Met an old guy on the Appalachian Trail who taught me about pacing myself

I ran into this retired mail carrier named Jerry near the Grayson Highlands in Virginia about 2 years ago. He was doing 20 mile days at 65 years old while I was barely scraping 12 miles with a full pack. I asked him how he kept going without burning out, and he just said 'walk like you're crossing a frozen pond, not running from a bear.' Stuck with me because I used to start fast and hit a wall by noon. Now I keep a steady pace no matter what, and I actually finish the day feeling better. Has anyone else picked up a random piece of advice on trail that totally changed how you hike?

3 comments

3 Comments

evan_green521mo ago

Yeah that frozen pond line is gold. Slow and steady really does save your legs.

phoenixw111mo ago

Ha, never thought of it that way but it really is more about the mind game than the legs.

jenny471mo ago

My uncle ran a landscaping crew for 30 years and he always said the same thing. He called it the turtle principle. He told me the new guys would rush through a job and be burnt out by 10 am, while the old guys would just keep a steady pace all day and still have energy left over. It applies to everything from driving to cleaning the house. You see it a lot with people who try to sprint through their work week and then crash on the weekend.