How to Train for Hiking

(Specifically for the 46er Challenge)

When you first think of hiking, you probably think of a low-key, low-impact, leisurely activity, but when you seriously get into it, and start your first uphill battle, you quickly realize, it’s no joke. After really, hiking these past 5 months, I can assure you, hiking will get you into killer shape. So, here are my tips and tricks, of how I went from hiking 8 miles and dying, to being able to hike 20 miles plus, and still be standing!

First, if you have never hiked before and go to the gym often, STILL pick a BEGINNER to MODERATE trail when you start. PLEASE DO NOT try and be macho and pick a difficult rated trail that is 10 plus miles for your first ever hike. And then proceed to bring your friends along, thinking it’ll be a walk in the park. There’s a reason why trails are rated the way they are. You have to climb up rocks, slides, trees, sometimes ice, sometimes deal with 30 mph winds or higher, rain, clouds, and much more. Just like doing anything new, for your first time, you want something easy, then you can progress, when you know more of what you’re doing.

Okay, that being said, there are MANY AWESOME beginner to moderate trails, all accessible through the famous app, AllTrails. This app, if you don’t already know, is awesome! It gives you TONS of trails all over the U.S. and directions of how to get there. The only down side is, the mileage is not always accurate, and if you’re doing more than one peak, they don’t give good directions on how to do loop trails. Thus, I always recommend doing some more research if you’re doing many different peaks, within one day. But overall, it is really helpful in finding new and spectacular hikes.

That brings us to our second tip, GET and LOOKUP directions of the hike you’re doing before you go. I have made the mistake many times before, of just relying on AllTrails, and their directions. And THANK GOD I have always ran into other hikers who are willing to show me the ACTUAL directions of how to get to where I’m going. Thus, I’ve learned, to always lookup extra directions including the ones I receive from AllTrails. Especially, loop trails. Sometimes I find (at least hiking in the Adirondacks), loop trails are not well directed, thus, it’s good to know when and what, your next marker will be. Because sometimes your next trail marker, will not be a foot trail marker on a tree, it’ll be a cairn (mound) of rocks along your way.

Also, when you look up different directions, it will give you a better idea of how long your hike is suppose to be. Because like I said, AllTrails is not always accurate with the mileage of their trails, ESPECIALLY loop trails with multiple peaks. Thus, knowing a more accurate mileage will help you prepare mentally and physically, for how many miles you will have to walk. If you’re hiking in the Adirondacks, the Pure Adk website gives GREAT directions for any of the High Peaks, that you might be hiking.

Some great peaks to start with, are any of the fire towers, if you live in New York, or plan to hike the Catskills and or the Adirondacks. They have their own challenge, the Fire Tower Challenge, which is a GREAT way to get you in shape for the 46er Challenge of New York. The fire towers are great, because they range from 2 mile trails to 10, thus it’s a great way to ease into hiking, and beyond.

I suggest, hiking at least once per week, if you want to keep and continue building your stamina and muscles for hiking. This is what I would do, and still do, to maintain and elevate my mileage and difficulty level for the 46 High Peaks. Each week, I would increase my mileage to at least 1-3 miles longer than what I had previously done from my week before, so I could continue to up my game. Also, I would increase my elevation gain by at least 250-500ft, which increases the steepness level of a hike.

If you want to specifically hike the 46er challenge, I HIHGLY recommend hiking moderate-difficult rated fire towers BEFORE you hike Cascade and Porter, or Giant and Rocky Peak (these are usually what people start with). Solely, because the High Peaks really are, difficult terrain to hike, and most of the time to navigate. They truly are UPHILL battles. Most of them, for at least the last mile to mile and a half (at times more), are ALL UPHILL, and STEEPLY uphill. Most of them, you gain 1,000ft in elevation per mile.

This is another tip I recommend doing before you hike a trail, ALWAYS lookup the elevation gain you get within the miles of the hike. AllTrails will tell you this and it’s usually more accurate than the mileage. However, to put this into perspective, some trails, you will gain 2,000ft plus in elevation within 3 miles, and others you will gain that much elevation within 5 miles, which is MUCH easier than the 3 mile one. Every 1,000ft of elevation, is equally to about 100 flights of stairs. So, be prepared for the elevation gain more so, then the mileage gain. The elevation gain is what will tire you out, not so much the mileage.

Third, ALWAYS USE THE STRAPS ON YOUR BACKPACKS!!!! I can’t stress this enough! First, if you’re going to use a backpack, GET ONE WITH STRAPS for your chest and waist. When I first went hiking I thought these strips were just for the nerds/over achievers. NO, there’s a REASON WHY companies make backpacks with those specifically located straps. To SAVE your back, by redirecting the weight to your hips.

In addition, to saving your back, snapping these straps in place, will SAVE your energy. Here are some great backpacks that have the strategic straps that I mentioned. Here is a great Salmon option as well.

