2017 FKT Plans: The Training

Ridge near Mount Baden-Powell (Day 9)
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I have heard others say this and I agree completely: There is no categorical way to prepare for a thru-hike of the PCT. It is way too big a challenge to completely train for. That said, I want to be in shape so I am trying to eat right and stay active over the next few months. In this post I will focus on my plans for training over the next 5-6 months.

Vasquez Rocks near Agua Dulce (Day 10)
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It is my goal to start out hiking 45 mile days... that is, most hikers will tell you, absolutely stupid. The most healthy way to hike is to start out slowly and get your feet under you. The problem is a couple slow days will put me many many miles behind and I will have to make those miles up eventually. So it is my plan to hit 42 miles on day one and not let up. I will train to make that as attainable as I can.

View of Mojave desert (Day 11)
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I am researching running stretches to get just the right morning and evening stretching rituals. I really like the youtube channel "Yoga With Adrienne" because it is free and I like her quirky personality. Check it out if you want! As of now, the links to the stretches I intend to use for training and during the hike are found below:

Runner Warm-up yoga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgz7Ikf7ATk
Runner Cool-down yoga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzCMptGGZt8
General runner yoga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hTllAb4XGg&t=610s

The LA Aqueduct (Day 12)
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I am also doing some knee and hip exercises to gain strength around my joints so that they don't get injured as easily. Luckily, my wife had a list of good exercises for these joints already. So I am using those. They are very localized and are often used for physical therapy when people injure these joints. I intend to do these exercises with increasing intensity as I get closer to the date.

Wind far north of the Mojave desert (Day 13)
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I have talked with a few people who suggested higher impact training to break down and rebuild muscle. I will not be focusing on that because I don't think it fits this hike. First, hiking is a long grind rather than a short sprint. People end this trail toned, not ripped with muscles and I think that developing anything beyond the lean muscles will be a waste. Second, I want to go into the hike with as few high-impact habits as possible. Such habits will almost definitely become injuries over the course of two months.  

Mayan Peak (Day 14)
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To improve my cardio and make it more regular in the winter, I started "couch to 5K" at the beginning of the year. There is an app "C25K" that I use to keep on pace for the eventual 5K. I am trying to do that every other day in this, the rainy season. I hope for a run of a few miles to be a breeze by summer.

This is the the C25K website: http://www.c25kfree.com/

Resupply at Kennedy Meadows (Day 15)
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I am definitely thinking a lot about gait as I do the couch to 5k workouts. They are not particularly hard at the moment and I use the presence of mind to think things like "How much am I bouncing up and down? Am I wasting energy? Am I effortless and fast as I run/walk?". I do this because I think the most important factor in my success on the PCT will be an effortless and fast pace. I will likely jog downhill a bit and want to save my joints by jogging smoothly with all of that extra weight. I will also spend a lot of time walking and a habitual efficient gait will save me energy a million-fold by the end of the trail.

Chicken Spring Lake (Day 16)
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As soon as things heat up a little in the spring, I also intend to hike trails in the area, particularly the Columbia River Gorge. I will basically use those trails to gain a comfortable pace on uneven ground. I will carry extra weight in my day pack to get a little bit of a feel for my real backpack weight. I also intend to wear my old leather hiking boots... at least some of the time. I will do this because heavy shoes wear you out more easily than light shoes. I would like my body to be able to do a long distance easily in heavy shoes so that when I put on my lighter hiking shoes I feel like I am walking on air.

It will be hard to hike past Mount Whitney without climbing it (Day 17)
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Finally, in the last few weekends leading up to the hike I intend to go out on intense hiking trips. I intend to hike a loop from the Columbia river south to Indian Springs and then back to the river, alternating between the original PCT and the Eagle Creek trail. I will hike this loop over and over, trying to hit 40+ miles a day and sleeping on the trail. After two or three days of this, I will feel terrible... but my body will rest over the week until I repeat the process the next weekend. That will be my most "high-impact" part of training and it will get me in shape for the real hike in ways a trip to the gym never could... it will faithfully simulate much of what I will experience on the first day. In fact, hiking in and out of the gorge will be way tougher than the beginning of the trail... except for the dust and desert heat!

