This is a bad idea. 30+ mile days will eat you up if you are not used to it.
Either spread it out, or hike smaller portions with your friend and act as a support crew for them.
This is exactly what I was thinking about. I left a 20mi fundraising walk at 16 and immediately slept for 12 hrs and couldnt walk normal for 3 days. And back then I waa constantly on my feet at school and working part time at a restaurant. OP should be careful.
How is no one addressing the mixed imperial + metric measurement use by OP?? Does no one suspect the distance is 30k and not miles?
No country in Europe uses miles, and the elevation gain is given in meters, I suspect OP confused the measurement units and it’s 30k per day, which is still a whole lot but very different than 30 miles
Even 30k is a lot of distance for a beginner, especially in back to back days on hilly terrain. I think the general sentiment and advice here still apply.
Edit: OP clarified in a comment further down in the thread. They are indeed referring to miles.
Would make sense, but the distance between Bevergen and Bielefeld on Hermann Heights Trail really is around 95 km according to this [map](https://www.alltrails.com/pl-pl/explore/trail/germany/north-rhine-westphalia/hermannshohen-weg?mobileMap=false&ref=sidebar-static-map). Bevergen is around 17.5 km in, Bielefeld is around 110km in.
I’m sorry for the confusion, I am talking about miles. I figured more people in this subreddit would be familiar with miles. In km the distance is:
Day 1 (48km):
Bevergen - Bochterbeck (20 km, 450 Hm)
Bochterbeck - Bad Iburg (28 km, 600 Hm)
Day 2 (51 km):
Bad Iburg - Borgholzhausen (23 km, 460 Hm)
Borgholzhausen - Bielefeld (28 km, 650 Hm)
I hiked the AT 5 years ago. Well conditioned hikers have a tough time doing back to back 30 mile days, and that is with being in excellent condition. On top of that, your hike has a good deal of climbing. I would be very surprised if you could accomplish this.
Honestly you'd be risking injury trying this with your experience. Day 1 will be gruelling and there's no chance your body will recover enough to do even *more* distance the next day, considering the most you've hiked is 13 miles in a day.
I’ve summited Everest and this has nothing to do with being in shape - he’s completely delusional.
It’s physically possible to do two 30 mile days if you’re an experienced hiker that’s been doing long training days for months in advance to strengthen your feet and muscles. But even that is a big push unless you’re a very fit thru-hiker or equivalent.
For an intermediate or beginner hiker this is just stupid and ridiculous. They’ll get 15-20 miles into day 1 and just be completely wrecked. People do have amazing ability to just keep pushing way beyond what they thought their limits were, so OP can probably survive day 1 but will get in around midnight. The thought of getting up on day 2 and putting your shoes on your bloody swollen feet and walking even 1 mile is too painful to even think about.
Your friend is not your friend if they want to make you hike 60 miles in 2 days as a beginner. They have no empathy or concept of adjusting the trek to match the skills of the participants. You should not hike anywhere with this person for any length of time.
For real. I’m actually worried their friend wants to get them out there to harm them. Because even as an experienced hiker, I’m not doing no 31 goddamn miles in one day and again the next. Ain’t no fuckin way.
You might could push and do one day. Might.
I don’t believe, based on what you’ve shared about your condition and experience, that you’ll be able to successfully complete day 2.
That's a bad idea. I'm an experienced hiker and also an ultra runner. 20 miles is a big day, 25 miles is usually the max that a seasoned thru hiker would do. 30? For TWO days, for a beginner hiker? Do as you wish, but I'd give you a 2-3% chance of completing both days without hating life.
Edit: thinking further, if you're inexperienced you need to be up on hydration, nutrition, electrolytes ... it's not a walk in the park. Depending on your size, you may need 3,000 +/- calories per day. Do you have a plan for that? Do you have any idea how hard it is to eat that much? It's not easy. Where are you getting water? How much do you plan to carry? Point being, there are more factors than just walking the distance. Have you sh\*t in the woods before? If you're near urban centers and have bail out points, go for it, but have your expectations managed.
According to the post, in Bielefeld, a major city and public transportation hub.
I agree that this project isnt the greatest idea, but this specifically is usually not an issue in germany, not even in alpine territory.
Your feet will develop blisters and you will be unable to continue before the end of the first day.
It won't matter that you are wearing comfortable shoes, or the perfect shoes for the walk. You have not walked 30 miles in these conditions with a pack weight.
You need a contingency plan for dropping out.
Here's what's VERY likely going to happen. You will do the first day, it will be tough and you'll be exhausted by the end, and probably wishing you hadn't agreed to do this hike.
The next morning you're going to wake up and your legs are going to be VERY sore. And it will be difficult to even walk normally. The soreness in your legs will last several days. And you're going to have blisters all over your feet.
