How to Hike a Fast Thru Hike (20 Tips)

My absolute best advice for those who want to hike fast and do big mile days! On average it takes someone more than five months to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, or Appalachian Trail. So this is for those who want to do it quicker! Less than 100 days is very achievable for just about anyone who wants.

Some of my faster thru hikes include...
- Pacific Crest Trail / 2,653mi / 84 days / 31.5mpd
- Appalachian Trail / 2,200mi / 91 days / 24mpd
- Arizona Trail / 800mi / 29 days / 27mpd
- Florida Trail / 1,100mi / 28 days / 39mpd

And a lot more! I love to push myself and have fun in this way. Hiking from sunrise to sunset, packing extremely light, and seeing just how efficient I can be out there. It's a super cool thing to do, and I hope my experience and advice is helpful!

100 Tips for an Ultralight Backpack:    • 100 Tips For An Ultralight Backpack  

My Favorite Thru Hiking Gear:
Tent - http://tinyurl.com/bdxm9229
Quilt - http://tinyurl.com/4fm96rt4
Backpack - http://tinyurl.com/ykhnu4fh
Pack Liner - http://tinyurl.com/2p8uvn7w

Rain Jacket - http://tinyurl.com/bdadk452
Fleece - https://tinyurl.com/ucd7ypdr
Puffy - https://tinyurl.com/29966jbw
Socks - https://amzn.to/3tUDH6U
Bug Head Net - https://tinyurl.com/2vrwsd26
Smart Watch - https://amzn.to/3mz7ePp

Stove - http://tinyurl.com/58r2rys8
Pot - http://tinyurl.com/hn32nxxp
Battery Bank - http://tinyurl.com/47x276b3
Flashlight - http://tinyurl.com/5n6jkrmd
Camera - https://amzn.to/4axYKgb
Lens - https://amzn.to/41Xjlqg

Here's some of the most important tips from the video:
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- Hike more hours out of the day instead of trying to physically hike faster. We want to move at a comfortable pace, and be able to maintain that all day. This is important to avoid injury, and it's also a lot easier as a whole.
- Consistency is key! Don't push yourself so hard on one day that you then are forced to rest the next day. Stay consistent.
- Pack light and dial in your gear before you go! We definitely want a more ultralight gear list than anything else. It will be easier on your body to carry, and it will allow you to hike more comfortably. It will help you avoid injury.
- Learn your gear before you go, it's one thing to have a super ultralight pack, it's another thing to be able to use your gear efficiently and safely! Learn your gear near home before your thru hike.
- Train beforehand! Try doing some 30 mile days near home to see what you can learn. How better to take care of your feet, how to fuel, and of course to get stronger! Though if you are really serious about the speed... do a shorter trail first! There's no better training for a thru hike, than by doing a thru hike first as training.
- Start out slightly slower. Let's say you want to average 26 miles per day, instead start out by doing 22 miles per day, and then further down the trail speed up to make up for it. The beginning of a thru hike is where most injuries happen, so we want to avoid that by starting slower! In this same way, if you want to take some Zero days (rest days) it is better to do that earlier in the trail than later.
- Efficiency with daily jobs. Ask yourself what you do all day, and how can you streamline those processes. Filtering your water, eating snacks, packing up in the morning... all of these things can be done quicker.
- Efficiency in towns. My best advice is to make a to-do list as you are a day or two away from a town, this way you can get there and immediately get all your jobs done. Opposed to getting there, and then thinking about it. Then of course, hike out!

In this video you'll see clips from my thru hikes of the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, International Appalachian Trail, Uinta Highline Trail, Pacific Northwest Trail, Arizona Trail, Tahoe Rim Trail, Long Trail, Grand Enchantment Trail, Great Divide Trail, Superior Hiking Trail, and a handful of others! I hope you enjoyed

00:00 - Why Hike Fast?
01:31 - Pace
02:23 - Consistency
02:37 - Daylight
03:21 - Gear
04:02 - Shakedown
04:34 - Training
05:10 - Beginning
05:54 - Planning
06:37 - Start Date
07:06 - Efficiency
08:00 - Goals
08:30 - Alone
08:54 - Towns
09:39 - Resupply
10:42 - Clean
11:18 - Zeros
11:48 - Vortex's
12:26 - Attitude
12:54 - Opinions
13:25 - Final Tip
13:49 - Thank You!

Hiking Essentials Shirt! http://jupiterhikes.com/product/hikin...

THE BACKPACKING GEAR I USE:
http://www.jupiterhikes.com/gear/

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