Today, the idea of Hiking came to my mind. I was thinking "How many kilometers could I even do it?"
So I have put about 2 kg of stuff in my backpack and started walking through my city.
I really liked it for about 5 km. Then it was a chore. I did two more km and was very exhausted :)
How much better can I get at it?
It means that you too can do it, but start slowly. Simply start walking[0] and ensure that you reduce your overweight if you have some. Combine it with regular strength workout, maybe 30 minutes 2 or 3 times a week.
The most important part is that you must find your fun in walking. Find something interesting you (mapping, birds, architecture or simply thinking about stuff) while you walk.
Reinhold Messner used to quote one of his good friends: "Hiking is the art of suffering". So yes, you suffer a bit on the way and some people cannot stand it, some enjoy it.
Between 2008 and 2012 I had gotten extremely lethargic and sedentary. In 2012 I started walking - could do 2 miles at best. I gradually got up to doing 5 miles and easy biking over those years. After that I started hiking in the mountains - long easy ones first and now I'm up to easily doing 8 miles moderate ones. (Heat makes it more miserable for me than anything else so I go early in the mornings.)
I am 50 and don't look at it as a competitive thing - just something to stay active and feel good.
Also 100% agree with the comment below on getting good shoes that fit you well. You do not want to get foot or back pain. Also avoid walking on concrete pathways.
He also maintains a section roughly 20 km in length of a 1,000 km long walking track here in Western Australia. That's edge cleanups, fire safety, hut upkeep, occassional footbridge construction, etc.
I hike a bit (I've done a few big walks in Tasmania and New Zealand, here in Australia .. and various parts of the world in a job related capacity (mapping, suryeying, geophysics, etc)) .. but I'm strictly small beer next to the old fellow.
I don’t really know how far I can hike now. Going slow and with some rest breaks, probably a long way? I wouldn’t hesitate to head up Old Rag (linked in another comment) if I started early in the day, for example.
Hiking “works” best when the act of walking is not the entire point. By that I mean, it’s way more enjoyable when you have beautiful scenery to look at, or companions to chat with, or an exciting destination, etc.
Even just heading out on a walk in the city, if I’m walking towards something I’m interested in, or I’m exploring a new area, or I’m walking with a friend, I can go for a long way. If I’m just counting miles, it’s going to be mentally harder.
I will say that the mentality of hiking develops with practice just like the muscles. With lots of practice you can learn to go into your thoughts and not focus on the feeling of physical exertion. This happens to runners too. For some people it helps to have music or a podcast in their ears.
As others have said, how far you can do depends greatly on the terrain and load you are carrying. Also how many days in a row you are going to do it. I'm in my late 40s and have found that's the biggest change. I can still hike about as far as I could in my 20s (though I can no longer carry as much), but I can't do max distance multiple days in a row.
I recommend alltrails.com to find trails around you and see how long it takes other hikers. The average time spent and the trail rating can be more useful than the distance. Make sure to look at the vertical too.
Hiking is a great life-long sport! My dad is in his 80s and still does it.
The physical side of things does improve as you learn about muscles you didn't know you had. Before we started doing it more regularly, I complained a bit about my knees and ankles - not so much now. Also get appropriate footwear - we've been pretty happy with what Merrell and Keen have on offer (and also Teva Sandles for summer walks)
I'd say working your way up, a little at a time, is essential. Have a look at this recent article by another walker of cities, Chris Arnade:
https://walkingtheworld.substack.com/p/how-to-walk-12-miles-...
I walked recently with my kids (4+6y) ~11km on some tourist trail (very small elevation), didn't really have problem during hike, but could feel it in my legs later for few days since I am not used to walk that much anymore, nowadays I walk like 5-6km per day only.
Btw. my father will be soon 70, he is hiking regularly, can do 20+ km through mountains in one day.
Oh and like maybe year ago I started simple exercise routine (like <10 minutes but all kinds of moves) at home, no equipment necessary besides floor and wall, at beginning I could barely do 1-2 push ups, now I moved to 15 at one session (+20 sit ups, +15 squats and various other moves with neck, hands), but long time didn't icnrease the number, I'm sure I could push it to 18-20, you just need to start slowly, at beginning even 2 are OK, after few weeks you move to 5, after few more weeks to 8-10, then you move to 15, etc.
I’m also in my 40s. My typical day hikes are around 10km in the mountains, but I like to walk around in the city as well. Some hikes are shorter (~3km), and some are occasionally longer (~20km) if I have all day. On summer nights, instead of sitting on the couch, I like to download a movie and take a “Netflix walk”. In the mountains, I like exploring and seeing new places. My longest hike was about 80km through a mountain range. I went with a friend and it took 3 days because our packs had about 20kg of camping gear and food. That’s more backpacking than hiking, but I guess I’m saying that once you’re hiking a lot and you really enjoy it you can hike as far as you want, the limiter might be more time & motivation than distance.
