Tips for Uphill Walking or Hiking

[davebugg]

Copied and edited from one of my earlier posts
--------------------------------

If a person has some level of cardio fitness, making it up a long uphill grade is a matter of pace, maintaining calorie intake, hydration, and utilizing meaningful breaks.

1. As you head uphill, adjust your pace to a comfortable level which you are able to maintain without needing to frequently stop and start. Frequent stops and starts adds to exhaustion. It doesn't matter if your pace is 4 miles per hour or 0.5 miles per hour. What matters is continuously walking between planned breaks.

Set a planned interval for a short and deliberate break -- say every 20 minutes, lasting for five minutes. Set your pace so that you can walk until reaching break time.

Setting your pace is a dynamic process, you need to adjust it as circumstances dictate. Please set your pace based on what you need, not on how you feel.

How do you maintain a pace at a set speed? My trick is to periodically check myself by silently humming a tune... the same tune.... which is easy to sync to each step I take. Don't laugh, but I use 'Hark The Herald Angles Sing'. It is NOT the speed of the tune that determines my pace, but my pace will determine the speed of the tune. Once that pace is determined, then you can use the speed of the tune to check yourself.

Some folks may view this as too formulaic or too rigid, but that is not the case. It is simply a tool to assist in understanding your body's rhythm while walking. The more familiar you become with your body's needs while hiking -- which happens as your experience grows -- the less need there is for such tricks like humming a tune.

As the grade uphill gets steeper and I need to slow, I don't necessarily slow how fast I take a step, I adjust the length of each step. In other words, in keeping time with my song, I might go from, say, 10 inches between one footstep to the next, to only 5 inches between steps. That will automatically slow how fast I am moving, and still keep me in step with my song.

Inexperienced folks will start out fast and try to maintain that pace because they are fresh, full of energy, and not at all tired. . .yet. They want to keep up with those in better shape. They are in a race for beds. They are worried about being caught in the rain. Whatever.

They will start to crump within a fairly short distance up the hill; and the crumping will become cumulative with each step, even if they slow down later, because they have burned through their energy producing stores with that initial fast pace. They not only will crump, but they are now going to stay in a state of depleted energy which only a very prolonged break can solve.

Start slower than what you feel is a normal pace for you. Let people pass you by, and see how that pace feels as you continue uphill. If you start feeling too out of breath, slow down. If your leg muscles start feeling too fatigued, slow down.

Also, keep the above tips and cautions in mind AFTER you take a break. You will feel refreshed and you will be tempted to start out faster than you should. RESIST that temptation.

2. At every short break time, eat something. Your stomach and GI tract can only process food at a specific rate of time, so you want to match your intake of food to that optimum time frame. Eating food at about the rate of 100 calorie increments every 20 to 30 minutes is a good time frame. A quarter of a Snicker bar and a bite of cheese, or a handful of trail mix, or a bit of bocadillo,or some Peanut M&Ms, or some energy gel with some nuts, etc. The idea is to replenish your energy producing stores that your muscles will need for the next 25 to 30 minutes.

In addition to hydrating during breaks, a good technique is to be sipping and drinking water while you are walking. You need to stay hydrated without overdoing water consumption.

3. If it starts to become very difficult to walk 20 minutes without stopping in between, then lengthen your break from 5 minutes to 8 minutes, or 10 minutes. Give your calorie intake a longer period to do its job, and for you to re-oxygenate and fuel your muscle cells. If you find that it fairly easy to walk 20 minutes before stopping, then add 5 more minutes to your walk time between breaks. Still fairly easy? Then keep adding 5 minutes to the interval before stopping. However, I would advise not going longer than 1 hour without taking a break. I usually break every 55 minutes or so.

4. It is understandable if you have some jitters about a physically demanding and prolonged walk up into the mountains or hills. Or even on less aggressive elevations.

Doubt may pierce your mind with a persistent whisper of "can I do this?" which forces one's mind and gut to focus on perceived inadequacies. Doubt doesn't wait for evidence of one's ability to perform, or to look at what actually will occur during your hike. Nope, all Doubt is concerned with, is making you feel inadequate and insecure.

So as you prepare for your Camino you can either let Doubt have its fun with you, or you can push Doubt to the background and tell it to, "Shut up; you just wait and see what I can do!!!".

I go through at least a portion of the above every time late winter eases into spring and I begin preparing for the coming backpacking season, especially for planned multi-week backpacking treks. I went through that for my first Camino in 2017. I am hearing those voices again this year as I am planning on a Camino this Fall.

I just simply respond to the question of 'Can I do this?', by answering "I am as prepared as I can be, I will be flexible to things happening around me, and regardless of what happens, life will continue on".

After all, I am not going into combat, or heading into a burning building; I am just going for a walk.

 

[Marbe2]

Copied and edited from one of my earlier posts
--------------------------------

If a person has some level of cardio fitness, making it up a long uphill grade is a matter of pace, maintaining calorie intake, hydration, and utilizing meaningful breaks.

1. As you head uphill, adjust your pace to a comfortable level which you are able to maintain without needing to frequently stop and start. Frequent stops and starts adds to exhaustion. It doesn't matter if your pace is 4 miles per hour or 0.5 miles per hour. What matters is continuously walking between planned breaks.

Set a planned interval for a short and deliberate break -- say every 20 minutes, lasting for five minutes. Set your pace so that you can walk until reaching break time.

Setting your pace is a dynamic process, you need to adjust it as circumstances dictate. Please set your pace based on what you need, not on how you feel.

How do you maintain a pace at a set speed? My trick is to periodically check myself by silently humming a tune... the same tune.... which is easy to sync to each step I take. Don't laugh, but I use 'Hark The Herald Angles Sing'. It is NOT the speed of the tune that determines my pace, but my pace will determine the speed of the tune. Once that pace is determined, then you can use the speed of the tune to check yourself.

Some folks may view this as too formulaic or too rigid, but that is not the case. It is simply a tool to assist in understanding your body's rhythm while walking. The more familiar you become with your body's needs while hiking -- which happens as your experience grows -- the less need there is for such tricks like humming a tune.

As the grade uphill gets steeper and I need to slow, I don't necessarily slow how fast I take a step, I adjust the length of each step. In other words, in keeping time with my song, I might go from, say, 10 inches between one footstep to the next, to only 5 inches between steps. That will automatically slow how fast I am moving, and still keep me in step with my song.

Inexperienced folks will start out fast and try to maintain that pace because they are fresh, full of energy, and not at all tired. . .yet. They want to keep up with those in better shape. They are in a race for beds. They are worried about being caught in the rain. Whatever.

They will start to crump within a fairly short distance up the hill; and the crumping will become cumulative with each step, even if they slow down later, because they have burned through their energy producing stores with that initial fast pace. They not only will crump, but they are now going to stay in a state of depleted energy which only a very prolonged break can solve.

Start slower than what you feel is a normal pace for you. Let people pass you by, and see how that pace feels as you continue uphill. If you start feeling too out of breath, slow down. If your leg muscles start feeling too fatigued, slow down.

Also, keep the above tips and cautions in mind AFTER you take a break. You will feel refreshed and you will be tempted to start out faster than you should. RESIST that temptation.

2. At every short break time, eat something. Your stomach and GI tract can only process food at a specific rate of time, so you want to match your intake of food to that optimum time frame. Eating food at about the rate of 100 calorie increments every 20 to 30 minutes is a good time frame. A quarter of a Snicker bar and a bite of cheese, or a handful of trail mix, or a bit of bocadillo,or some Peanut M&Ms, or some energy gel with some nuts, etc. The idea is to replenish your energy producing stores that your muscles will need for the next 25 to 30 minutes.

