23
Hit 500 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail last month and I'm split on whether mileage goals are helpful or hurtful
So I hit 500 miles on the PCT section I've been doing. On one hand it felt amazing to see that number and know I'd covered serious ground. But on the other hand I kept pushing myself harder than I should have just to hit that milestone. Missed a couple of killer viewpoints because I was too focused on the mileage. Anyone else feel like tracking miles keeps you motivated or does it just steal the joy from the hike?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
ivan2302h ago
Never even thought about how mileage tracking can mess with your sense of pace in the moment. Like you said, you passed up killer viewpoints just to hit a number. I did something similar on the JMT last year, I was so focused on hitting 15 miles a day that I walked right past a bald eagle sitting on a log maybe 30 feet off the trail. Didn't even notice until another hiker told me later. Numbers are just a tool, but they can trick you into thinking the trip is about the destination, not the stuff you see getting there. Maybe the real win is learning to set loose goals instead of hard ones, like "hike until lunch and then decide" rather than "must hit this camp tonight.
6