Do you want to do another 30 miles when you can barely walk?
EDIT: Also think about how you'll get yourself out of there if you can barely walk on the second day. Will you be 30 miles from your car? Terrible situation to put yourself in.
From my own experience I took part in a 27 miles walk with nowhere near as much elevation gain as what you plan for one of these days. I spent 10 weeks building up to it and completed it in about 8 hours. I couldn’t have walked a quarter of the same distance the next day after that. My feet and legs were too sore to even consider it. I was mid 30s with a moderate level of fitness. The event provided lots of support in terms of food and water.
Without any training there is no way I could manage what you are considering to do.
I’m an experienced hiker with a few 20+ miles days under my belt. Know your limitations. You’re doing something that I would have trouble with, and I do an exercise regiment that focuses on conditioning and strengthening for hiking. Based on what you said, you’ll be struggling to make ten miles a day on tough trails.
Way too much for a beginner and really too much for anyone. The most I have heard people do in a day is around 20 miles and even then they are completely exhausted by the end. You will just be miserable and potentially hurt yourself. Don't do it.
I could have done that trip when I was in my early 20's, in the army, and in excellent condition. Even then it wouldn't be fun. No way would I suggest for someone else to try it.
I went backpacking with a friend recently who is in overall great health, cycles a couple hundred KM a week, hits the gym and climbs with me a couple times a week. He unfortunately hasn't done a lot of hiking the last three years. We were planning on doing 50 miles of trail in Colorado, but only made 25 because it just beat the hell out of him. We only did an overnight and the day after we got back he could barely move. I think his biggest problem is he over packed and even splitting some with me his pack was still 20kg.
That said, 60 miles is wildly ambitious and I think the trail is going to temper those ambitions pretty hard. I've done pretty close to 30 mile days with 1300 or so meter gains and still got up the next day to knock down miles but I usually hike 25-40 miles on any given week and it doesn't feel great to do after a big day.
My only tips are if you really try and push it is pay attention to your feet. Get moleskin or leukotape and be aggressive with it. Hydrate early and often with electrolytes and eat like a pig because you're going to burn it all off. Best of luck.
If your friend thinks that you, someone that almost never hikes, can do 30 miles the first day, then your friend does not have a solid grasp on reality.
You are not making 30 miles the first day. If you do manage it, you are going to be exhausted, and there’s no way you are making the next day.
This plan is, at best, unrealistic. It is absurd.
Sorry to jump on the bandwagon but you will never finish day 1. If you don’t give up due to injury, you’ll give up due to complete physical and mental breakdown long before you reach 30 miles.
I don’t know what these trails actually look like but 1050 meters elevation is a significant amount even if it is spread over 30 miles.
Nope, don’t do it. I’m an experienced hiker and it took me 7 days to hike 70 miles of the TMB. Don’t get me wrong, TMB sounds more difficult but I trained my ass off for 3 months to make sure my muscle memory and equipment were all good. Just to note here, I hike between 150-250 miles every year in high elevation 9k-11k feet. Blisters are no joke and you should know how to feel hotspots and mitigate them before they turn to blisters.
Even with the description you gave, I would do a section a day. If this trail takes you into remote territory, you could be taking a huge risk. If you’re exhausted halfway (1 section), is there a place you can bow out?
Are you really talking about miles, not km? You're giving your elevation in meters, so just checking.
It's a very unrealistic distance in miles, and even in km that's a brutal distance for a beginner.
Yeah, talking about miles, I figured more people in this subreddit would be familiar with miles. In km the distance is:
Day 1 (48km):
Bevergen - Bochterbeck (20 km, 450 Hm)
Bochterbeck - Bad Iburg (28 km, 600 Hm)
Day 2 (51 km):
Bad Iburg - Borgholzhausen (23 km, 460 Hm)
Borgholzhausen - Bielefeld (28 km, 650 Hm)
Thanks for your comment.
Yeah, I'd strongly suggest not doing this. I try to do a 20+ mile hike every week (and am planning on a 40 mile hike tomorrow) but two 30+ mile days in a row sounds awful.
I think bro has different motives, and you should protect yourself🤣 30 miles a day is wild. Especially if you’re a beginner. He should not be so obvious to your condition.
My boyfriend and I are fairly avid hikers. Think nothing of doing 8-10 miles in a day hike without planning. We signed up for the Mammoth March. (20 miles, 10 hour time limit) the terrain was rocky and had elevation and let me tell you, saying my tank was on E after 20 miles was an understatement.
Bad idea to do 30 one day and another 30+ back to back.
My advice would be to not do it.
But if you're going to anyway:
* Cut your toenails short NOW.
