Planet Rugby Forum

danny_fitz wrote:

HKCJ wrote:

danny_fitz wrote:

HKCJ wrote:Abel Tasman and Keppler done. Meh. May have been the shit weather but wasn't as blown away as I thought I would be. Hiking for beginners really. Did the best hike Ive ever done though in Oz.. Mount Sorrow in Cape Tribulation. A fcuking bitch of a hike.. leeches, giant cobwebs, spiders, impossible to keep on the track.. drank 6 litres of water in the space of 5 hours.. awesome fun. Overland track in Tasmania to look forward to in a few weeks.

Overland track or truck?

Track.. no overland trucks till Africa in December This'll be 82km 4 day affair.. all well and good until your moany arse missus insists you should carry pretty much everything.. my pack was 23kg and hers was 5kg for the last two hikes and she was moaning that is cos I am a smoker.

That is madness, I did the GR20 with nearly 20kg and that was probably 8kg too heavy, wrecked my knees, in hindsight taking Anthony Beavors 'Stalingrad' and Daniel Yergin's 'The Prize' books with me was probably a mistake.

Currently making plans for a short walk between Naples and Rome next year following the Appian Way Roman road. Always fancied approaching Rome by foot. Will hook up with the bro in law and watch the England game at the end of it.

What overland truck trip did you choose in the end?

HKCJ wrote:Abel Tasman and Keppler done. Meh. May have been the shit weather but wasn't as blown away as I thought I would be. Hiking for beginners really. Did the best hike Ive ever done though in Oz.. Mount Sorrow in Cape Tribulation. A fcuking bitch of a hike.. leeches, giant cobwebs, spiders, impossible to keep on the track.. drank 6 litres of water in the space of 5 hours.. awesome fun. Overland track in Tasmania to look forward to in a few weeks.

HKCJ wrote:

danny_fitz wrote:

HKCJ wrote:

danny_fitz wrote:

HKCJ wrote:Abel Tasman and Keppler done. Meh. May have been the shit weather but wasn't as blown away as I thought I would be. Hiking for beginners really. Did the best hike Ive ever done though in Oz.. Mount Sorrow in Cape Tribulation. A fcuking bitch of a hike.. leeches, giant cobwebs, spiders, impossible to keep on the track.. drank 6 litres of water in the space of 5 hours.. awesome fun. Overland track in Tasmania to look forward to in a few weeks.

Overland track or truck?

Track.. no overland trucks till Africa in December This'll be 82km 4 day affair.. all well and good until your moany arse missus insists you should carry pretty much everything.. my pack was 23kg and hers was 5kg for the last two hikes and she was moaning that is cos I am a smoker.

That is madness, I did the GR20 with nearly 20kg and that was probably 8kg too heavy, wrecked my knees, in hindsight taking Anthony Beavors 'Stalingrad' and Daniel Yergin's 'The Prize' books with me was probably a mistake.

Currently making plans for a short walk between Naples and Rome next year following the Appian Way Roman road. Always fancied approaching Rome by foot. Will hook up with the bro in law and watch the England game at the end of it.

What overland truck trip did you choose in the end?

Yep have never hiked with more than 12-14kg before. Was feckin stupid but the missus wont listen when I tell her that perhaps an ipad isnt an essential and I figured its better looking like Quasmido than facing the wrath of a saffa. I also mentioned to her that me and my (female) mate had been making noises to do the GR20 some time soon. That went down well.

booji boy wrote:

HKCJ wrote:Abel Tasman and Keppler done. Meh. May have been the shit weather but wasn't as blown away as I thought I would be. Hiking for beginners really. Did the best hike Ive ever done though in Oz.. Mount Sorrow in Cape Tribulation. A fcuking bitch of a hike.. leeches, giant cobwebs, spiders, impossible to keep on the track.. drank 6 litres of water in the space of 5 hours.. awesome fun. Overland track in Tasmania to look forward to in a few weeks.

Abel Tasman is definitely meh/hiking for beginners. Better off kayaking it really. I loved the Kepler but I had great weather and the scenery was stunning.

DAC2016 wrote:I'm getting back into this.

Not sure where I'm going to start, I'm old now and don't want to take on the TDMB without people 100% sure of my fitness.

HKCJ wrote:

booji boy wrote:

HKCJ wrote:Abel Tasman and Keppler done. Meh. May have been the shit weather but wasn't as blown away as I thought I would be. Hiking for beginners really. Did the best hike Ive ever done though in Oz.. Mount Sorrow in Cape Tribulation. A fcuking bitch of a hike.. leeches, giant cobwebs, spiders, impossible to keep on the track.. drank 6 litres of water in the space of 5 hours.. awesome fun. Overland track in Tasmania to look forward to in a few weeks.

Abel Tasman is definitely meh/hiking for beginners. Better off kayaking it really. I loved the Kepler but I had great weather and the scenery was stunning.

Yeah we've had pretty shite weather which definitely affects things. At this point Queen Charlotte track and Routeburn which I did on my last trip rank higher but we had great weather for those. I think I was disappointed with Abel Tasman cos I thought it would be really in the wilderness... there were so many day trippers it was unreal. More Germans per square metre than a U-boat.

