Smart man. Those long days of 12 plus miles when I get to the Smokys always hurt the next day.All day but usually less than 10 miles in the mountains.
I hear ya. Im a 260lb guy who wants to get to 225 or so. I used to hike a lot but that was about 50lbs ago. Getting ready to start again. Gonna try a 2-3 mile hike tomorrow, for my first in a long time.Right now mine are relatively short when compared with others.
I got a big ol belly to work off though. My hikes are at least getting a bit longer.
I started off with a mile being pretty tough. Now I'm just getting warmed up at that point.
I try to keep them under 10 miles. Alot depends on the terrain and my partners (if any) for the hike. I like to meander stop and take a break whenever I want to. If I'm alone I carry a small hammock and I have been known to take naps at the drop of a hat if I'm in the right place. For this reason when I hike alone I very often keep it under 6 miles.Most of our hikes are in the 4-12 mile range. I find that once I get to about the 12 mile mark the fun stops and it becomes more of a chore.
We like to take our time. If we find a nice view, waterfall or quiet spot in the forest we've been known to lay down and read or nap for an hour or two. So even a four or five mile hike can take us at least a half a day.