Did a fairly simple hike today (3km 150m elevation total), and it had me BEAT after the initial climb. Like out of breath panting. I’ve lived a fairly sedentary lifestyle prior to recently being active. I know the answer is to hike more, but is there any specific exercises I can do to build my endurance faster?

Hi all,

I am planning to do the TMB next year (August 2027), I have planned 11 segment with a break in between. My experience in hiking is very limited. I did a few field trips as part of my geology degree, and i also summited Mt. Batur in Bali.

I realise that I need to increase my endurance, stamina and get more treks under my belt. I live in an island in the Mediterranean and we have a few trails here that I planning on doing. I am also training in powerlifting for the last 4ish years. Spoke to my coach and we will incorporate conditioning training.

Im 34, m.

Any advice from experienced hikers?

Cheers!!

Edit:
I will be doing it hut to hut.

So I have 10 days to do the TMB, leaving on the 29th of July. I consider myself pretty fit, 1:35 half marathon runner, and also go to the gym regularly. Over the past year I’ve been struggling badly with a disc herniation, trouble sitting/driving a car for more than 15 minutes at a time. It has gotten a lot better with rehab and being aware of my movements, I’ve gotten rid of my sciatica etc and am often pain free when keeping active.

However, I did a local hike here in Sweden to Skierfe which was in total 28 hours (about 18h acticely hiking) from leaving the car to being back in the car. This ended up being about 60km through extremely rocky/rooty terrain where we had to watch our every step for most of it, but still only about 500m total elevation gain. This was without hiking poles and carrying a 14kg pack. I will of course use poles for TMB.

We got home yesterday evening, and today everything feels fine except for my lower back which is absolutely killing me again from the physical exertion. I’m thinking it’ll cool down in the coming days but still worried it’ll act up during the trail and I won’t be able to complete. Should I cancel or should I be fine?

I go hiking about 5-6 times per year. I mostly stick to day hikes of about 10-12 hours, but I really want to go on an overnight trip soon. The majority of my hikes are on mountains, and the trails are generally very rocky. I find that at the end of the day my feet really start to hurt, specifically the soles. Currently I am using just basic insoles, so I am looking for some insole recommendations to stop my feet from hurting.

Voy a ir a las cataratas de Iguazú quiero sabes qué tipo de calzado me recomiendan la verdad no sé cómo sea el lugar y tampoco sé qué estacion es allá. Les agradecería la mayor información que puedan recomendarme que llevar como ir vestida algo adecuado . No quiero dar una mala impresión como turista

Hidden deep in the Dolpo Region of Nepal, Shey Phoksundo Lake is a place that photos can never fully capture.

The country is small and hikes aren’t too long, with few exceptions depending on the season when you travel. Insanely beatiful and different to traditional hikes and views you may be used to.

We travelled in May and had to cut a few hikes short due to snow. Included all of them for the reference:
Tjornuvík > Milingur (1&2)
Múlasoffur (3)
Trælanípu (4&5)
Kallur Lighthouse (6&7)
Klakkur (8&9)

My wife and I spent the second week of July walking south from Lago di Braies, sleeping in a different rifugio every night: Sennes plateau first, then Fanes, over Lagazuoi and the Cinque Torri meadows, around Croda da Lago, and finishing under the Civetta wall at Alleghe. Roughly 100 km with passes most days.

Things that stuck with me:

The huts make this trip. You walk with a light pack, and every evening there's a cooked dinner, wine, and a terrace at 2,000+ m after the day crowds are gone. Sunrise at Lago di Braies before the buses arrive was worth the whole climb the day before.

The one thing I'd tell past-me: book the huts absurdly early. We started planning in spring and half our first-choice huts were already full for July - the route we ended up walking was shaped as much by bed availability as by geography. It turned out great, but that was luck as much as judgment.

Also: afternoon thunderstorms are not a maybe in July. We got properly rinsed once (see the poncho photo) and after that we did every pass before noon.

Happy to answer anything about the route, the huts, or logistics.

One of the bluest glacial lake i have ever seen.
Place: ice lake, Colorado, USA
july 2026
Elevation :12,500 ft
Type: Hike only, Difficult/Strenous
Time: 6-8 hours out and back

Snuck up here the one sunny afternoon we’ve had in weeks 😭

I’m planning my first trip to Nepal for the upcoming trekking season and would really appreciate genuine advice. I’m considering Ghorepani Poon Hill, Mardi Himal, Langtang Valley, or the Everest region, but I’m not sure which trek is easiest and best for a beginner.

I’m also looking for the best trekking company in Nepal. If you’ve personally done one of these treks, I’d love to hear your honest experience and recommendations.

Boundary Trail, Mt. St. Helens, Washington

Half the trail winds through the forest, and the other half opens up to the beautiful ocean views.

