Hiking around Mont Blanc over the traditional 10-11 days is essentially a series of extended day-hikes, each between 12 and 22 km (8-15 miles), and it requires a reasonable degree of physical fitness. It's not for your average casual hiker, but it is definitely within reach of anyone who wants to spend some time building up to a long trek. My father completed my first TMB with me, all 100 miles or so, and he was 72 when he completed it. He's a gnarly senior, though, having completed around two dozen half marathons with me, which is no joke.
When I hiked it with my girlfriend, she confessed to me after we finished that she'd figured that if my dad hiked it at 72, well, how hard could it be? Turned out it was pretty hard. We averaged 15 miles per day when we hiked it clockwise. Fortunately, we put in a number of long hikes in the San Bernardino mountains of California. We hiked San Jacinto peak, which was 11 miles and 1,550m (5,000 ft) ascent and descent. We hiked Torrey Pines many times, and just in general spent a bunch of time carrying full packs and trying to build mileage. Even with that, we still found ourselves working hard every day. It's definitely worth spending the time to build up a base level of fitness so that you enjoy your Tour to the utmost.
When I hiked it with my girlfriend, she confessed to me after we finished that she'd figured that if my dad hiked it at 72, well, how hard could it be? Turned out it was pretty hard. We averaged 15 miles per day when we hiked it clockwise. Fortunately, we put in a number of long hikes in the San Bernardino mountains of California. We hiked San Jacinto peak, which was 11 miles and 1,550m (5,000 ft) ascent and descent. We hiked Torrey Pines many times, and just in general spent a bunch of time carrying full packs and trying to build mileage. Even with that, we still found ourselves working hard every day. It's definitely worth spending the time to build up a base level of fitness so that you enjoy your Tour to the utmost.
Practicing for the TMB at San Jacinto, California
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