Date: 2015-03-06
To: How to Walk Properly
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Every year I say I'm going to post an entry about how I've learned to walk properly while backpacking and every year I forget. Well 2015 is the year.... I'll start off by mentioning that this Backpacker article is one of the best reads I've found on the topic so far. How to Walk ProperlyWhen a hiker becomes a backpacker with 40 lbs on his/her back, walking properly becomes very important. To start with, it is wise to use hiking poles as your center of gravity changes and the poles, for many, many reasons help to stabilize you. The usage of poles is a topic for future discussion. With pack in place and poles in hand, a hiker should walk on a fairly level trail with a heel/toe, heel/toe, heel/toe motion. It is good to establish a good speed hiking cadence that will allow you to move at that speed for long periods of time. Too fast and you tire and need to rest. Too slow and you aren't performing efficiently to get to your target destination. Average speed walking on level pavement would be between 3-4 mph. Average speed on the AT for Canary? 1-3 mph. When I begin my annual hike, I use a roughly 1-1/2 to 2 mph average speed barring any major ups or downs. As the hike progresses over the next several weeks, you find that the motion of your poles/arms along with an improved eye/foot coordination as you "stare" at the ground in front of you while walking, that your speed will increase on the level to 3-4 mph. The trail often has many obstacles. Roots, rocks, and so forth. You learn over time to move with a smooth speedy pace, knees slightly bent, body bent at the hips slightly forward for balance, and carefully placing your feet on as level of a surface as possible while strategically placing each pole to balance forward motion. It becomes like a crab walk. This technique will however cause you to watch the ground and not actually watch both where you are going or what is around you. So much so that I have actually run into limps that cross the path at eye level. LOL - Ouch!Believe it or not, I prefer, or my knees prefer to go uphill. When I first started backpacking, I would climb by throwing myself at a mountain. I would try to maintain that faster level trail cadence and once I could no longer breathe and/or my heart was pounding in my chest, I would stop, turn around facing downhill so my calves could rest too, and wait for my chest to quit pounding. Then I'd turn around again and resume that faster cadence. Then I met a 70 yo Native American who was thru-hiking the AT for his second time. I watched in awe as he would climb a mountain and NEVER stop to rest. He's 20 years my senior and WOW! Ok, I realized I was missing something. Research and watching this elderly gentleman hike enlightened me. No you climb with a much slower cadence as if you are doing a wedding march. Ideally, the cadence is at such a pace that you NEVER let your heart start pounding in your chest. You also don't pull yourself up the mountain with each step, you step, push yourself straight up, and then step into the trail. This maneuver is described very well in the Backpacker article above. They explain what muscles you are actually using. Again, you are bent forward at the hips leaning into the mountain with poles being used for balance. Though at first this will seem to be very slow, when hiking up for 2000-3000' feet in one accent, it is amazing that you can keep moving without stopping. And you get there faster than throwing yourself at the mountain.Going downhill hurts! Being in my 50's I do NOT go downhill without my knee braces. I don't have bad knees, it just feels so much better with the knee braces and pain means I'm doing something wrong. When going downhill, it is wise to bend your knees as you step, do not lock your knees and jar them on every step. You stand more upright and again do the crabwalk with your poles. The downhill cadence will be completely different that the level surface or uphill cadence. In my case, I tend to let gravity do some of the work and when possible have a pretty fast cadence. Remember, your poles should be out in front of you to keep you from falling.... words of experience.I hope you find this description either helpful or as a good lead-in to some research on your own. I'm sure it is not 100% correct, but it has been working very well for this old lady.