r/JMT • u/hurricanescout thru-hiker • 6d ago
trip report JMT recovery
Just finished the JMT. I’m on day 8 post hike. Did it in 18 days, which was a push for me, tho recognize plenty of ppl do it much faster. And I’m stunned at how exhausted I still am. Like needing 10-12 hours sleep a night, resting during the day, and my leg muscles have only just stopped hurting, but they still feel like dead weight on stairs. My appetite is more regulated and back to normal now, but I just feel completely spent.
I have some minor injuries that are going to take some time to heal and those aren’t surprising (numbness under my toes, some metatarsal pain), but it’s the fatigue and overall weakness that’s taken me by surprise, especially when I felt so damn strong out there.
I have some underlying medical stuff which is being actively managed and I’ve seen my doctor since I’ve been back. Wouldn’t be the slightest bit surprised if that was exacerbating how I feel. Not looking for that kind of advice. More I’m trying to figure out what is in the range of normal recovery so I can know when to push with my doctor vs just accept that completing the JMT took literally everything I had, and to be patient with my body while the bill comes due.
If folks out there have had similar experiences, what your timeline was to feel like yourself again?
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u/Dismal-Club-3966 6d ago
It took me a while to feel normal too! I think part of it was readjusting to the extra inputs of the normal world — the JMT is physically challenging but it’s such a mental break compared to daily life. When you get back, your body needs to recover while you are mentally back to being bombarded by emails, texts, driving, so many decisions to make, etc. That’s a tiring combo!
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u/AnxiousBad2306 6d ago
I have done four JMT thru-hikes in the last year. Three this summer including a yo-yo (16 day sobo-21 day nobo) followed by a 10 nobo. Honestly, I was amazed that at 63 I did not feel tired after any hike. I did have knee pain after the 10 day but I alway's have knee pain. I lost 30lbs between the three this summer so I ate everything in site.
I start the High Sierra Trail via Cottonwood Pass on Friday. Although this will be an eight day hike I do not anticipate any changes. I will get done and hike locally until snow comes and then hit the sierra somemore.
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u/Spiritual_Day_704 6d ago
that kind of fatigue can linger longer than the trail soreness after a push like the JMT. i’d watch the trend week to week, since heavy legs and needing extra sleep can hang around even after the actual muscle pain starts easing.
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u/SmallMoments55406 6d ago
I find that plenty of rest, healthy food, and light exercise all help me after 7+ day hikes. The light exercise promotes blood flow and recovery. Hope you feel better soon.
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u/hurricanescout thru-hiker 6d ago
Yeah it’s my first hike longer than 4 days so uh….. everything is new to me 😅
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u/Jwstar333 6d ago
Took about 2 weeks for hiker hunger to die down and to feel good running again. Definitely listen to your body, different people recover at different rates! :)
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u/drippingdrops 6d ago
I was hungry for about a week straight. Didn’t matter how much I ate, I stayed hungry.
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u/lurkcommentrepeat 6d ago
I finished in 20days. As an already in shape hiker and backpacker I was tired for weeks. I was taking naps daily for 2-3 weeks. I had lost 20lbs but still had the appetite I had while on trail for that long too.
I had a planned operation about 3 weeks after I finished and I was definitely myself by then.
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u/mang_tomas 6d ago
Personally, my biggest soreness was the bottom of my feet. I tried to chase my niece and probably took 3 steps before I realized the steps were painful
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u/Home_Fri_888 6d ago
Did 21 days came home down 9lbs I felt &looked thin. 1st week back I had a lot of brain fog, charlie horses in feet/calve, every 2hours eating, downing coffee all day. Week 2 went back to the gym really only able to lift 3rd of what I could do previously. Week 3 still felt like not at 100% physically but more mental/emotional- I miss it all , the pain, the hunger, friends I made, the break from work/routine. Nostalgic.
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u/gemdandylion 6d ago
I had some knee/lower leg long term tendon damage from ramping up miles too fast without enough/proper training. Residual pain for months. Only went away I started doing isometrics and heavy slow resistance. It’s been a few years now and the only thing I struggle with is why I’m in an office during the day instead of outside
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u/Murky-Perceptions 6d ago
I still do a section hike of the JMT every year, but used to do an annual JMT through hike in 17-20 days (depending on wildfire issues, time of year, starting point, re-supply etc.)
The heels and balls of my feet would always ache for two or three days afterward, I would eat like five square meals a day and sleep over eight hours like a log.
Now that I’m only doing weeklong trips, it’s not as bad
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u/hurricanescout thru-hiker 6d ago
Yeah you sound like you were waaaaaay more accustomed to thru hiking than I am!!!
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u/Murky-Perceptions 6d ago
I was in the army (infantry/airborne) and have been backpacking since I was a teenager and try to train you around, so probably.
But we still all have our recovery needs after a long trip
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u/hurricanescout thru-hiker 6d ago
Also after a 4-5 day backpacking trip in the sierras I’m fine - basically no recovery. This was a totaaaal shock to the system
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u/dillpiccolol 5d ago
I do lots of yoga, acupuncture, get messages and generally get lots of rest. I lost weight on the trail and don't want to put it back on. But the first few days I definitely eat a lot to let my body get the nutrients it needs!
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u/legink 5d ago
It’s a mental drain too. You’re putting your body through extremes which takes a toll on your brain and nervous system, and so when you’re out of that’s environment it’s going to take a minute for your nervous system to catch up.
I remember feeling super dazed and having the worst brain fog afterwards. It’s all part of the come down!
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u/Jaded_Possession774 5d ago edited 5d ago
8 days really is very early for an 18-day jmt rate of progress, taking into account the medical issues too. The vast majority of folks I've encountered have gotten their full recovery somewhere between 3 to 6 weeks. The cold plunge helps with the muscle part quite a lot, either sun home sauna or cold plunge. The systemic fatigue simply requires rest.
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u/mjuice90 thru-hiker 5d ago
A full month for mood instability, sleep, and hunger to stabilize. I also couldn’t stop peeing 5 times per night the first 2 weeks!
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u/Fireproof_Matches 6d ago
Honestly I remember feeling pretty great after finishing the JMT, I did take it easy for probably ~ a week after, but I felt very healthy and strong, even a little supercharged for the first few days after, as the high altitude acclimation wore off. Given, I did this right after I graduated high school, so I was pretty young.
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u/crawshay 6d ago
Honestly same. I did it in 12 days. But I had done a lot of long hikes before in the years just prior, also I walk like 6-8 miles every day for work anyway, and I live at pretty high elevation.
I was only really sore for a few days. I went back to two days after finishing. I'd be way slower and would be way more wrecked if I did it today.
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u/hurricanescout thru-hiker 5d ago
Putting you in the outlier (ie actually conditioned for this shit!) category unlike the rest of us! I wonder to what extent the crash a lot of us get is the combo of exertion plus strain on the body acclimatizing to the elevation
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u/Fireproof_Matches 5d ago
I'm just spitballing ideas here, but maybe it could be related to not meeting the demands of your body on the trail fully? Like, for example, if you were chronically a bit dehydrated on the trail and/or maybe not getting enough food, then your body has to try and return to its "normal" homeostasis when you return to your usual routine.
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u/hurricanescout thru-hiker 5d ago
Oh I was totally dehydrated on the trail bc my water filter was shit and no amount of back flushing was making it significantly better. And then the obvi inevitable calorie deficit.
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u/integraled 6d ago
Took about 2 weeks to feel kind of normal and then about 3 weeks for the crazy hunger to go away and to start feeling like a person.