In addition to hydrating during breaks, a good technique is to be sipping and drinking water while you are walking. You need to stay hydrated without overdoing water consumption.

3. If it starts to become very difficult to walk 20 minutes without stopping in between, then lengthen your break from 5 minutes to 8 minutes, or 10 minutes. Give your calorie intake a longer period to do its job, and for you to re-oxygenate and fuel your muscle cells. If you find that it fairly easy to walk 20 minutes before stopping, then add 5 more minutes to your walk time between breaks. Still fairly easy? Then keep adding 5 minutes to the interval before stopping. However, I would advise not going longer than 1 hour without taking a break. I usually break every 55 minutes or so.

4. It is understandable if you have some jitters about a physically demanding and prolonged walk up into the mountains or hills. Or even on less aggressive elevations.

Doubt may pierce your mind with a persistent whisper of "can I do this?" which forces one's mind and gut to focus on perceived inadequacies. Doubt doesn't wait for evidence of one's ability to perform, or to look at what actually will occur during your hike. Nope, all Doubt is concerned with, is making you feel inadequate and insecure.

So as you prepare for your Camino you can either let Doubt have its fun with you, or you can push Doubt to the background and tell it to, "Shut up; you just wait and see what I can do!!!".

I go through at least a portion of the above every time late winter eases into spring and I begin preparing for the coming backpacking season, especially for planned multi-week backpacking treks. I went through that for my first Camino in 2017. I am hearing those voices again this year as I am planning on a Camino this Fall.

I just simply respond to the question of 'Can I do this?', by answering "I am as prepared as I can be, I will be flexible to things happening around me, and regardless of what happens, life will continue on".

After all, I am not going into combat, or heading into a burning building; I am just going for a walk.

Dave,

Thank you for reposting this Information on Walking uphill. It is such a valuable resource for hill/mountain..hiking/walking. On continuous hills it really is imperative to start slowly and find one’s pace, otherwise the entire day may be a struggle or lost. It is not only important for energy levels, but also to prevent blisters and shin splints. Thanksagain!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

If the slope is too steep, either up or down, you could walk in a zigzag pattern along the length of the trail (or road) if it's wide enough. This effectively makes things less steep at the expense of making it a slightly longer walk.

 

[palmah]

Thanks Dave, I needed to read this today. We head to Spain on Sunday and start our Camino on Thursday from Roncesvalles. All I can say is "shut up doubt"!!

 

[Howie Peterson]

Copied and edited from one of my earlier posts
--------------------------------

If a person has some level of cardio fitness, making it up a long uphill grade is a matter of pace, maintaining calorie intake, hydration, and utilizing meaningful breaks.

1. As you head uphill, adjust your pace to a comfortable level which you are able to maintain without needing to frequently stop and start. Frequent stops and starts adds to exhaustion. It doesn't matter if your pace is 4 miles per hour or 0.5 miles per hour. What matters is continuously walking between planned breaks.

Set a planned interval for a short and deliberate break -- say every 20 minutes, lasting for five minutes. Set your pace so that you can walk until reaching break time.

Setting your pace is a dynamic process, you need to adjust it as circumstances dictate. Please set your pace based on what you need, not on how you feel.

How do you maintain a pace at a set speed? My trick is to periodically check myself by silently humming a tune... the same tune.... which is easy to sync to each step I take. Don't laugh, but I use 'Hark The Herald Angles Sing'. It is NOT the speed of the tune that determines my pace, but my pace will determine the speed of the tune. Once that pace is determined, then you can use the speed of the tune to check yourself.

Some folks may view this as too formulaic or too rigid, but that is not the case. It is simply a tool to assist in understanding your body's rhythm while walking. The more familiar you become with your body's needs while hiking -- which happens as your experience grows -- the less need there is for such tricks like humming a tune.

As the grade uphill gets steeper and I need to slow, I don't necessarily slow how fast I take a step, I adjust the length of each step. In other words, in keeping time with my song, I might go from, say, 10 inches between one footstep to the next, to only 5 inches between steps. That will automatically slow how fast I am moving, and still keep me in step with my song.

Inexperienced folks will start out fast and try to maintain that pace because they are fresh, full of energy, and not at all tired. . .yet. They want to keep up with those in better shape. They are in a race for beds. They are worried about being caught in the rain. Whatever.

They will start to crump within a fairly short distance up the hill; and the crumping will become cumulative with each step, even if they slow down later, because they have burned through their energy producing stores with that initial fast pace. They not only will crump, but they are now going to stay in a state of depleted energy which only a very prolonged break can solve.

Start slower than what you feel is a normal pace for you. Let people pass you by, and see how that pace feels as you continue uphill. If you start feeling too out of breath, slow down. If your leg muscles start feeling too fatigued, slow down.

Also, keep the above tips and cautions in mind AFTER you take a break. You will feel refreshed and you will be tempted to start out faster than you should. RESIST that temptation.

2. At every short break time, eat something. Your stomach and GI tract can only process food at a specific rate of time, so you want to match your intake of food to that optimum time frame. Eating food at about the rate of 100 calorie increments every 20 to 30 minutes is a good time frame. A quarter of a Snicker bar and a bite of cheese, or a handful of trail mix, or a bit of bocadillo,or some Peanut M&Ms, or some energy gel with some nuts, etc. The idea is to replenish your energy producing stores that your muscles will need for the next 25 to 30 minutes.

In addition to hydrating during breaks, a good technique is to be sipping and drinking water while you are walking. You need to stay hydrated without overdoing water consumption.

3. If it starts to become very difficult to walk 20 minutes without stopping in between, then lengthen your break from 5 minutes to 8 minutes, or 10 minutes. Give your calorie intake a longer period to do its job, and for you to re-oxygenate and fuel your muscle cells. If you find that it fairly easy to walk 20 minutes before stopping, then add 5 more minutes to your walk time between breaks. Still fairly easy? Then keep adding 5 minutes to the interval before stopping. However, I would advise not going longer than 1 hour without taking a break. I usually break every 55 minutes or so.

4. It is understandable if you have some jitters about a physically demanding and prolonged walk up into the mountains or hills. Or even on less aggressive elevations.

Doubt may pierce your mind with a persistent whisper of "can I do this?" which forces one's mind and gut to focus on perceived inadequacies. Doubt doesn't wait for evidence of one's ability to perform, or to look at what actually will occur during your hike. Nope, all Doubt is concerned with, is making you feel inadequate and insecure.

So as you prepare for your Camino you can either let Doubt have its fun with you, or you can push Doubt to the background and tell it to, "Shut up; you just wait and see what I can do!!!".

I go through at least a portion of the above every time late winter eases into spring and I begin preparing for the coming backpacking season, especially for planned multi-week backpacking treks. I went through that for my first Camino in 2017. I am hearing those voices again this year as I am planning on a Camino this Fall.

I just simply respond to the question of 'Can I do this?', by answering "I am as prepared as I can be, I will be flexible to things happening around me, and regardless of what happens, life will continue on".

After all, I am not going into combat, or heading into a burning building; I am just going for a walk.

I find that for me walking uphill is easier if I take longer strides than usual. There's something about the body mechanics of doing that that works well for me.

 

[David from Westboro]

Thank you for this, especially the words about doubt.

 

[El Cascayal]

As I was struggling up the hill on the 2nd day of the Primitivo past El Cascayal near the ungraded, steep, Alto del Fresno, with my tongue hanging out, I was passed by two 80 something years young women dressed in black from head to toes each carrying a heavy load. They waltzed back down to me and strongly suggested in both Asturiano and español, and all the appropriate hand & total body gesturing, that I take smaller decided steps. Slow & steady. I heard them & it didn’t sink in until way later. This to say, yup, , agree with Davebugg. Learned the hard way.