View of Glenn Pass (Day 18)
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That is my training plan for the hike. I feel that it is a good smattering of different actions that will all improve my chances of success. But, like I said, this is not a marathon or Olympic event in which I can isolate virtually all of the variables and be completely prepared. A lot of the difficulty will be keeping my head on straight as I hike alone, pushing myself to the limit daily for two months straight!

Rock hut on Muir Pass (Day 19)
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2017 FKT Plans: The Pace

What does hiking the entire PCT in 2 months look like? I am still trying to get my own head around the idea. It is important that I go into such a big hike with my eyes open because there will be some super hard days and I will be mostly alone. Going in with the wrong expectations would be a recipe to fall apart when things got really difficult. So I will talk a bit about the realities of this hike as though you, the reader, have no idea what I am talking about.

Southern end of the trail at the  Mexican border
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Take the average day hike, it is usually 3-6 miles. Now think of a "long" hike, like 10 miles. How long would it take to finish that hike? For most people, the answer is 4-5 hours. That is an average speed of 2-2.5 miles per hour. The PCT changes length a little every year due to trail alterations but it is between 2600 and 2700 miles long. Lets just round up to 2700 miles to make the math pretty... in order to finish the trail in 60 days, I would have to hike (on average) 45 miles every day with no breaks. At 2 miles per hour, that would be 22.5 hours of hiking every day. At 2.5 miles per hour, that would be better but still a staggering 18 hours of hiking each day. That is without breaks of any sort! That leaves 6 hours of the day to sleep, stop and talk, get water, cook, etc. Here's what it looks like in a table...

Lake Morena (Day 1)
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Assumption of a 2700 mile long trail and 60-day hike:
Average day of hiking: 45 miles   
Rate: 1 mph                                Daily hours of hiking: 45 hours
Rate: 1.5 mph                             Daily hours of hiking: 30 hours
Rate: 2 mph                                Daily hours of hiking: 22.5 hours
Rate: 2.5 mph                             Daily hours of hiking: 18 hours
Rate: 3 mph                                Daily hours of hiking: 15 hours
Rate: 3.5 mph                             Daily hours of hiking: 12.9 hours
Rate: 4 mph                                Daily hours of hiking: 11.25 hours
Rate: 4.5 mph                             Daily hours of hiking: 10 hours
Rate: 5 mph                                Daily hours of hiking: 9 hours

A view from Mount Laguna (Day 2)
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The conclusion: I must hike at very least 3 mph to make it in the time I have allotted for the hike. Otherwise, I will not get the sleep/rest time required to finish 2 months of hiking. To add to this complexity, a rushed pace can wear people down more quickly and make them more prone to injury. So I will spend a substantial amount of prep time focusing on developing a natural but swift walking gait, and strengthening my ankles, knees, and hips.

Eagle Rock, near Warner Springs (Day 3)
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The above consideration are just focused on pace, but there is a lot to do on the trail. I also have to consider how much time it takes to setup/take down my camp, pack and unpack, get and cook food, walk to get supplies, and simply talk with people. A rushed pace almost certainly means more blisters to treat, which takes time.  All of these other activities make a difference, easily adding to a couple hours of time if I am not careful, so I will have to be very aware of how I spend my time when not hiking as well.

San Jacinto Mountains (Day 4)
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Thus, I will approach the hike from a standpoint of searching for the equilibrium that gives me the best performance. My primary goal will be to have a natural pace that is as fast as possible so that I have time to sleep and eat. But I cannot push too hard or something like my knees will give out! So I must listen carefully to my body, pushing hard but not too hard.

Mount San Jacinto (Day 5)
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But enough hypothetical talk. What is my actual goal on the actual trail? Below, I have laid out my ideal pace for the trail. I used Halfmile's maps and phone app to find campsite that were a solid 40-50 miles from each days starting point...

(For the record, Halfmile is a hiker who provides a new map of the PCT, complete with water sources, campsites, and resupply points, every year. The files are free of charge! Click here for more info on maps of the PCT.)