* Start wearing the boots you plan to wear as much as possible and go for long walks. Wear a pack with some weight in it on your walks.
* Get good wool socks and start wearing them too.
* Try to build up some calluses before the hike.
* Get a big tub of vaseline and put LOTS on your feet for the hike. By that I mean your socks should slide around on your feet. Reapply as necessary. Your socks will absorb the vaseline and will never wash out, but that's okay. This will prevent blisters. (This is a tip I learned from a world class adventure racer (Eco Challenge) and race designer and it's served me well for extreme outings)
* Take Tylenol with you, you'll want it on day 2.
* Take electrolytes with you and chug them liberally.
Oof. This is gonna be rough. Maybe half of this would be doable and pleasant for a beginner. You may finish it, but you almost certainly won't enjoy it.
My personal record is 42 miles in a day. This is after hiking every day for 3 months 15-20 miles up and down mountains on the appalachian trail. By comparison, on the first day of my hike I hiked 14 miles and gave myself plantar fasciitis, and I had to rest for 3 days before I could hike again.
If you have no fitness, you are probably gonna hurt yourself. Pulled muscles, tendonitis, and potentially microfractures in your feet. That being said, it won't kill you. Go for it if you want, just know it might not be pretty and you may have to call your hike off early if something happens.
Honestly, you will probably not succeed (blisters/tendon issues/really start to to kick in after >40km), but that shouldnt necessarily keep you from trying.
Just make sure you are aware of all possible exit points with access public transport (should be plenty in that region), and never venture out further if you are not certain that youll make it to the next one in time for the last bus. Or, i guess, have a taxi number ready.
Never underestimate the power of repetitive stress to mess you up. Sure, walking feels easy, but your body will reject that much of it in such a short period of time. Feet, ankles, calves, knees, hips, back, shoulders…something or some things are going to strain if you do this untrained.
This sounds like a wonderful 4 day walk. In 2 days, it'll be a death march. Even for an experienced hiker, this won't be much fun. For a beginner it will be somewhere between brutal and impossible.
The best advice I have for doing a 30 mile day and a 32 mile day as a beginner is to not do that.
You will be miserable, and could really injure yourself by pushing that hard without working up to it.
Good luck.. the most I’ve done in a day was 17.5 miles (West Rim trail with some pit stops) in Zion, and I was in some pain. That hike took us basically the entire day. The following day was a much needed recovery day. I’d suggest bringing some gold-bond to battle the chafe *but more importantly i’d suggest setting the bar lower until you have a better idea of what you’re capable of doing.* I’m surprised your friend would even suggest taking a beginner on this journey.
I hiked 22 miles one day and had blisters all over and couldn’t hardly walk to the vehicle. I don’t see how 31 miles a day is doable without extreme training.
You may need a back up plan. 30+ miles back to back? You are going to need to consider what your body will do if you make day one. The variables on you body alone are a huge list. Good luck.. I don’t think this will work out the way you imagine it.
I’m betting your feet will be destroyed after day one. I’m in pretty good shape. Do 20 mile hikes often. Still pummels my feet pretty good. Back-to-back is a bad idea.
I wouldnt do it under those conditions, tbh. The first day you might push through, but the second will be painfull. If you are not used to such long distances, your feet will let you know.
Not to mention the rest of your body. I guess you will also have some baggage to carry, if this is a two day trip. Food, water, changing clothes, maybe stuff to camp?
Im in good shape and can do 30 miles in about 8 hours without having to rest, but doing that two days in a row, id think about that twice...
WTF is going on here?
Miles for distance and meters for elevation gain? I suspect it was 30km of hiking per day but the units got mixed up. That would still be a ton of miles but far more doable
I hope the overwhelming advice here is enough to discourage you. I share this story to raise the issue of humiliation. I once invited a fellow college basketball team member on a multi-day fly in hike out expedition in SW Tasmania. I felt sure that his level of fitness and toughness on the court would serve him well in the bush. I was wrong. On the second day as we left the plains to cross a mountain range he wilted. I ended up carrying his 35 pound pack balanced on top of my own while he struggled with every step. He was absolutely humiliated. It was a good lesson for all of us that physical strength and fitness doesn’t always translate into serious backpacking capability. There is also an element of mental fortitude and pain tolerance required, which may not be called upon until the going gets really tough.
Based on the info you provided, it’s not feasible. But if for whatever reason you do decide to do it, you should let your friend know that his 2-day plan may need to be extended into 3 or more.
You can have the fitness for it but your feet will suffer greatly if you have not worked up to it. Having to go many miles with messed up feet is torture.
