NATAL DRAKENSBERG

Powerful legs: any additional training that strengthens your leg muscles (ankles, calves and thighs) will also help your hiking. Regular hiking does wonders for these muscles, since you are lifting both your own weight and that of your backpack every time you climb a hill. Many backpackers experience some degree of cramping of the leg muscles on the first day of a hike, especially after arriving at their overnight stop or while climbing steep hills or passes towards the end of the day. If you are prone to cramping then you should supplement your diet with magnesium in the week prior to your hike, particularly if you haven't hiked for a month or more. Recommended supplements are SlowMag and MagPhos. These are of little help on the day of the hike since magnesium is absorbed very slowly. Eating salty food such as salted peanuts and chips (potato crisps) will help, but if not, you may be forced to eat some pure table salt (you can do this by licking one or more pinches of salt off your hand and washing it down with lots of water). This usually eliminates the cramping immediately but is not recommended by doctors and should definitely not be done if you are also very dehydrated.

Low-intensity, long-term endurance: hiking does not place a demand on you like a 100 metres sprint or swim. On level ground there is a fairly constant, low demand which may be called for over a period of several hours. This is reflected in a slightly elevated pulse rate, although your deeper breathing may still be quite relaxed. However, both pulse and breathing rates increase considerably when climbing, and this is where a much higher level of fitness is called for!

Tolerance of altitude: most hiking in the foothills of the Natal Drakensberg is carried out between 2000 and 2500 metres above sea level. Coastal folk who consider themselves fit may be shocked at the effect of the altitude. Hiking to the top of the escarpment (around 3000 metres) may have quite a devastating effect on genuinely fit people. This is because the body requires more red blood cells to absorb the required amount of oxygen from the less dense air. It can take 24 hours or more for even a fit person to acclimatise to this increase in altitude. Vegetarians who don't supplement their diet with iron are particularly prone to an alarmingly acute, altitude-related decline in their performance. Any recent illness may have the same effect, because the body needs to be performing at its peak to make up for the lack of oxygen. Some people are more affected by altitude than others, and most experienced backpackers will admit to having been affected by altitude on occasion regardless of their state of fitness at the time.

Tolerance of discomfort: most physically demanding sporting activities result in some discomfort, but backpacking can produce much higher levels mainly as a result of the backpack itself. Experience shows that it takes about 5 hikes for people new to backpacking to get used to bruised hips, bruised shoulders and a sore neck caused by carrying a heavy pack for long periods of time. Add to this the effect of intense summer heat and sometimes a shortage of water, and you can better understand the need for physical and mental endurance!

Ability to concentrate for long periods of time: if you take your eyes off the path ahead of you for more than a second or two at a time, you will stumble and possibly even fall. This is most noticeable amongst attention-deficit teenagers. It is also an indication of fatigue, and even fit hikers may start stumbling when they become mentally tired.

Coordination and agility: you don't need the agility of a gymnast, but sure-footedness, good balance and confidence on tricky terrain are advantages. This also gives you greater independence, since you won't need to rely on others to help you cross a stream or negotiate a tricky section on the route. Practice boulder hopping without a backpack if you feel inadequate in this area. A head for heights is not essential to begin with - this will develop on its own and is more a state of mind than anything physical!

Mental fortitude: like any endurance athlete, hiking can require a mindset which pushes you past what you might consider the limit of your physical endurance, where accomplishing your goal is more a matter of mind than of body. Some hikers try to avoid hikes of this nature, while others thrive on the physical and mental challenge!

Dissimilar training does not produce hiking fitness. Hiking fitness has its own unique set of characteristics (as outlined above) and cannot be properly simulated by working out in a gym, walking, road running, cycling, swimming, etc. I have hiked with many people who assured me they were fit because they worked out at gym, ran or cycled regularly, or participated in long day walks on a regular basis, and yet they faded badly on the hike. While regular, long day walks help develop the leg muscles, walking is no substitute for hiking unless you walk with an intentionally heavy backpack!

Always try to make an accurate assessment of the level of difficulty of a route in advance of the hike, to ensure that it is within your current capabilities. You don't want to take on a hike that is so difficult you are discouraged from the sport. It is also inconsiderate to hold the whole group back through your lack of judgement. Some clubs (e.g. the Durban-based Mountain Backpackers Club) use a grading system (an example appears in the table below). If in doubt, contact the leader in advance and find out more about the hike. Try to establish what aspects of the route may make it particularly difficult for you - e.g. altitude, distance, height to climb, etc.

Plan a programme of advancement for yourself. Taking into account how often you are able to get away on a hike, try to select hikes that are progressively more difficult. If you find yourself struggling at a particular level, then do several more hikes at that level before taking on something more difficult. Work on personal goal-setting (you will be your only judge), and derive satisfaction from your progress.

Pace yourself. The people up front are probably either fitter than you or are over-exerting themselves. The leader (who should be up front!) will probably make use of the fitter hikers, asking them to scout the area ahead and find the best route around obstacles. They may have to back-track or climb back uphill from time to time - not a good place to be if you are feeling exhausted! Those who over-exert themselves run out of steam before the day is done - then you can see who the really fit ones are! There has also got to be someone at the rear of the column. Its nice when this someone is there by choice, but usually it is the least fit member of the group, the one with the problem/s (real or imagined), the one who has taken on too much, or the one with a little less will-power than the rest. Unless you are there by choice, try not to be that person! The tail-end Charlie also gets the least amount of rest, while those up front may be champing at the bit because of too much rest! There is nothing wrong with being one of the average hikers in the group.

Try to ensure that you always have a reserve of physical and mental strength, no matter how small. When you are constantly at or pushing your limit and suddenly more is required of you, you may find yourself holding the straw that breaks your own back! Difficult, expedition-type hikes over terrain unfamiliar to the leader may require some back-tracking, extra distance, extra height, or all of these. You don't want to be caught short in the will-power stakes! Being demoralised is a backpackers worst enemy! Avoid hikes of this type until you feel ready to take them on.

Try to standardise the weight of your backpack. This will allow your body to become accustomed to the weight. On easy hikes, carry "ballast" (heavy, luxury items you can do without on more difficult trips). On tenting trips or hikes of several days, where a good portion of your backpack's weight will be given up to the tent or more food, you can still end up with a total weight not much different from what you normally hike with.

Under "Fitness Required", the distance covered in one hour is without any stops. Four kilometres in one hour (one kilometre every 15 minutes) over easy, level ground is within the capabilities of most people.

Most backpacking-related texts recommend a maximum backpack weight of between 25% and 33% of a hiker's body weight. You may have to carry even more than this on the first day of a very long (multi-day) hike.

The height climbed in a day is the total height climbed, not just the difference in height between your starting point and end point. It excludes height descended, since descents require far less energy and effort than climbs.

The examples allow for a range of hikes at each grade. The distances and heights climbed are more an indication of the effort involved (and therefore the fortitude required) than of any practical reality.

"Easy" and "Difficult" are relative terms!