 

[lt56ny]

How do you maintain a pace at a set speed? My trick is to periodically check myself by silently humming a tune... the same tune

Thanks for the advice Dave. I hate, long uphills. uggg. When I am starting a long uphill I stop and compose myself and pick a point not to far ahead. I will have a very quick snack. If I am walking with someone I always say go ahead I will be slow. I pick a spot that is not to far up and estimate the steps it will take. Then I start walking slowly and start counting my steps to a tune I make up in my head. I stop at that spot momentarily to see where I am and what number I am at. If it hasn't tired me that that is the number I stick with. It is never more than about 60 or so for a really long or steep hill and about 100 for a shorter or less steep hill. At flat spots I will walk at the same slow pace or sometimes even a slower pace to regather my strength have some water. When I need to stop and catch my breath I try to do it on a flat section also. I try to keep my mind clear of any thoughts except my tune and my steps. When I walk on long flatter surfaces I have a very wide and expansive sight line to take in everything. On hills I try to keep my sight line just what is out in front of me maybe for the next 10 or 15 yards. It works for me. When I get to the end I always stop and rest. Depending on the hill and how well I conserve and use energy I will take as many stops as I need not to overextend or exhaust myself. I always think of what my wife tells me before i go on Camino, if you die on one of those hills don't come home because I will kill you.

 

[TaijiPilgrim]

Great advice from all.

 

[Scott Fraser]

If the slope is too steep, either up or down, you could walk in a zigzag pattern along the length of the trail (or road) if it's wide enough. This effectively makes things less steep at the expense of making it a slightly longer walk.

I have found the zig-zag especially beneficial on steep downhills at it constantly changes the loading on the knees and leg muscles.

 

[mattythedog]

Thank you all for the very good points. Additionally, I recommend proper use of trekking poles. They can take 25% load off the feet/simulate 25% less total weight. For me, I have the poles a bit shorter than convention to increase force my triceps and lats can exert. I put the tips on the ground alongside or slightly behind my feet as they hit the ground. Never put the tips to ground ahead of feet going uphill; physics works against you.

Secondly good training before the trek helps immensely. I use 3-4 times my Camino pack weight while hiking/mowing lawn/etc, to get ready. Get into the gym a few months prior to the Camino and do those dips, pull-ups, sit-ups, etc., to keep the whole body strong--and stretch. Since the leg from St Jean to Roncessvalles takes 5+ hours, I strive to achieve a 6 hour bicycle ride. Mountain or road bike, it doesn't have to be fast, but if you can keep the legs moving under moderate stress for that time, you can be confident the legs will make it over the hills and do a full day's walk without undue fatigue.

Keep the pack weight down! My pack weight including poles is 10 pounds. A liter of water and enough food for a day brings it to 12.5 pounds.

Not for everyone, but at 61, I stroll the Caminos blister free and can 40 or even 50 km in a day if necessary.

 

[Albertagirl]

My first day on a camino: the walk uphill to Orisson. I was sixty-eight at the time and had been walking the mountains of Alberta since I was twenty-five. I shortened my stride, I moved slowly, but I didn't stop, unless something attracted my attention. After a lengthy stretch, I caught up with a couple of about my own age who were standing by the trail. They said that they had been watching me for some time as they rested. I suggested a slower pace, and went on. Ultimately, your body will force you to follow a walkable pace, or do some damage if you won't. Maybe long rests worked for that couple. When I care for my feet and follow a comfortable pace, I can go on until my next chosen stop.

 

[Opa Theo]

Copied and edited from one of my earlier posts
--------------------------------

If a person has some level of cardio fitness, making it up a long uphill grade is a matter of pace, maintaining calorie intake, hydration, and utilizing meaningful breaks.

1. As you head uphill, adjust your pace to a comfortable level which you are able to maintain without needing to frequently stop and start. Frequent stops and starts adds to exhaustion. It doesn't matter if your pace is 4 miles per hour or 0.5 miles per hour. What matters is continuously walking between planned breaks.

Set a planned interval for a short and deliberate break -- say every 20 minutes, lasting for five minutes. Set your pace so that you can walk until reaching break time.

Setting your pace is a dynamic process, you need to adjust it as circumstances dictate. Please set your pace based on what you need, not on how you feel.

How do you maintain a pace at a set speed? My trick is to periodically check myself by silently humming a tune... the same tune.... which is easy to sync to each step I take. Don't laugh, but I use 'Hark The Herald Angles Sing'. It is NOT the speed of the tune that determines my pace, but my pace will determine the speed of the tune. Once that pace is determined, then you can use the speed of the tune to check yourself.

Some folks may view this as too formulaic or too rigid, but that is not the case. It is simply a tool to assist in understanding your body's rhythm while walking. The more familiar you become with your body's needs while hiking -- which happens as your experience grows -- the less need there is for such tricks like humming a tune.

As the grade uphill gets steeper and I need to slow, I don't necessarily slow how fast I take a step, I adjust the length of each step. In other words, in keeping time with my song, I might go from, say, 10 inches between one footstep to the next, to only 5 inches between steps. That will automatically slow how fast I am moving, and still keep me in step with my song.

Inexperienced folks will start out fast and try to maintain that pace because they are fresh, full of energy, and not at all tired. . .yet. They want to keep up with those in better shape. They are in a race for beds. They are worried about being caught in the rain. Whatever.

They will start to crump within a fairly short distance up the hill; and the crumping will become cumulative with each step, even if they slow down later, because they have burned through their energy producing stores with that initial fast pace. They not only will crump, but they are now going to stay in a state of depleted energy which only a very prolonged break can solve.

Start slower than what you feel is a normal pace for you. Let people pass you by, and see how that pace feels as you continue uphill. If you start feeling too out of breath, slow down. If your leg muscles start feeling too fatigued, slow down.

Also, keep the above tips and cautions in mind AFTER you take a break. You will feel refreshed and you will be tempted to start out faster than you should. RESIST that temptation.

2. At every short break time, eat something. Your stomach and GI tract can only process food at a specific rate of time, so you want to match your intake of food to that optimum time frame. Eating food at about the rate of 100 calorie increments every 20 to 30 minutes is a good time frame. A quarter of a Snicker bar and a bite of cheese, or a handful of trail mix, or a bit of bocadillo,or some Peanut M&Ms, or some energy gel with some nuts, etc. The idea is to replenish your energy producing stores that your muscles will need for the next 25 to 30 minutes.

In addition to hydrating during breaks, a good technique is to be sipping and drinking water while you are walking. You need to stay hydrated without overdoing water consumption.

3. If it starts to become very difficult to walk 20 minutes without stopping in between, then lengthen your break from 5 minutes to 8 minutes, or 10 minutes. Give your calorie intake a longer period to do its job, and for you to re-oxygenate and fuel your muscle cells. If you find that it fairly easy to walk 20 minutes before stopping, then add 5 more minutes to your walk time between breaks. Still fairly easy? Then keep adding 5 minutes to the interval before stopping. However, I would advise not going longer than 1 hour without taking a break. I usually break every 55 minutes or so.

4. It is understandable if you have some jitters about a physically demanding and prolonged walk up into the mountains or hills. Or even on less aggressive elevations.

Doubt may pierce your mind with a persistent whisper of "can I do this?" which forces one's mind and gut to focus on perceived inadequacies. Doubt doesn't wait for evidence of one's ability to perform, or to look at what actually will occur during your hike. Nope, all Doubt is concerned with, is making you feel inadequate and insecure.