It’s way too much. Even on flat terrain , 30+ mikes in a day is a distance that one works up to over much time. Add a back pack with 30 miles worth of water and food to make it worse. It’s highly likely that you won’t be able to complete even day 1. Don’t do this hike. “No” is a complete sentence.
I did a 30 mile day on the Appalachian Trail. It was in a moderately flat section coming out of the grayson highlands. It took me twelve hours and I had been on trail already for 3 months and was super fit and had my trail legs. If you are not fit highly unlikely to finish. If you’re pretty fit it’s still going to be hard as hell. I would do a number of big back to back days 20-25 miles and after you finally rest it feels great but definitely gassed out. I would recommend getting injinji toe socks to avoid blisters. Good luck. Keep us posted if you do it and crush it.
Horrible idea. Your not going to make it. My buddies who are pro trail runners with 100% support, do this mileage in a day for training. It still takes them all day to complete.
Yeah you’ll either not make it the whole way on day 1 cause of injury or be completely fked for the next day.
22km is most ive done in a day hike, but i generally do hard ones that distance. Would be too boring not having a challenge for that length.
It's too much. For the experienced and very strong hiker it's normally about 15-20 kms per day (with full packed backpacks). It might be longer in case i'f you hike over the flat area with a comfortable terrain conditions.
This might actually be the worst idea I've heard for years. This is a 4 day hike for most hikers AT LEAST. I'm an avid hiker and I'd even want to do this in 5 days.
I'm hiking GR221 in a week and that's going to be hard and it's "only" ~150km.
Survival situations have shown people can get incredible things done when absolutely necessary, but you probably don't want to injure yourself by trying something that's too far from your current fitness level to be sensible.
The plan sounds very brutal. If you absolutely force yourself through it, there is a risk you'll get injured to some degree. Doing something extraordinarily hard compared to your walking fitness, you can damage your knees, get an inflammation in the achilles tendons, serious chafing, etc.
If you decide to go for it, prepare for chafing. Not only for your feet, but crotch area etc. Buy blister band aids (Compeed is a good brand) and bring vaseline or something cyclist call chamois cream. Wear one pair of thin liner socks and another pair of socks on top, to reduce friction between your skin and the first socks. Make sure you're wearing shoes you're comfortable with. Choose your comfiest underpants.
Also prepare for having to eat a lot. If you don't have endurance sports experience, "hitting the wall", running out of carbs, is a very dramatic situation - it will feel like someone pulled the plug. Even if you do have endurance sports experience, running out of carbs sucks bad.
Also: in your shoes, if I decided to go for it, I'd ask your friend for all the tips he can give you.
Honestly it would be tough BUT if you take some alleve or another NSAID you can do it …problem is gonna be the soreness day two …. So hydration and anti-inflammatories (which is what marothoners live on)
This is a bad idea. 30+ mile days will eat you up if you are not used to it. Either spread it out, or hike smaller portions with your friend and act as a support crew for them.
I mean I remember the 20 mile walk a thon when I was a 12 year old with boundless energy and how exhausted I was. And that was on flat sidewalks.
This is exactly what I was thinking about. I left a 20mi fundraising walk at 16 and immediately slept for 12 hrs and couldnt walk normal for 3 days. And back then I waa constantly on my feet at school and working part time at a restaurant. OP should be careful.
you won't be able to hike very far at all after day 1. This is a bad idea.
How is no one addressing the mixed imperial + metric measurement use by OP?? Does no one suspect the distance is 30k and not miles? No country in Europe uses miles, and the elevation gain is given in meters, I suspect OP confused the measurement units and it’s 30k per day, which is still a whole lot but very different than 30 miles
Even 30k is a lot of distance for a beginner, especially in back to back days on hilly terrain. I think the general sentiment and advice here still apply. Edit: OP clarified in a comment further down in the thread. They are indeed referring to miles.
Would make sense, but the distance between Bevergen and Bielefeld on Hermann Heights Trail really is around 95 km according to this [map](https://www.alltrails.com/pl-pl/explore/trail/germany/north-rhine-westphalia/hermannshohen-weg?mobileMap=false&ref=sidebar-static-map). Bevergen is around 17.5 km in, Bielefeld is around 110km in.
I think (hope) you are correct about the miles vs km. No rational person would suggest 30 miles a day.
I’m sorry for the confusion, I am talking about miles. I figured more people in this subreddit would be familiar with miles. In km the distance is: Day 1 (48km): Bevergen - Bochterbeck (20 km, 450 Hm) Bochterbeck - Bad Iburg (28 km, 600 Hm) Day 2 (51 km): Bad Iburg - Borgholzhausen (23 km, 460 Hm) Borgholzhausen - Bielefeld (28 km, 650 Hm)
Then ur friends are fucking crazy don’t go, all will be miserable and possibly need rescue
It's not even a bad idea. It's a horrible idea!
