Endurance and Weight Training
Getting in Shape for a Long and Heavy Trek
Time to think about getting in shape for the hiking season. Here are some quick tips.
One of the less fun, but more important parts of trip planning is getting in shape. It is always going to be tough to carry a heavy backpack up a mountain trail. Periods of inactivity between trips can make it that much harder.
My plan for staying in shape is to always put on a weighted-down backpack for my morning walks. I have been carrying 37 pounds while out walking with my dogs for the last three years, all year round. Doing that keeps me ready to go on a trip at a day or two notice, and handle the pack pretty well.
What's amazing is how your body adjusts to the extra weight over time. My legs used to get sore when I started training for a trip. Now I walk with that 37 pounds easily, and feel like something is missing when I don't have it.
There's no doubt about it, backpacking makes you strong - physically, mentally, and for a lot of us, spiritually. When you spend so much time up there in the high country, it's hard not to be affected by land that is closest to heaven, and notice the touch of the divine that is spread through it all.
