralight or not, this will influence many of your other decisions.
- Gear.
- Socks and shoes - it should be obvious that you only want to use socks and shoes that you know work for you.
- Clothes - I had the hardest time deciding on whether to bring separate shorts and long pants; to save weight and space I finally decided on a pair of Columbia convertibles.
- Food - sounds simple, but it's not easy to figure this out.
- Water - how much capacity do you need for different sections, will you purify or not, and if so, what purification method to use.
- Resupply strategy - Send boxes, direct shipping by retailer (e.g. Amazon or REI), buy in town, or a mix of all.
- Trail town lodging - are there any reservations that should be made in advance, what are the best options in each town.
- Navigation tools.
- Electronics - what devices to bring and what do you need to keep them charged.
- Transportation plans - trail towns are often many miles from the trail. Also, how will you get to/from the trail termini (with the Canadian border still closed to hikers, this somewhat complicates getting back to civilization after touching the northern border).
- Mental - many experienced long-distance hikers believe proper mental preparation is the most important element to completing a hike. For those that feel it would be helpful, there are many books on this topic. For me, I felt that a lifetime of being stubborn, and the discipline needed to get and stay very fit, was all the mental preparation I needed.
