On the PCT, I found achieved my best mileage when I embraced rhythm and routine. Wake up early: Getting up at 5 increased my motivation throughout the entire day without fail, which is interesting because I’m very much a night owl at home. A thru hike should feel exciting and different from normal life. I found that the more I acted like I did at home, the less I appreciated the experience of hiking. Perfect your routine: experiment every morning how to take down your tent faster, and learn exactly where to put everything in your pack to be easily accessible at the times you need it. Having to unload a messy pack every time you want a snack guarantees longer breaks. It’s incredibly satisfying to know exactly where every one of your belongings is at all times, and to use everything you carry every day. Split up your days into consistent intervals: this is by far the most important strategy for me. I split my days into 5 sections, so that an ideal 35 mile day would look as follows: - wake up, pack up - hike 7 miles - breakfast - 7 miles - snack (bar covered in peanut butter) ~15 minutes - 7 miles - lunch - 7 miles - snack - 7 miles - dinner, set up camp. For a 20 mile day: 4 mile sections, 30 mile day: 6 mile sections, and a 40 mile day: 8 mile sections. This method broke down seemingly intimidating numbers into easily digestible goals. The numbers can also be adjusted slightly to accommodate water sources or a good view, just be sure to compensate on the next section. Cold soak: again, trail life should be radical and different than home. Soak oats as you pack up, eat them at your first stop. Soak ramen/couscous at snack breaks, eat for lunch and dinner. Supplement with tortillas, bars, peanut butter. In my experience, and in moderate mountain climates, the less you expose yourself to heat, the better the air feels. The best feeling I’ve felt is being part of the rock I sat on, with the wind passing straight through me. At some point you actually feel the magnitude of the earth beneath you, and the void that is everything above. Pre-ration: I found it much easier to buy in bulk and split my food into ziplocks for each day. You will be hungry-no getting around that-and it’s stressful to put the responsibility of rationing on your hungry mind. Break up the m&m’s into separate bags that you keep next to each morning’s oatmeal. Sometimes I even put each day’s food into a large bag, which can be kept far away from the temptation of everything else. Pick your luxury: There’s nothing better than a fresh apple 4 days into a section. In general you will crave fresh juicy foods much more than processed sweet ones. Personally I’d rather replace the weight of a stove/ fuel with apples and oranges, but everyone has their own thing! Experiment and find yours. Reflect: I’ve never journaled in my normal life, but I get so much out of it on the trail. The first few days are difficult and tedious. After a week or so, the words I write down articulate thoughts and emotions I was not able to access while hiking. Everything that bounces around my head all day is clarified and in many cases resolved. Just write your stream of consciousness for 15 minutes or so, and be sure to notice a couple things you enjoyed. Everyone has their own hike to hike. These were my tips for getting the most distance, but that should not always be the goal! Some of my best memories are from the sections where I slowed waaay down, enjoyed the mornings, and ran off to any lake I could see in the distance. I’ve always been super chill on small backpacking trips, so a thru hike was an exciting opportunity to push my physical and mental limits, but in the end I pushed too far and am still feeling the consequences. Pushing yourself is exhilarating and really worth it, and so is knowing when to be satisfied. It’s all about experimentation, and the one thing you’ll have plenty of on a thru hike is time!

@shaydaworld8563

Жыл бұрын

I'm planning to hike this in the next 5 years. Thank you so much for all this valuable information!!!

@nelsondln

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this! I start the pct in 2 weeks!

@clintwesly

Жыл бұрын

amazing how everyone can hike differently and kind of the same. i tried specific intervals, but that did not work for me. felt too much like “work”. i tend to have a different rhythm each day and just kind of flow with that. cold soaking. a few weeks then i found a stove in a hiker box. luxury of luxuries!! i took it as a sign from the trail. 😂 you hit the nail in the head with “experimentation”. put in the miles and adjust, change, adjust.

@aaron.silveira

Жыл бұрын

If I may add one thing, I’d strongly recommend taking a couple zeroes on the trail as opposed to in town. Towns are great, and you should splurge at least once a section, but a relaxing day by a beautiful lake will always beat a night on hard grass in an rv camp surrounded by snoring hikers and mediocre cell service. Try getting in and out for a resupply with time to make some trail miles, and when you do finally find the right town, don’t half ass it. I’m talking serious carb loading, three showers, complete gear clean!

