Hi hikers. Welcome to another campaign as we begin the process of preparing for a challenging hike next year. This is the first in a series of blogs which I hope will stimulate thought and discussion amongst group members.

We are now four years into this process of getting ourselves ready for an annual hike. Whilst I believe we are doing a lot of things right, there is always room for improvement. It is therefore my intention to challenge some of our past methods as we look nine months into the future. In this blog, I’ll be sharing some thoughts on how we train, since that is the thing that is often foremost in our minds at this time of year.

Past experience and observations of group members over the last four years have led me to two (I believe irrefutable) conclusions regarding our physical preparation.

  1. All hikers in our group, to some extent, carry an excess of body weight, particularly around the midriff (what I will from here on refer to as “the spare tyre”)
  2. Carrying a heavy pack for months on end does little or nothing to remove the spare tyre

Before you assess me as worthy of being stoned for blasphemy, let me point out that I think pack weight is important, but much later in the process. The mistake that I believe we have often made is to focus too much on pack weight too early in the campaign whilst not paying enough attention to body weight. So my challenge for the next six months could be summarised as … less focus on pack weight, more focus on body weight.

Let’s go back to the two conclusions. If you doubt the first one, look around next time you go hiking with a group of your team mates. As people strap on their packs you will see bellies extending over waist belts everywhere you look. I venture to say if you look down, you will see the same thing. If you’re not convinced about the second conclusion, ask yourself why this continues to be evident after up to four years of consistent, hard training.

Therefore, I feel it is time for us to put aside the obsession with pack weight, at least until New Year. The next six months is an ideal opportunity for each of us to address the issue of “the spare tyre”. I am convinced that in order to be well prepared for the Buller Huts Hike, the spare tyre has to go. This will require a different approach to what we have done in the past. Obviously, if we want a different result, we will have to do something different.

So I wish to issue each of us with a challenge. Of course, it is up to you whether you take it on or dismiss the leader’s ramblings. This challenge is based around setting goals and being accountable. We all know that goal setting can be fudged. It’s easy to fake it or keep the goals to yourself so you can’t be held accountable. Consider taking the following steps.

  1. Set yourself a target for your ideal body weight for the next hike. Don’t make it an “easy” goal. Stretch yourself. Think about the weight and/or waist size you really want to be for the hike, not the one you will settle for
  2. Share your goal with someone else with a view to being accountable to doing what you have said you will do. It doesn’t have to be someone within the group – just someone you trust. However, remember that others in the group will be similarly motivated to you, so that could be beneficial
  3. Give serious consideration to what sacrifices you are willing to make to make it happen
  4. Don’t aim to reach your target weight just before the hike next May. Get there in the next few months, definitely before Christmas. This will give you maximum time to consolidate any new habits and launch into hard pack training (with more pack weight) having already reached your target weight. This will greatly enhance your chances of staying on track without the hindrance of the spare tyre

So how does this change our approach to training? Many people agree that losing weight is 80% about diet, 20% exercise. Of course it’s still a good idea to go hiking … just don’t make it the be all and end all before Christmas. What is really important for the next six months is getting serious about the diet/lifestyle changes you will need to make. Remember – history says that loading up your pack with heavy weight over that time will not shift the spare tyre.

I think that ramping up the heavy pack weight over a much shorter time frame with better prepared bodies will be highly beneficial. In the past, I’ve tried setting recommended pack weights throughout the campaign. That approach has not been particularly effective. Personally, I have very little interest in how much weight is in people’s packs for the rest of 2021. I would highly recommend that you keep it minimal. In 2022, you can slowly wind it up until reaching the “real” pack weight a month or two before the hike. This is not about proving how much you can carry. All of us could load up our packs with 20, 30, even 40 kilograms and do a two hour hike tomorrow if we chose. That is not the point. This is about preparing ourselves for what promises to be a very demanding hike nine months from now.

I hope that this blog challenges you to think differently about your hike preparation. I look forward to some lively discussion amongst the group.

Watch out for my next blog … A Map Reading Mindset!

Craig

11/7/21.