So as you prepare for your Camino you can either let Doubt have its fun with you, or you can push Doubt to the background and tell it to, "Shut up; you just wait and see what I can do!!!".

I go through at least a portion of the above every time late winter eases into spring and I begin preparing for the coming backpacking season, especially for planned multi-week backpacking treks. I went through that for my first Camino in 2017. I am hearing those voices again this year as I am planning on a Camino this Fall.

I just simply respond to the question of 'Can I do this?', by answering "I am as prepared as I can be, I will be flexible to things happening around me, and regardless of what happens, life will continue on".

After all, I am not going into combat, or heading into a burning building; I am just going for a walk.

Excellent advice. My mantra is borrowed from the kids folk tale of the little train: I think I can. I think I can.....
I find downhill sections to be more likely to cause foot blisters and falling. Hiking poles are very helpful.
Thanks
Ted

 

[cjward]

Copied and edited from one of my earlier posts
--------------------------------

If a person has some level of cardio fitness, making it up a long uphill grade is a matter of pace, maintaining calorie intake, hydration, and utilizing meaningful breaks.

1. As you head uphill, adjust your pace to a comfortable level which you are able to maintain without needing to frequently stop and start. Frequent stops and starts adds to exhaustion. It doesn't matter if your pace is 4 miles per hour or 0.5 miles per hour. What matters is continuously walking between planned breaks.

Set a planned interval for a short and deliberate break -- say every 20 minutes, lasting for five minutes. Set your pace so that you can walk until reaching break time.

Setting your pace is a dynamic process, you need to adjust it as circumstances dictate. Please set your pace based on what you need, not on how you feel.

How do you maintain a pace at a set speed? My trick is to periodically check myself by silently humming a tune... the same tune.... which is easy to sync to each step I take. Don't laugh, but I use 'Hark The Herald Angles Sing'. It is NOT the speed of the tune that determines my pace, but my pace will determine the speed of the tune. Once that pace is determined, then you can use the speed of the tune to check yourself.

Some folks may view this as too formulaic or too rigid, but that is not the case. It is simply a tool to assist in understanding your body's rhythm while walking. The more familiar you become with your body's needs while hiking -- which happens as your experience grows -- the less need there is for such tricks like humming a tune.

As the grade uphill gets steeper and I need to slow, I don't necessarily slow how fast I take a step, I adjust the length of each step. In other words, in keeping time with my song, I might go from, say, 10 inches between one footstep to the next, to only 5 inches between steps. That will automatically slow how fast I am moving, and still keep me in step with my song.

Inexperienced folks will start out fast and try to maintain that pace because they are fresh, full of energy, and not at all tired. . .yet. They want to keep up with those in better shape. They are in a race for beds. They are worried about being caught in the rain. Whatever.

They will start to crump within a fairly short distance up the hill; and the crumping will become cumulative with each step, even if they slow down later, because they have burned through their energy producing stores with that initial fast pace. They not only will crump, but they are now going to stay in a state of depleted energy which only a very prolonged break can solve.

Start slower than what you feel is a normal pace for you. Let people pass you by, and see how that pace feels as you continue uphill. If you start feeling too out of breath, slow down. If your leg muscles start feeling too fatigued, slow down.

Also, keep the above tips and cautions in mind AFTER you take a break. You will feel refreshed and you will be tempted to start out faster than you should. RESIST that temptation.

2. At every short break time, eat something. Your stomach and GI tract can only process food at a specific rate of time, so you want to match your intake of food to that optimum time frame. Eating food at about the rate of 100 calorie increments every 20 to 30 minutes is a good time frame. A quarter of a Snicker bar and a bite of cheese, or a handful of trail mix, or a bit of bocadillo,or some Peanut M&Ms, or some energy gel with some nuts, etc. The idea is to replenish your energy producing stores that your muscles will need for the next 25 to 30 minutes.

In addition to hydrating during breaks, a good technique is to be sipping and drinking water while you are walking. You need to stay hydrated without overdoing water consumption.

3. If it starts to become very difficult to walk 20 minutes without stopping in between, then lengthen your break from 5 minutes to 8 minutes, or 10 minutes. Give your calorie intake a longer period to do its job, and for you to re-oxygenate and fuel your muscle cells. If you find that it fairly easy to walk 20 minutes before stopping, then add 5 more minutes to your walk time between breaks. Still fairly easy? Then keep adding 5 minutes to the interval before stopping. However, I would advise not going longer than 1 hour without taking a break. I usually break every 55 minutes or so.

4. It is understandable if you have some jitters about a physically demanding and prolonged walk up into the mountains or hills. Or even on less aggressive elevations.

Doubt may pierce your mind with a persistent whisper of "can I do this?" which forces one's mind and gut to focus on perceived inadequacies. Doubt doesn't wait for evidence of one's ability to perform, or to look at what actually will occur during your hike. Nope, all Doubt is concerned with, is making you feel inadequate and insecure.

So as you prepare for your Camino you can either let Doubt have its fun with you, or you can push Doubt to the background and tell it to, "Shut up; you just wait and see what I can do!!!".

I go through at least a portion of the above every time late winter eases into spring and I begin preparing for the coming backpacking season, especially for planned multi-week backpacking treks. I went through that for my first Camino in 2017. I am hearing those voices again this year as I am planning on a Camino this Fall.

I just simply respond to the question of 'Can I do this?', by answering "I am as prepared as I can be, I will be flexible to things happening around me, and regardless of what happens, life will continue on".

After all, I am not going into combat, or heading into a burning building; I am just going for a walk.

Really appreciate this. Any tips for the down hill and a bum knee?

 

[pierrenaples]

Wearing your newest socks on downhill days keeps you foot from sliding forward in your foot ware enough to keep the blusters at bay. I like to zigzag as well.

it also is a great jet lag deterrent.

 

[cjward]

Thanks. I will definitely give it a go!

 

[Jagdev D.]

Copied and edited from one of my earlier posts
--------------------------------

If a person has some level of cardio fitness, making it up a long uphill grade is a matter of pace, maintaining calorie intake, hydration, and utilizing meaningful breaks.

1. As you head uphill, adjust your pace to a comfortable level which you are able to maintain without needing to frequently stop and start. Frequent stops and starts adds to exhaustion. It doesn't matter if your pace is 4 miles per hour or 0.5 miles per hour. What matters is continuously walking between planned breaks.

Set a planned interval for a short and deliberate break -- say every 20 minutes, lasting for five minutes. Set your pace so that you can walk until reaching break time.

Setting your pace is a dynamic process, you need to adjust it as circumstances dictate. Please set your pace based on what you need, not on how you feel.

How do you maintain a pace at a set speed? My trick is to periodically check myself by silently humming a tune... the same tune.... which is easy to sync to each step I take. Don't laugh, but I use 'Hark The Herald Angles Sing'. It is NOT the speed of the tune that determines my pace, but my pace will determine the speed of the tune. Once that pace is determined, then you can use the speed of the tune to check yourself.

Some folks may view this as too formulaic or too rigid, but that is not the case. It is simply a tool to assist in understanding your body's rhythm while walking. The more familiar you become with your body's needs while hiking -- which happens as your experience grows -- the less need there is for such tricks like humming a tune.

As the grade uphill gets steeper and I need to slow, I don't necessarily slow how fast I take a step, I adjust the length of each step. In other words, in keeping time with my song, I might go from, say, 10 inches between one footstep to the next, to only 5 inches between steps. That will automatically slow how fast I am moving, and still keep me in step with my song.

