Every time I go hiking, as soon as I'm on the trail, I come down with a serious case of "get-home-itis".
Meaning, I don't want my sweetheart trail angel to worry, so I don't take any breaks. I mean, 5 minute break every hour, 10 minutes every other hour, 30 minutes for lunch, and by the end of a 10 hour hike, I've spent more than 90 minutes resting. That's 90 minutes more my sweetheart is worrying and fretting.
On the other hand, at the end of the trail, I'm exhausted, and my brisk walk is now a slow trudge. But that could be because I'm out of shape, overweight, and have no stamina. Or, my Type 2 diabetes.
So, what's the consensus? To break or not to break? What do you guys do?
I prefer "breathers" over breaks. And that generally only happens when I'm climbing. If I have brought a meal with me, I take a break to eat, but I'm usually ready to move again after 10-15 minutes.
I generally get exhausted somewhere in the middle of my hike. By the time I'm getting within a couple miles of the end, my adrenaline usually kicks in and propels me toward the cooler at a pretty good clip.
I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.
Breaks are intended to reduce physical (or other) stress/anxiety, not cause it!
Sounds like the real concern is about a worrying Mrs., and you worrying about her worrying. Oy! Here's my armchair psychiatrist treatment plan: Both of you just relax! Haha.
No, seriously, sounds like you both would benefit from setting some appropriate expectations. If the "no break" hike time is 4 hours, just "schedule in" in some break time, and tell the Mrs. you'll be back in 5. That way, the Mrs. doesn't have to start worrying at 4 hours and 1 minute, and you can take some breaks, relax, recharge, and soak in the views along the way without worrying about her worrying.
Better yet, get the Mrs. out on the trail with you! (works for me ;-)
I take breaks according to how I feel and probably wouldn't fully enjoy hiking nine hours without one. Fatigue makes people more prone to injury and bad decisions, so I think breaks actually reduce risk in many cases. I agree on factoring reasonable rest/eating durations into the estimated return time.
Since I hike with a Camelback for water, I don't like to take breaks per se, but I use my times when I stop to take pictures as microbreaks, etc. In other words, I don't really like to take extended breaks, true lunches, etc. I use the Route Scout one mile intervals to drink water, etc. "I have a system"!
Having said all of that, HYOH and do it however makes you feel best.
Follow me on Instagram: hikingjason
"It's not the mountains that we conquer, but ourselves"
I've only hiked once without my beloved in about 10 years and that was with The Eagle and Hansenaz. Needless to say she was beside herself in fear.....
I used to be able to go all Day if I wanted to without Eating...Recently, I came to a rather Rude Awakening telling me that that has changed. After 7 Hours of Scrambling, Downclimbing and Rappelling in a River without a Break, my Body literally stopped wanting to work or move at all...I now Understand what People say when they "hit a Wall"....I had to stop right there and Eat something just so I could Finish...I think part of that is Age and a lot of it has to do with the Fact that even though I've been Pre-Diabetic for Years, I was Diagnosed with Full-Blown Type 2 Diabetes a Year Ago. My Body just doesn't want to behave the way it used to, so I now force myself to stop and Eat even if I'm not that Hungry...Breaks are very important and they help me tremendously....I am like chumley though, the Last couple of Miles, I tend to have a "Horse going back to the Barn" Mentality and I usually finish pretty strong. I don't think that would be Possible without the Breaks and the Food....I would definitely be factoring in your Average Pace and your Break Times and then Pad even that a little bit so you don't feel "Rushed".....As a Type 2 Diabetic, you need to take those Breaks...
Lifeis not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming,"Wow What a Ride!"
@chumley
Absolutely! Opens those Bronchial Tubes right up.... Great for Anxiety too....
Lifeis not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming,"Wow What a Ride!"
If you've set up a hike via a club, or HAZ or Meetup you don't really have the flexibility you'd have by yourself or with a couple of friends you've hiked with before. I like to take breaks, but have hiked with people who don't. I think a discussion of how many breaks might be needed should come up before the hike. I hike alone because when I want to stop, guess what? I stop. Ain't nobody around to complain!
One time a guy was telling me he'd been backpacking only once, and that the guys he went with hiked really fast and never stopped. Therefore, he thought backpacking was pretty awful. I gently pointed out to him that it is up to him how fast to go, and how many stops he would take--not up to them. He seemed surprised. He hadn't considered the element of choice. He thought you had to go really fast and never stop til you got to camp.
I guess he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box.
Another discussion comes to mind I have with my tour guests. They want to come back into the Park the next day and go for a "little" hike. I usually suggest Bright Angel Trail. "Oh, that's too far! We can't hike that far!"
Say what?
Why do people assume there is some rule saying you have to hike the whole thing, all the way to the river? Again, gently I tell them, "Well, but it's a nice intro. Hike down a half an hour, using your watch, then turn around and hike out, and it may take you an hour to hike out." I can't count the number of times they seem surprised by this advice.
There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.
Route Editor
Route Scout
Great for Anxiety too.... 