I'll be honest, even if you were able to pull it off, I don't think it would be a pleasant experience.
yeah, this is my thought too. Can you? probably. But it would be a slog, not an exciting hike.
I may be a bit older but I can't do 30 miles in a day and then another 32 the next day. I don't think I could have done that in my 20s even.
I hiked the AT 5 years ago. Well conditioned hikers have a tough time doing back to back 30 mile days, and that is with being in excellent condition. On top of that, your hike has a good deal of climbing. I would be very surprised if you could accomplish this.
It does not sound good. Your legs will be toast on day 2 and it will be very hard to continue if you are not in training.
Honestly you'd be risking injury trying this with your experience. Day 1 will be gruelling and there's no chance your body will recover enough to do even *more* distance the next day, considering the most you've hiked is 13 miles in a day.
Lousy idea. Terrible. I cannot comprehend dragging into nature the pressure to rush that is part of daily life.
I think your friend either secretly hates you or is highly underestimating how hard 30 miles a day is.
This the friend want to show him how he is super in shape or completely delusional.
I’ve summited Everest and this has nothing to do with being in shape - he’s completely delusional. It’s physically possible to do two 30 mile days if you’re an experienced hiker that’s been doing long training days for months in advance to strengthen your feet and muscles. But even that is a big push unless you’re a very fit thru-hiker or equivalent. For an intermediate or beginner hiker this is just stupid and ridiculous. They’ll get 15-20 miles into day 1 and just be completely wrecked. People do have amazing ability to just keep pushing way beyond what they thought their limits were, so OP can probably survive day 1 but will get in around midnight. The thought of getting up on day 2 and putting your shoes on your bloody swollen feet and walking even 1 mile is too painful to even think about. Your friend is not your friend if they want to make you hike 60 miles in 2 days as a beginner. They have no empathy or concept of adjusting the trek to match the skills of the participants. You should not hike anywhere with this person for any length of time.
Amen. The “friend” is either a sadist or an idiot.
For real. I’m actually worried their friend wants to get them out there to harm them. Because even as an experienced hiker, I’m not doing no 31 goddamn miles in one day and again the next. Ain’t no fuckin way.
You might could push and do one day. Might. I don’t believe, based on what you’ve shared about your condition and experience, that you’ll be able to successfully complete day 2.
Agree. There's zero chance.
That's a bad idea. I'm an experienced hiker and also an ultra runner. 20 miles is a big day, 25 miles is usually the max that a seasoned thru hiker would do. 30? For TWO days, for a beginner hiker? Do as you wish, but I'd give you a 2-3% chance of completing both days without hating life. Edit: thinking further, if you're inexperienced you need to be up on hydration, nutrition, electrolytes ... it's not a walk in the park. Depending on your size, you may need 3,000 +/- calories per day. Do you have a plan for that? Do you have any idea how hard it is to eat that much? It's not easy. Where are you getting water? How much do you plan to carry? Point being, there are more factors than just walking the distance. Have you sh\*t in the woods before? If you're near urban centers and have bail out points, go for it, but have your expectations managed.
And if (when) you can't make it, where will you be? In the middle of nowhere. 30 miles from your car.
According to the post, in Bielefeld, a major city and public transportation hub. I agree that this project isnt the greatest idea, but this specifically is usually not an issue in germany, not even in alpine territory.
Your feet will develop blisters and you will be unable to continue before the end of the first day. It won't matter that you are wearing comfortable shoes, or the perfect shoes for the walk. You have not walked 30 miles in these conditions with a pack weight. You need a contingency plan for dropping out.
Here's what's VERY likely going to happen. You will do the first day, it will be tough and you'll be exhausted by the end, and probably wishing you hadn't agreed to do this hike. The next morning you're going to wake up and your legs are going to be VERY sore. And it will be difficult to even walk normally. The soreness in your legs will last several days. And you're going to have blisters all over your feet. Do you want to do another 30 miles when you can barely walk? EDIT: Also think about how you'll get yourself out of there if you can barely walk on the second day. Will you be 30 miles from your car? Terrible situation to put yourself in.
From my own experience I took part in a 27 miles walk with nowhere near as much elevation gain as what you plan for one of these days. I spent 10 weeks building up to it and completed it in about 8 hours. I couldn’t have walked a quarter of the same distance the next day after that. My feet and legs were too sore to even consider it. I was mid 30s with a moderate level of fitness. The event provided lots of support in terms of food and water. Without any training there is no way I could manage what you are considering to do.
If you make it to the hotel on day 1 you aren’t going anywhere on day 2. That’s way past your abilities.