Inexperienced folks will start out fast and try to maintain that pace because they are fresh, full of energy, and not at all tired. . .yet. They want to keep up with those in better shape. They are in a race for beds. They are worried about being caught in the rain. Whatever.

They will start to crump within a fairly short distance up the hill; and the crumping will become cumulative with each step, even if they slow down later, because they have burned through their energy producing stores with that initial fast pace. They not only will crump, but they are now going to stay in a state of depleted energy which only a very prolonged break can solve.

Start slower than what you feel is a normal pace for you. Let people pass you by, and see how that pace feels as you continue uphill. If you start feeling too out of breath, slow down. If your leg muscles start feeling too fatigued, slow down.

Also, keep the above tips and cautions in mind AFTER you take a break. You will feel refreshed and you will be tempted to start out faster than you should. RESIST that temptation.

2. At every short break time, eat something. Your stomach and GI tract can only process food at a specific rate of time, so you want to match your intake of food to that optimum time frame. Eating food at about the rate of 100 calorie increments every 20 to 30 minutes is a good time frame. A quarter of a Snicker bar and a bite of cheese, or a handful of trail mix, or a bit of bocadillo,or some Peanut M&Ms, or some energy gel with some nuts, etc. The idea is to replenish your energy producing stores that your muscles will need for the next 25 to 30 minutes.

In addition to hydrating during breaks, a good technique is to be sipping and drinking water while you are walking. You need to stay hydrated without overdoing water consumption.

3. If it starts to become very difficult to walk 20 minutes without stopping in between, then lengthen your break from 5 minutes to 8 minutes, or 10 minutes. Give your calorie intake a longer period to do its job, and for you to re-oxygenate and fuel your muscle cells. If you find that it fairly easy to walk 20 minutes before stopping, then add 5 more minutes to your walk time between breaks. Still fairly easy? Then keep adding 5 minutes to the interval before stopping. However, I would advise not going longer than 1 hour without taking a break. I usually break every 55 minutes or so.

4. It is understandable if you have some jitters about a physically demanding and prolonged walk up into the mountains or hills. Or even on less aggressive elevations.

Doubt may pierce your mind with a persistent whisper of "can I do this?" which forces one's mind and gut to focus on perceived inadequacies. Doubt doesn't wait for evidence of one's ability to perform, or to look at what actually will occur during your hike. Nope, all Doubt is concerned with, is making you feel inadequate and insecure.

So as you prepare for your Camino you can either let Doubt have its fun with you, or you can push Doubt to the background and tell it to, "Shut up; you just wait and see what I can do!!!".

I go through at least a portion of the above every time late winter eases into spring and I begin preparing for the coming backpacking season, especially for planned multi-week backpacking treks. I went through that for my first Camino in 2017. I am hearing those voices again this year as I am planning on a Camino this Fall.

I just simply respond to the question of 'Can I do this?', by answering "I am as prepared as I can be, I will be flexible to things happening around me, and regardless of what happens, life will continue on".

After all, I am not going into combat, or heading into a burning building; I am just going for a walk.

What a beautiful and practical advice to walk safely on the Camino, Cheers !

 

[Chris Gi]

Thanks. I will definitely give it a go!

And bend your knees to the point that you almost have you bum on the ground.

 

[davebugg]

I find downhill sections to be more likely to cause foot blisters and falling.

For help with prevention of blisters downhill, a snug sock will minimize skin shear where the sock slides against the skin. So even if the foot slides a bit inside the shoe, the sock itself prevents shear force friction against the skin.

However, a foot sliding inside the shoe itself can damage toenail beds which are a cause of black toe from the repeated force of toes hitting the front of the shoe. Before I start a prolonged descent down a hill, I will tighten the laces at the fore-foot area - -just tightening, not strangling. To do this, with the laces untied

1. Make sure the heel is as far back inside the shoe or boot as it will sit. Often I will kick the back of the shoe against the ground to help get my heel into position.
2. Once that is done, I will grab the laces just above the bottom of the lace nearest the toes, and pull the lace just tight enough to get a snugness. If the laces are pulled too tight, it can create damaging pressure on the metatarsals and phalanges as you walk downhill.
3. Repeat the process as you work your way up the laces.

If footwear was not properly fitted for the purpose of distance walking or backpacking, it will often leave not enough space in front of the toes. This becomes painfully apparent on downhills. Snugging the laces may help a bit, but it will not prevent toes from hitting the front of the shoe.

For those needing information about how to purchase the proper size of footwear, I have some tips and tricks that can be found here.

 

[alexwalker]

I hate uphills. I take many breaks to recover my breath, pretending to just stop and enjoy the view...

I am like a duck, uphill: Above surface, calm and relaxed. Below the surface, paddle like h*ll...

 

[davebugg]

Really appreciate this. Any tips for the down hill and a bum knee?

There are two concerns:
1. the static loaded force (weight) on the knee.
2. the impact force on the knee.

The static force is your body weight plus any backpack weight. On a downhill, each step downward takes that static weight and jams that weight down onto the knee as your foot plants itself in a braking motion to control your bodies momentum.

Some have already mentioned good tips, like zigzagging on wide paths so that you lessen the overall steepness of the downhill grade. And leaning backwards which helps control your body's momentum against gravity going downhill.

Going slow and taking smaller steps are keystones in minimizing the impact force of each step on the knee. Combine that with allowing the knee to bend slightly, like a spring, with each foot-plant will also help - - it gives the appearance of and exaggerated 'bobbing', but it will help disperse the impact force on the knee.

 

[cjward]

And bend your knees to the point that you almost have you bum on the ground.

That low I don’t think I could get up!

 

[HappyValerie]

My mantra started out as "Fit - & Heal-thy. Fit-& Heal-thy" . I'm not when, but somewhere along the way it swapped to "Cof-fee, Muf-fin. Cof-fee, Muf-fin"!

 

[Esperanza]

cjward said:
Really appreciate this. Any tips for the down hill and a bum knee?

In addition to @davebugg ’s excellent advice, I suggest that you do everything that you can to strengthen your legs before your camino. Good strong leg muscles will help you control the force of downhill momentum, and also allow you to bend your knee and bob with each step. If you aren’t strong enough, you won’t be able to do that for a long descent.

Squats and lunges are a good way to start, but if your knee doesn’t handle those exercises well, there are many alternative ways to work your leg, hip, and glut muscles. Any strengthening that you do before your trip will pay off many times over when you’re on the camino, both up and down hills.

 

[barnettstakeagiantstep]

For help with prevention of blisters downhill, a snug sock will minimize skin shear where the sock slides against the skin. So even if the foot slides a bit inside the shoe, the sock itself prevents shear force friction against the skin.

However, a foot sliding inside the shoe itself can damage toenail beds which are a cause of black toe from the repeated force of toes hitting the front of the shoe. Before I start a prolonged descent down a hill, I will tighten the laces at the fore-foot area - -just tightening, not strangling. To do this, with the laces untied

1. Make sure the heel is as far back inside the shoe or boot as it will sit. Often I will kick the back of the shoe against the ground to help get my heel into position.
2. Once that is done, I will grab the laces just above the bottom of the lace nearest the toes, and pull the lace just tight enough to get a snugness. If the laces are pulled too tight, it can create damaging pressure on the metatarsals and phalanges as you walk downhill.
3. Repeat the process as you work your way up the laces.

If footwear was not properly fitted for the purpose of distance walking or backpacking, it will often leave not enough space in front of the toes. This becomes painfully apparent on downhills. Snugging the laces may help a bit, but it will not prevent toes from hitting the front of the shoe.

For those needing information about how to purchase the proper size of footwear, I have some tips and tricks that can be found here.

