W Trek Training · Lola & Ben

Week 1

Start the habit · Smokies weekend

Oct 19 – 25

Saturday

8 mi · 1,600 ft

Pack

Daypack

Sunday

4 mi

MON

OCT

Rest

Start the plan rested. Lay out the week’s gear.

Lola

Rest. Walk or stretch if you like.

Ben

Rest.

“Well begun is half done.”

— Aristotle

TUE

OCT

Tennis · Gym

Ben learns the strength moves with light weight.

Lola

Tennis, evening.

Ben

Gym, 45 min, while Lola plays: goblet squats, step-ups, Romanian deadlifts, rows, split squats, calf raises, plank. 2 sets of 10, light.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

— Lao Tzu

WED

OCT

Weights

Clean form on every rep. Stop with 2–3 reps left in the tank.

Lola

Weights, 7 a.m., 45 min: goblet squats, step-ups, Romanian deadlifts, rows, split squats, calf raises, plank. 2 sets of 10, light.

Ben

Rest, or a 20-min walk after work.

“Paso a paso se va lejos.”

Step by step, you go far.

— Dicho

THU

OCT

Yoga · Circuit

Loosen hips and calves before the trip.

Lola

Yoga, 7 p.m., gentle — or pack for North Carolina.

Ben

Home circuit, 30 min, during yoga: pack step-ups, walking lunges, single-leg deadlifts, side planks. 2 rounds, then 10 min stretching.

“Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road.”

— Walt Whitman

FRI

OCT

Travel

Arrive and stretch the legs. Tennis lesson skipped.

Lola

Travel to the Smokies. 20–30 min easy walk after arriving.

Ben

Travel, or a 30-min pack walk at 10 lb if home.

“The mountains are calling and I must go.”

— John Muir

SAT

OCT

Main hike

8 mi and 1,600 ft on real mountain trail. Notice how the legs feel at mile 6.

Lola

Charlies Bunion from Newfound Gap: 8 mi, 1,600 ft. Daypack with water, layers, lunch.

Ben

Same hike — or, if home, Dreaded Hill Loop (6.1 mi, 1,230 ft) with 10 lb.

Trail map ↗

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.”

— John Muir

SUN

OCT

2nd hike

Second day on tired legs, at an easy pace.

Lola

Andrews Bald from the Kuwohi (Clingmans Dome) lot: 4 mi. The climb is on the way back.

Ben

Same hike — or, if home, Red Rock Canyon in Whiting, 4.2 mi.

“Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar.”

Traveler, there is no road; the road is made by walking.

— Antonio Machado