@aaron.silveira

Жыл бұрын

@@clintwesly it really is! That’s interesting about intervals, and I do agree to an extent. There are times where breaking for a snack could destroy the rhythm, or times where a breakfast at camp is the best way to start. This was just my method for consistently getting the most miles with the least effort, but it was not always the most enjoyable, or the best way to experience the trail around me. In my opinion slowing down and straying from the well beaten path will always yield more memories and excitement, but that’s not always why someone embarks on a thru hike. Intervals, planning a week ahead, pre rationing food, eating simply: these all contribute to a productive, stress free environment to really work through thoughts and emotions.

Big fan of walking whilst deucing, it's awkward but adds a few feet a week to my mileage.

@daven.7685

Жыл бұрын

I can’t even imagine what that looks like. Do you hold a doggie bag over your bum?

@jessekennedy9940

Жыл бұрын

@@daven.7685 With enough practice you can curve it like the bullets in "Wanted".

@daven.7685

Жыл бұрын

@@jessekennedy9940 LOL!

@xHuge1

Жыл бұрын

Can't tell if you or the KZreadr are bigger psychopaths 😂

@markbajek2541

Жыл бұрын

"If I could walk that way I wouldn't need talcum powder" - Monty Python

Said a little differently…. As a backpacker, you have to first decide whether you are primarily a hiker or a camper. That decision (and neither is wrong) affects everything else about planning, gear, cooking, etc.

not sure about pee walking. I tried a couple times 😭

@samanderson1142

Жыл бұрын

pee walking do be a step too far IMO

@Jan.harvey

Жыл бұрын

@@samanderson1142 Swimming and peeing are the only times I can multitask like John.

@EthanDurant

Жыл бұрын

Easier out the bottom and off the side than the normal way. Helps if you have short inseam shots, 7” or less

@nelsondln

Жыл бұрын

New goals!!

@BURZUM__

Жыл бұрын

@@EthanDurant 7 inches?? Sheeeeei

Your perspective is interesting. I’m not a high end mileage guy. I prefer daily mileage in the 8-12mi range. Enjoy the flexibility to spend more time in a gorgeous area taking pics/videos or fishing cause that’s what We like to do. Also a 5⭐️ campsite is imperative. We spend time finding a great location. For you mileage seams to be the goal. Cool! So many ways to enjoy the back country. Good to see you back posting videos!

Why sleep when you can sleepwalk? Why pee when you can sleepwalkpee? Why eat when you can sleepwalkeatpee??? Food for thought

@samuelfox8126

4 ай бұрын

At a junction I Tpee

"I'm more a hiker than a backpacker" is also my outlook. For me, having to camp is an unfortunate necessity of a multi-day hike and so I hike sunrise to sunset to minimize the time I spend sitting in a tent.

@1strights

3 күн бұрын

Yes

I am older and I find getting up at 5am and on the trail by 5am works for me. I like to get 10 before 10am. I like to truly stop at some point in my day and have a real lunch and relax off my feet. I generally hike with my dog and we both enjoy this longer down time. We hike in New England and usually get 18 to 20 miles a day this way. If we were hiking out west I think our mileage would be closer to 30 35 a day. We have no switch backs. I also go fairly light, My base weight is about eight pounds. I pack to hike not to camp. Like you I generally don’t hang around camp much. I get up early and off the trail just before dark. Take care

@alexberman84

6 ай бұрын

35 miles a day? you can easily walk or hike 56 kilometers a day?

It’s interesting how the terms Hiking or Backpacking can mean so many different things to each person

So interesting putting it into perspective of how someone can be more of a hiker than a camper etc - I live for the quiet moments of camping, love hiking too obviously but the calmness and peace is much of why I go too along with the adventure and beauty.

boom me first - always gold. I just learned something about myself at a ripe old age. It screams as to why I am an ultralight backpacker....I have ADHD....simplicity, maximum retrievability, more miles to see whats next...trying to stay present but always moving. In the Sierra there's nothing but computer wallpaper around every corner. Its such an interesting and challenging journey for the perfect kit...I can laser focus for months before a trip. Which doesn't come easy otherwise. I suspect there are more of us out there.