Well, I need help in that dept..as I’ve lost 3 toenails from last falls Primitivo

 

[SuziK]

Copied and edited from one of my earlier posts
--------------------------------

If a person has some level of cardio fitness, making it up a long uphill grade is a matter of pace, maintaining calorie intake, hydration, and utilizing meaningful breaks.

1. As you head uphill, adjust your pace to a comfortable level which you are able to maintain without needing to frequently stop and start. Frequent stops and starts adds to exhaustion. It doesn't matter if your pace is 4 miles per hour or 0.5 miles per hour. What matters is continuously walking between planned breaks.

Set a planned interval for a short and deliberate break -- say every 20 minutes, lasting for five minutes. Set your pace so that you can walk until reaching break time.

Setting your pace is a dynamic process, you need to adjust it as circumstances dictate. Please set your pace based on what you need, not on how you feel.

How do you maintain a pace at a set speed? My trick is to periodically check myself by silently humming a tune... the same tune.... which is easy to sync to each step I take. Don't laugh, but I use 'Hark The Herald Angles Sing'. It is NOT the speed of the tune that determines my pace, but my pace will determine the speed of the tune. Once that pace is determined, then you can use the speed of the tune to check yourself.

Some folks may view this as too formulaic or too rigid, but that is not the case. It is simply a tool to assist in understanding your body's rhythm while walking. The more familiar you become with your body's needs while hiking -- which happens as your experience grows -- the less need there is for such tricks like humming a tune.

As the grade uphill gets steeper and I need to slow, I don't necessarily slow how fast I take a step, I adjust the length of each step. In other words, in keeping time with my song, I might go from, say, 10 inches between one footstep to the next, to only 5 inches between steps. That will automatically slow how fast I am moving, and still keep me in step with my song.

Inexperienced folks will start out fast and try to maintain that pace because they are fresh, full of energy, and not at all tired. . .yet. They want to keep up with those in better shape. They are in a race for beds. They are worried about being caught in the rain. Whatever.

They will start to crump within a fairly short distance up the hill; and the crumping will become cumulative with each step, even if they slow down later, because they have burned through their energy producing stores with that initial fast pace. They not only will crump, but they are now going to stay in a state of depleted energy which only a very prolonged break can solve.

Start slower than what you feel is a normal pace for you. Let people pass you by, and see how that pace feels as you continue uphill. If you start feeling too out of breath, slow down. If your leg muscles start feeling too fatigued, slow down.

Also, keep the above tips and cautions in mind AFTER you take a break. You will feel refreshed and you will be tempted to start out faster than you should. RESIST that temptation.

2. At every short break time, eat something. Your stomach and GI tract can only process food at a specific rate of time, so you want to match your intake of food to that optimum time frame. Eating food at about the rate of 100 calorie increments every 20 to 30 minutes is a good time frame. A quarter of a Snicker bar and a bite of cheese, or a handful of trail mix, or a bit of bocadillo,or some Peanut M&Ms, or some energy gel with some nuts, etc. The idea is to replenish your energy producing stores that your muscles will need for the next 25 to 30 minutes.

In addition to hydrating during breaks, a good technique is to be sipping and drinking water while you are walking. You need to stay hydrated without overdoing water consumption.

3. If it starts to become very difficult to walk 20 minutes without stopping in between, then lengthen your break from 5 minutes to 8 minutes, or 10 minutes. Give your calorie intake a longer period to do its job, and for you to re-oxygenate and fuel your muscle cells. If you find that it fairly easy to walk 20 minutes before stopping, then add 5 more minutes to your walk time between breaks. Still fairly easy? Then keep adding 5 minutes to the interval before stopping. However, I would advise not going longer than 1 hour without taking a break. I usually break every 55 minutes or so.

4. It is understandable if you have some jitters about a physically demanding and prolonged walk up into the mountains or hills. Or even on less aggressive elevations.

Doubt may pierce your mind with a persistent whisper of "can I do this?" which forces one's mind and gut to focus on perceived inadequacies. Doubt doesn't wait for evidence of one's ability to perform, or to look at what actually will occur during your hike. Nope, all Doubt is concerned with, is making you feel inadequate and insecure.

So as you prepare for your Camino you can either let Doubt have its fun with you, or you can push Doubt to the background and tell it to, "Shut up; you just wait and see what I can do!!!".

I go through at least a portion of the above every time late winter eases into spring and I begin preparing for the coming backpacking season, especially for planned multi-week backpacking treks. I went through that for my first Camino in 2017. I am hearing those voices again this year as I am planning on a Camino this Fall.

I just simply respond to the question of 'Can I do this?', by answering "I am as prepared as I can be, I will be flexible to things happening around me, and regardless of what happens, life will continue on".

After all, I am not going into combat, or heading into a burning building; I am just going for a walk.

This is so helpful! I worry about being slow (I'm slow on flat places here in Ohio) And how did you know I was doubting? You make me feel like all of this is normal and I am putting "I am as prepared..." on notes all over the house.

 

[davebugg]

This is so helpful! I worry about being slow (I'm slow on flat places here in Ohio) And how did you know I was doubting? You make me feel like all of this is normal and I am putting "I am as prepared..." on notes all over the house.

We used to say, 'Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast'.

Continue to either slowly improve or maintain you fitness level without focusing on specific end goals, as that can lead to worrisome thinking that you are not 'fit enough' to walk a Camino unless you can reach some subjective degree of a super high level of fitness.

There are increasing benefits to backpacking or distance walking, like a Camino, as fitness levels increase, but that isn't the issue here. The issue here is anxiety that one is not fit 'enough' to successfully walk a camino. I imagine some folks, who are actually fit enough to succeed when wanting to do a camino, might become so anxious over this issue that it actually keeps them from doing a camino.

• So, in large letters on a sheet of paper, write down your reasons for wanting to walk your camino.
• Post paper on the refrigerator or wall where you can easily see it.
• When anxiety or negative thoughts create doubts about whether you can - or even should - do a camino, take some deep, cleansing breaths and re-read those reasons for walking a camino that you wrote down.

If you wish to keep working on increasing fitness levels for Camino, here are some suggestions that may help guide you.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/physical-prep.72207/#post-973597

 

[cjward]

cjward said:
Really appreciate this. Any tips for the down hill and a bum knee?

In addition to @davebugg ’s excellent advice, I suggest that you do everything that you can to strengthen your legs before your camino. Good strong leg muscles will help you control the force of downhill momentum, and also allow you to bend your knee and bob with each step. If you aren’t strong enough, you won’t be able to do that for a long descent.

Squats and lunges are a good way to start, but if your knee doesn’t handle those exercises well, there are many alternative ways to work your leg, hip, and glut muscles. Any strengthening that you do before your trip will pay off many times over when you’re on the camino, both up and down hills.

Thank you! Good advice. I’m starting PT next week 3x a week until May 3. Getting a couple injections and breaking in a new unloader brace. Will implement all the tips to ensure I can make it up and over and all the rolling hills in between!

 

[Esperanza]

@cjward
That’s excellent. There is no magic for injured and elderly joints, but PT is close to it. A good personal trainer can also do wonders. Buen camino to you!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I hate uphills. I take many breaks to recover my breath, pretending to just stop and enjoy the view...

That's me, too. I absolutely hate uphills! I do the same; stoppin to enjoy the views and snapping many pictures.
That said, I love getting to the top as I love scampering downhill "most" of the time.

 

[Jo H]

Copied and edited from one of my earlier posts
--------------------------------

If a person has some level of cardio fitness, making it up a long uphill grade is a matter of pace, maintaining calorie intake, hydration, and utilizing meaningful breaks.

