Mount Warning As Preparation

[Stip]

i am planning to do the kokoda trail aometime next year with my 14 year old son.
We hike quite regularly at Binna Burra and Mount Warning.

As a final preparation we plan to camp at the base of mount warning and do the climb 3 days in a row.

If anyone who has done kokoda is familiar with mount warning could you please provide comparisons – ie would each day be more difficult?
Is this training adeqite ( we also do weekly one day hikes of up to 12 K).

Would be most gratefull for advise

rgds,Steve

[Waza]

Hi Steve, Sounds like you are going well with your training. I live in Port Macquarie and walked the Track in April/May last year, when are you walking? Are you walking with Gail's Kokoda Trekking (KTL)?

I trained by walking up and down North Brother Mountain in Laurieton and it was certainly a benefit for me, although you can never train enough and I believe that the first day (from Kokoda) is so hard that no training can adequately prepare you for it. You'll get there OK but it is a tough first day if you walk from Kokoda to Isurava.

Varying your training by doing it 3 days in a row and doing a couple of ascents and descents in one go is also good.

Have no doubt you will do it well. Keep in touch.

Regards

Warren (Waza – Trek 83) <img src="http://developer2/board/upload/style_emoticons//cool.gif&#8221; style=”vertical-align:middle” emoid=”B)” border=”0″ alt=”cool.gif” />

[Andrew G]

Hi Steve,
sounds like you and your son are well on the way to being as prepared physically as you can be.

If you are familiar with Toowoomba and the range on the right as you drive up into the city I used that for my training. It had quite a steep slope with a number of false crests and from my start point at the bottom it enabled me to become used to prolonged ascents followed steep descents.

Not sure about Mt Warning or Binna Burra but if they can provide you with terrain that is relentlessly steep for over 2 hours walking and then the same again down and then repeat that around 3-4 times in a day then you have an ideal training environment.

For a training variety may I suggest going to a gym during their off peak periods and getting on the treadmill, setting the speed to a medium to brisk walk pace and then go for about 1-2 hours varying the gradient from the steepest to middle for at last 10-15 min at a time. I found this effective for training the mind and muscles for the relentless strain on the legs that the track will subject you to. Throw some ankle weights on to simulate the weight of muddy boots. Have a Camelback or similar rehydration system to keep the fluids up.

I guess the key to this is not to treat the trek as a race or something that you must push yourself to be the first or fastest each day. For one thing you will miss some awesome scenery and terrain if you are just head down arse up and motoring along. Secondly and most importantly you will burn out and be prone to injury.

I agree with Waza's comment on the first day out of Kokoda, that beautiful gentle sloping two lane track at the start is so deceptive. An hour later and you are scrambling up some pretty steep hills.

As they said on our trip, little steps…little steps.

All the best

Andrew (Trek 101)

[Katie]

I did the trek last year, though it dosn't seem that long ago. I did a lot of my preparation with a pack on the Toowoomba Range – Redwood Track and in the Mt Mee State Forest (just north of Brisbane near Dayboro) and some cardio training in the gym jogging and on the stair master. That was enough to get me prepared for the walk.

Katie

[ARTHURR]

I did the Trek last year in May with Harry's Heroes. Our training included an extremely wide variety of walks in the Adelaide Hills. Our program extended for almost 6 months and went like this:

3 Mornings a week a climb up some very steep hills at the back of town increasing to several repeats each day as we got closer. Saturdays/Sundays a very long walk up and down Mt Lofty along Chambers Gully, Eagle on the Hill etc. In all we tried to simulate a typical day on the Trek…say 5 hours walking and climbing non stop.

In addition some of us did Gym 3 additional times a week especially in the several months before we left. The focus was on: Walking on the treadmill at maximum incline and at a constant 4km per hour for 1 hour. Riding the bike …at level 11 for 30 mins aboe 90 revs a minute.

Weights for strength in the back and quad exercises to strengthen legs. Leg strength is critical. We also carried packs with a camel of water (3ltrs) and the equivalent of a day pack in clothing and food. One chap carried 2 bricks in his pack

Was that enough work?

In truth it was BUT we did it on dry land and never ever got wet. While we thought our climbs were severe…guess what, Kokoda makes Mt Lofty look like a gentle slope. Wet takes on a new meaning and increases the degree of difficulty 3 to 4 fold. So…get wet.

The first day………will test anybody. Be prepared for your first bout of self doubt.

No matter what, keep in mind that it is NOT a race. If you want to achieve as well as enjoy and take it all in…..the advice about little steps and walking in a measured and consistent manner is key. Don't be afraid to take frequent short rests to allow your heart rate to recover and then push on even if you slip behind.

It is hard but extremely do able……take your time..it is not a race and will prove the rabbit and hare…story. By the way we ranged in age from mid to late forties up to 65 and everyone did it well.

Enjoy.

[Author]

Posts