Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Question for overweight hikers

I hope no one takes offense to this, but I'd like to ask people here about overweight hikers. If some of you are chubby yourselves, maybe you can chime in with some answers. I want to preface this by saying I am not intending to be disrespectful or a "fat basher." I'm just genuinely curious about this and the Internet provides anonymity, so no one feels embarrassed.

The past weekend I did Rim to Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon, which is 48 miles with a one night lay over at the South Rim. These are two tough day hikes, especially in the hot, dry conditions presented in the Grand Canyon. Obviously not a hike to attempt unless you're fit, experienced and fairly hiker-savvy.

Well... I was shocked at the number of very overweight people attempting the Rim to Rim. I'm not talking stocky or "husky" people, I mean truly fat people. Some of the women were about 5'3, 230 pounds and I feel had no business attempting this hike. I'm not trying to sound elitist, I'm only being a realist. Yet, amazingly, I saw some of these tubby people on the South Rim at the end of day one. Admittedly, they took 22 hours to complete the first leg, but they did it.

My question is... how?? I can't imagine how out of shape people can do Rim to Rim, Whitney, or many other day hikes. I know many people say "it's all mental," but come on. Physical fitness is a prerequisite for something this arduous. The only answer I can come up with is that these people suffer hideously, sustain injury and just struggle through it because there's no going back.

I'd like to ask any overweight hiker here (respectfully), how in the world do you do it? I can't imagine the pounding on the knees from all the excess weight, and overweight people simply can't be cardio fit.

I hesitate to post this question, I don't want flamers or hate letters, I am just curious about this and always have been. How do fat people do it?

I'm about 40 pounds too heavy myself, but for some, maybe a lot of that is muscle. I try to build up my legs (walking) endurance by hiking and climbing all the time. I am considered slow by other peak climbers, but then some of them are the best at what they do, maybe even world-wide.

I've seen fairly rotund people climbing 5.9, and you simply cannot judge climbers by how they look. Climbing is the quickest way to burn off calories by far, so many in mid-life crisis, or whatever, may try to take up hiking as a desperation manuever. Unfortunately for most, you have to curb your appetite, as well, to be effective. My view is that if you do not cause any problems, the best to you. Sadly, many overestimate themselves, and then require help or even rescue.

I also see older people attempting to climb Whitney, to find their hearts and feet are just not up to the challenge. But then, I hike with an 82+ year old male who intends to do the entire Muir Trail, for his nth time, this summer again, but with more time spent relaxing. Many people much younger can't do more than a quarter mile, but there's all sorts of fish in the sea.

There's all sorts of overweight people. Some work on quite physical jobs, then there are the couch potatoes. As long as they know their limits, the more power to them. Weight reduction attempts are to be applauded, by me. Indeed, I was probably 60 pounds overweight when I took a job with heavy work required, then decided to climb Whitney and also do the Muir Trail as part of my fitness efforts. I dropped down to almost ten pounds of my optimal weight. But then I had taken up running daily, and stuck to a mostly veggie and fruit diet.

If you have the will, you can make a comeback. A good hiking goal is one way to do that, although you might wonder about personal responsibility, in event they need to be bailed out! I've never hiked the Grand Canyon, but I think mules can probably carry out the hiking failures on the main trail.

You said: " and overweight people simply can't be cardio fit"

And why is that? It would be like saying that people who carry overweight packs can't be fit.

While it is a tremendous extra burden, it is simply like the person who carries a heavy pack...except that they are carrying it every day.
Many people hiking are working at 40-50% of their capability. The overweight people are probably working at 80-90%.

It is fairly obvious that the overweight people who made it are actually fit. If you think not, then do the hike again carrying 100#, and see if YOU make it.......

