A walking vacation!? Are you insane?!

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Why Would I Want To Go Walking On My Vacation?

 

• You’ll find a simplicity during these walks which will allow you to see the world from an entirely different perspective
• Because walking is good for you; beginning with the preparation for your trip and during the trip itself
• It’s challenging, it creates a sense of freedom, adventure & accomplishment
• It provides the opportunity to make new friends along the way, friends because they have shared the experience with you
• And finally to quote Kierkegaard:

‘Everyday I walk myself into a state of well being…I have walked myself into my best thoughts…the more one sits still, the closer one comes to feeling ill…if one just keeps on walking everything will be all right’.

Why Should You Go With High Road Trekking?

• Because you are dealing directly with the owners – the leaders who will be hiking with you in the Alps are the same ones who own the company and who answer your e-mails or phone calls in the winter & spring prior to departure
• We offer two distinctly different walking holidays to choose from with gentle walks on easy trails at one end of the spectrum to strenuous high altitude treks on the other end
• You can go independently following a Self Guided Itinerary we can design for you
• You can join one of our groups or get friends and/or family together and form your own group to enjoy an extra special vacation
• We can save you time & stress, both before you leave home and while you’re in Europe
• We can help to arrange your hotel or transportation connections
• You won’t have to waste time looking for the restaurants, the Visitor’s Bureaus, train stations, bus stops, trail heads, or alpine huts. We’ve already been there
• We can assist you with your vacation planning (i.e. training for the trip, gear selection, advise on itineraries before & after your trek)

How Are Our Groups Different?

• Smaller groups (6 to 10 clients)
• More interaction with guides, group members, and locals
• Personal attention
• Scheduled trips depart on the scheduled dates!
• We have local contacts
• We speak the local language
• We have the mountain skills & experience
• We have knowledge of the local area including routes, lodging, dining, transport, and logistics

Why Are We Good Value For Money?

• We can make maximum use of your valuable time
• We are available when you have questions, concerns, or comments before, during, and after the holiday
• Compare our prices with other operators as well as: itineraries, group sizes, personal attention…
• We offer a 10% discount for clients signing up by 1 April, 2010
• We also offer a 10% discount to all returning clients, whether they have used our Self Guided service or gone with a group

Have you ‘Been There’?

The market in Lienz

We have found a very useful source of travel information in the Travel section of the Guardian’s website.  It’s called ‘Been There’ (http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk).

The articles are contributed by travelers and cover a huge range of destinations around the world.  They are up to date and provide an extraordinary  amount of information on lodging, dining, drinking, travel connections, and those obscure places and sights which escape the  notice of the guidebooks.

Having praised ‘Been There’ so highly I have to say that the contributions for several areas near and dear to us, the Austrian Alps and the Dolomites, are pretty weak.  Monika & Rob of High Road Trekking will have to get busy and rectify that situation.

In the meantime have a look and enjoy perusing it as you plan your travels.

What Kind Of Physical Condition Should You Be In For A Walking Tour With High Road Trekking?

Introduction

The most frequent comment we hear from hikers new to the Alps is that they underestimated the fitness level required to fully enjoy their trip.

The shape you’re in when you arrive for your walking holiday will have a direct effect on the quality of the experience both for yourself and for your companions.

Overall Strategy

The basis for all mountain activities is endurance which is gained by regular participation in activities such as running, cycling, swimming, and you guessed it…walking, especially walking in the hills with a pack.

This should be supplemented by exercises which build strength.  Many of the exercises which build strength require minimal equipment and can be done virtually anywhere, i.e. body weight exercises such as pull-ups, push-ups, dips, and sit-ups.

Other exercises such as swimming, weight training, or the use of specialized equipment like a Stairmaster or elliptical trainer will require access to a gym.

You will gain maximum benefit from a balanced program which combines elements of both endurance and strength training.

When should you start?  Today! OK, if not today then tomorrow, but the sooner you start the better.  The reality is that the more effort you put into your preparation the better you will do in the mountains, the more fun you will have, and ultimately, the safer you will be.

Below are some guidelines and a sample training schedule for you to follow during the winter and spring in preparation for a walking tour with us in the summer or fall.  This should be considered a basic schedule.  You will want to improve your times, increase your distance, add repetitions to your sets, etc. as you progress.

Everyone seems to have an opinion on training and diet, and every other person seems to have written a book, an article, or a blog on the subject.

So here’s my view based on a lifetime of physical activity.  You should exercise regularly, eat good food, drink plenty of water, and get eight hours sleep each night.  Nothing new there, in fact,  you should be sceptical about anyone who offers an easy path to health and fitness because there isn’t one.

You have to make the effort to reap the benefits it’s as simple as that.

