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#166052 - 02/02/09 02:01 PM Re: How many miles an hour hiking? [Re: Desperado]
Dagny Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 11/25/08
Posts: 1918
Loc: Washington, DC
Originally Posted By: Desperado
Originally Posted By: Russ
Originally Posted By: Dagny
(for one thing I'd have to carry dog food in an evacuation scenario).

Your dog needs a pack so he/she/it can carry his/her/its own food.


Be real careful putting a pack on your dog. There are serious questions that a vet needs to take part in. I have seen several dogs who look perfectly capable of carrying a light weight end up being the weight carried.


Indeed. Like people, dogs need gradual conditioning, especially for enduring long-distance weight-bearing.

Gidget has done a lot of pack hiking, walks at least a few miles a day, every day, on sidewalks so her paw pads are toughened and she does a lot of bikejoring (6-10 miles at a time) so she probably starts out ahead of other dogs. But she's six years old, has thick fur (blessing in winter, problem in summer -- especially on pavement) and veterinary care would likely not be accessible on such a trek.

I would take extra care with her on such a journey. No pack. That's why I have a bike trailer for dogs -- so she can walk as much as she can and she can ride when tired or injured.

Something I should do is get her comfortable with wearing booties. I have a couple sets for her to avoid ice buildup in her paws when it snows. But she does not like them, at all, and acts hobbled when forced to wear them. Booties could be a lifesaver for a dog doing miles a day on pavement.

Anyone who wants to seriously prepare for bugging out should have a bike and bike trailer. Even if you start out evacuating in a vehicle -- that bike and trailer could be priceless backup. There are bike racks for every kind of vehicle and bike trailers fold down, come apart and can be used for storage in the vehicle.

I use the bike dog trailer at campgrounds for hauling firewood and bags of ice. It's rated to carry 100 pounds (Croozer dog trailer). You'll note at their website that they also carry dedicated cargo trailers.

http://www.croozerdesigns.com/

Also have a Burley "Nomad" cargo trailer with cargo rack:

http://www.burley.com/

This is a great thread, harkening back to others' observations on ETS that a survival basic is being in good physical condition at the outset of a crisis.






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#166057 - 02/02/09 02:13 PM Re: How many miles an hour hiking? [Re: benjammin]
Tom_L Offline
Addict

Registered: 03/19/07
Posts: 690
Quote:
No matter what I've tried, heavy load over time hurts. Either it gets my hips, or my shoulders, and no amount of ergonomics or padding is going to make an 80 lb pack ride any easier on me without bruising one or the other. I suppose if I did it regularly those areas would toughen up, but day two and three are usually quite painful strapping on the pack first thing in the morning.


Indeed. I've heard pretty much the same thing even from people who were very much used to hiking long distance with a heavy pack.

It seems everyone has a pretty specific limit as to how much weight they can "comfortably" handle on a longer-term basis. 40% of bodyweight seems to be a fairly useful estimate for a fit man (and usually a little less for women).

Once you get past that point you can still haul a heavier load but it will take a toll on your muscles and bone structure. Carrying even a very heavy load may be doable for a while if the weight is distributed properly but unless you're extremely fit and motivated, you'll have a hard time doing it on consecutive days. Little point in pushing yourself too hard if you're too shot to be able to make a decent shelter at the end of the day or gather sufficient firewood.

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#166063 - 02/02/09 02:41 PM Re: How many miles an hour hiking? [Re: benjammin]
dougwalkabout Offline
Crazy Canuck
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 02/03/07
Posts: 3219
Loc: Alberta, Canada
Originally Posted By: benjammin
It can vary, but the range is from 2 to 4 mph. In the city, under little or no load, on average terrain figure 4 to be a good pushing average. In the hills hiking under moderate load, figure 3. Under heavy load, or rugged terrain, figure 2 mph.


That sounds right to me.

I would add that when bushwhacking through deadfall or detouring around endless bogs, 1 mph is about the best you can plan on.

As was mentioned before, walking distance is more accurately measured in hours than miles.

