Preparing for multiday hikes

[Jennifer]

I did my first multiday walk last January, and while I'm pretty fit I was hurting on days 3 & 4 (got better on day 5!). Some of that was specific to me -- I needed better insoles in my shoes and I'm prone to blisters which can lead to an improper gait. (Also I got sick out on the trail.)

But some of it was not having trained to go that many days in a row. Given your time restrictions, you can partially replicate it by doing day walks with your pack several days in a row. I'm in a similar situation again this year, going on a multiday walk over Christmas and won't have time for more than overnights before then. So I plan to supplement that training by walking with a pack several days in a row (e.g., to/from work, which is ~7 km away).

I like madmacca's barefoot calf raises! I'm gonna incorporate that into my training; I currently do them with runners. My feet could definitely use some strengthening; they get tired and sore so fast.

[Juudbruinsma]

We made it!! Did the OL track over Christmas and loved every minute of it (even if I was cursing every now and then )

Thanks for all the great tips re preparation. Unfortunately we even had less time to prepare than expected, so wasn't able to squeeze in any overnighters. Instead, we went out every Sunday to do the grose valley loop (evan's lookout - rodriguez pass - grose valley - govett's leap - evan's lookout) which really worked the legs. I also continued the running, upped the pilates and started yoga (to work on flexibility). And followed the tips here (hurray for calf raises and stairs workout)

My back tends to be my weak point, but did not experience any difficulties on the track (thank goodness!). Besides some minor muscle stiffness in the morning, I didn't experience any aches or pains, except a slightly sore ankle on the last day (so will need to work on that for a next time).

We had our PLB with us as well, and had to use it. Halfway on the track (near Pelion hut) a person suffered heart problems. Pretty scary stuff. The astonishing thing was that there were about 30 people in the hut, and we were the only ones with a PLB. Pressed the button at 8pm and rescue helicopter arrived at midnight. The person and his wife got out of there safely, we touched based with them afterwards, and he's fine (still doing more medical tests - he's only 36!).

Lesson learned - always have a PLB, satellite phone or other means of emergency communication with you when going to remote areas.

Another lesson for me was: sunscreen! I am usually very diligent when it comes to slip, slap slop, but the Tassie sun is evil! Got badly sunburned on the first day... Was very careful from then onwards.

Also a big shout out to my walking poles - best purchase ever! Not talking about the brand, but walking poles in general. Made a huge difference to alleviate pressure of my back, and assisted with balance.

We had only done about four overnighters (two days, one night), so preparation for seven (we walked out) days was pretty daunting. All went well though, apart from a few minor tweaks to food and gear we'll make for next time, I was happy with how it went.

We used Strive for most of the meals, it's heavier and requires a bit more fuel to prepare than your standard freeze dried meals, but taste-wise we much preferred it to other meals (my favourite was the laksa, my partner really liked the massaman beef curry. The creamy vegetable pasta was awesome as well with a bit of garlic powder and parmesan added).

Biggest blunder was bringing the steripen and forgetting how it worked (read manual and tried it at home months before setting off on the track). We used it that whole week, had the feeling something was not quite right ('weren't you supposed to see a purply light?'). Only when checking instructions after finishing the walk we discovered that, yes, we were using it wrong indeed.... So... Overland track water is pretty good (we didn't get sick!)

All in all, I absolutely loved the experience and we're already on the lookout to a next adventure

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[Lophophaps]

We made it!! Did the OL track over Christmas and loved every minute of it (even if I was cursing every now and then )

All in all, I absolutely loved the experience and we're already on the lookout to a next adventure

Brilliant. Despite assistance, books, enquiries or the like it's simply not possible to get everything right the first time. You learn as you go, hopefully taking enough care so that any oversights are minor. there's no one right way: what works for me may not work for you, and vice versa.

I found the PLB information interesting. While activating the PLB may have caused concern with your contact it cannot be helped. You may consider advising NPWS about the lack of PLBs. Perhaps a fixed PLB could be made available at the hut.

Do you have any plans for the next trip?

[Juudbruinsma]

Thanks

Re PLB, we have a SPOT which alllows you to send 'i'm ok' messages to your contact, so straight after the chopper had left, we sent several 'i'm ok' messages. One of the two emergency contacts is my mother in law (who lives overseas) so we were quite concerned that she may have panicked (and potentially gotten onto a flight to Australia ) So the day after we climed up Mt Ossa where we had some reception and could send a text explaining what had happened. All good. (we have now changed our emergency contacts (friends here in Aus), don't want to scare parents if not needed).

Good point re notifying NPW. When discussing this with a ranger later on on the track, he did say that all huts have a ranger quarters which generally has a satellite phone. If no ranger present, the ranger quarters is closed and locked, but in case of emergency you could of course break in. However, nobody knew that at the time...

Re next trip, in Feb we'll do the coast track, but no longer trips scheduled yet it all depends on leave. First one might be alpine national park (NSW/vic), we're also keen to do other Tassie walks (three cape track or south coast track) and possibly new zealand great walks (and ultimately larapinta - possibly in sections) ...

[wayno]

technically you could send an I'm OK message anytime, once the SOS message has been picked up by authorities they will come and look for you regardless of whether the SOS message stops or you send an I'm OK message.
SPOTS are not in the same class as PLB's for reliability, SPOTS are one of the worst devices for satellite connection reliability, PLB's are the most reliable. they have far better aerials and broadcast at ten times the power and use a different satellite network that has better coverage in the sky, especially downunder. in a deep valley, a canyon or under dense foliage SPOT's can often fail to connect with a satellite.