Physical Training Guidelines

• Establish a schedule & stick to it
• Keep a log of your training program (the type of exercise, mileage or time, number of repetitions, etc.)
• Incorporate a proper warmup, cool down, and stretching routine into your program
• Gradually increase your workload & intensity
• Alternate one hard day & one easy day
• Take one day off from training each week
• Get plenty of rest, drink lots of water, & eat sensibly

Seasonal Schedule

What should your schedule look like for the six months preceding your departure for a trip with us to the Alps in August or September?  Here is a general idea:

• Winter/Early Spring:  Establish the foundation and the foundation is endurance
• Late Spring/Early Summer: Build on that endurance base by working on strength & speed
• Summer: Hiking in the Alps
• Fall: Active rest

Skills

As you train keep the following goals in mind:

• strive to move faster, cover more ground,  attempt longer, steeper hills
• learn to move smoothly & efficiently over rough terrain
• develop balance and movement skills in your training
• build long term endurance; that is 3 to 6 hours of continuous movement

Sample Weekly Training Schedule

This schedule shows a range of times or distances which may not reflect your present level of fitness.  Build slowly from whatever point you’re starting at and aim to get somewhere in the range shown for each activity.

• Monday: Rest
• Tuesday: Run (30 to 60 minutes)
• Wednesday: Swim (500 to 1,000 meters)
• Thursday: Run (45 to 90 minutes)
• Friday: Cycle (1 to 2 hours)
• Saturday: Hike (3 to 6 hours)
• Sunday: Hike (1.5  to 3 hours)

Bibliography

The Outdoor Athlete by Courtney & Doug Shurman

The Triathlete’s Guide To Off Season Training by Karen Buxton

Questions, Comments, Feedback, etc.

We would be very interested to hear back from clients, potential clients, or random readers of this blog on the subject of fitness and training.  Let us know if this is helpful to you or give us your own thoughts on the subject.

The Predator and the Sphynx

High Road Trekking has just returned from six weeks of hiking in Austrian Alps and Italian Dolomites and so we’ve given our new Black Diamond backpacks a real work-out. Rob has the Predator and I have the Sphynx.

Rob in the Alps with his Predator

Rob loves his Predator. He loves it’s versatility, it’s outside pocket for crampons, or jackets or whatever else he chooses to put in there. He loves the fact that he can add or remove the extra straps that come with it and it’s removable lid which hold all his vital stuff which he can then use as  a strapless satchel.  He finds it comfortable and a very roomy 50 liters. The pack is well-made and the fabric sturdy.  http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/shop/mountain/packs/predator-50

Monika with her Sphynx

 

I love my Sphynx for the same reasons, though the lid isn’t removable and there is no outside pocket in which I can keep my crampons. My special love is the large pocket in the lid. I tend to overstuff it with the things to which I want quick access. The only thing I don’t like on my pack, is the sternum strap buckle. It is difficult to undo with my left hand. I’m right-handed, and when I stop and want to take my pack off, I’m usually holding my hiking sticks in my right hand and reaching to undo my breast strap with my left – only to find that I can’t. It’s a bit annoying and a very minor point.  http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/shop/mountain/packs/sphynx-42

People in the know, know that when you are trekking in the Alps, you really need not carry anything larger than a 35 litre pack. If you need a larger pack to fit all your things, you’re taking too much stuff. Rob’s Predator is 50 litres, which is much larger than the guidelines. He plans on using his pack for hiking and climbing mountains in North America too, which of course requires a lot more equipment than trekking from hut to hut in Austria.

My Sphynx is 42 litres – much closer to the recommended 35 litres. So, my pack too was larger than really necessary. The thing is, Black Diamond doesn’t make either the Predator or the Sphynx in a 35 litre size. The Sphynx does come in 32 litres, so I’ve ordered that size and will be experimenting with it. I’m hoping that I won’t be missing those 3 litres so that I can take my 32 litre with me next season.

Rob and I bought our packs online from Black Diamond. We were neither asked to write nor paid for this review. I did so because I truly like my pack and Rob is thrilled with his.

The Dolomites: a different wonderland

We’ve just arrived in Corvara, in the Sud Tirol. This lovely village is surrounded by those amazing limestone formations known as the Dolomites. Yesterday, as a warm-up for the trekking we’ll be doing in the next two weeks, we hiked up the Sassonger, the magnificent peak that towers over the village. It isn’t a difficult hike, though it is two hours of unrelenting uphill.

Tomorrow, we’ll begin our series of day-walks from our base here. These walks are perfect for those who enjoy getting out into some majestic scenery and also love to return in the evening to a hotel room with a hot shower and a regular bed in which to sleep.

Where in the Alps is High Road Trekking?