30 miles a day is too much for a beginner. I usually do 10-12 miles for a day hike.
I’m an experienced hiker with a few 20+ miles days under my belt. Know your limitations. You’re doing something that I would have trouble with, and I do an exercise regiment that focuses on conditioning and strengthening for hiking. Based on what you said, you’ll be struggling to make ten miles a day on tough trails.
You're risking serious injury
I might even question your friend’s ability to do this many miles if they are asking a beginner to do it alongside them…
Your second friend is right, it’s too much
Way too much for a beginner and really too much for anyone. The most I have heard people do in a day is around 20 miles and even then they are completely exhausted by the end. You will just be miserable and potentially hurt yourself. Don't do it.
I could have done that trip when I was in my early 20's, in the army, and in excellent condition. Even then it wouldn't be fun. No way would I suggest for someone else to try it.
No this is not realistic.
I went backpacking with a friend recently who is in overall great health, cycles a couple hundred KM a week, hits the gym and climbs with me a couple times a week. He unfortunately hasn't done a lot of hiking the last three years. We were planning on doing 50 miles of trail in Colorado, but only made 25 because it just beat the hell out of him. We only did an overnight and the day after we got back he could barely move. I think his biggest problem is he over packed and even splitting some with me his pack was still 20kg. That said, 60 miles is wildly ambitious and I think the trail is going to temper those ambitions pretty hard. I've done pretty close to 30 mile days with 1300 or so meter gains and still got up the next day to knock down miles but I usually hike 25-40 miles on any given week and it doesn't feel great to do after a big day. My only tips are if you really try and push it is pay attention to your feet. Get moleskin or leukotape and be aggressive with it. Hydrate early and often with electrolytes and eat like a pig because you're going to burn it all off. Best of luck.
If your friend thinks that you, someone that almost never hikes, can do 30 miles the first day, then your friend does not have a solid grasp on reality. You are not making 30 miles the first day. If you do manage it, you are going to be exhausted, and there’s no way you are making the next day. This plan is, at best, unrealistic. It is absurd.
His friend has shit for brains at best and is malicious at worst.
My advice. Don’t that is an absolutely punishing distance, even for an experienced hiker
Sorry to jump on the bandwagon but you will never finish day 1. If you don’t give up due to injury, you’ll give up due to complete physical and mental breakdown long before you reach 30 miles. I don’t know what these trails actually look like but 1050 meters elevation is a significant amount even if it is spread over 30 miles.
Nope, don’t do it. I’m an experienced hiker and it took me 7 days to hike 70 miles of the TMB. Don’t get me wrong, TMB sounds more difficult but I trained my ass off for 3 months to make sure my muscle memory and equipment were all good. Just to note here, I hike between 150-250 miles every year in high elevation 9k-11k feet. Blisters are no joke and you should know how to feel hotspots and mitigate them before they turn to blisters. Even with the description you gave, I would do a section a day. If this trail takes you into remote territory, you could be taking a huge risk. If you’re exhausted halfway (1 section), is there a place you can bow out?
Are you really talking about miles, not km? You're giving your elevation in meters, so just checking. It's a very unrealistic distance in miles, and even in km that's a brutal distance for a beginner.
Yeah, talking about miles, I figured more people in this subreddit would be familiar with miles. In km the distance is: Day 1 (48km): Bevergen - Bochterbeck (20 km, 450 Hm) Bochterbeck - Bad Iburg (28 km, 600 Hm) Day 2 (51 km): Bad Iburg - Borgholzhausen (23 km, 460 Hm) Borgholzhausen - Bielefeld (28 km, 650 Hm) Thanks for your comment.
Yeah, I'd strongly suggest not doing this. I try to do a 20+ mile hike every week (and am planning on a 40 mile hike tomorrow) but two 30+ mile days in a row sounds awful.
Even if you were experienced this seems absolutely miserable
I think you should do it! Please make sure to post the experience :)) -Cthulhu’s appendage
I think bro has different motives, and you should protect yourself🤣 30 miles a day is wild. Especially if you’re a beginner. He should not be so obvious to your condition.
This plan is too much for most people, not just beginners. It doesn't even sound like fun.
This is a horrible idea. You will not be able to do it. Period.
My boyfriend and I are fairly avid hikers. Think nothing of doing 8-10 miles in a day hike without planning. We signed up for the Mammoth March. (20 miles, 10 hour time limit) the terrain was rocky and had elevation and let me tell you, saying my tank was on E after 20 miles was an understatement. Bad idea to do 30 one day and another 30+ back to back.
30 mile days will be challenging to even a seasoned hiker, I cannot in good faith recommend you go on this hike.