At 25 years old I was 6' 1" tall, and a toothpick, at 125 pounds. Now I'm 48, same height (maybe 6' 3/4" from shrinkage), and 170 pounds, and am still called and considered a little too thin. I remember playing racquetball and basketball at 25, and prejudging many overweight friends, sizing them up according to their size with the greatest over-confidence, and then being beaten, losing, and losing badly. Over those years from personal observation and some reading, I believe that strength, fitness, energy, and endurance all have a lot to do with each individual’s unique chemical make-up. Once, about 15 years ago, I inhaled lots of poison oak that I didn’t know was among some burning brush, and I became deathly ill; the doctor put me on a steroid for 6 weeks (prednisone), which saved my life. About the fourth week (and for the next 3 weeks), even though I did not lose or gain any weight, and didn’t change my fitness program at all, I went up three levels in my racquetball game and couldn’t be beaten (from a B to an Open player) – I had boundless energy and felt incredible, because my own unique chemistry had been temporarily altered. I currently play with an obese friend who is amazing in his speed and strength. His knees do hurt from the excess weight, but I have learned that you can be horribly out of shape and not look it (because you’re thin to medium); and you can be in really great shape and not look it (because you are carrying a lot of weight).

As someone who is at least 50 lbs overweight, I can tell you that the way I do it is one step at a time, slow and easy. The destination will still be there when I get there, and if I try to push it, then I *will* run into problems. I know my limits, and am careful not to overtax myself.

Said elsewhere in this post, also, just because I am overweight doesn't mean I am not in shape. While I may be overweight, I still get in a workout of 45 to 50 minutes a day at the gym. My being overweight is more a function of diet and age than it is not being fit. Am I as fit as someone who is at or near their ideal weight? Probably not, but I compensate by knowing my limits and what my body is telling me.

I backpack all of the time with my son's Scout Troop, and it may take me a couple or three hours longer than some of the thinner people, but I can still make it, but I can still beat some of the 12 and 13 year olds who don't know how to pace and how to "listen" to their bodies....

Candace,was that you last night with the bag of 1/4 pounders outside the Weightwatchers meeting.Just kidding.Now you've touched on a subject I have 43 years of personal experience with.Yes,I'm one of "them".
Three years and 3 days ago,I weighed 517lbs.Currently,I weigh 270lbs and am still losing weight.I had a 66" waist which at the moment is holding at 42".I can't speak for all fat people but what you experienced was just fat people trying to fit in and be normal.We often times make bad decisions on what our limitations are and get in over our heads just to show people that we're just like them and can do the things they do too.Face it,there's more of us than there are of you!
As for me,I'm healthier now than I've ever been.I've recently hiked all over San Jacinto,Baldy and other local areas to get ready for my trip up Mt.Whitney in 3 weeks and I'll make it no problem,even with my broken toe.
Bottom line,fat people do it,or try to do it because sometimes it seems like we have to try harder and be better at things to be accepted and fit in because we're different and socially looked at in a different light.Me,I just do it because its fun.

One thing to keep in mind is that people who weigh more typically have leg muscles that are much stronger compared to someone lighter simply because they are forced to carry around the extra weight all day. This doesn't make up all the difference between a "fit" and "unfit" person, but it does account for much of it. If you go out onto the street and poll a bunch of people on what they can leg-press you will have a near perfect correlation to their body weight.

-end

I am a 39 yr old woman who is 50 lbs overweight, according to the charts. First of all, I am not offended by your question. I am relieved to hear that there are "others" like me who hike.
Couple of things:
1) Like others have mentioned, there is a difference between fat and fit. My cardiologist, who wishes I could lose a little, says that I am fit as a fiddle and to keep climbing those mountains. I think people who carry around extra weight have to be stronger. I hike 6-8 miles nearly every weekend with a bigger hike once a month like Baldy, San Gorgonio and other local hikes off the Angeles Crest HWY (weather permitting). My partners and I train on a set of 122 stairs at a local park 1-2 times a week. My weight is not due to a lack of exercise.
2) My legs are very strong. I tease my son who wrestles in high school that my calves are bigger, more solid and stronger than his! It's not attractive but I am okay with that. It's still proportionate to my body.
3) Why do "we" hike? Probably for the same reason that you do. I hiked for the first time 3 years ago with my son's scout troop. My passion started with a sense of achievment and then grew to a love of the outdoors. I can't wait to see the view on top of Mt Whitney. I used to wait for my favorite sitcom to come on TV, now I can't wait to see the vegetation, the birds, the lizards, the flowers, the rabbits that I see on my local hikes. The view from the top - that's why I do it. If I waited until I lost some weight - I'd still be sitting on the couch collecting plaque in my arteries and missing out on life.

