My group trip taught me the opposite of what every blog says about pacing

Hit the Colorado Trail last August with three friends. Every guide says start slow, keep miles low the first week. We did 14 miles day one and felt great, so we pushed 18 the next day. By day four one guy had a bad knee and another was done mentally. We had to cut the whole thing short at 11 days instead of 14. That critique from the group leader, 'you're hiking like you're racing, not touring,' stuck with me. Now I plan rest days like they're part of the route, not a failure. Has anyone else found that going hard early works for them, or was it a one-time fluke for us?

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ryan79326d ago

Rest days are maintenance for your body and your group's mood, not a cop-out. The blogs say to plan them because they're the difference between finishing and bailing early. We skip them one season and pay double the next, so your leader had it right.