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I just did Squaw Peak on Saturday - but for the first time in a couple of months I strapped my son into the child backpack and hauled him up there with me. Holy Crap! He's put on some lb's!

If any of you out there have kids this statement will not be a revelation - but kids grow up FAST. That hike is no problem for me normally - heck it barely qualifies as a full fledged workout anymore. The last time I took him it wasn't terribly difficult either - but not this time. With a 30 lb. little knee-biter on your back it becomes a SOLID workout. I highly recommend it.

In fact...feel free to meet me at the bottom some Saturday and I'll be glad to let you haul the little dude up in my behalf....

Olesma,

My boy has been oversized since he was born, so I know the feeling of the kiddy pack workout. But, since he just turned 9 and weighs in at 130, I think I'll let him hike up on his own.

If you're ever up for a good workout type of hike (not running, just a good steady pace and an aerobically beneficial climb), feel free to send me an email. Thanks!

John B.

I've been doing it lately with two and a half gallons of water in my daypack. Doing a little prepping for our Grand Canyon hike this weekend.

GTG

I have to admit - the realization that I'm not as young or in shape as I once was had a fairly depressing effect on me.

At 18 I spent an entire summer (3 months) hiking the Sangre de Cristo mountains in New Mexico with a 60 lb. pack on - averaging 10 miles a day with long days of 20+ miles.

Now Squaw Peak and 30 lb's kicks my butt.

(sigh....)

olesma, hauling 60 lbs of gear in the Blood of Christ mountains sounds like a butt-kicker as well. Hopefully I can work up to that weight. Thinks it's too late to start at 34?

GTG

As a fitness trainer I can truly say it is never to late to start...! I definitely think it is a good idea to use 'sport-specific' training, even more so as we age. In my opinion, nothing works better than take a few test runs on the trails with your gear and some added weight so your body can acclimate, so to speak... to the new workload. Believe it or not, muscles have memory and your body learns to adjust to a particular workload as it learns the patterns. Hence, the explanation why a 70 year old may surprise you and blow past you on Camelack, LOL....their body is familiar with the workout. Consistent training and the fuel you put into your body makes all the difference. Nutritional balance and electrolytes go along way..keep up the good work ya'll!

Sande J

I feel that building up the legs is most important to being successful at carrying the weight of a backpack. Carrying around extra weight in a backpack prior to the hike is a good idea for getting used to the weight but I do not believe it does all that much to build any muscles. Remembering that a properly adjusted pack should place the weight on the hips and I think you'll agree.
Get the legs built up.

Phil

Ah yes, the body can adjust. Legs, hips, back, belly can all get used to the load. After a few weekends of carrying a pack, I get to the point where day-hiking with just a fannypack feels like I'm floating along the trail.

To condition myself for heavier loads, I like to carry water. I bought one of those five-gallon heavy-plastic water carriers, and I stuff it into the top compartment of my pack. I'll fill it with water, and hit the trail. The good thing about water is if I overestimate my conditioning level and get tired, I can drop some of it out to lighten the load (happy happy trailside plants!).

I had some thirsty dayhikers ask me if I had any extra water once, while I was doing this. Why, yes indeed!