Physical preparation for extended hiking is less extreme than you might think. Through research and experience we have established a workout regimen for the month or two preceding our hiking tours.
We plan one to three hikes per week leading up to our trip. Too much hiking before your trip can lead to injury. Starting a multi-day hike with soreness or injury already present is not an option. If it hurts before the start of your trip, it will most likely get worse (learned from personal experience). Usually our hikes are only three to six miles in length over moderate ground. This gets our feet and legs in good enough shape to adapt to a much more grueling schedule once the real hike begins. If the trail you plan to hike has extreme vertical climbs, it is recommended to add strength training to quadriceps, gluteus maximus, biceps femorus, gastrocnemious, soleus. Basically, your butt, thigh and calf muscles should be in shape at the start to avoid muscle strains and tears when on trails with moderate to significant vertical climbs.
Plan for ten to twelve miles per day for the first couple of days. This allows development of your trail legs. As long as you’ve done your pre-hike fitness workouts, you will be surprised how quickly your body adapts to the trail. Initial end of day aches and pains are replaced by tiredness. After three days on the trail, eight to ten miles down the road seems like a good place to stop for lunch instead of stopping for the day.
Use your training hikes to use and experiment with any clothing, equipment or accesories you plan to take and use on the trip. We have taken cooking gear and new recipes out on a simple evening hike to test for usability as well as eat-ability. Weather gear is worn and tried to evaluate effectiviness. Trail shoes or boots are broken in on practice hikes, *not* on the first day of your trip. Practice packing your backpack as well as trying it out on the trail. After carrying 35 pounds it might be easier to leave some of the non-esentials at home.
Long distance and through hikes are not pain free. However, with preparation the aches, pains and unexpected bumps can be reduced.