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| In the Kaimai Ranges |
My first longer hike was Around the Mountain, Ruapehu. It
was amazing, but painful. Day one was long and tough, day two was tough, day
three was ok, but I was getting worn down, and day four was an easy walk, but
still a painful shuffle. I found two things in particular that were difficult,
the weight of my pack on my shoulders, and the stress on my feet and calves.
Now my pack was on the heavy end (21kg) but not crazy and I’m generally in good
shape. I just wasn’t prepared for 6-10 hours per day walking with a heavy pack.
I’ve not yet seen any wonder program of special exercises
to prepare one for multi day hiking, and I really doubt one exists, sure some
general strength work (squat and deadlift) and maybe some unilateral work (step
ups, Bulgarian squats) will help but when it comes down to it I think the
training that will make the most difference is time on your feet and time under
a heavy pack.
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| Mt Ruapehu |
I’ve said before with regard to running that you need
time on your feet and hiking is no different. Hiking is a long time with a
heavy pack, plugging away on your feet, and the only way to replicate this
stress is to put a heavy weight on your back (and therefore your feet) and clock
up some distance. Again with the weight of the pack on your shoulders, once you
have some meat on your upper back from weight training the only other thing
that will help is to build up some resilience but having the weight on your
back for a long time. Now I know this isn’t the most accessible training in
terms of time, but I’ll address this later.
In the lead up to my hike across the Kaimai Ranges my
plan was to get out each weekend for two months prior and get in 6-8 hours, 20
odd kilometres with a 20kg pack on. The plan was to weight my pack up to 20kg,
as that would be the max weight to start the hike with. The plan was then to
head out early on either a Saturday or Sunday to cover 10-20km, either on the
road around home, or sections of bush within close driving distance. This
didn’t quite work out as I was very busy in the lead up to the end of the year,
but I was able to get some time between Christmas and New Years to get out
hiking under my pack.
I started easy with 1-2 hours, then 2-3 hours just to
ease into it, get the back and feet used to hiking again, as I hadn’t been out
for a while. After this short warm up I ramped up the time on my feet, and the
distance covered to better replicate the distance I would be covering on the
North South track. I was also able to get out with some friends to the
Crosbie’s hut, and used this as training as well. In total I got only 5 days of
training in, but it was 5 days on my feet, under a 20kg pack, preparing my feet
and back for the challenge ahead.
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| Mt William |
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| On the way up Mt William |
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| Table Mountain from Crosbies hut |
I can say that even this little bit of training made a
noticeable difference, I didn’t get any soreness in my shoulders until the
fourth day, and even the fifth day wasn’t that bad. My feet held up really well
also, they were a little worn out by the end, but never that sore.
I was only able to get this level of training in as I was
on holiday, however it is still possible to simulate during the work week or
weekend. One option is to have a weighted pack ready to go either after work
(or before) or after dinner to get an hour in walking around the block. Even
better would be 1-3 hours or more during the weekend. Either getting out before
lunch, or if possible pack a lunch and go for the whole day. Ideally spend 6-8
hours hiking, but any amount you can get in will help. I did all of my training
on trails, however this isn’t necessary, footpaths and road will work just fine
as its really just about building up time on your feet. I do think that adding
as many hills as you can will do you good though. It really boils down to weight
a pack, and walk around for as long as you are able, as many times as possible
before your big adventure. Just don’t go overboard and get hurt.
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