GETTING INTO SHAPE FOR TREKKING:
Backpacking (wilderness trekking) requires a certain level of physical fitness, yet it is a very basic, natural activity. After all, our ancestors evolved in the wilderness and spent many millennia walking through about every kind of wilderness topography imaginable. It has been suggested that we humans are “born to run”, but we are also, without doubt, born to walk.
It is important, of course, that all Big Wild trip participants arrive in good enough condition to successfully complete and enjoy their backpacking vacation. Depending upon the trip and your body size, you’ll be carrying a backpack that weighs between 30 and 45 pounds at the beginning of a trip. Most modern backpacks are quite comfortable to carry, provided that they properly fit. The packs we supply our guests are state-of-the-art, and we fit them to you so that you are a happy hiker!
The vast majority of our clients do just fine, even on their first backpack trip. Nonetheless, backpacking is for active, not sedentary people, and in most situations, folks who are seriously overweight or who regularly smoke cigarettes are going to have a tough time and will likely be putting themselves and others in serious jeopardy.
We recommend that if you have any doubts about your physical capability to trek in the big wilds, that you see your physician. This is especially important for first-time trekkers, for the elderly and for folks who have any known or suspected physical ailments that might compromise their safety (and group safety) on a backpack adventure.
So yes, wilderness trekking is basic to our nature; and it’s usually not too tough for most reasonably active folks who are neither seriously overweight nor cigarette addicts. If you are a cigarette smoker, unless it’s nothing more than an occasional smoke, please consider an alternative vacation to backpacking. Go where paramedics can quickly respond to your upcoming myocardial infarction. In other words, please have your cigarette-induced heart attack on somebody else’s watch!
OK, you’re a reasonably lean non-smoker. And you’re fairly active. You actually walk places on a regular basis. You’ll probably do just fine on a moderate backpack trek with no additional work. However, increased exercise for at least a few weeks prior to the trip is always a good idea. It will increase both your safety and enjoyment!
And, if you’re pretty sedentary, training for your trek is essential.
It is important for all to realize that for any backpack trip, the better your condition the more fun you’ll have! And again, the safer you and the rest of the group will be. Out of shape hikers who are struggling on the trail are much more likely to sustain an injury or to have a medical emergency. We at Big Wild try very hard to minimize the risk of either of these scenarios!
If you’re contemplating one of our “fairly strenuous” or “strenuous” adventures, a regular conditioning program becomes more essential. Do not expect to get into good backpacking shape simply by taking gentle walks on level ground.
Cardiovascular conditioning that utilizes the legs is most important. Running and power walking are excellent. However, running isn’t for everyone, especially if there are knee or back or other such joint problems. So power walking, preferably up and down hills (better yet with a weighted pack for strenuous trips), will do the job. Alternating runs with power walks is also a good idea, because cross training minimizes wear and tear from repetitive motion and works a wider variety of muscles than either activity alone. Bicycling is also good training, but only if you ride hard for sustained periods.
Other good ways to develop or maintain fitness for backpacking include, aerobics classes, yoga, tennis, and basketball. Whatever you do, make sure that it’s fun!
To build cardiovascular fitness, exercise a minimum of a half hour, 3 times per week, although longer more frequent workouts are definitely recommended for our fairly strenuous and strenuous treks. That half-hour minimum, by the way, is at the sustained recommended cardiovascular output. Even for the tougher treks, however, don’t feel like you must train for a marathon. Regular moderate exercise is best for most people. We all reach a point where more is not better. And over-training risks muscle and joint injuries.
Weight training is a great compliment to cardiovascular exercise, especially as you age. That’s because it strengthens both muscles and joints, and keeps your bones strong. And building muscle helps to burn fat.
Remember, though, most healthy, active and relatively lean non-smokers are likely already fit for at least a moderate backpacking adventure. Just taking plenty of regular vigorous walks is a great way for many people to prepare for wilderness trekking.
And again, if you have doubts, we recommend that you get the green light from your physician.
But remember, backpacking in the wilderness isn’t exotic; it’s the most natural thing in the world. We are designed for it. Moreover, once folks begin a fitness program, they find that exercise isn’t just healthy; it’s addictive and it’s fun! It makes us feel good. It improves our mental acuity. And, backpacking is one of the greatest all-around exercises known! As Terry and Renny Russell long ago wrote in On the Loose, “At least if a species has lost its animal strength, its individual members can have the fun of gaining it back again”.
ABOUT OUR TRIP RATINGS:
We rate our trips easy, moderately easy, moderately easy, moderate, fairly strenuous andstrenuous. We admit to a certain level of subjectivity here, based upon individual human differences. For example, some folks find steep uphills to be tougher than long mileages and others find quite the opposite to be the case. Some hikers have a tougher time off trail than others. Keep in mind, that we rate our trips based upon the actual trekking route, without including potential day-hikes in the equation. That’s because day-hikes are optional, and we generally tailor them to the interests and abilities of each group. All scheduled trips have at least one layover. Here are some very general guidelines regarding our trip ratings:
Easy: Because of the very nature of backpacking, the only truly “easy” treks that we offer are specially designed Custom or Family backpack or canoe trips that are characterized by low mileages with very little uphill trekking with backpacks.
Moderately Easy: The longest backpacking day would cover no more than about 6 miles, and the largest daily elevation gain with a backpack would be about 1000 f
Moderate: There might be one 8 or 9 mile day, and one day of roughly 1500 feet of elevation gain. Typical days would cover about 6-7 miles.
Fairly Strenuous: On these treks there may be one or two elevation gains of 2000 feet or a bit more, and a day or two of breaking the 10-mile mark is possible, depending upon the trip. Some off trail hiking is likely.
Strenuous: You’d best be in top shape for these! You should be prepared for one or two days of roughly 2500 to 3000 feet of elevation gain, a day or two of 10 to 12 miles, and the guide will have no qualms about including some off-trail sections in steep terrain.
Please keep in mind that we also consider altitude, percentage of the route that is off trail, solid versus poor footing for certain trip segments, typical weather and trail conditions and other related factors to help determine our rating for a given trip. In other words, it’s not simply about the numbers outlined above!
Also, please be assured that if you are very athletic and sign up for one of the easier treks, we can nearly always add to your exercise quotient by making the optional day-hikes (usually on layover days) more rigorous if that’s what folks want. On some trips we can amend the trip route as we go (making it either a bit tougher or a bit easier as the case may be) in order to adjust to our clients’ desires and capabilities. We have been running these treks for a very long time and we know how to be appropriately flexible so that all are happy!
Remember, although 6 or 7 miles may not sound to some like much of a day, especially to an inexperienced hiker, when you cover that distance over rough terrain with a backpack, that is plenty for most people. And we want you to also have the time and energy to be able to enjoy the scenery, flowers, berries and wildlife!
