[Stymee]

I would like to increase my endurance while hiking and was wondering if anyone had any tips. I've tried a couple of those endurance formulas sold at GNC and they didn't seem to help much. Anyone have a favorite meal before a hike? How soon before hiking do you eat? I actually seem to do best on an empty stomach, but then when I get to my destination I'm ready for a 3 course meal. Any tips will be greatly appreciated. Stymee

[#19]

My favorite subject. FOOD! Almost always, I have a bagel, banana, and juice or sports drink in the car about an hour before the exercise begins. I try to eat small portions of anything I can get my hand on - nuts, candy, string cheese, crackers, granola bars all day. I'm thinking that getting a good load of protein before leaving home might be a good way to add some long term fuel. Eating the big sandwich in the middle of the day tastes great on a hike, but I don't think it does much for your quest of day long endurance. I don't have much experience with endurances drink other than the gator aide variety. Physical conditioning also goes a long way in promoting endurance.

[Brian Curtis]

Eat. Eat. Eat. The biggest mistake I see people make is not eating properly. They hold their meal as a reward for the top, or they decide a hike is a good time for a fast (yes, that really happened). You need the food while you are hiking, not after. Lots of snack foods during the day. Have a little snack at every rest stop. You want mostly carbohydrates. Save the fat and protein for the evening meal. Sugared drinks really help keep your blood sugar on an even keel as you drink more frequently then you snack.

[mustang]

I agree nuts, dried fruit, fruit and veggies for me along the trail. When I reach my destination protein is the key for me sometimes I pack those tuna snack packs they're flat and easy make up and eat. My favorite is peanut butter and honey packed with protein and carbohydrates. I re-hydrate with good old water. The nuts, dried fruit and especially fruit and veggies provide fructose for energy and many are as good if not better than the electrolytes found in the sports drinks. On days when I'm really needing an energy boost I take a tiger bar with.

[McPilchuck]

I agree pretty much with the guys here on this one...carbo up days in advance, your body will thank you for that especially if your plan on some real endurance butt kickers. Eat light the morning you go...I have some friends who prefer a big breakfast, but they get bogged down a few hours later carrying it up the mountain and usually end up with cramps, think they'd learn? As for me, I eat light with maybe toast coffee to wake up with, then usually cranola bars and juice. On the way up, it's snacks and plenty of water or gator aid, juice. One reminder, don't drink cranberry juice as that will dehydrate you, as learned from a few Trail Blazers in the club. Further, I take my climbing/hiking serious, so in advance I pump myself full of vitimins, too.

[Hungry Hiker]

I eat the same things whether hiking or not (unless overnight, in which case weight is a factor). Eat before you are hungry, drink before you are thirsty, rest before you are tired. You can go all day with that philosophy. Be sure to drink enough. My body can't go without a very large breakfast. Driving to the trailhead may take 2 hours, so I eat a banana or two before starting off. Then nibble all day. Doesn't seem to matter what you eat, but carbos digest the quickest, protein the slowest. So I question the effect that protein has in the short term. There is no magic potion that will make you hike easier. Training is the best -- anything aerobic helps, like running, cycling, walking, stairs, machines at the gym, etc.

[Dslayer]

For me personally, physical conditioning is the key-I can really tell when I've gotten out of my good regimen-usually from now into the middle of May because of baseball-and start getting after it in May--but if I watch my diet/weight, it won't take me long to get going full bore. Diet is extemely important in the time before hitting the trail, on it and during-different people eat different things-the advice already given, eat when you're hungry, drink when you're thirsty, etc is just good common sense and well said. I do like to drink a lot of water before hitting the trail and I've learned through some sad experience that drinking a hundred beers the night before a hike will not be conducive to having a good time on the trail the following day.

[polarbear]

I think if someone jogged maybe 3 miles maybe twice a week they would be in reasonable shape for alot of hikes. It's interesting how some hikes are mentally fatiguing--like Mt. Si for instance, whereas other hikes pull you along because the scenery is so interesting. I usually don't notice how tired I am if I can see what lies ahead and it's tantalizing enough to make me want to see what's even further. If I'm hiking solo, I find that meeting someone else on the trail can really give me an energy boost--always.

[kleet]

Okay, Allison, I realize this is thread drift, but you were the one bragging. How the heck do you keep your pack so light? Start another thread if need be with details (what are you leaving home, what have you purchased that is super-light, etc). Pretty please?

[MounTAIN Woman]

In my opinion, the best way to have endurance on the trail is to be in shape (training) and eat a healthy, balanced diet. I don't usually have the luxury of a 30 lb pack, and have been seen lugging my behemouth 55 pounder 5000+ vert and 10 to 12 miles in a day. But the most important thing I have learned is, in addition to that bagel or scone, to make sure I have some protein in the morning, and throughout the day on the trail. It is so important to eat along the way, to have a constant supply of energy and keep the blood sugar levels from making big roller-coaster ups and downs. Again, trail food should be something you can eat even when you aren't specifically hungry, and sometimes you may have to force yourself to eat something, but your body will thank you for it. That's my case at least. For protein I like salmon, turkey, or beef jerkey, and string cheese. String cheese also provides some fat, which is important in smaller quantities.

[#19]

I'll second those protein comments. I read a great article a few years ago about a famous Tri-athlete, three time Ironman winner, who started eating more protein, and was able to improve his times. Atrributed the addition of more lean protein to his longevity in the sport. Individually wrapped string cheese keeps well even in warm weather. snarf! Wish I had a few now! Kleet, you may not have caught this yet, but some of the folks on this site are OBSESSED about weight.

[SteveF to MounTAIN Woman]

Oh cool. If not registered you can do the ol' WTA trail talk trick (known as TTT in the vernacular) of sending a note to one person. Of course, everybody else reads it because all posts are so fascinating! Oops, I'm digressing. I worked on MounTAIN man last weekend about pack weight and stove weight and all that jazz. You'll be next! Was telling him about my 1 oz stove made from pop cans, the only way to go in summer.

[MounTAIN Woman]

Yes, Allison, it's my multi-day technical pack! That's not what I carry every time I go out. But our "science" has found that about 39% of our individual body weights is a good amount for a heavy pack. 50%, which we had going into the Pickets two years ago, was WAY too much! I remember from the old TT days, you were building a pop-can stove. Do they work? Steve F is trying to lighten us up a bit, too, and that was something he suggested. Hmmm...

[Mike Collins]

If you want to increase your endurance then when everyone meets in the parking lot offer to carry the rope. The next time out your pack will seem like it weighs only 15#.

[Mike Collins]

I should address the question with greater seriousness. Talking about what you eat and carry avoid the question of endurance. Endurance starts with doing. I ride in the bikeride called RAMROD (RideAroundMt.RainierInOneDay). It is an endurance ride of 156 miles with 10,000 feet of elevation gain. When training I pick a hill near my house with 1,000' of gain to it. Everyday I will crank up that hill in preparation. I consider myself to be a strong hiker having dayclimbed Mt. Rainier last June. You build that endurance by getting out and putting in as much elevation gain as you can. I do take vitamins (Vit E, Vit C) everyday for the antioxidant effect. Before hiking/biking I eat a good helping of oatmeal which provides the energy needed for many hours. But eating is a distant second to physical preparation.