How to train yourself for a hiking vacation

Hiking is a very physical activity, one that requires a great deal of training before you go. If you are going for a day hike on gentle terrain you probably don't need a lot of training. However if you are planning to do a multiday hiking trip you have to make sure that you are in good enough shape to handle the trip.

Obviously if you are going to go hiking you are going to have to be able to walk long distances. As a general rule you should plan on covering about ten miles a day when you go hiking. Obviously you are going to have to build up to this. Start off with distances of a couple of miles and over time increase the distance that you are travelling. You should reach the point where you can comfortably do ten miles a day before you start out on your hiking trip.

You are also going to have to train yourself to carry a pack while you are hiking. If you are going on multiday hike you should expect to carry a pack that weighs about thirty pounds. Walking fifteen miles with a thirty pound pack on your back is much more difficult than doing it without. Again you are going to want to build up to it. Start out with a lightweight pack and add more weight each time. You will probably be increasing the pack weight and the distance travelled at the same time. As a general rule you should only increase one of these things from one day to the next. For example if you walked five miles the previous day with ten pounds the next day keep the distance the same and increase the weight.

One thing to keep in mind about hiking is that the terrain will be much more demanding than that you walk on around your home. In particular there will be a lot more hills. Make sure that you practice going up and down hills that are fairly steep as part of your training. Ideally you should be able to carry thirty pounds a distance of ten miles on very hilly terrain before you set out on your hiking vacation. Remember to practice going downhill as much as going uphill; this uses different muscles that need to be trained.

One last thing to remember is that when you go on a multiday hike you will need to cover the required distance for several days in a row. Most people when they are training for anything take days off in between workouts. This is alright when you first start training but before you go on your trip you have to make sure that you can cover the required distance for as many days in a row as the trip is going to take.