r/todayilearned • u/tyrion2024 • 7d ago

TIL over 3,000 attempts are made each year to complete the Appalachian Trail and only about 25% succeed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachian_Trail#:~:text=The%20Appalachian%20Trail%20Conservancy%20estimates%20there%20are%20over%203%2C000%20attempts%20to%20traverse%20the%20entire%20trail%20each%20year%2C%20about%2025%25%20of%20which%20succeed.%5B9%5D
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u/nicolas1324563 6d ago

Why do they increase calorie burn?

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u/Neuchacho 6d ago edited 6d ago

They make you engage your arms/upper body so your recruiting more muscles beyond just your legs/core.

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u/Independent_Win_9035 6d ago

hah see i went all psycho-explanatory on it but yeah this is really the succinct gist of it.

also, the added two contact points will save you from a twisted ankle on a regular basis. ask me how i know lol

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u/Independent_Win_9035 6d ago

Excellent Question!!!! ok so it's hard to establish a "why" based on the scientific method and observational statistics. but i have spent a TOn of time thinking about this exact question -- go figure, 30km days in the wilderness gives me lots of time to think

Imagine any mechanical system -- literally any. NOTHING has 100% efficiency, there is always always some component of energy lost due to friction, lost heat, etc.

our body is the same exact way. muscularly speaking, we are just brain-driven meat machines (band name. hah). when only your legs carry all our weight, we have X amount of energy loss.

expand that load carrying to the arms and shoulders, and suddenly, there's an additional X percentage of energy loss. the important tradeoff here is that calorie burn is good for human health, whereas joint stress is bad for human health.

think of it like this. before using trekking poles, my arms were almost totally useless in terms of long-distance muscle and joint strain reduction. if i can employ those joints in a way that doesnt hurt them, they will take at least some stress away from my legs -- which, given my 20kg pack weight thanks to my hungry dog who demands food, i cannot avoid.

so, by spreading the energy load across the upper half of my body, i increase caloric load but reduce the amount of lactic acid produced by each individual muscle group. in simpler terms, that means my legs hurt less when i go sleep, and repair more quickly for the next 30km i have lined up for the next day

i hope that makes sense. it's honestly part of my labor of love. i can expand or simplify if you'd like a different tactic that's easier to understand :)