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Summary
On episode 544 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan sits down with Katie Gerber, a certified holistic health and nutrition coach, wilderness guide, and seasoned long-distance hiker who has covered thousands of miles on trails including the Continental Divide Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Colorado Trail, and who founded Adventure Ready and Backpacker Academy. Katie and her co-author Heather wrote Adventure Ready, A Hiker’s Guide to Planning, Training, and Resiliency.
The conversation covers the range of hiking, from local day hikes to multi-month through-hikes, the seven Leave No Trace principles for protecting the trails people use, and how to spot and treat heat illness before it becomes dangerous.
Katie and Allan also get into physical conditioning, testing yourself under a loaded pack before you go, and the mental preparation that separates hikers who finish long trails from the 75 to 85 percent who quit.
Links
- https://katiegerber.com
- https://lnt.org
Key Takeaways
- Hiking spans a huge range of commitment. It runs from a few-hour day hike to multi-month through-hikes of trails like the Appalachian Trail (2,200 miles) or the Continental Divide Trail (2,800 miles), and long trails can be hiked in sections over years instead of in one continuous push.
- Follow the seven Leave No Trace principles. Plan ahead and prepare, travel and camp on durable surfaces, dispose of waste properly, leave what you find, minimize campfire impact, respect wildlife, and be considerate of other visitors, all designed to keep backcountry areas usable for everyone.
- Heat illness progresses on a spectrum. It starts with heat rash and cramping, and if untreated can advance to heat exhaustion and then heat stroke; watch for heavy sweating, headache, nausea, dizziness, and pulse changes, and cool off and rehydrate with electrolytes before it becomes a medical emergency (a temperature above 103, slurred speech, or a change in consciousness).
- Train deliberately instead of hiking yourself into shape. A structured plan that balances cardio, strength, mobility work, and rest lets your body adapt to carrying a loaded pack, rather than just wearing you down and setting you up for overuse injuries.
- Test yourself under real conditions before you go. Put on a loaded pack, 20 to 40-plus pounds, and walk terrain similar to what you’ll face, so you can spot where your body compensates, such as a weak core or an arched lower back, and correct it ahead of time.
- Success on long trails is mostly mental. An estimated 75 to 85 percent of people attempting the AT, PCT, or CDT quit before finishing, usually from a lack of mental preparation for blisters, hunger, fear, or homesickness rather than a lack of physical skill.
- Practicing voluntary hardship builds resilience. Deliberately putting yourself through small, uncomfortable challenges, like training in the rain or cold exposure, teaches your body and mind that you can handle more than expected, and that carries over to the trail and to everyday life.
- Katie’s three strategies to get and stay well: spend daily time outside, ideally near sunrise; build something into each day you look forward to, whether it’s a walk, journaling, or time with a loved one; and know your why, a strong sense of purpose that keeps you going through the inevitable hard stretches.