<p>Second the epsom salt bath – a good cup or two in a tub of warm water. Have her rest her legs overnight, then gently work and stretch them the following day. Don’t go crazy with the heating pad – no more than about 25-30 minutes at a time, once or twice a day. Wouldn’t get carried away with deep massage either, as very tight muscles can respond negatively. She will rebound, but might expect to be miserable for the first day. When I did a comparable hike at her age, followed by a very long plane ride, my calves seized up and it took a couple of days to recover full mobility – and a bit longer than that before I was really comfortable again. But I hadn’t danced in a few years at that point; your daughter is probably in better shape.</p>
<p>Most important of all (since I just noticed the fact that you haven’t done this yet) – make sure she treats the hike as she would a workout. She should warm up before beginning and stretch (gently) when stopping. If you stop for a food break partway down, same thing – she should stretch when stopping and then warm up before starting again. As a dancer, she probably knows her body pretty well; if she feels a sharp “something wrong” pain, she should take it seriously. But as long as she can stay fairly loose during the hike, she’ll be ok.</p>