@RC-qf3mp

Жыл бұрын

Yup, less stuff you carry, less stuff to worry about. Fewer things to lose or have to remember. Stuff just gets in the way most of the time. Take what you need, leave what you don’t. Take care of your feet.

@ricmcneill1794

2 ай бұрын

I’m right there with you. I through hikes the AT at 8lbs beginning and ended up at 4.5lbs base weight. Zero stress of extra things and my body adjusted to temps and conditions beyond belief.

these tips are so true. I used to think the faster I started my day the more miles I'd get, but it proved to be the opposite. Now I just hike at a good pace all day and that results in more miles and less fatigue on my body. Great video John!

Solid tips and agree with the micro breaks! I’ve done 3 min breaks for every hour hiked and works well in the Sierra. Go all day 🤠

@trailcairn1717

Жыл бұрын

Love your videos😊

Great advice, thank you for posting this video. I’ve learned the hard way that walking as fast as possible is great in the short term, but tends to lead to injuries….

Micro breaks are key. 3-5 min max. More than that I get pulled into a resting vortex and I lose track of time.

He forgot #6. 💩 while walking. Helps to wear a kilt.

I love the tip on making camping more efficient. Not spending more than 20 minutes at camp is a great idea. Great video, great tips! 🔥🔥🔥

Great tips and so refreshing to watch a concise video.

Thank you John, always good content, always learning something with you.

@mrtru1te

Жыл бұрын

J'espère voir un tuto de comment pisser en marchant dans tes prochaines vidéos !

@woodchip2782

Жыл бұрын

@@mrtru1te Ouais! Ça m’intrigue moi aussi…😏

@GrandeLoutre

Жыл бұрын

Ça arrive vite !

Solid tips and a great philosophy on hiking in general

OK, but I'm a camp-lover! Each aspect of the trip is equally important to me, and taken together IS the point of the journey. Just enjoying the slow awakening in a comfortable sleeping bag and munching some food to start the day while listening to the wilderness sounds is priceless! Then, when I'm on the trail, I'm REALLY on the trail, and not distracted by 'things' that need to be done, because I already did them in camp. Still, I agree that a water bottle should be carried in such a way as to be accessible while strolling along and enjoying the view. Best wishes and good journeys to you all!

Thank you for the info. It is very helpful. Happy Trails!

Lol I KNOW these tips work! I’m a grandmother of three active kids and this all sounds like my average day 😂 gee the chores I do on the run, with a load on my back and under crazy environmental conditions! All with my head up and a smile (most of the time 🙄) 😂

Thank you very much for these essential tips.👍

What a lovely video. Totally agree with 3 and 5 🙂

I definitely like to have mini breaks that are a matter of minutes than even 15. I look for trail furniture ... a ledge, stump or log and situate myself so the pack weight is off without taking it all the way off. :)

I took 2 hits and this is like the most relaxing video ive ever seen.

Thank you for these tips 👍

Here's an old face that I once watched years ago. Glad to see the content!

Amazing short video ! Agree 1000%

I love this guy's voice, it's so calm.

Nice tips! The first scene reminded me intensely of Indian Peak wilderness in Colorado.

I followed this way when I walked across the UK in 7 days. If you are in tune with your surroundings and yourself, time means nothing.

Man I got the peeing part down pat but squeezing out a dookie while hiking is being super challenging It gets everywhere on my legs and other hikers are horrified watching! Thanks 🙏

Do this as a demonstration of distance. Walk with a group of people who are hiking 16min miles. Stop, while the others are walking. Pull out a camera that is buried in your backpack/daypack and take some pictures on the trail. Now try to catch up with them.

Pee? Pee while walking, eh? Bro, you need to get off the trail.

Beautiful footage

Good tips. I'm trying to be a hiker but find I like the idea more than the event. Maybe these can help.