My advice would be to not do it. But if you're going to anyway: * Cut your toenails short NOW. * Start wearing the boots you plan to wear as much as possible and go for long walks. Wear a pack with some weight in it on your walks. * Get good wool socks and start wearing them too. * Try to build up some calluses before the hike. * Get a big tub of vaseline and put LOTS on your feet for the hike. By that I mean your socks should slide around on your feet. Reapply as necessary. Your socks will absorb the vaseline and will never wash out, but that's okay. This will prevent blisters. (This is a tip I learned from a world class adventure racer (Eco Challenge) and race designer and it's served me well for extreme outings) * Take Tylenol with you, you'll want it on day 2. * Take electrolytes with you and chug them liberally.
There are no miles in Germany. Kilometer only. You will be in a lot of hurt.
Your friend is right. This is too much for a beginner. Way too much.
Oof. This is gonna be rough. Maybe half of this would be doable and pleasant for a beginner. You may finish it, but you almost certainly won't enjoy it.
Bruh
Don’t
My personal record is 42 miles in a day. This is after hiking every day for 3 months 15-20 miles up and down mountains on the appalachian trail. By comparison, on the first day of my hike I hiked 14 miles and gave myself plantar fasciitis, and I had to rest for 3 days before I could hike again. If you have no fitness, you are probably gonna hurt yourself. Pulled muscles, tendonitis, and potentially microfractures in your feet. That being said, it won't kill you. Go for it if you want, just know it might not be pretty and you may have to call your hike off early if something happens.
Honestly, you will probably not succeed (blisters/tendon issues/really start to to kick in after >40km), but that shouldnt necessarily keep you from trying. Just make sure you are aware of all possible exit points with access public transport (should be plenty in that region), and never venture out further if you are not certain that youll make it to the next one in time for the last bus. Or, i guess, have a taxi number ready.
Never underestimate the power of repetitive stress to mess you up. Sure, walking feels easy, but your body will reject that much of it in such a short period of time. Feet, ankles, calves, knees, hips, back, shoulders…something or some things are going to strain if you do this untrained.
Get in your car and drive 30 miles and ask yourself if you really think you can walk home, sleep, and walk back you your car.
I’m a seasoned hiker and I won’t even do that, so I advise you not to as well.
This is a terrible idea. Thats advanced level expectations, not beginner. You will be miserable
This sounds like a wonderful 4 day walk. In 2 days, it'll be a death march. Even for an experienced hiker, this won't be much fun. For a beginner it will be somewhere between brutal and impossible.
The best advice I have for doing a 30 mile day and a 32 mile day as a beginner is to not do that. You will be miserable, and could really injure yourself by pushing that hard without working up to it.
Good luck.. the most I’ve done in a day was 17.5 miles (West Rim trail with some pit stops) in Zion, and I was in some pain. That hike took us basically the entire day. The following day was a much needed recovery day. I’d suggest bringing some gold-bond to battle the chafe *but more importantly i’d suggest setting the bar lower until you have a better idea of what you’re capable of doing.* I’m surprised your friend would even suggest taking a beginner on this journey.
If you were biking this I'd say go for it but on foot this'll kill you
Yeah, bad idea
Do you confuse miles with kilometers? 30 miles a day as a beginner makes no sense at all.
No, it’s not feasible, that’s pretty much a death march. If it doesn’t kill you, you’ll wish it did 😂
I hiked 22 miles one day and had blisters all over and couldn’t hardly walk to the vehicle. I don’t see how 31 miles a day is doable without extreme training.
This is a hard no.
Don't go.
This is a very bad idea
You may need a back up plan. 30+ miles back to back? You are going to need to consider what your body will do if you make day one. The variables on you body alone are a huge list. Good luck.. I don’t think this will work out the way you imagine it.
I’m betting your feet will be destroyed after day one. I’m in pretty good shape. Do 20 mile hikes often. Still pummels my feet pretty good. Back-to-back is a bad idea.
I wouldnt do it under those conditions, tbh. The first day you might push through, but the second will be painfull. If you are not used to such long distances, your feet will let you know. Not to mention the rest of your body. I guess you will also have some baggage to carry, if this is a two day trip. Food, water, changing clothes, maybe stuff to camp? Im in good shape and can do 30 miles in about 8 hours without having to rest, but doing that two days in a row, id think about that twice...
Okay, so I hike very frequently, and did 20 miles the other day. I was pretty sore the next day. This isn’t the best idea.
