I finally tried the "walk the route backwards" trick on the Eagle Rock loop and it fixed my whole trip

Mark Nguyen · 2026-10-26T10:45:05.971799+00:00

Tbh I thought walking a route in reverse was total nonsense when a guy at the trailhead in Jasper told me about it 3 weeks ago. I had this 14 mile loop planned with a big climb at mile 9, and every trip I'd get wrecked right at the top. He said to just flip the route and do the climb first while my legs were still fresh. Ngl I rolled my eyes but tried it anyway. Doing the hard push in the first 2 miles was a game changer, I had way more gas for the ridge section and actually enjoyed the views instead of gasping. The weird part is the downhill at the end felt tougher on my knees, so it's not free. Now I'm wondering if I should flip my other loops too or if this was just a one time thing. Has anyone else messed with walking their route backward, and did the downhill tradeoff bite you later?

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I finally tried the "walk the route backwards" trick on the Eagle Rock loop and it fixed my whole trip | Backpacking Routes - The Community Guide