[Juudbruinsma]

technically you could send an I'm OK message anytime, once the SOS message has been picked up by authorities they will come and look for you regardless of whether the SOS message stops or you send an I'm OK message.
SPOTS are not in the same class as PLB's for reliability, SPOTS are one of the worst devices for satellite connection reliability, PLB's are the most reliable. they have far better aerials and broadcast at ten times the power and use a different satellite network that has better coverage in the sky, especially downunder. in a deep valley, a canyon or under dense foliage SPOT's can often fail to connect with a satellite.

Thanks Wayno, good to know!

[bumpingbill]

SPOTS are not in the same class as PLB's for reliability, SPOTS are one of the worst devices for satellite connection reliability, PLB's are the most reliable.

But as this story shows, they're far, far, far better than nothing.

[photohiker]

technically you could send an I'm OK message anytime, once the SOS message has been picked up by authorities they will come and look for you regardless of whether the SOS message stops or you send an I'm OK message.

Not sure that would be a good idea. You can certainly send an Ok message after an SOS, but I'd wait for a response like Juud did. Last thing you want to do is to confuse the rescue outfit.

[wayno]

rescue organisations will come looking for you once they have an SOS signal, even if you turn it off they will attempt to find you unless they have a clear message detailing that the message was a false alarm, that would have to take the form of a text message from a satelite device or in rarer cases a cell phone, or a phone call, the SOS message gets passed onto rescue authorities, the OK message does not, its just a generic message that goes on your website with no other specific detail about the circumstances, without specific clear information that there is no issue, rescue services will still come looking for you. its very easy to accidentally set off the OK button as well, unlike the SOS button which has to be uncovered first. SOS messages on a Spot are treated the same as a standard PLB being set off and are treated very seriously.

[RonK]

SPOTS are not in the same class as PLB's for reliability, SPOTS are one of the worst devices for satellite connection reliability, PLB's are the most reliable.

A Delorme Inreach would have provided the option to text a situation report, send an SOS, or both.
As for connection reliability - not long ago an injured climber was able text Global Rescue after falling into a crevasse in the Himalaya.

[wayno]

inreach use a more reliable satellite network than SPOTs and are one of the more reliable alternatives to a PLB, and they are more expensive to buy and subscribe to than a SPOT. and you have to specify the texting option on the inreach and pay an extra subscription fee for that function..
down under the satellites for SPOTs arent straight overhead, and they dont always have a constant connection.
depends what you can afford and how much you value your safety, you can say a SPOT is better than nothing, but if a PLB will work when you need it and a SPOT won't then a SPOT is useless and you dont have to pay to subscribe to use a PLB, you can use it as long as the battery is OK which is usually for up to around seven years. and you can replace the battery on some brands.

[Strider]

Connection reliability in Australia for SPOT is mostly an issue due to our angle to the satellite network. Not just topography related.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

[RonK]

inreach use a more reliable satellite network than SPOTs and are one of the more reliable alternatives to a PLB, and they are more expensive to buy and subscribe to than a SPOT. and you have to specify the texting option on the inreach and pay an extra subscription fee for that function..

Not quite - I have had the original version Inreach since 2010. Two-way messaging has always been included. And Pivotel's service and Inreach Plans have improved over the years since I bought it. An annual subscription is no longer required, you can activate and suspend the service anytime for a small monthly fee. This suits me as I typically use it only once per year for one month at a time on the Expedition plan.
The current version Inreach may seem expensive to some, but what price do you put on safety? You do get a lot of functionality for the money - it is more than just a beacon, so I will eventually upgrade mine.

[wayno]

different subscriptions controls the amount of messaging you can do with an inreach,
a basic subscription plan gives 10 messages as part of hte plan, then you pay extra for additional messages. more advanced plans give more messages
basic plan means you're paying extra for each tracking point you want recorded as well if you want the device to track your progress at frequent intervals

http://www.inreachdelorme.com/product-i ... -plans.php

[photohiker]

We're way off topic here, but be aware that InReach in Australia does not get the same plans as Delorme in the US.

There is no control of the amount of messages you can send. You can send as many as you like. The critical point is that if you send more messages than your plan allowance, you get charged for the excess. Given you may need or want more messages than your plan, then that's a choice you are able to make on the fly.



It's not hard to work out how many track points you might need, so this is not rocket science.

[MrsGypsy]

madmacca: planks - this works a wide range of core muscles, and helps with carrying a pack.

Interesting discussion, I have a couple of questions.
1 can someone please explain what planking? is and how to do it!!
2 what would be considered a good starting weight to build up from... 3kg, 5kg, 6kg...?

[Lophophaps]

madmacca: planks - this works a wide range of core muscles, and helps with carrying a pack.

Interesting discussion, I have a couple of questions.
1 can someone please explain what planking? is and how to do it!!
2 what would be considered a good starting weight to build up from... 3kg, 5kg, 6kg...?

Planking, use Google and especially these
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planking_%28fad%29
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/artic ... *&^%$#@!.html

A good weight to start with depends on the individual. The key is to slowly build up to a weekend pack weight. It's important to have a good pack for larger weights. I carry 5-8 kilograms of groceries for short journeys in my large day pack, which has no modern features at all. For longer duration journeys or more weight a bushwalking pack is advisable. This will support the load much more comfortably than most day packs.

Because there are so many variables it's impossible to say what suits you. Perhaps start with five kilograms or so - a conservative weight. Err on the low side at first.