Great Video and Tips!! I was surprised on the PCT that I was the only one I knew filtering water while walking. To me it made total sense. From one 1,5L-bottle into the other. And I when I was taking a break I was always laying flat and not sitting there and filtering. My rule was to avoid any pressure on the feet when I am not walking. Sometimes I would filter water while laying flat ;) I didnt do the peeing while walking though :D

@bergundsteppe

Жыл бұрын

@@mister_walter_sobchak Sawer squeeze and two 1,5L smart water bottles that I could grab from the side pockets while walking. On one the Saqwwer Squeze was attached to all the time. In the desert section I had some extra 1L bottles

@bergundsteppe

11 ай бұрын

@@mister_walter_sobchak I would pack away my thin trekking poles into one side pocket (I wasnt using them a lot and later one had only one left) and looking on the trail while squeezing it from the dirty to the clean bottle. Yes the set up was very common :)

Cool insights. Good, useable ideas

This is why I use my sawyer while I pee walk. Gotta lump those tasks bro.

Awesome tips 🔥🔥🔥

Thanks I’ll have to try them

Clean video

Great video 😊

Love these suggestions. Like others said, I appreciate and identify with the "Hiker vs backpacker" comparison. I was surprised when you said peeing while walking though, was that serious? I'd be interested in a whole video on how that can be achieved 😂

@hildelautenhalvorsen9141

Жыл бұрын

Must be a guy thing 😄

@ledrunkenmonkey

Жыл бұрын

Walk backwards? Still seems dicey

Pretty sure you can take a few minutes out of your day to not piss all over the trail that hundreds/thousands of other people use.

@OmmerSyssel

Жыл бұрын

Why is pee so upsetting? It's used water and disappears.

You assumed the most important tip: get in good shape for hiking, including toughening the feet.

Thanks heaps - where did you get this mittens - they split and haven’t seen them for years.

The king has returned!

Lovely

Personally if you’re peeing ON the trail, which you must be if you’re peeing and hiking, I think the penalty should be a swift kick in the balls. Ridiculous. Everything else makes perfect sense.

@ConfusedGeriatric

Жыл бұрын

What’s wrong with peeing on trail?

@asmith7876

Жыл бұрын

@@ConfusedGeriatric Uh, well, pretty simple really, it makes the trail smell like PEE. Personally it’s not among my fetishes, perhaps it is for some but definitely not me. I stand by my “kicked in the nuts” for a proper penalty.

@justindeming3553

Жыл бұрын

I think I would rather stop and pee,rather than pee all over myself. If I am in that big of a hurry I am hiking for the wrong reasons

@tacojohn9

Жыл бұрын

​@@asmith7876 it also makes the trail taste like pee

@timsalmon4568

Жыл бұрын

​@@asmith7876 This might be a disturbing revelation, but out in nature there are these things called Animals that pee on everything 😲.

Thanks.

One missed point is "Slow Down". Pushing hard will tire you out. Adopting a slower pace then your "max effort" or even "good effort" helps a lot. Took me longer than I want to admit to come to terms with this.

literally just everything you learn on the divide

Slow n Steady Wins the Race

I did a thirty miler across Dartmoor on the final day of my months long commando course. Not an easy thing to do. I treat this post with deep suspicion.

How do you do your breaks? As a wilderness counselor I try and teach my kids to not take off their packs or sit down unless it is a longer break, or else starting up again will be difficult. imo leaning on something (tree/rock) and having someone pass you your waterbottle/snack (if you are in a group) is a lot better for keeping in the right headspace

@OmmerSyssel

Жыл бұрын

Sounds exaggerated. Why should children keep a load on their shoulders just because of your weird perceptions? Short efficient rest is important, head on after some 5 minutes and no one will fall out of walking rhythm. Outdoor living isn't military exercise!

@georgeheld1901

Жыл бұрын

@@OmmerSyssel sorry if it came off as hard and fast rules, it’s more so suggestions lol

John, you’re a myth. Pure and simple myth. Solid tips from the man who set the FKT for the GDT without even trying:knowing about it.

Say whats that mesh tent youre using at 0:49? looks cool. :)

You should keep your eyes on the ground five or six feet in front of you while hiking, and not looking around or doing other things that might lead to tripping or stepping in a hole. When you stop to do something, you can look around as much as you need, including behind you to see who or what may be following you.

@architennis

10 ай бұрын

Why? We're out there for the views. The trick is to look quickly at the ground for just a second or two then back up to the scenery, back and forth...longer in the toughest parts of the trail. I have to remind myself to practice this on every trip, but it's worth it.