DAC2016 wrote:I'm getting back into this.

Not sure where I'm going to start, I'm old now and don't want to take on the TDMB without people 100% sure of my fitness.

danny_fitz wrote:

DAC2016 wrote:I'm getting back into this.

Not sure where I'm going to start, I'm old now and don't want to take on the TDMB without people 100% sure of my fitness.

Start small, say the Rodney Parade to The Dodger pub trek?

bobbity wrote:Anyone done much of the south downs way? Eastbourne to Brighton? Doing an organised event in August, 31 miles. Just figuring what I need to prepare us for in terms of hills etc

bobbity wrote:Anyone done much of the south downs way? Eastbourne to Brighton? Doing an organised event in August, 31 miles. Just figuring what I need to prepare us for in terms of hills etc

bobbity wrote:Anyone done much of the south downs way? Eastbourne to Brighton? Doing an organised event in August, 31 miles. Just figuring what I need to prepare us for in terms of hills etc

bobbity wrote:Anyone done much of the south downs way? Eastbourne to Brighton? Doing an organised event in August, 31 miles. Just figuring what I need to prepare us for in terms of hills etc

booji boy wrote:

HKCJ wrote:

booji boy wrote:

HKCJ wrote:Abel Tasman and Keppler done. Meh. May have been the shit weather but wasn't as blown away as I thought I would be. Hiking for beginners really. Did the best hike Ive ever done though in Oz.. Mount Sorrow in Cape Tribulation. A fcuking bitch of a hike.. leeches, giant cobwebs, spiders, impossible to keep on the track.. drank 6 litres of water in the space of 5 hours.. awesome fun. Overland track in Tasmania to look forward to in a few weeks.

Abel Tasman is definitely meh/hiking for beginners. Better off kayaking it really. I loved the Kepler but I had great weather and the scenery was stunning.

Yeah we've had pretty shite weather which definitely affects things. At this point Queen Charlotte track and Routeburn which I did on my last trip rank higher but we had great weather for those. I think I was disappointed with Abel Tasman cos I thought it would be really in the wilderness... there were so many day trippers it was unreal. More Germans per square metre than a U-boat.

Totally agree. I actually did it 20 years ago and that is exactly what I thought way back then. Plus the bays are beautiful but you often can't see anything from the track as the scrub/bush on the side of the tracks obscures any view. The only positive was that I ran into my (day tripping) uncle and aunt on the Abel Tasman so went and stayed with them in Kaiteriteri after completing the hike.

bobbity wrote:Anyone done much of the south downs way? Eastbourne to Brighton? Doing an organised event in August, 31 miles. Just figuring what I need to prepare us for in terms of hills etc

Zakar wrote:

bobbity wrote:Anyone done much of the south downs way? Eastbourne to Brighton? Doing an organised event in August, 31 miles. Just figuring what I need to prepare us for in terms of hills etc

I did Seaforth to Eastbourne a couple of weekends ago. Some moderate hills, enough to alarm the complete novice.

Bloody spectacular though

HKCJ wrote:

booji boy wrote:

HKCJ wrote:

booji boy wrote:

HKCJ wrote:Abel Tasman and Keppler done. Meh. May have been the shit weather but wasn't as blown away as I thought I would be. Hiking for beginners really. Did the best hike Ive ever done though in Oz.. Mount Sorrow in Cape Tribulation. A fcuking bitch of a hike.. leeches, giant cobwebs, spiders, impossible to keep on the track.. drank 6 litres of water in the space of 5 hours.. awesome fun. Overland track in Tasmania to look forward to in a few weeks.

Abel Tasman is definitely meh/hiking for beginners. Better off kayaking it really. I loved the Kepler but I had great weather and the scenery was stunning.

Yeah we've had pretty shite weather which definitely affects things. At this point Queen Charlotte track and Routeburn which I did on my last trip rank higher but we had great weather for those. I think I was disappointed with Abel Tasman cos I thought it would be really in the wilderness... there were so many day trippers it was unreal. More Germans per square metre than a U-boat.

Totally agree. I actually did it 20 years ago and that is exactly what I thought way back then. Plus the bays are beautiful but you often can't see anything from the track as the scrub/bush on the side of the tracks obscures any view. The only positive was that I ran into my (day tripping) uncle and aunt on the Abel Tasman so went and stayed with them in Kaiteriteri after completing the hike.

yeah kind of wish we had done some kayaking but did it in oz and got bored after 20 mins so didnt bother in Abel Tasman. Big mistake. Not sure whether its a fault as such but the track is so smooth and well maintained it encourages all the day trippers.. be better if they left it a bit wild IMO.

Womack wrote:

Zakar wrote:

bobbity wrote:Anyone done much of the south downs way? Eastbourne to Brighton? Doing an organised event in August, 31 miles. Just figuring what I need to prepare us for in terms of hills etc

I did Seaforth to Eastbourne a couple of weekends ago. Some moderate hills, enough to alarm the complete novice.

