In a couple weeks I’ll be on vacation on the Gulf of Mexico.
The island I’m staying on is built up along half its length. The west end is barren.
I want to hike to the western tip of the island, a 1-way of between 9 and 10 miles.
I think it should take about 3 hours each way. I’d time it with low tide to take advantage of packed sand. I expect to begin in the dark, early morning, so only my return trip is in the daylight. The entire trip should be done before temps get too far in to the 80s.
As far as my conditioning, a 10 mile run doesn’t leave me exhausted and I’m fairly certain I could do more. Conditioning therefore isn’t my main concern.
Sweating profusely I’d probably need a quart or so of water an hour, I think a couple 80 oz water bladders and a quart of sports drink should be enough fluid. I’ll also take food and energy gels.
Worst case scenario, I do get exhausted and have to call for help. If that happens there’s cell service and I won’t exactly require a search.
It seems like a challenge but within my capabilities. If I’m being dumb slap sense in to me.
Are there any places where you might be trapped by the tide and/or have to cross tidal water?
It certainly sounds do-able, but hiking on sand for long distances, even packed sand, seriously sucks and may take longer than you expect. I’d bring some blister care products, double-check the cell phone coverage, and file a flight plan with an ETA.
A 20 mile flat hike should be within your reach if you can run 10 miles. Make sure you have sun protection (hat, sunglasses, sun screen), you seem to have the water under control. If you’re having energy gels and food you might not need the electrolyte drink but it’s not going to hurt.
No shade…lots of scrub but no trees. I’m considering taking the fly and poles from my lightweight tent but I can’t decide if it’s necessary. It doesn’t look like tide could trap me…maybe the shelter would be good just in case.
I’m taking a pack with an integrated water bladder, so I will have room for the basic first aid etc. I won’t go of there’s a chance of rain.
Weird…doing some Bing maps scouting. Anybody want to take a stab at what kind of operation is going on in the aerial photo at 30.234789, -88.273966?
I think it’s doable, but you might be underestimating the time and distance. The actual shoreline is going to be longer than the straight distance between two points, and if you’re sticking to the packed sand, you’ll find yourself weaving back and forth more than you expect. I’d add another 15-25% to the distance (based on my experience running with a GPS watch on the beach). And as Finagle notes, walking on sand is quite a bit harder and slower than on a trail.
Be sure to build in a safety buffer. If doing it safely depends on you finishing by a certain time before the midday heat, you might want to reconsider.
I know you’re you most likely going to wear a hat, but make sure you have a bandana or something to cover up the back of your neck. A burn there really sucks. Also, you can soak the bandana with water, it’ll keep you cool around your neck.
The sand and the no shade are going to be the big problems I can see.
Are you allowed to camp out on the island? If there’s no shade anywhere and you are considering taking the fly and poles anyway, why not just pack a bivvie and a bug-net and call it a one-or-two-day hike? If you manage to do it in one, go Ironman, go; but if halfway down the beach you realize it’s going to be a PITA, then you can relax and take your time, sleep down at the end and enjoy your hike there and back.
Good call on the bandana…boonie hat might not cover enough real estate. Definitely xtra socks!
Well two reasons…that could amount to a bunch of water, and it’s a family vaca so I’m not sure how bailing for an entire day would go over. Otherwise, I did consider it.
I hate hate hate hiking for distance on beach sand, even hard packed. The good news here, though, is that if you find you agree, there doesn’t seem to be any block on just turning back early.
I think estimating 2 mph is reasonable, depending on how hard-packed the sand is. You can’t drink the ocean obviously, but can you use it for cooling?
ETA: did you mean this for Cafe Society? Seems like IMHO might get you more visibility…
Bring a flashlight, a sandwich, fruit etc. Plan to spend the night if you’re too tired or overheated to safely get back. I suggest paying attention for a nice camping spot as you hike towards the destination. That way you already have a plan B if you get overheated or exhausted. Never try to get back in that condition. Spend the night and return early the next morning.
Staying overnight might not be ideal but you need to be prepared to do it. Its not a big deal if you have a meal with you and a flashlight. I always carry a rolled up outdoor blanket on my rucksack. This one is pretreated to repel ants, fleas and so on. Can make a nice bed and keeps the chill of the ground away.
Hiking uses your leg muscles differently than running, in sand especially. The impact and friction on your feet is different and I’d guess you will be wearing different shoes than you run in. You are also looking at around 10.5 pounds of water before you start adding anything else. I’m going to guess you don’t normally run with 15-20 lbs of stuff. How you pack it can also cause issues (if it’s moving around or imbalanced.)
Skip a run or three, load up a pack with what you expect to take and a couple pounds extra, and go for a hike.
I vote to go for it. You’re prepared to turn around before the end if it’s taking too long or you’re running out of water or you’re getting more tired than you expected. So with that and cell coverage, it’s a relatively low risk endeavor. Things might be uncomfortable for a while if you need assistance, but the risk of something serious is pretty low.
Hiking even packed sand is pretty tiring. Do you have any comparable areas near you where you could do a trial run? People don’t think of this, but as I get more tired, the slope down towards the water starts to make a difference, too.
I completely agree with the first part, and trying a short hike first is certainly a good idea if you have the opportunity. But I wouldn’t let it stop you if you don’t. The first mile or two of the hike can be the trial run. Call it a day at that point if it’s not going how you hoped.
Even though running and walking in sand use some different muscles, the fact that you can run 10 miles means you probably are good at pacing yourself and recognizing when you’re getting in over your head.
If you do 10-mile runs I would think you should be able to do a 20-mile hike in a day. Still, that’s a long day and it might be harder than you think. I did 9+ miles on the Morro Bay Spit awhile back–it wasn’t a “hard” hike, but I was pretty worn out afterwards. One thing to consider is that hiking on loose sand is a heck of a lot more work than hiking in compacted sand.
As noted above, if there isn’t any shade, good sun protection is a must. Don’t underestimate how much reflected light and heat you’ll be getting from the sand and the water.