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#166065 - 02/02/09 02:48 PM Re: How many miles an hour hiking? [Re: scafool]
Russ Offline
Geezer

Registered: 06/02/06
Posts: 5357
Loc: SOCAL
Worst case if I had to leave and driving was out I'd put the rack back on my bike and ride out. Limiting myself to a modest 10 mph on flats, slower going uphill, faster going down the other side; 50 miles a day is not out of the question. There's still the issue of water. A bike will just take me farther into the desert before I drop from dehydration.
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#166070 - 02/02/09 03:51 PM Re: How many miles an hour hiking? [Re: Desperado]
JohnN Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 10/10/01
Posts: 966
Loc: Seattle, WA
Originally Posted By: Desperado

Be real careful putting a pack on your dog.


+1

Everyone should keep in mind that when we carry a pack, the weight is applied to the spine vertically, and with a better packs, applied more directly to the hips.

With a dog, basically you are bending its spine among other things.

Most people would consider it dangerous and potentially painful to have a jouncing load on their spine.

-john



Edited by JohnN (02/02/09 03:57 PM)

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#166071 - 02/02/09 03:53 PM Re: How many miles an hour hiking? [Re: Dagny]
JohnN Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 10/10/01
Posts: 966
Loc: Seattle, WA
Originally Posted By: Dagny

3 miles an hour on flat ground.
1 mile an hour on a steep climb (such as a mountain pass).


This would be my rule of thumb as well. Travel speed is highly related to terrain.

-john


Edited by JohnN (02/02/09 03:56 PM)

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#166076 - 02/02/09 04:32 PM Re: How many miles an hour hiking? [Re: Ian]
scafool Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 12/18/08
Posts: 1534
Loc: Muskoka
Originally Posted By: Ian
Have you never come across Naismith's rule?

Naismith's Rule, Wikipedia


Thanks Ian, I had completely forgotten about it and it is one that does give a reasonable estimate for most cases.
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May set off to explore without any sense of direction or how to return.

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#166077 - 02/02/09 04:37 PM Re: How many miles an hour hiking? [Re: JohnN]
ducktapeguy Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 03/28/06
Posts: 358
Originally Posted By: JohnN
Originally Posted By: Dagny

3 miles an hour on flat ground.
1 mile an hour on a steep climb (such as a mountain pass).


This would be my rule of thumb as well. Travel speed is highly related to terrain.

-john


That's been my experience as well. For an average (non conditioned) person, about 3-3.5 miles an hour is a fairly comfortable walking pace on even level ground with no load. When hiking on more difficult terrrain, heavy load, or if there are any hills, the speed drops dramatcially. I usually estimate an hour/mile for any group with more than a few people, unless all of them are well conditioned. That includes rest breaks, snack breaks, lunch, photo ops, etc. On shorter hikes, maybe less that 5 miles, it's probably a faster, but as the hike gets longer the speed have usually averaged around 1mph. This is a very relaxed, comfortable pace for most people. If pushed, they can do maybe 2-2.5 mph, but not for very long.








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#166091 - 02/02/09 05:32 PM Re: How many miles an hour hiking? [Re: benjammin]
Stu Offline
I am not a P.P.o.W.
Old Hand

Registered: 05/16/05
Posts: 1058
Loc: Finger Lakes of NY State
Originally Posted By: benjammin
In the hills hiking under moderate load, figure 3. Under heavy load, or rugged terrain, figure 2 mph.

When backpacking, we used to feel 2 mph was a nice pace to average.
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#166107 - 02/02/09 07:46 PM Re: How many miles an hour hiking? [Re: Stu]
Tarzan Offline
Member

Registered: 02/02/08
Posts: 146
Loc: Washington
For those that say they will never bug out, let me bring up this little story. Seems in World War One there was a French farmer who watched his farm change nationality many times and in the course of said things watched his worldly possessions pulverised by artillery.
So when the war ended, he was disgusted with humanity and decided to relocate to a remote South Pacific location and run a rubber plantation.
The name of this island was Guadalcanal

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