1. As you head uphill, adjust your pace to a comfortable level which you are able to maintain without needing to frequently stop and start. Frequent stops and starts adds to exhaustion. It doesn't matter if your pace is 4 miles per hour or 0.5 miles per hour. What matters is continuously walking between planned breaks.

Set a planned interval for a short and deliberate break -- say every 20 minutes, lasting for five minutes. Set your pace so that you can walk until reaching break time.

Setting your pace is a dynamic process, you need to adjust it as circumstances dictate. Please set your pace based on what you need, not on how you feel.

How do you maintain a pace at a set speed? My trick is to periodically check myself by silently humming a tune... the same tune.... which is easy to sync to each step I take. Don't laugh, but I use 'Hark The Herald Angles Sing'. It is NOT the speed of the tune that determines my pace, but my pace will determine the speed of the tune. Once that pace is determined, then you can use the speed of the tune to check yourself.

Some folks may view this as too formulaic or too rigid, but that is not the case. It is simply a tool to assist in understanding your body's rhythm while walking. The more familiar you become with your body's needs while hiking -- which happens as your experience grows -- the less need there is for such tricks like humming a tune.

As the grade uphill gets steeper and I need to slow, I don't necessarily slow how fast I take a step, I adjust the length of each step. In other words, in keeping time with my song, I might go from, say, 10 inches between one footstep to the next, to only 5 inches between steps. That will automatically slow how fast I am moving, and still keep me in step with my song.

Inexperienced folks will start out fast and try to maintain that pace because they are fresh, full of energy, and not at all tired. . .yet. They want to keep up with those in better shape. They are in a race for beds. They are worried about being caught in the rain. Whatever.

They will start to crump within a fairly short distance up the hill; and the crumping will become cumulative with each step, even if they slow down later, because they have burned through their energy producing stores with that initial fast pace. They not only will crump, but they are now going to stay in a state of depleted energy which only a very prolonged break can solve.

Start slower than what you feel is a normal pace for you. Let people pass you by, and see how that pace feels as you continue uphill. If you start feeling too out of breath, slow down. If your leg muscles start feeling too fatigued, slow down.

Also, keep the above tips and cautions in mind AFTER you take a break. You will feel refreshed and you will be tempted to start out faster than you should. RESIST that temptation.

2. At every short break time, eat something. Your stomach and GI tract can only process food at a specific rate of time, so you want to match your intake of food to that optimum time frame. Eating food at about the rate of 100 calorie increments every 20 to 30 minutes is a good time frame. A quarter of a Snicker bar and a bite of cheese, or a handful of trail mix, or a bit of bocadillo,or some Peanut M&Ms, or some energy gel with some nuts, etc. The idea is to replenish your energy producing stores that your muscles will need for the next 25 to 30 minutes.

In addition to hydrating during breaks, a good technique is to be sipping and drinking water while you are walking. You need to stay hydrated without overdoing water consumption.

3. If it starts to become very difficult to walk 20 minutes without stopping in between, then lengthen your break from 5 minutes to 8 minutes, or 10 minutes. Give your calorie intake a longer period to do its job, and for you to re-oxygenate and fuel your muscle cells. If you find that it fairly easy to walk 20 minutes before stopping, then add 5 more minutes to your walk time between breaks. Still fairly easy? Then keep adding 5 minutes to the interval before stopping. However, I would advise not going longer than 1 hour without taking a break. I usually break every 55 minutes or so.

4. It is understandable if you have some jitters about a physically demanding and prolonged walk up into the mountains or hills. Or even on less aggressive elevations.

Doubt may pierce your mind with a persistent whisper of "can I do this?" which forces one's mind and gut to focus on perceived inadequacies. Doubt doesn't wait for evidence of one's ability to perform, or to look at what actually will occur during your hike. Nope, all Doubt is concerned with, is making you feel inadequate and insecure.

So as you prepare for your Camino you can either let Doubt have its fun with you, or you can push Doubt to the background and tell it to, "Shut up; you just wait and see what I can do!!!".

I go through at least a portion of the above every time late winter eases into spring and I begin preparing for the coming backpacking season, especially for planned multi-week backpacking treks. I went through that for my first Camino in 2017. I am hearing those voices again this year as I am planning on a Camino this Fall.

I just simply respond to the question of 'Can I do this?', by answering "I am as prepared as I can be, I will be flexible to things happening around me, and regardless of what happens, life will continue on".

After all, I am not going into combat, or heading into a burning building; I am just going for a walk.

Thank you for this infirmative and encouraging advice.

 

[mattythedog]

Spot on info above regarding shoes and socks. Don't forget to put plenty of vaseline between the toes as they will be tighter than usual pushing toward the front of your shoes going down. Have your toenails properly trimmed or good chance you will lose them. If you get a hot spot, stop immediately, clean the area with alcohol and apply duct tape (which of course you have wrapped around one trekking pole). Change to your dry pair of socks and regrease toes every 2-4 hours as necessary.

For downhill, although I have fixed length poles, most people lengthen their poles depending on the amount of slope in front of them. I usually plant a pole with care, immediately taking force on that arm, and then set down a foot ball first to use ankle flex and slight knee bend to smoothly take the load; then the other pole... smoothness and purposeful placement is key. Keep your eyes on the path. Avoid any bending of the knees more than necessary to let yourself down, because deep knee bends severely stresses joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles. Take a lot of small steps down around large drops. No jumping or quick maneuvers unless you are used to doing that. Go slow as necessary and rest if muscles if they get tired. Tired people like to jump, and that leads to high impact injuries, ankle rollover, stubbed toes, slipping.... Take great care on wet paths, smooth flat stones, dry leaves, round gravel/stones, moss and wood. Most busted up pilgrims I see did it coming down the hill from Roncessvalles because they were fatigued and their muscles were tired. They loose balance and slip or loose control during downward decent and cannot stop themselves. This is also where a lot of people get plenty of blisters.

Keep that pack weight low, and get it properly loaded/adjusted tight to the body.

 

[Tommy Brown]

Copied and edited from one of my earlier posts
--------------------------------

If a person has some level of cardio fitness, making it up a long uphill grade is a matter of pace, maintaining calorie intake, hydration, and utilizing meaningful breaks.

1. As you head uphill, adjust your pace to a comfortable level which you are able to maintain without needing to frequently stop and start. Frequent stops and starts adds to exhaustion. It doesn't matter if your pace is 4 miles per hour or 0.5 miles per hour. What matters is continuously walking between planned breaks.

Set a planned interval for a short and deliberate break -- say every 20 minutes, lasting for five minutes. Set your pace so that you can walk until reaching break time.

Setting your pace is a dynamic process, you need to adjust it as circumstances dictate. Please set your pace based on what you need, not on how you feel.

How do you maintain a pace at a set speed? My trick is to periodically check myself by silently humming a tune... the same tune.... which is easy to sync to each step I take. Don't laugh, but I use 'Hark The Herald Angles Sing'. It is NOT the speed of the tune that determines my pace, but my pace will determine the speed of the tune. Once that pace is determined, then you can use the speed of the tune to check yourself.

Some folks may view this as too formulaic or too rigid, but that is not the case. It is simply a tool to assist in understanding your body's rhythm while walking. The more familiar you become with your body's needs while hiking -- which happens as your experience grows -- the less need there is for such tricks like humming a tune.

As the grade uphill gets steeper and I need to slow, I don't necessarily slow how fast I take a step, I adjust the length of each step. In other words, in keeping time with my song, I might go from, say, 10 inches between one footstep to the next, to only 5 inches between steps. That will automatically slow how fast I am moving, and still keep me in step with my song.