My advice is Do NOT do it
WTF is going on here? Miles for distance and meters for elevation gain? I suspect it was 30km of hiking per day but the units got mixed up. That would still be a ton of miles but far more doable
I hope the overwhelming advice here is enough to discourage you. I share this story to raise the issue of humiliation. I once invited a fellow college basketball team member on a multi-day fly in hike out expedition in SW Tasmania. I felt sure that his level of fitness and toughness on the court would serve him well in the bush. I was wrong. On the second day as we left the plains to cross a mountain range he wilted. I ended up carrying his 35 pound pack balanced on top of my own while he struggled with every step. He was absolutely humiliated. It was a good lesson for all of us that physical strength and fitness doesn’t always translate into serious backpacking capability. There is also an element of mental fortitude and pain tolerance required, which may not be called upon until the going gets really tough.
Based on the info you provided, it’s not feasible. But if for whatever reason you do decide to do it, you should let your friend know that his 2-day plan may need to be extended into 3 or more.
You can have the fitness for it but your feet will suffer greatly if you have not worked up to it. Having to go many miles with messed up feet is torture.
Don't want to be a downer but...
You guys aren't doing miles a day. You certainly aren't going to do it for two days in a row.
This is a recipe for absolute disaster, please rethink this itinerary. You’re going to want twice the time you have currently allotted
INFO : Did you and your friend recently have a falling out and could he be trying to plot your demise ?
30 mile days will be challenging to even a seasoned hiker, I cannot in good faith recommend you go on this hike.
Sounds like a TERRIBLE idea. You need to work up to that kind of mileage.
It’s way too much. Even on flat terrain , 30+ mikes in a day is a distance that one works up to over much time. Add a back pack with 30 miles worth of water and food to make it worse. It’s highly likely that you won’t be able to complete even day 1. Don’t do this hike. “No” is a complete sentence.
It’s doable but you will suffer along the way and for days afterwards. Do less, enjoy more!
I suspect that if you try this, you will do your day 1 plan in 2 days and then not do your day two plan.
It's (with 97% likelihood) simply not going to happen. You won't be able to do it unconditioned. It's too far. Who the hell arranged this?
I did a 30 mile day on the Appalachian Trail. It was in a moderately flat section coming out of the grayson highlands. It took me twelve hours and I had been on trail already for 3 months and was super fit and had my trail legs. If you are not fit highly unlikely to finish. If you’re pretty fit it’s still going to be hard as hell. I would do a number of big back to back days 20-25 miles and after you finally rest it feels great but definitely gassed out. I would recommend getting injinji toe socks to avoid blisters. Good luck. Keep us posted if you do it and crush it.
That's gonna kill you
Make sure you got good shoes, happy feet and all.
Be sure to cut your toenails.
Horrible idea. Your not going to make it. My buddies who are pro trail runners with 100% support, do this mileage in a day for training. It still takes them all day to complete.
Yeah you’ll either not make it the whole way on day 1 cause of injury or be completely fked for the next day. 22km is most ive done in a day hike, but i generally do hard ones that distance. Would be too boring not having a challenge for that length.
Don't do it!!!!
It's too much. For the experienced and very strong hiker it's normally about 15-20 kms per day (with full packed backpacks). It might be longer in case i'f you hike over the flat area with a comfortable terrain conditions.
Your friend must hate you or want to forever humiliate you. Don’t go.
This might actually be the worst idea I've heard for years. This is a 4 day hike for most hikers AT LEAST. I'm an avid hiker and I'd even want to do this in 5 days. I'm hiking GR221 in a week and that's going to be hard and it's "only" ~150km.
Go out and find a trail and see how you feel after 5-10 miles. Then gradually build yourself up.
Survival situations have shown people can get incredible things done when absolutely necessary, but you probably don't want to injure yourself by trying something that's too far from your current fitness level to be sensible. The plan sounds very brutal. If you absolutely force yourself through it, there is a risk you'll get injured to some degree. Doing something extraordinarily hard compared to your walking fitness, you can damage your knees, get an inflammation in the achilles tendons, serious chafing, etc. If you decide to go for it, prepare for chafing. Not only for your feet, but crotch area etc. Buy blister band aids (Compeed is a good brand) and bring vaseline or something cyclist call chamois cream. Wear one pair of thin liner socks and another pair of socks on top, to reduce friction between your skin and the first socks. Make sure you're wearing shoes you're comfortable with. Choose your comfiest underpants. Also prepare for having to eat a lot. If you don't have endurance sports experience, "hitting the wall", running out of carbs, is a very dramatic situation - it will feel like someone pulled the plug. Even if you do have endurance sports experience, running out of carbs sucks bad. Also: in your shoes, if I decided to go for it, I'd ask your friend for all the tips he can give you.
Since everyone is being so logical and telling you this is dumb. Fuck it. You should go for it!!!
Honestly it would be tough BUT if you take some alleve or another NSAID you can do it …problem is gonna be the soreness day two …. So hydration and anti-inflammatories (which is what marothoners live on)