San Gorgonio Wilderness (Day 6)
Picture borrowed from this site

Below, I have listed my tentative schedule of campsites while hiking. Sorry if this is boring you! It helps me to have everything written down... not floating around in my head.
Here's an interactive map if you want to see find these spots on the trail!

Day 1: Camp at mile 42.10 (Mount Laguna)
Day 2: Camp at mile 82  (Just past Hwy 78)
Day 3: Camp at mile 129.24 (About 20 miles south of Hwy 74)
Day 4: Camp at mile 172.24 (A ridge in the San Jacinto Mountains)
Resupply at ZiggyBear's
Day 5: Camp at mile 226.17 (About 15 miles north of Hwy 10)
Day 6: Camp at mile 274.96 (Next to Big Bear Lake)
Day 7: Camp at mile 317.96 (Near the Mojave River Forks Dam)
Day 8: Camp at mile 364.36 (Near the city of Wrightwood)
Day 9: Camp at mile 410.34 (A few miles north of Hwy 2)
Resupply at Agua Dulce
Day 10: Camp at mile 465.93 (10 miles north of Agua Dulce)
Day 11: Camp at mile 508.14 (12 miles south of Hwy 138)
Day 12: Camp at mile 569.41 (Just north of Hwy 58)
Day 13: Camp at mile 634.18 (20 miles south of Walker Pass)
Day 14: Camp at mile 676.09 (Next to Lamont Mountain)
Resupply at Kennedy Meadows
Day 15: Camp at mile 716.47 (10 miles north of Kennedy Meadows)
Day 16: Camp at mile 759.97 (5 miles south of the trial to Mount Whitney)
Day 17: Camp at mile 799.85 (10 miles north of Glenn Pass)
Day 18: Camp at mile 846.02 (15 miles north of Muir Pass)
Day 19: Camp at mile 893.59 (5 miles north of McGee Pass)
Day 20: Camp at mile 933.61 (10 miles south of Tuolumne Meadows)
Resupply at Tuolumne Meadows
Day 21: Camp at mile 982.38 (15 miles north of Benson Pass)
Day 22: Camp at mile 1027.92 (10 miles north of Sonora Pass)
Day 23: Camp at mile 1072.54 (5 miles south of Carson Pass)
Day 24: Camp at mile 1118.59 (15 miles north of Dick's Pass)
Day 25: Camp at mile 1167.03 (10 miles north of Donner Pass)
Day 26: Camp at mile 1213.61 (20 miles north of Hwy 14)
Day 27: Camp at mile 1267.81 (A few miles north of Buck's Lake)
Resupply At Belden
Day 28: Camp at mile 1325.52 (5 miles north of PCT midpoint)
Day 29: Camp at mile 1367.17 (10 miles south of Hwy 44)
Day 30: Camp at mile 1415.85 (Burney Falls)
Resupply at Burney Falls
Day 31: Camp at mile 1468.42 (McCloud River west of Grizzly Peak)
Day 32: Camp at mile 1517.38 (15 miles west of I5 Freeway)
Day 33: Camp at mile 1566.27 (20 miles south of Russian Wilderness)
Day 34: Camp at mile 1621.18 (Just south of Black Marble mountain)
Resupply at Seiad Valley
Day 35: Camp at mile 1672.96 (15 miles south of the Oregon border)
Day 36: Camp at mile 1722.57 (South of Ashland near Pilot rock)
Day 37: Camp at mile 1760.80 (Brown Mountain cabin)
Day 38: Camp at mile 1812.24 (Mazama Village Campground)
Resupply at Mazama Village Campground (Crater Lake)
Day 39: Camp at mile 1869.61 (5 miles south of Windigo Pass)
Day 40: Camp at mile 1927.84 (East of Waldo Lake)
Day 41: Camp at mile 1977.33 (Near Lava Camp lake)
Day 42: Camp at mile 2027.79 (Jefferson Park)
Resupply at Olallie Lake Resort
Day 43: Camp at mile 2075.27 (North shore of Timothy Lake)
Day 44: Camp at mile 2125.08 (20 miles south of the Columbia river)
Resupply at Cascade Locks
Day 45: Camp at mile 2174.11 (Trout creek in the Wind River Valley)
Day 46: Camp at mile 2221.32 (Trout Lake Creek, 5 miles south of Hwy 23)
Day 47: Camp at mile 2266.22 (5 miles south of Goat Rocks)
Resupply at White Pass
Day 48: Camp at mile 2317.88 (Dewey Lake, near Chinook pass)
Day 49: Camp at mile 2365.18 (Just north of Tacoma pass)
Resupply at Snoqualmie Pass
Day 50: Camp at mile 2411.27 (20 miles north of Snoqualmie pass)
Day 51: Camp at mile 2457.34 (5 miles south of Stevens pass)
Resupply at Stevens Pass
Day 52: Camp at mile 2504.32 (Just north of Red pass, south of Glacier Peak)
Day 53: Camp at mile 2556.98 (10 miles south of High Bridge/Stehekin)
Day 54: Camp at mile 2609.63 (10 miles south of Harts pass)
Day 55: Arrive in Canada (Mile 2650)