For me, it’s very enjoyable and I can watch a movie; it isn’t hard to pay enough attention, and it isn’t dangerous at all. Never had a Netflix walk injury of any kind or any close calls, and I’ve had loads of minor scratches, slips, falls, bumps, rolled ankles, sunburns, etc. etc., while hiking in the mountains and paying full attention. Mountain hiking is much more dangerous than walking in the city looking at an iPad half the time (and I wouldn’t call mountain hiking ‘dangerous’).
To me, hiking means self supported long travel, possibly with an overnight and certainly with a pack that has food and supplies for a day. Daypack weight no more than 5-6kg, multi-day pack under 14kg if i can manage it (but will depend on if i've topped up on water recently)
That’s not the same as waking around a city, which usually involves much less stuff on your back, and sneakers not more technically-oriented shoes.
i’m good for about 20km/day in wilderness (class 1/2), substantially farther on class 0 (gravel paths, dirt roads,habitable places…), substantially less on class 3,4. (and i climb at about 5.9 lead/.10a follow)
https://www.sierra.com/blog/hiking/hiking-classes-defined/
I tend to prefer a bicycle to walking in towns and cities, so I don't really know how far i can walk, but it's a ways.
Like anything, routine practice and habit get you a long way. My parent is in their seventies and walks 10-15k around the neighborhood every day after breakfast. Goes through shoes pretty fast!
I can't emphasize enough the importance of good shoes!
If you're at all an animal lover and in a life situation where you can, adopt a medium size dog of a semi-active breed (say, 20-30kg mutt with some shepherd breed in it, but not a pure working dog!). Take the dog for an hour-long walk every single day. The dog will teach you to be a walker.
(If you can't get a dog, find a local shelter and volunteer to walk the dogs there. Many will let you "borrow" a dog for 30 mins at a time, so you can give 2-3 dogs a walk in one visit. It helps the dogs, too!)
These can be short but scenic and popular. The difference in view can be a huge assist in your hiking ability.
It will also give you an idea of how much endurance you have and whether you'll enjoy more. You could even do the same trail many times! Being out on a trail also lets you stop and rest. So you see, it's quite different from walking in a city.
Please, even if it's a short hike, remember to carry some water with you, a tiny snack, and wear hiking shoes if you can.
Gradual increases seems to be the key
I highly suggest using Organic Maps on mobile for finding nearby trails, though I usually then switch to Apple or Google Maps satellite view for visual confirmation the area seems ok before striking out. I was shocked how many trails there were around me hidden in plain sight, hopefully that’s the same in your area.
I bet you'd be able to walk until you are bored instead of tired soon enough (unless you are never bored, but if you can be, listening to podcasts could be a way to go).
Walking in a city can be exhausting because of the concrete, the noise, the heat and the traffic.
I can walk for hours no problem. Elevation gain or loss and the sun counts more than simply the distance.
Being hydrated helps a lot. Good shoes too.
Good walk!
HK as a whole is great for hiking, lots of different trails, that can get quite challenging due to the terrain. I usually do Quarry Bay to Parkview on Saturday mornings, great little 2 hour hike with lots of stairs to climb.
Attempted a 3 day 60km walk with lots of elevation changes, on the second day my ITB became so inflamed I couldn't bend my knee, and had to abort the walk.
Prior to this I've done up to 30km days no sweat (carrying up 20kgs). So I'm feeling pretty depressed. It's not helped that there's so much conflicting advice when it come to physio.
I distinctly remembering as a sixth grader camper watching in utter disbelief as a 70 yo man charged up the mountain ahead of us while us kids lagged behind, and whined how tired out our legs were.
As for age ... I can hike better and further now as a non-smoker in my later forties than I did when I was in my twenties and smoking a pack a day.
The beginner gains are the most fun :)
Walking in a city you can easily do 5-7km/h but when hiking in a forest or mountains your speed will be more like 2-4km/h.
Keep walking
Remember to not overdo it and to take breaks; hikes don't have to be long.
To get better - just hike a lot. And consider running to improve your legs stamina and cardio fitness.
You want about .5L of water per hour hiking. Throw in an extra bottle perhaps, better to have a little extra than not enough.
2kg of water is about 4 hours hiking. Maybe don't start right off with such a long hike.
Very good for physical and mental health.
In town without backpack I try to walk 10k steps / days.
If you want to get better, load water or any weight into a bag and walk around hilly areas.
Why’s that? There are lots of people who do extreme amounts of activity. Parent’s description is on par for backpacking.
Please consider your phrasing. Nothing wrong with asking the question, but best avoid coming off as though you’re accusing people of lying. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
I wouldn't want to do that if it was really hot but other then that it doesn't seem particularly bad much less unlikely.