02/12/2019 This post got deleted from the Wellington Tramping Group blog as it was deemed to be offensive. Personally I believe in the right of freedom of speech, especially if it is done with humour .
“If people can’t control their own emotions, then they have to start trying to control other people’s behaviour.”
John Cleese: Political Correctness Can Lead to an Orwellian Nightmare
Zero time for the Thought Police!
The Deleted POST:
According to a recent NZ study, those who plod at a lower pace tend to have a smaller brain and show signs of early aging.
Of course I love reading that stuff as it flatters my ego. I dare say there is some confirmation bias going inside my big head too. But even without this report, it seems logical that if you are intelligent you’d want to be fit and healthy.
So do you make excuses? Or do you try to improve your tramping speed?
Let’s start with the excuses:
“It’s about the journey from A to B, not the destination”
Now I know many of you are happy with where you are at. That’s great and if you can always choose to stop reading this or become outraged 😜
It’s not a competition (well not all the time) and I dare say that most of you who tramp are in better shape then Joe average.
However, I have read a number of tramping blog posts recently with some rather lame justifications for being slow.
“I want to go out to the bush to enjoy it, not to endure it”
To me these thinly veiled statements translate to: “I lack the willpower and fitness to get outside my comfort zone”.
Getting out of your comfort zone can be seriously rewarding.
I often find the most amazing section of a trip is bit between “B” and “C”. If you are really slow and dumb (sorry couldn’t help myself there) you’ll never progress beyond “B” and get to “C” where you’ll see and experience some of best tramping locations.
Even if you are doing a shorter trip, you’ll have more time to play and recover, which is never a bad thing. So assuming you’re not a snowflake you’ll probably want to improve.
I also reject the idea that you don’t enjoy the journey if you are faster. This is just nonsense as you gain heaps of extra time play with. You then have the luxury of taking photos, relaxing or doing as you please.
How to improve?
First off, do more walking. I’m not talking about doing bigger trips straight away, you’ll probably pick up an injury! But do make sure you are walking on a regular basis, be it an evening stroll, or run. Plus make the most out of the weekends and gradually step it up.
Embrace the Suck
Get used to getting out of breath and feeling your legs burn. It doesn’t matter how fit you get, when you push hard it feels like you are slow and that you suck, especially when you are walking up hills.
Check your times
When you look at your watch and realise that you have smashed 10 minutes off your previous best time it feels great, you’ll also find that you start to recover faster as your fitness improves. It’s so worth putting the hard work in and maintaining it.
Be smarter with your gear
Don’t have a stupidly heavy pack. Last weekend I had to run back and get someone after they burnt out on a trip (Their ego got the better of them and they thought they were 2 grades higher than their true comfort level).
I took their pack which was needlessly heavy and already being carried by others in the group. Items which could easily have been made lighter or discarded included a 500ml bottle of sunscreen. 50ml would have been plenty! I’m not going to go into more detail here as there will be a trip report coming soon, but I’m sure you get the idea!
Another idiot friend (not naming them here but you know who you are and I love you for it) took fairy-lights on an Alpine trip for mood lighting in the hut. Upon me questioning why he replied;
“They don’t weigh much!”
I pointed out that it all adds up.
His pack was 5 Kilograms heaver then mine when I put it on the scales at the airport!
These fools normally struggle needlessly and end up getting tired, then slow the group down.
Not Convinced?
Feel welcome to add your opinion in the comment section. I promise that I won’t dismiss you as being stupid if you are a plodder 😇
The Adventures Of The Shit Weasel 