Conditions of late June 2026
Saw a ton of marmots and ancient trade routes passing below the impressive Peak of La Grande Casse (3855m)z
The pass itself was fully snow covered from about 2300m.
One of my favorite sceneries ever

The old lady hike for the 11 year old 4-legged, and 51 year old self. 10 miles out and back in Young's Gulch. This trail was severely damaged in the 2012 fires in the canyon, and been restored to full access.

You can also observe rare animals in Germany: spotting ibexes during an overnight stay at a mountain hut in the Allgäu Alps (I can recommend 😄)

I'm hiking the Walker’s Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt soon and would love some advice before I commit to all my food/planning details.

A few questions:

1. Roughly how much should I budget per day for food if I’m buying meals/snacks at huts, villages, and shops along the route? I’m deciding between carrying freeze-dried meals and snacks versus purchasing food along the way.
2. Is it necessary to carry cash in Switzerland, or are cards widely accepted at huts, restaurants, and shops?
3. Is water generally easy to find along the trail? I’ll be carrying a filter, but I’m wondering how often reliable water sources are available.

Repost to comply with title rules.

First two photos are the summit views, rest are pics of the route.

My first 14er! I'm an eastern US hiker and (after a lot of research and prep) I decided to give Long's Peak a go. Absolutely incredible hike/scramble. MUCH harder than famed difficult Appalachian hikes like Old Rag or the Presidential Traverse (though it's closer with the latter).

15 miles round trip with 5400 ft of elevation gain (according to Garmin). Nearly half of that gain came in the last 1.5 miles to the summit beyond the keyhole. I camped at 9500 ft for 72 hrs prior to attempting and the altitude was still killer. Despite the difficulty, this is my favorite hike of all time. The views alone were worth the effort.

To anyone interested in doing this, know that without proper preparation this hike can be fatal. Lots of steep rock scrambling with mandatory exposure. If you slip you die. I literally saw a search and rescue helicopter going towards the mountain on my hike down.

The peaks in the chain are about 2500m tall, so ideal for day hikes. When the skies were clear, the Mont Blanc was visible in all its glory (about 30-40km to the east). Even though the French Alps have been experiencing high temperatures this year, there was still some snow left above 2000m at the start of July this year.

Nice ~25 km total walk from Col du Lautaret to Villar-d’Arêne. I’ve never seen so many marmots!

Took this at dawn before embarking on a day hike to the next village Tadapani.

Hi there,

Just came back from a 6-day thru hike in the Kackar mountains. Sharing my feedback here as there is very limited info available on the internet.

1. It's magnificent
2. It's empty - we bumped into 5 other peeps in one week, 3 Turks, 2 French
3. As a consequence, wildlife surrounds you - we bumped into a brown bear family and a lynx, we believe to have seen a wolf from afar and we saw countless fresh bears' poops.
4. GPS is compulsory - way-marking is non existent
5. The hiking season really runs from August 1st to September 15th - we found snow, intense fog and heavy rains on July 20th
6. Accommodation prices in yaylalari are prohibitive - 70EUR p.p. fullboard overnight. Quality can be decent, but never top-notch and sometimes very bad. Meals are usually extremely good as made out of fresh products.
7. Accommodation prices in Camlihemsin are even more prohibitive - 80-100EUR p.p fullboard overnight. Same quality level, with food being notably bad as usually coming from supermarkets.
8. Transportation on the Rize side of the Kackar is ok, with plenty of dolmus and/or hitchhiking opps on the axis Ardesen-Camlihemsin-Ayder-Yukari Kavrun. You might also find transportation options until Zile Kale and Melovit Selale. Outside of those rotations, be ready to struggle a fair bit.
9. Outside of Ayder and Yukari Kavrun yaylalar are extremely empty, which has good and bad sides.
10. Weather MUST absolutely be monitored ahead of your rotation. Rule of thumb : water/snow is always coming from Karadeniz (Black sea) towards Anatolia. Clouds are being stuck atop Kackar and then cross the mountain range through Davaliasti Gecit. The weather is usually much better on the Yusufeli side than on the Rize side. If the weather is fucked in Yusufeli (Ispir/Olgunlar) you may wanna cancel your Kackar hiking plans overall. If nice in Yusufeli but screwed in Rize then you can still hike on the southern part of the mountain range w/o crossing northbound.
11. Winter conditions are lasting very late - still 2 meters of snow in Kavron Gecit on July 16th.
12. Rain conditions are to be taken into account - 1 meter of mud and an extremely slippery path on the pathway between Ayder and Hazindak. Hiking slopes are mandatory on this side of the mountain.
13. Locals usually have no clue about hiking conditions as they don't hike themselves. The 3 Turkish hikers we bumped into were all coming from Kadikoy/Istanbul, locals would tell you they did hike here... Once 20 years ago :)
14. Internet resources are barely available and weather forecasts are widely inaccurate. Try reaching out to local restaurants/guesthouses ahead of your trip to get to know more about the weather. If they tell you it has been raining and foggy for an entire week, well... :)

Can‘t stay the hole time in a hotel. The climb was quite steep, but it was worth it. There were beautiful caves and waterfalls.