Nice ..

so eager to watch your video about peeing while walking... 🚶‍♀😀

Yeah boyyyyyy

Very good :)

What do you use to cut your hair on trail?

Carry only between 1/6th and 1/5th of your body weight, and ten miles vefore breakfast, and you’ll be fine

Love to get a tutorial on how to pee while walking. Should I side step or walk backwards?

Pee walking….mmmm….nope. 😅😂

thx

Can anyone tell me where the last shot is at 2:58?

Is that a modified soloplex?

What's the most miles you've walked?

Pee walking is the first level. As a profesional i’m even poo walking or sometimes sleep walking so i can cover more mileage

Walk 11.5 hours. Camp/ Clean/ Eat . Sleep 11. 5 hours. Camp/ Clean/ Eat. Repeat.

I "just keep moving" decents are breaks

I'm gonna need a "she-wee" to walk n pee at the same time. I like to put my legs in the air during small breaks, somehow helps me with recovery while hiking.

the dao of hiking.

Peeing!?! john you're a madman ahah love the tips man. keep making videos. you're a rockstar. Don't know how useful that peeing tip is for female bodied hikers though.

I think this is me, but I never really knew it. I just knew I did it a little differently. More hiker, less backpacker 🤔

Wait, a backpack that opens for the top AND the bottom?? That's genius! Why is that not a thing, why have I never thought of that? When you think of backpacking packs they are usually just a sack that you have to load and unload from the top so you have to take everything out to get to the bottom stuff.

@MG-bs5mr

Жыл бұрын

You're joking right? Every single walking rucksack I've ever owned has had this.

@MedievalTrebuchet

Жыл бұрын

@@MG-bs5mr could you list a few makes/models so I could look into them?

@MG-bs5mr

Жыл бұрын

@@MedievalTrebuchet I'm trying to remember the brands I've had before and I'm struggling. My current rucksack and my previous one were both made by Deuter. I think I'm right in saying that one of my previous ones was made by Lower Alpine. Sorry, they've become so familiar to me that I struggled to comprehend that no one has ever seen them before. And yes, they're really useful. Not only do they have the zip at the base but with most of them it's possible to create a compartment at the bottom (for wet gear, etc) by using a built in zippered flap that divides the internal space.

@MG-bs5mr

Жыл бұрын

@@MedievalTrebuchet my current one is a Deuter Futura 32

@MedievalTrebuchet

Жыл бұрын

@@MG-bs5mr thank you! I didn't realize that there are several great production packs out there that have both top and bottom openings. I am going to have to get one of these before my next hike. I guess I missed the trend, I've had this podunk pack for several years and it only opens from the top.

Please make more videos

real

Don't forget to play Junkie$ by Ocean Grove loudly on a speaker. Haha :)

I find that micro breaks also make you much less likely to injure yourself

I did 32km once, but I had to end my trip because I had blisters on the balls of my feet. :-/ How do I avoid that?

@jmanbrizzle

Жыл бұрын

Wear two layers of socks. Like injinji sock liners and darn toughs over that. And as soon as you feel any sort of friction on your foot, stop and cover that spot with leukotape.

@OmmerSyssel

Жыл бұрын

Next to clever advice given, be sure your footwear fits.

@Obi-Wan_Pierogi

Жыл бұрын

@@OmmerSyssel The shoes fit perfectly. It wasn't about friction, I think I'm just overweight

👍🐿👍

John Z is back??

Why? Slow down and forget how far you went but what you feel

@OmmerSyssel

Жыл бұрын

Each to his own.. In the end of the day, or week one has gained more experiences and kilometers than the other. At 5-6 km/h your still not stressed or missing anything.

I was nodding my head to the list of things to do while walking and then... peeing? How in gods name hahaha

Im here for the “walking whilst peeing” people. That’s a bit extreme. Like drilling holes in a toothbrush handle to save a bit of weight.

For greater privacy wear a hockey mask at all times to ward off other people.

You must be running from something. Dont want to stop for to long because then you start thinking.

1 uncommon tip for hiking more miles is walking more

How do you pee while walking…

Peeing and walking?

the real jay-z

Did my man just say peeing while walking

1 2 4 & 5 are essentially just 'walk more' lol

Nice video, but really nobrainer points.