San Gorgonio Wilderness (Day 7)
Picture borrowed from this site

I planned these sites based on availability of water and may not actually use them but it will be nice to have a goal to keep track of my day-to-day progress. You will also notice that I overestimated quite a bit and that my planned pace finishes in far below 60 days. I feel these are ways that I can be prepared mentally for the challenge I will face. I am not looking to match the current FKT, nor am I really trying to beat it. I am trying to set a goal for myself that is on the verge of impossible. Sitting with my hundreds of pages of maps, I set this goal for myself. Hypothetically, it is possible but only time will tell if I can make it!

Deep Creek, near Wrightwood (Day 8)
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Plans for 2017 PCT FKT Hike

After a challenging summer hiking across Oregon and a week of planning time with Laura, I decided to go for a more challenging hike of the entire PCT. Being a teacher, I have about 2-3 months of summer to work with but the typical hike of the trail is usually at least a 4 month trip. However, if I can keep up a very brisk pace I can make it. Over the summer of 2017 it will be my goal to hike the PCT in 2 months. In fact, I plan to attempt a new record hiking the Pacific Crest Trail!

This is not a challenge I take lightly! The fastest known time on the PCT (called the FKT) is currently 60 days, 17 hours, and 12 minutes. It is an amazing achievement and I am not at all sure that I can beat it. But that is the whole point in my mind. I really want to see what I am capable of. In life, I feel that people rarely put themselves in a position where they are challenging what is possible. I really want to experience what that is like! So I will be hiking as fast as I possibly can from Mexico to Canada. Quite a few of the next posts will be dedicated to the plans I am making. Stating things clearly out loud helps me to make plans and writing that down is a natural way to record those plans.

I will talk about my planned pace, planned gear and re-supply points, plans for preparation physically, and plans for transportation. The next few posts will likely be the closest to a "How To" that I ever write. To that end, it is important for anyone reading to realize that everyone is different! People prepare differently, pack differently, and hike differently. That may seem obvious, but people preparing for a first hike tend to take blogs like this as gospel truth. The next few posts are just my plans, my opinion. I will make lots of choices that other hikers (both more and less experienced) would not make... and none of those choices is the "right" one. I have not attempted a through hike of the PCT and certainly have not attempted the record, so I have no special accomplishment to show my choices are better than those of others. I just want to share my thoughts for those interested. Even if I am successful my thoughts will be no more valid than the hundreds of other opinions floating around out there on the internet.

One more disclaimer: I might change plans. The next few posts could change in content over the next few months, though I doubt they will change a lot. Plans change, both on and off of the trail!

There will be intermittent posts about training hikes because I will be using the Columbia River Gorge as a location to get into shape... it is a small sub-goal of mine to hike all of the major trails in the gorge before beginning the PCT. It will be a great way to challenge myself and develop a bit of stamina before my big adventure.

August 2016: Visiting Glacier National Park (Part 3)

Our campsite at Two Medicine

After hiking a loop over Dawson and Pitamakan passes in the Two Medicine area, Laura and I rested at the campground. Our three friends from the trail stayed with us and we had a great time chatting. The moon was gigantic and there was a bear spotted trying to enter the campground so we were up pretty late.