You ask a valid question. I hope I help your understanding. Basically ~ I would rather be seen hiking with a few extra pounds than to be seen stuffing my face with a Big Mac. I find that more embarrassing than someone asking why I hike.

Chris
"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds." Edward Abbey

A quick story about fit vs fat.
Two years ago, I back packed San Gorgonio with my son's scout troop. Two nights, Vivian Creek Trail. It was my very first back pack. On the same trail was a husband and wife. The woman was about my age but thinner. One time when my group passed her, I heard her say in a snotty voice to her husband, "Well, if SHE can do it, I can." She was obviously talking about me and my 50 lbs. from that rock she was panting on. We passed then several times between rest stops. At one point she looked just plain exhausted. On the second day,I made it to the top where I saw her husband without her. Apparently he left her out of shape rear on the trail somewhere. I was feeling proud that I had summited and feeling a bit smug I wished that she could see me at the top. I was hoping her husband might say something to her. Well, the next day on the way out, we passed by them again. I was exhausted with sweat dripping down my face and really wanting to hurry home for a beer and jacuzzi. But when we saw them, I lifted my chest high and strutted past her and never looked back. I was fatter but fitter and I made it to the top! So there you go, fat people can be fitter than thin people.

Chris

To all of my big brothers and sisters out there I salute you.Reading these posts is great.I thought I was the only person of size here.My legs are so strong I'll carry my 35lb pack and one of you skinny people on my back up Whitney.

I'm 5'11" and weigh 240 lbs. My ideal weight is probably like 170.

I work out at the gym regularly and I have backpacked 40 miles in six days with a 45 to 50 lb. pack on my back. I hike slow. My friend who weighs about 180 is always faster than me. So what? I enjoy the backpacking immensely and I am not in a hurry. I don't feel exhausted when I finish. I have found 7 to 8 miles to be the perfect distance for me for one day. I've done 10 to 15 mile days, but that is not an enjoyable trip for me. Personally, I would never want to do Whitney in a day. When I did it a couple years ago, my friend and I started at Horseshoe Meadows and took five days to do it, coming out at the Portal. It was the most enjoyable backpacking trip I have ever been on. That's why and how I "do it".

Ok, so I am also a middle age guy who struggles to keep his weight down.

If you were to see me hiking you wouldn't realize I actually used to be heavier. Through exercise and diet I lost some weight, which makes me feel stronger and more ready for my upcomming summer hiking plans. But I still don't look thin or anything like that.

I think you can not really tell how fit a person is by how fat they are. We can't help but judge the fitness of others by stuff like that, but it can be deceiving. As has been mentioned, you can be thin, weak and out of shape. Or you could have been fatter, trimming down some and in the process being in good enough shape to go hike in the mountains.

I find it funny all the young people on the board say stuff like "don't get fat in the first place" When I was young and thin I thought I would always be that way...boy was I wrong.

