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For me, elevation is my main interest in a big hike. I see most people who are big into HAZ trip logging seem to be more concerned with miles hiked. Why is that?

For me, I know why I like elevation, as coming from the flat east coast, a hill of 100 feet is big, so 2400' or 5000' is an incredible feat. Miles, not such a big deal. I hiked good distances before, but never got too excited about doing a 30 mile day. You have to admit, doing 20 miles with 4500' AEG is far harder than 20 miles with only 400 feet AEG. So too though, is doing 3000' AEG over 25 miles harder than 3000' over 5, but I have my preference. How 'bout you.

At my current level of fitness, distance. If you count ~10 miles as "distance". :roll: Too much elevation is a grind, and a grind is work, and if I wanted to work I would be at the office. :yuck: Plus distance appeals to my natural inclination to want to do things -- anything, everything -- as fast as possible.

kingsnake wrote:At my current level of fitness, distance. If you count ~10 miles as "distance". :roll: Too much elevation is a grind, and a grind is work, and if I wanted to work I would be at the office. :yuck: Plus distance appeals to my natural inclination to want to do things -- anything, everything -- as fast as possible.

That pretty much how I feel, except that elevation is my "doing things". I don't feel as drained or challenged after a hike unless there is a lot of heart pumping, cardio-vascular demand. Relatively level terrain is usually boring in that way, for me.

I prefer elevation over distance too. Elevation gain gets the juices flowing and is challenging. I have to work too hard to get a work out on flat trails, if that makes sense. Keeping a good pace on a steep trail is an easier way to get a good work out than trying to hike real fast on a flat trail. I also think you see more on a hike with elevation gain. To each his own...

I like a combination. I like a good climb or two to break up the miles, but I don't like a purely vertical slog.

I guess it depends on why a person likes to hike. Some of us hike to get/stay in shape. Some of us hike because we like to look at the scenery. And some of us do it for both. I like to hike cause I get to see things that you can't see by driving a vehicle to. Walking on paths that have so much history. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy a good work out now and then. Take Reavis Ranch from the South end. You bust your butt to get to Reavis Saddle and then start the nice hike into the Ranch. And when you get to the Ranch, you feel great. And then some times, it's nice to go to First Water and put alot of easy miles on. Just depends.

A lot of hikers don't care about miles or elevation gain, but just want to explore, see new territory, etc. There are the slow ones who stop to look at every flower, but there are also some super fit, kick-it hikers who can do the hardest hikes, who never keep too close tabs on miles or elevation gain. One of my friends who has over 100 GC backpacking trips under his belt, mostly off-trail ones, told me he has never kept track of miles, much less elevation gain. Off trail in the GC, miles are meaningless, anyway.

I have kept track of miles and AEG a little bit, though, because I want to measure myself against upcoming trips I might be planning. If I have a GC backpacking permit, I want to be sure I will be able to do that hike with the minimum of effort, so I tend to train pretty hard for it. Keeping track of miles and elevation gain on hikes lets me know if I am ready for it.

But my main goal is to be comfortable hiking a long way with my multi-day pack on. If I am comfortable in that, then I can enjoy what I went there for in the first place, which is the scenery, wildlife, feeling of freedom, etc. If I am not fit, I can't enjoy it quite as much (we've all been there!) Therefore, having some knowledge of what I am capable of, by keeping track of miles and elev gain, is a means to an end.

(I am sure there is a less long-winded way to make the above statement! ;) )

I prefer to enjoy off trail canyon exploration for the fun of it, but to make that process easy, I follow progressive hiking/training programs with a primary emphasis on elevation. Mileage is easy to train for... it is just dedicated hours. Elevation gain, especially elevation gained while carrying weight, requires training... Additionally, it is fun to see and compare levels of conditioning over the decades. My best single day of elevation is 18,000 feet over 48 miles. I hope to move that accomplishment to 20,000 feet this year... not sure if it will happen. 2010 was a bust for progressive training, but hope springs eternal. I'd also like to log in a new record one month over 120,000'....