Moonrise

Sunrise on the way to Logan pass

The next day Laura and I got up pretty early though. We had decided to hike the Highline Trail, a very popular path that stretches between the Granite Park chalet and Logan pass. The problem: Everyone drives over Logan pass, and most want to find a parking spot there. So we got to the parking lot at the crack of dawn and ate breakfast there. There were Bighorn sheep licking salt off the pavement and we watched them until more people showed up and scared them off.

Another great view of the sunrise

Logan pass visitor center

Here we go!

Nice cool morning for a hike

We were soon sailing down the trail. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the shade as we walked.

Ready to go!

View to the left as we hiked the trail

Looking back toward the sunrise

I cannot begin to say how perfectly pristine and breathtaking the views were as we hiked! In a picture, such things look nice but it is completely different when you are surrounded by such scenery.

Looking back toward Clements and Reynolds mountains

Clements mountain

Heading down from the pass

Even at the time we started our hike, there were plenty of people on the trail and we waved hellos and chatted while hiking. The excitement everyone had to be there was infectious!

Rocky ledge above the Going-To-The-Sun road

Pretty amazing view!

Looking toward Logan pass from a distance

One of a few short climbs

It is so big! Can you find me?

As we hiked farther and farther, we would look back and see the view behind completely changed. The sun would rise more lighting the far wall, or the mountain range would alter because of our change in perspective. If I had kept every different photo from that hike, this post would be twice as long as it is now!

Reynolds mountain

Plants in the early light

This is called the Garden Wall. It provides lots of shade.

A good spot for some bouldering

We hiked over Haystack Butte, a small spur that juts a ways into the valley across the trail. It is above the Weeping Wall, a point on the road below where water oozes out of the rocks so it looks like the wall is weeping. After Haystack Butte, we were soon in sight of the Granite Park chalet. It looked so tiny perched on a bluff and surrounded by mountains!

Looking back at Logan pass!

Climbing behind Haystack Butte

Looking back from Haystack Butte

View to the west

Looking back toward Haystack Butte

Laura in front of Heaven's Peek

The rock around granite park is not granite!

I can see the chalet!

Heading down to the chalet

Heavens Peek and Mt Cannon with Lake McDonald between

Granite Park chalet

When we arrived at the Granit Park chalet, there were about half a dozen people there. We sat at a table and chatted about the next stage of our journeys. I was still feeling pretty in shape from my hike across Oregon and wanted to challenge myself to a really difficult hike. So I had suggested we split up and I hike to Many Glacier while Laura drove there. My goal: To hike to Glacier Overlook, back to the chalet, up to Swiftecurrent peak, and then down through the Swiftcurrent valley to meet Laura for dinner at the Motor inn. She would finish the Highline Trail loop back down to the road, where she would get a bus ride back to the pass, visit the center there, and drive back to Many Glacier and meet me for dinner.
   

Sitting outside the chalet

Looking back toward Logan pass

First stop: Glacier overlook

Starting my solo hike

The hike up to Glacier Overlook was about 1.5 miles of trail that steeple climbed up to a gap in the Garden Wall that we had previously hiked below. At the top, people can look down the north side of the wall and see the glaciers and lakes hiding on the other side. It was a relentless climb but well worth it once I got to the top!

Almost there

Mount Gould comes into view

Upper Grinnell Lake nestled in the mountains

At the top of the climb, I had the compulsion to climb the peaks on either side of me. They looked so close and I could imagine that amazing feeling I would have standing atop them. I also imagined how long it would take to find my body if I fell trying an off-trail ascent without notifying anyone and chose to stick to the trail.

Looking south from my perch

Heading back down

After hiking back down to the chalet, I would hike up and over the same ridge of mountains at Swiftcurrent pass, which leads down to the Swiftcurrent valley and Many Glacier. While crossing the pass I would hike to the top of Swiftcurrent Mountain. At about 8.5 thousand feet, it is one of the highest point you can get to in the park without going off trail!

Up, up, up..