As a 280lb 5'9" 31 year old male I'd like to speak to why we do it rather than how. People my size hike mountains (class I climb... whatever) for a whole different reason than people who are smaller. People who are smaller climb for the excercise or for the view or for the fun of it. People my size climb for the sense of achievement at any cost. Only someone my size can appreciate leaving the portal at Midnight and reaching trail camp after dinner. Only someone my size can appreciate reaching the summit the following day so much that they break down and cry. Only someone my size can appreciate leaving 17 lbs of themself on the mountain during a 3 day trip. For me, when I'm on a mountain, it's a battle against an immovable object that must be achieved at any cost. For people my size, Whitney IS Everest. In the words of Vince Lombardi, "But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour - his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear - is that moment when he has to work his heart out in a good cause and he's exhausted on the field of battle - victorious".

Well said Joliet Jake.

With respect to "fat people simply can't be cardio-fit", note that there's a difference between medical healthiness and cardio strength. While very overweight people are very likely to have problems with such things as cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, and so on, there's no reason why their heart could not be as strong as anyone elses, because that is largely based on the volume of blood pumped and the muscular strength of the heart.

If a person has been overweight for a long time, their heart can be quite strong simply from moving around the excess weight for all that time. Furthermore, if that person has actually lost a significant amount of weight as part of a fitness plan, their hearts could even be stronger than someone of average weight with the same level of physical activity.

By the same token, there are plenty of "beanpoles" out there who are in terrible shape, and who are at high risk of heart attack or some similar demise. However you look at it, anyone who can do a rim to rim or Whitney can't be in all that bad a shape! Health and fitness are statistical distributions, with sometimes amazing people inhabiting the tails of the distributions.

I used to ride several "century" (100 mile) bicycle rides per year, and have always seen large amounts (sorry) of supposedly "overweight" riders participating in, and finishing, the routes.
I think that any individual that can ride 100 miles in a day, or hike 8-10 miles in one day for that matter, is WAY more "cardio fit" than 99% of the US population.

I agree with most of what has been said here related to cardiovascular conditioning as it relates to weight. Several things are a given however. The more "extra" weight you carry the more stress it puts on your cardiovascular system. Adipose tissue requires a significant amount of vacularization. What this generally means is that it would take more conditioning for someone overweight to maintain a certain level of excercise than someone with "normal" weight. In addition, our weight bearing joints (Lumbar spine, hips, knees and ankles) are anatomically designed to function best within a certain weight range. If you are significantly overweight, moderate weight bearing exercises (prolonged walking, hiking and running) will cause deterioration of these joints sooner.

I want to applaud everyone for their candid answers and for not letting the thread do a downward spiral towards troll-dom. The initial post could of being viewed as a loaded question but everyone has answered with the utmost sincerity and honesty, this is how all threads should go. Good Job!

Hi, At 6 foot, 235 pounds and 54 years young, I carry about 35-40 extra pounds. Like John Bartch above, I limit my backpacking to 8 -10 miles a day, and have no trouble. This dovetails nicely with my fishing avocation, and I do well on both accounts. While not being able to outhike those 30 years younger, I was able to do the entire JMT last year in 30 days and I enjoyed every step. Maybe it is experience, patience, or stamina, but I see no cause for concern for anyone who carries a few extra pounds, as long as they have the right equipment, and the right attitude. Instead of harping about this trivial matter, why not worry about the more important things in life. Its like asking how do ugly people hike.Bad question!

I don't think it's like asking why ugly people hike at all. This is a question about fitness, right? I have to admit I've also wondered how overweight people manage to hike and some seem to do pretty darn well, all the more power to them. I think it's a pertinent question actually and not trivial. To me it shows overweight hikers develop mental abilities in order to compensate for a lack of extreme fitness and this is something we all think about when doing Whitney or any other hike. What's trivial about that?

As for overweight people being "cardio fit," I would agree that no overweight person is "super cardio fit." This is a given if you're talking elite types of sports. I don't think anybody here is in that elite league, unless it's those guys who post who have done Denali and K-2, then I bow to their expertise. I guess I see people getting defensive about their weight, but that's OK.

Fish: I salute you, you be DA MAN! Anyone who can lose that much weight gets kudos from me, Bro. Way to go!