Inexperienced folks will start out fast and try to maintain that pace because they are fresh, full of energy, and not at all tired. . .yet. They want to keep up with those in better shape. They are in a race for beds. They are worried about being caught in the rain. Whatever.

They will start to crump within a fairly short distance up the hill; and the crumping will become cumulative with each step, even if they slow down later, because they have burned through their energy producing stores with that initial fast pace. They not only will crump, but they are now going to stay in a state of depleted energy which only a very prolonged break can solve.

Start slower than what you feel is a normal pace for you. Let people pass you by, and see how that pace feels as you continue uphill. If you start feeling too out of breath, slow down. If your leg muscles start feeling too fatigued, slow down.

Also, keep the above tips and cautions in mind AFTER you take a break. You will feel refreshed and you will be tempted to start out faster than you should. RESIST that temptation.

2. At every short break time, eat something. Your stomach and GI tract can only process food at a specific rate of time, so you want to match your intake of food to that optimum time frame. Eating food at about the rate of 100 calorie increments every 20 to 30 minutes is a good time frame. A quarter of a Snicker bar and a bite of cheese, or a handful of trail mix, or a bit of bocadillo,or some Peanut M&Ms, or some energy gel with some nuts, etc. The idea is to replenish your energy producing stores that your muscles will need for the next 25 to 30 minutes.

In addition to hydrating during breaks, a good technique is to be sipping and drinking water while you are walking. You need to stay hydrated without overdoing water consumption.

3. If it starts to become very difficult to walk 20 minutes without stopping in between, then lengthen your break from 5 minutes to 8 minutes, or 10 minutes. Give your calorie intake a longer period to do its job, and for you to re-oxygenate and fuel your muscle cells. If you find that it fairly easy to walk 20 minutes before stopping, then add 5 more minutes to your walk time between breaks. Still fairly easy? Then keep adding 5 minutes to the interval before stopping. However, I would advise not going longer than 1 hour without taking a break. I usually break every 55 minutes or so.

4. It is understandable if you have some jitters about a physically demanding and prolonged walk up into the mountains or hills. Or even on less aggressive elevations.

Doubt may pierce your mind with a persistent whisper of "can I do this?" which forces one's mind and gut to focus on perceived inadequacies. Doubt doesn't wait for evidence of one's ability to perform, or to look at what actually will occur during your hike. Nope, all Doubt is concerned with, is making you feel inadequate and insecure.

So as you prepare for your Camino you can either let Doubt have its fun with you, or you can push Doubt to the background and tell it to, "Shut up; you just wait and see what I can do!!!".

I go through at least a portion of the above every time late winter eases into spring and I begin preparing for the coming backpacking season, especially for planned multi-week backpacking treks. I went through that for my first Camino in 2017. I am hearing those voices again this year as I am planning on a Camino this Fall.

I just simply respond to the question of 'Can I do this?', by answering "I am as prepared as I can be, I will be flexible to things happening around me, and regardless of what happens, life will continue on".

After all, I am not going into combat, or heading into a burning building; I am just going for a walk.

Hi ,i walked with some American students from sjpd and they had an app that measured ascents an descents and when we got to Santiago he reckoned we climbed the equivalent of mount Everest, is he right?.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Hi ,i walked with some American students from sjpd and they had an app that measured ascents an descents and when we got to Santiago he reckoned we climbed the equivalent of mount Everest, is he right?.

I'll say so. The distances and elevation gains recorded by various walkers are different but this search shows that you've done it. And, as far as I know, without supplemental oxygen.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Notice to Wikiloc users who save or have saved local copies only of their recorded trails; things have changed apparently and you may want to backup any locally saved tracks. See this help file last updated February 9, 2022:

My Local Copy Trails - Wikiloc Help

Don't have the Wikiloc App yet? Get it here! Local Copy Trails are trails that were recorded with the App and were not uploaded to Wikiloc. In previous versio

help.wikiloc.com

 

[davebugg]

Hi ,i walked with some American students from sjpd and they had an app that measured ascents an descents and when we got to Santiago he reckoned we climbed the equivalent of mount Everest, is he right?.

If the student recorded an accurate measurement of 29,033 feet /8849.26 then he is correct. I do not know off hand what the cumulative elevation gain would be for the Camino Frances from SJPdP. But it looks like one of the other Forum members has that answer.

 

[dougfitz]

Hi ,i walked with some American students from sjpd and they had an app that measured ascents an descents and when we got to Santiago he reckoned we climbed the equivalent of mount Everest, is he right?.

It is possible. I know I had a similar result in 2010 when I calculated my cumulative elevation gain.

The accuracy of any results obtained with handheld devices can be quite suspect, depending on how the elevation is measured. Height is the least accurate of the measures for a GPS if it is measuring that directly. Some GPS units will also sense changes in barometric pressure as a proxy for elevation change, which might be okay for short time periods but for longer time periods there will be air pressure changes as the weather changes that make that inaccurate too.

If it just a fun 'fact' to share with friends, it is probably close enough for bragging rights. After all, it is very rare for people who climb the full height of a mountain to start from sea level.

 

[Jagdev D.]

Spot on info above regarding shoes and socks. Don't forget to put plenty of vaseline between the toes as they will be tighter than usual pushing toward the front of your shoes going down. Have your toenails properly trimmed or good chance you will lose them. If you get a hot spot, stop immediately, clean the area with alcohol and apply duct tape (which of course you have wrapped around one trekking pole). Change to your dry pair of socks and regrease toes every 2-4 hours as necessary.

For downhill, although I have fixed length poles, most people lengthen their poles depending on the amount of slope in front of them. I usually plant a pole with care, immediately taking force on that arm, and then set down a foot ball first to use ankle flex and slight knee bend to smoothly take the load; then the other pole... smoothness and purposeful placement is key. Keep your eyes on the path. Avoid any bending of the knees more than necessary to let yourself down, because deep knee bends severely stresses joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles. Take a lot of small steps down around large drops. No jumping or quick maneuvers unless you are used to doing that. Go slow as necessary and rest if muscles if they get tired. Tired people like to jump, and that leads to high impact injuries, ankle rollover, stubbed toes, slipping.... Take great care on wet paths, smooth flat stones, dry leaves, round gravel/stones, moss and wood. Most busted up pilgrims I see did it coming down the hill from Roncessvalles because they were fatigued and their muscles were tired. They loose balance and slip or loose control during downward decent and cannot stop themselves. This is also where a lot of people get plenty of blisters.

Keep that pack weight low, and get it properly loaded/adjusted tight to the body.

Thank you , well said,.. words of wisdom that you went trough . Buen Camino ! Cheers !

 

[Jermann75]

My mantra was "It's just a hill, get over it."
Thanks for the tips.

 

[AnneO]

I am a little over a year out from my Camino and coincidentally starting my training today as I have been pretty sedentary and want to very slowly increase mileage— couch to Camino, as it were. My biggest fear is the hills so reading this today helped me a lot, at least mentally.

 

[JohnMcM]

I am a little over a year out from my Camino and coincidentally starting my training today as I have been pretty sedentary and want to very slowly increase mileage— couch to Camino, as it were. My biggest fear is the hills so reading this today helped me a lot, at least mentally.

Have no fear AnneO,
There are no hills on the Camino Frances. There are only flat bits that sometimes go upwards.

 

[davebugg]

Have no fear AnneO,
There are no hills on the Camino Frances. There are only flat bits that sometimes go upwards.

Yup. If all the hills were flattened out, the Frances would be 1500 kilometers in length instead of 800, so the hills actually make the camino much shorter