Looking back toward Logan pass and the chalet

Swiftcurrent pass

Looking down toward Many Glacier for the first time

Swiftcurrent pass was a nice wide saddle with a pretty stream and little sub-alpine trees everywhere. I turned and headed up to the top of Swiftcurrent Mountain. The trail was mostly over exposed rock and was made up of switchbacks that seemed to go forever. As I climbed, the landscape below opened up even more.

View south from halfway up the mountain

Can you spot the chalet?

Communications cabin

At the top of the mountain, I met a cool guy whose job it was to sit in the small shack at the top and relay information from his high point. There is very bad reception out there and so a radio shack atop Swiftcurrent Mountain is a very useful thing. He told me stories of his experiences. My favorite description was him being in the middle of the clouds during a thunderstorm and watching the lightening travel around the cabin in the mist!

Swiftcurrent glacier with Gould mountain behind it

The valley down to Many Glacier

View to the north. Canada starts somewhere out there!

View to the west

View to the south

Panorama north and east

Panorama south and east

After a nice visit, I started my trek down to Many Glacier. I was shooting to arrive at 5 o'clock for dinner, an average pace of 5-6 miles per hour. That was a tall order and I wasn't sure I could make it but I like a challenge and began hiking down at a good clip.

Ready to head down

Heavens Peek

Heading down from the pass

This is big! Can you see the person?

Follow the chain of lakes...

Hiking below Swiftcurrent glacier

Hiking downhill may seem like the best part of any hike but that it not completely true. Hiking uphill certainly burns, using certain muscles a lot and wearing them out. But hiking downhill is often worse because it is hard on joints, not muscles, unless you are very conscious of what is being strained and adjust your stride to match it. Most people don't notice this on shorter hikes but I guarantee that if you hike downhill for and hour or two, you will understand what I am saying! One way I adjust to keep from stomping downhill and hurting my joints is jogging. If I jog, I don't have to put on the breaks and joggle so much. It also helps me to make some good time when hiking. So I literally ran down a couple of the miles to Many Glacier, feeling free and strong. I would stop for the occasional picture though.

Cool rocky ledge

Glacial waterfalls!

Nice bridge down in the valley

Swiftcurrent  glacier and peak

When I arrive in the valley below, rainy weather started to roll in. It rained a bit but I found that refreshing after all the exertion of keeping my pace! I sailed by more and more people as I approached the Many Glacier campground. I was tempted to stop and swim in some amazing looking swimming holes but it was starting to get a little chilly so I didn't give in to the temptation.

I climbed that!

Nice swimming hole!

Goodbye, Many Glacier!

In the end, I think I arrived at 5:15 or so... just a little late. But that was quite a feat! I had hiked about 16 miles in about 3.5 hours! Laura was waiting at the Motor inn and told me of her adventures. There had been a bear in the area on her leg of the trail so she stayed near other hikers for safety reasons, especially because I had the bear spray. Then she had a great ride back up to Logan pass. We both enjoyed some delicious dinner. There is nothing like eating a big meal after a long hard day of hiking!

Yummy!

Saying goodbye to our new friends!

After dinner, we headed back to Two Medicine and found that our new hiking friends were still around! They had booked a hike the following day and were taking a rest day. We told tham of our day and generally sat around and talked all evening. It was so nice to meet them and Laura is still in touch. At some point we hope that we can take them on some hikes in Washington. We also want to go to Minnesota and canoe with some of them! The next day was overcast and cool. We could no longer see the tops of any of the mountains as we went and got breakfast in the store at Two Medicine lodge. There was supposed to be a ranger there to chat with but nobody showed, which was fine. Laura and I sat and looked out the window, reminiscing about our trip.

Cloudy morning at Two Medicine lodge

Goodbye, Glacier NP!

We were so blessed to get to see Glacier National Park! It is everything people say about it and more. We were also lucky to see the glaciers there. Whether you believe in global warming or not, the fact is that there are not many glaciers left there. When the park was founded, there were about 150. Now there are fewer than two dozen left. It is estimated that they will all be gone in the next 10 years. Whether you believe that people are the cause or not, I would highly recommend visiting before there are no glaciers left!