Bloody spectacular though

It's Seaford - I was there this weekend as the MiL lives there. Did you walk across Seaford head and the 7 sisters? If so, that's not strictly speaking the South Downs Way. Nice walk though.

BlackMac wrote:Heading off on the West Highland Way tomorrow. did it many moons ago but this time I am taking the good lady with me. TBF she has put in far more training than myself so I will probably be dawdling along in her wake. Weather looks fair for the whole week so that will be half the battle

Newby1 wrote:I'm going to be hiking the Annapurna circuit in July (yes I know its monsoon season). Its the first long trek I'll have done in 6 years! In that time all I've done is a couple of one day hikes.

Any advice for anyone getting back into hiking?

booji boy wrote:

Newby1 wrote:I'm going to be hiking the Annapurna circuit in July (yes I know its monsoon season). Its the first long trek I'll have done in 6 years! In that time all I've done is a couple of one day hikes.

Any advice for anyone getting back into hiking?

Invest in some good boots then get out there and do as many weekend hikes as you can between now and July. That'll get your hiking fitness up as well as break in the boots and confirm they are comfortable and a good fit. I did the AC with my ex girlfriend 20 odd years ago and she found out a few days into the hike that her brand new boots weren't quite right and she suffered agonising blisters on her heels.

A couple of years back I decided to do a day hike in Queenstown that I did 20 years ago no problem. Hadn't done any hiking in years but keep fit through moutain biking so figured I would be fine. WRONG! Totally different type of fitness and I was absolutely f**k!

Having said all that the AC is long enough that you can build your fitness on the walk itself. Have fun.

booji boy wrote:I only walked part of the AC. Due to my girlfriend's blisters we had to bail out early so didn't make it high enough for altitude to be a factor.

guy smiley wrote:

Newby1 wrote:
Thanks to you and Guy.

My old boots (Brasher's) are wrecked so I bought a pair of Meidl's which seem comfortable. I've got two 20km walks planned before I head out.

I've planned the walk so there's no more than 20km in a day. Even walking at 3kmph that's not much walking time, so I will definitely go slow. How did you guys find the altitude?

I doubt I got close to 20km in a day on the AC. I did a trek close to Everest last year and might have got up to 12km per day going up, I'm not sure... coming down from that was a different story. I had places to be

Altitude is ok so long as you don't hurry your ascent. I found the combination of thin air and steep terrain added up to the hardest work I've ever done but a lot of that is mental. The basics are that once you're over 3500m you only gain 3-500m elevation per day. I stuck to that and every now and then you find you have to do more... so long as you haven't hurried it that should be fine. Doing AC, you take a rest day at Manang, at 3500m... side hikes from there for a day can get you up and back down for the night as far as 800m if you go up to the ice lake. Doing so will help on the succeeding days... those day long elevation gains and a return to rest work a treat. From Manang it's relentless and you have some steep gains. We crossed the pass in 3 days from there... almost 2000m gained in a fair old hurry and looking back I think I was feeling the altitude on the last morning when I yakked up a multi vitamin at the door of my room straight after hoisting the pack I struggled a bit on the last day from Churi Ledhar to Thorung Pedi but took a nap at lunch then zoomed up to High Camp in 80 minutes. That was a big gain day and a lot of people struggle with a night at High Camp but we figured it was worth it to have the extra 400m behind us the next day getting over the pass. Altitude f**k with your sleep anyway and we were ok up there but a couple of others got pretty crook.

Take some Diamox or equivalent with you. If you think the altitude is getting to you, take one in the morning and another at night if you're woozy. Any sign of distress or behaviour change, just go down for a night. 300m down will make a difference.

cubby boi wrote:Planning on hiking the Pembrokeshire coastal path in a couple of weeks time. Going to do it all in one go, wild camping near the path every night and am allocating two weeks for the job (188 miles with a lot of up and downing)

I'm generally fit, do the odd short hike, cycle, kayaking, climbing etc. I'm not planning on doing any training, just cracking on with it.

For those experienced at long distance hiking -am I mad, or does that all sound perfectly achievable?

Pat the Ex Mat wrote:Well my plan to go to the Lake District and bag a few in September is stymied by the fact my ankle is still not 100%

Still doing Snowdon though - through gritted teeth.

danny_fitz wrote:

Pat the Ex Mat wrote:Well my plan to go to the Lake District and bag a few in September is stymied by the fact my ankle is still not 100%

Still doing Snowdon though - through gritted teeth.

You know there is a train service to the top?

frillage wrote:

cubby boi wrote:Planning on hiking the Pembrokeshire coastal path in a couple of weeks time. Going to do it all in one go, wild camping near the path every night and am allocating two weeks for the job (188 miles with a lot of up and downing)

I'm generally fit, do the odd short hike, cycle, kayaking, climbing etc. I'm not planning on doing any training, just cracking on with it.

For those experienced at long distance hiking -am I mad, or does that all sound perfectly achievable?

Sure those 13.5 miles a day will be a real struggle chubby boy.