After climbing Changbai Mountain over the weekend, my calves feel sore when walking. Today is Thursday, my left calf is still a little sore, but my right leg has fully recovered.
I asked GPT, and for this level of exercise, if you don't usually hike often, the recovery time is roughly:
Day 3: Still noticeably sore (very common)
Days 4-5: Soreness significantly reduced
Days 5-7: Basically recovered
If you rarely do activities like going up and down stairs or hiking, the recovery process may take a bit longer.