Being from NH, my father-in-law did not have the chance to hike at all before our Whitney trip in June. He did however ride his bike to work 14 times (20 mile RT) with a 30 lb backpack. Whenever I get lazy and don't want to do HIIT (I hate cardio), I think about him kicking my a$$ all the way up that trail!
I find that for long hikes you need to prepare you feet for the pounding they will take. They need to be in just as good shape as your legs, heart, lungs, etc....
I'm taking 2 guys from work with me in September. The main concerns are:
- altitude
- foot pain
- fatigue from carrying a pack
I know we'll be fit enough to do it, it's just a question of how uncomfortable we'll be!
Before a big day hike: No more than a week ahead, I'll go and hike something nearly as far as the planned hike, but less strenuous: less altitude or distance, but I try to do 2/3 or 3/4 of the planned hike in intensity.
I tend to do something similar, but plan the last big training hike about two weeks before. This is what I have planned for the September trip:
San Bernardino Peak
Distance: 16 miles RT || Duration: ~9 hrs || Elevation Change: 4700' || Max Elevation: 10,649' || Difficulty: Strenuous
The weekend prior we may do something small (5-10 miles RT,<2000' climbing) and in the days leading up to the hike, I tell everyone to deload training (reduce volume/intensity by 50% or more), particularly for lower body weight training and cardio.
