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Pro tip: I read a trail guide that said the John Muir Trail actually has over 67,000 feet of total elevation gain.
Found that stat in a Sierra Club pamphlet at a ranger station, which made me rethink my training plan for next summer's attempt.
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phoenixh7417d ago
That number is a real gut check... I had the same moment planning my thru-hike. My advice is to stop counting miles in training and only focus on vertical gain. Find the longest, steepest hill around and just go up and down it with a full pack, like @walker.rowan said. Do that until a 3,000-foot climb feels normal, because you'll have a dozen days like that back-to-back. It's less about being fast and more about your legs not quitting when the grade just keeps going.
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the_olivia11d ago
My first week on the PCT I hit that 3,000-foot climb before lunch and my legs just locked up. I spent the next month doing nothing but hill repeats on a local fire road with a 50-pound pack. It rewires your brain for the grind in a way flat miles never will.
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