My best single day of elevation is 18,000 feet over 48 miles.

Thats a lot of both. I don't think I could do that.

Jim_H wrote:

My best single day of elevation is 18,000 feet over 48 miles.

Thats a lot of both. I don't think I could do that.

Anyone could... it is simple a matter of proper training... which means having the time to put in the hard miles and having the time to rest and recover between workouts. Having a bit of luck also helps!

Jim_H wrote:

My best single day of elevation is 18,000 feet over 48 miles.

Thats a lot of both. I don't think I could do that.

I think you could, Jim. Just a matter of deciding.

I don't know, two reasons. First, I have flat feet, and while I do use orthotics, so far they only make things slightly better than without them, and by the end of a long hike when I have gone down hill and pronated a lot, my plantar fascia is killing me. So too, are my knees, lower back, and ankles. The 7400 feet I did on Whitney last month wasn't too bad as it was on snow, but I was feeling it. Then the mileage is really long. Long distances have the same affect. In fact, one reason I like going up hill is because the action of going up keeps the foot more neutral and doesn't stretch out the plantars fascia. Long distances can't all be up, so I have trouble. There is also the time factor. I did 20 miles in the canyon 2 times last September, but I had rest periods in the creek. I don't know if I would have the energy or desire to go that distance all day. In some ways, it seems to be too long of a day to enjoy it. I have no interest in the Rim to Rim to Rim, simply because it seems like punishment, and not a lot of fun. But, on the other hand, you never know, an maybe if I wanted to I could train and do it.

Yeah, the feet and knees would get to me, too.

I find that when my knees are hurting it goes away after 5-10 miles

I have found, re knees, that when I am pretty fit I have very few "twinges." It is another good thing about muscles: They tend to support the joints.

Now if my new arm muscles (from kayaking and rock gym classes) will tend to support my awful elbows and wrists, wouldn't that be nice? I did climb all day yesterday, outdoors, first time in years, and the only thing I feel this morning is a pleasant slight ache in my arm muscles, so maybe they are starting to support my elbow joints better.

For me, it is all about elevation. I hike primarily for cardio and to burn calories. I've always been a gym person, but I could never consistently jog on a treadmill, do the elliptical, etc. I simply find it far too boring. Most of the time, I would just neglect it. When I started hiking last year, I found steep hikes to be great cardio and it was fun to be out amongst nature with beautiful scenery and seeing where the trail would take me. This was actually cardio that I wouldn't have to force myself to do! I have never once been bored while hiking a steep trail. Trails that are flat with little elevation gain do not appeal to me at all and I will never hike them. I would have to jog on those trails to get the same cardio effect of a steep trail. I hate running, so that is not going to happen.

nikorock28 wrote:I hate running, so that is not going to happen.

I hate running also. I did it for about 2 months and I couldn't take it anymore. My knee started to hurt all the time and I dreaded just thinking about the run. Hiking is different. I have jogged a trail or two, and that was pretty fun. But I didn't get a good look at everything.

I also have a hard time with it. It's great to up your cardio, which I need, but I don't need to ruin my knees. But I live next to Mt. Elden now. Just wait till school's out...

kevinweitzel75 wrote:

nikorock28 wrote:I hate running, so that is not going to happen.

I hate running also. I did it for about 2 months and I couldn't take it anymore. My knee started to hurt all the time and I dreaded just thinking about the run. Hiking is different. I have jogged a trail or two, and that was pretty fun. But I didn't get a good look at everything.

Yeah, I used to designate a "cardio" day once a week at the gym, but that only last 1-2 months top on my few attempts. I jog trails when I feel like it, but usually only for a couple hundred feet at a time (or less), then back to a brisk walk

azbackpackr wrote: But I live next to Mt. Elden now. Just wait till school's out...

I see the Elden Lookout hike that Jim_H frequently does. If I am still in Prescott Valley in the summer, I will definitely go to Flagstaff to check it out. That and Humphreys are on my list for now.