travel and rhum

Hola muchachos. So, I (36F) was pretty fit, especially from ages about 23-34. I walked, cycled, lead-climbed, bouldering, swam, and would take trips to do multi-day mountain hikes whenever I could. I did walks over 30km on the flat on occasion without training or anything, and multiday mountain hikes without much prep. I wasn't always quite this active but even before that time I would walk everywhere, because I had no money, and hike every now and then for fun.

Then I got the virus nobody cares about any more, but which used to be kind of a big deal, and I've been dealing with chronic fatigue for the past two years. Some experimental treatments have got me back to almost well, I still get a little knocked out by stress or screens. But yay me that I am doing this well.

For most of my sickness I'd do light exercise, walking 2-4 km as I got healthier, a little slow yoga, slow cycling, slow swimming. No pushing intensity or endurance, just moving.

Anyway I started walking more, generally fairly flat walks because it isn't too hilly where I live, let's say normally 60-120m height gain. I can walk 8km (5 miles) without too much in the way of symptoms usually, but after walking 9 or 10km I usually feel tired the next day. Not the horrible, poisoned, hangover type of tired I used to feel, but just tired and like I want to take it easy.

The thing is I have no idea if it is normal to be tired after walking that far (always relaxed and with breaks) or not. Which means I don't know if I should walk a bit more (to get fitter) or walk less (to not trigger the sickness).

So TL;DR is it normal for a person who didn't do much exercise for 2 years to get tired after walking 8-10km (5-6 miles)? And how would you go about gently getting fitter?

Edited to add, thanks so much for the fast replies, compassion and helpful advice. First time in this sub and you are a great community who have cheered me up on a rather miserable day. Thank you.

I'm an avid hiker from Switzerland and in early May I'll be in Las Vegas for a work conference.

Since it'll likely be the first and only time I'll be in the US for the foreseeable future, I will extend my stay for 2 weeks and I really want to get some hiking done in that time.

I have a lot of hiking experience in the alps and the pyrenees but have never hiked (or been) in the US or any desert terrain. I have come up with the following (vague) plan and would like you to tell me if this is at all reasonable or just a bad idea. If you have specific suggestions for hikes or excursions, or just personal favourites, please let me know too!

ALL my knowledge on this area is 100% just from what I've seen online, so I don't actually really know if any of it is worth it to visit!

Originally I was hesitant to plan around a rental car since in the Swiss alps I can do 99% of hikes with public transport but I quickly realised that it's just not possible.

Since I'll need a car and will drive hundreds of miles anyway, I have decided to just lean into it, get a small camper van and drive from Las Vegas to Denver. I will have around 10-14 days for this trip.

The goal is to hit as many national parks on the way as possible and do short and long day hikes on the way. I'll rent a camper van with a mattress so I'll sleep in the van whenever possible.

You can find the "planned" route here: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1YLKVax3GmSU7ycYxFiQI5GnM_VWOL70

Stops along the way include:

• (Start point) Las Vegas
• Valley of Fire State Park
• Zion National Park
• Grand Canyon (North rim)
• Bryce Canyon National Park
• Capitol Reef National Park
• Goblin Valley State Park
• Canyon Lands National Park
• Arches National Park
• Colorado National Monument
• Rocky Mountains

Total driving distance would be around 1200-1400 miles in 10-14 days. Is this just too many different parks? Is it worth it to visit them all or are they just too similar?

And most importantly: What hikes would you do in each park if you had 1-3 days for each one?

How difficult will it be to find a camp site? I know most national parks will have designated camp sites that cost like $10-$25 to stay there and it's forbidden to camp anywhere else. Any suggestions on places to stay? I'd like to be as far away from the masses as possible, the more remote/lonely the better.

In the Rocky Mountains, what places would you visit / hike if you were passing through on the Interstate 70? Detours are ok, if they aren't too long…
I know there will be a ton of snow in the higher areas in May. I'll bring my snowshoes but would still have to stick to easier trails or lower, snow-free areas since I don't want to do difficult/dangerous stuff in the snow by myself.

(And if you have recommendations for renting a camper van (one way LV to Denver), let me know. I've found a few on Google that look good but none from companies I know…)

Any and all feedback or ideas are appreciated! Thanks 🙂

I’ve loved the outdoors for all my life and last summer i took a camping trip where my family and i did a lot of hiking and i loved it so i want to do it more as a hobby. However i am very new to it and while i have been doing my own research i thought it may be good to ask for tips here! So if anyone is willing to share i would greatly appreciate the wisdom!