Fourth, bring Gatorade and PLENTY of water. I always bring my 3 liter CamelBak whenever I hike, and this has lasted me, even on my 20 mile hikes (here is the one I use). But, when I first started hiking 20 milers, it was in the fall time, with the heat being bearable. However, this summer I hiked many 20 milers and did not make it with only 3 liters of water. Thus, I always bring my water filter with me now. The heat and humidity are what drain your water, not your sweat. I mean going uphill and sweating make you drink water, but not like the heat and humidity do. Thus, I suggest getting a water purifier.

This is what I use and then I put it on this 3 liter bladder (yes, I bring two 3 liter bladders, again in the summer time, when there is HIGH humidity and heat). And it really does save me on weight because when I first start my hike, my spare bladder is empty, then near the end of my hike it flips, and the bladder I started with is empty but then my spare one gets filled with fresh stream water. You can use water pumps or water tablets to clean your water from streams and brooks, but I HIGHLY recommend using the method I mentioned because it’s so light weight. Also, I’ve heard the water tablets taste bad. When I went to REI the sales associate recommend the water filter route to me and I’m SUPER happy he did, this is a great option. Also, REI is an AWESOME store for ANY and almost ALL outdoor activities.

Fifth, ALWAYS bring PLENTY of FOOD and SNACKS! This should be a no brainer, but unfortunately there are tons of people that neglect this step as well as the water and Gatorade. For a 5-mile hike, I will bring at least a 2 liter CamelBak of water, or at least 2-3 32oz water bottles, and one 12oz bottle of Gatorade, with a HUGE bag of trail mix and at least 2 cliff bars. I don’t always eat all of this, but I’d rather have more than less food.

Because if you don’t have food or water, you will not be able to carry on, especially in the heat. Now for a 20 mile hike, I bring my 3 liter Camelbak of water, 2-3 12oz or 2 24oz bottles of Gatorade, 4-5 cliff bars, and two HUGE bags of trail mix. A lot of people like to bring lunch or sandwiches, so they can eat it at the summit, which I highly recommend doing as well. I’m just usually pressed for time in the morning, so I get whatever is the easiest. But if you have plenty of time in the morning, than definitely make lunch.

Sixth, have PROPER gear, aka at the bare minimal have good hiking shoes (here are some great ones). Seriously, this is NOT a joke, if you hike ANYWHERE in the High Peaks, your sneakers will NOT do. Simply because they don’t have the traction that hiking boots have. Anywhere you go in the High Peaks, and mostly anywhere else, you WILL run into mud, rock scrambles, roots, sometimes ice, and rock summits. And your sneakers just won’t hold you up.

Also, I highly recommend getting a CamelBak, or something similar to it, because it’s SO much more convenient. I have hiked many times without it, and it’s fine for the short hikes (like 8 miles or less), but anything above that, I really suggest you get a water bladder that can hold at least 2.5-3 liters of water. Mine holds 3 liters and I’ve never ran out of water on a hike, even my 20 mile hikes. If you don’t want to buy a CamelBak, there are a couple different ways you can filter and refill your water.

If you go on 10 plus mile hikes, and only bring a water bottle, there WILL be at least one point on your hike, where you’ll have to refill your water supply. And you can, refill your water at different streams, brooks, and rivers along your hike, as long as you bring proper filter items to get rid of the bacteria in the water. Here you will find a water pump (which I recommend), and here you will find different tablets that filter/clean your water.

Another piece of gear, I suggest, are trekking poles. These are not essential to when you start, but I recommend getting some down the line. Because, when you do longer hikes, these will save your knees and ankles, ESPECIALLY in the mud and on your descent (you can find some here).

Seventh tip, is on what to wear. Well, depending on the season, it will vary. For the Spring and Fall, I suggest bringing MANY layers, and NEVER cotton. I wear a lot of Under Armor products (you can find here) and long underwear for these seasons, because they typically still have cold weather.

Also, I will bring a rain jacket, a puffy, a crew neck/sweatshirt, two-three different pairs of socks, and leggings for pants. But waterproof pants are awesome as well (you can find some here). In addition, I bring micro spikes because ice starts to form on the cooler mornings/days, and again, your hiking shoes will not dig through the ice, like your micro spikes will.

For hiking in the Summer, I wear biker shorts, or water resistance shorts, and a t-shirt (non-cotton, use dry-fit instead). In addition, I will always bring a rain jacket, because you never know. The mountains really do have their own weather system. Also, a light sweatshirt because the peaks are usually ten to twenty degrees cooler than the summits. And an extra shirt and shorts, because I sweat a lot.

Now for the winter, I have only done a handful of winter hikes, thus, here is another website with great tips for how to dress and what to bring for winter hiking. But typically, you’ll hike with snowshoes, cramp-ons, ice picks, LOTs of clothing and layers, warm/thick gloves or mittens, neck warmers, goggles, snow pants, trekking poles, and sometimes even cross-country skis.

And that wraps up all our tips and tricks for how to get in shape for hiking, and just general tips all together for hiking. I hope this helped and you find some great new challenges/trails to try, and some great gear to get. And most of all, a great new hobby you can get into! Thank you for reading, take care, and get hiking!

Also, here is a video of my most recent hike, enjoy!