Monika at the col

We’ve trekked in the Hochschober Group in the past and this year’s visit has just confirmed what we already knew – the hiking in this part of the Austrian Alps is just as good and even a bit more demanding than the trips that we’ve been offering in the Virgental of Osttirol, though perhaps less well-visited.

This trip, we also summited das Böse Weibl (the angry woman) at 3,121 m or 10,239 ft.   The mountain is a walk up, and  it affords one spectacular views of the Grossvenediger, the second highest peak at 3,662 m  and of the Grossglockner, the highest mountian in Austria at 3,798 m and one of the highest in the eastern Alps.

In 2010, High Road Trekking will be offering trips to the Hochschober Group. The huts are of the high quality one has come to expect of Austrian alpine huts and the routes, though demanding, offer incredible views of the surrounding peaks. We are very excited to be able to share this beautiful area with you.

Next Stop for High Road Trekking?

High Road Trekking is currently in Lienz, the largest city in Osttirol and a wonderful market town. Though there are tourists here, the place isn’t overrun with them like in Innsbruck or Salzburg. The majority of the people on the street are either from Lienz, or from other parts of the Osttirol and have come here for the day.

Tomorrow, we’ll be heading off to the Schober Gruppe, a much less visited subgroup of the Austrian Alps. Though, this area is less well known, the views are no less magnificent than other well-known areas of the alps. From this area, we will be able to enjoy gazing at the Gross Glockner and the Gross Venediger, the highest and second-highest mountains in Austria.

We’re very much looking forward to visiting this area again and enjoying the hospitality  offered in the huts. Next time, come and join us. The drinks are cold and the food delicious.

Monika

What the British know…

What the British know that most North Americans do not, is that Austria is a brilliant place in which to enjoy a vacation. Austria has it all: breath-taking scenery, delicious food, cold beer, excellent wine and friendly, hospitable people. What’s not to like?

High Road Trekking is currently in Austria, trekking in the Alps, enjoying the food and the hospitality of the hut guardians. We have already hiked the Venediger Höhenweg as well as the Lasörling Höhenweg, and, apart from one day of rain, the weather has co-operated  nicely with our plans. The forecast for the next few days is for clear skies and sun, so we’ll be heading up into the mountains again tomorrow morning. Come join us!

To Twist or to Flick? That is the question.

 

 

Trekking poles in use

Twist locking system – or flick locking system? Which one is better?

Well, my partner Rob used a pair of Leki twist locking system hiking poles for 20 years and he still likes them. His new Black Diamond “flicklocking” poles, are the ones he uses now though. They are easier and quicker to adjust than the twist lock system poles, especially if one is wearing gloves or mittens. Maintenaining them is simpler too.  All they require is the occational disassembly, cleaning and drying of parts, and tightening of the locking mechanism with a phillips screwdriver.

The twist locking poles require a bit more maintenance. They need to be taken apart. The plastic expanders need to be cleaned (“Goof Off” gets the aluminum crud off nicely, then rinse and dry them) and then the sides need to be slightly roughed up with sandpaper, so that they grip the inside of the tubes better. If they are damaged, they can be replaced (be sure you get the right size, there are various sizes to choose from). The threads of the pole pieces can be cleaned with a stiff nylon-bristle brush and the pole pieces cleaned and dried. Reassemble them and they shouldn’t let you down. The whole process takes well under 10 minutes. It’s worth the time and effort to do this annually or bi-annually to help prevent your poles from slipping. Anyone who has had their poles slip knows that they will do so just when one needs them the most.

As to which one is better, well, it’s a matter of personal preference. Is time spent on maintenance important to you? How often do you need to adjust the length of your poles when you are wearing gloves? For me, the differences aren’t substantial enough to warrant giving up my twist lock poles for a new pair of flicklocks. Are they for you?

Self-Guided Tours

Hiking in beautiful alpine scenery

 

In addition to our guided trips to the Austrian Alps and the Italian Dolomites, we offer self-guided tours and will customize the route to your needs. Choosing to do a self-guided tour means that you have more freedom in choosing when you will travel and whether you walk on your own, or with your friends and/or family instead of travelling in a guided group. It means that you get to walk at your own pace, stopping to admire the breath-taking scenery for as long as you like.

 

 

Resting in an alpine hut

We’ll take care of the logistics of your trip, providing  you with an itinerary, maps, a detailed trail-route description and go over the information with you personally. We’ll book your lodgings and luggage transfers when available. We’ll also help you get to your starting point and get you back to where you need to be once your hike is over. Any self-guided route will have been recently walked by us, prior to your trip.

Enjoying a walk in the Dolomites

 

Whether you want to hike in the Austrian Alps or the Italian Dolomites, wherever we do guided trips, we offer self-guided tours. Just send us an email (robandmonika@highroadtrekking.com), or give us a call (208-949-7343) and we’ll work with you to create a customized holiday.