Ubajee walkers' camp – Our first overnight hike

 

We finally did it.

In September of 2010 Margot and I finally managed to get enough gear together to head off for our very first over night hike. It was wonderful…….mostly.

We selected the beautiful Sunshine coast Greatwalk as the perfect location. Our thinking was, hike in and hike out and not too far so that if anything went wrong or our new gear didn’t quite work out we were not too far from help.

After pouring over maps and studying the DERM website we decided that the Ubajee walkers' camp suited our needs.

So we prepared and prepared, dehydrated, packed and very excitedly headed off for our first overnight hike.

Day one started at Mapleton Falls National park.

The hike kicks off through some absolutely beautiful rainforest. The first kilometer or so is an Australian grade 2-3 walk so there were a few day trippers but it didn’t take long and we were on the grade 4 track and into the hills of the sunshine coast hinterland.

Rainforest opened up into Picabeen palm forest with low ferns and then back into rainforest again. There are many very large felled trees that remain from the logging days that are now just ghosts of once great monsters now covered with a brilliant green moss.

After a couple of hours of taking our time and enjoying the peaceful and tranquil environment we decided to try out my new acquisition, the MSR Pocket Rocket stove and have a cup of coffee.

The stove worked like a little beauty. Only a minute after firing it up we were enjoying a much needed caffeine fix and listening to the birds and frogs next to the glassy stream we had selected as our morning tea spot.

We continued on after a shortish day of about 12 kilometers and before long we were selecting our site for the tent and cracking open our afternoon tea and putting the stove on for another cuppa.

Unfortunately it wasn’t to stay that way and our first night away turned into anything but peaceful and tranquil.

Find out why in my next post………

Hiking Poles or not?

To use or not use hiking poles is something that we struggled with.

Will they just get in the way? Should I know how to use them properly or will I just be better off saving my money and picking up the nearest stick?

I actually got our first set of hiking poles on a whim. I walked past a sale as I was buying something else and they were coincidentally reduced in price to the exact amount that I have left over after my other purchase.

“I will just grab them and figure out how to use them later” I thought.

So, after some research on how to properly set them up and techniques for using them we took them on our first 4 day hike.

They turned out to be absolutely invaluable. We found them to be very useful not only on the uphill sections but on the downhill also.

I am not claiming to be any sort of expert on the purchase and use of hiking poles but I can offer my opinion of their use and how handy they are when it comes to long distance hikes.

I honestly believe that had we not taken hiking poles on the 4 day hike we would have returned with knees and ankles that were much more sore than they were.

I strongly recommend purchasing and learning how to use hiking poles when going on an extended multi day walk.

You won’t be sorry.

Below are some links to get you started.

http://www.abc-of-hiking.com/info/hiking-poles-hike.asp

http://www.ideal-hiking-equipment.com/using-trekking-poles.html

http://www.slackpacker.com/trekking-poles.html

http://www.trails.com/about_6595_basic-trekking-pole-techniques.html

Starting to purchase gear - Boots

After a lot of research,  many hours scouring the internet and looking through our local outdoor/hiking stores we finally came up with some gear that we decided was best both for quality and for our budget.

I’m sure we aren’t Robinson Crusoe,  in that we are not operating on an open ended budget but we also wanted to have the best quality gear as we realised that a multi day hike with the wrong gear can be a nightmare.

We started with hiking boots as I decided that this was the most important piece of gear that we would own.  We would use them on every hike we would do whether it was just a day hike or a multi day hike.

I did not want to skimp on boots as I realised from my research (and now from personal experience) that a good sturdy and comfy pair of boots are absolutely essential.

I want to make it really clear that boots are a personal thing and what boot is right for me wont necessarily be the right boot for you. However, what IS important is that you are not tempted to buy the first pair of shiny new boots with all the fancy bits and pieces that you see.

You MUST try on and try on again until you are absolutely comfortable with the boots you have chosen. I won’t say this about any of the other gear but DO NOT be swayed by discounts or other offers. You will be walking up to 20-25klms per day over anything from a day to 8 nights with about 15-20kgs on your back for a standard hike. All that time with a wrong fitting boot is NOT worth any sort of discount or fancy offer.

After looking around for a couple of months I settled on a pair of Hi-tec Vlite hiking boots.

Things we looked for in hiking boot;

1.       Ankle Support

It is very important that you have very good ankle support. Many tracks through SE QLD (and in fact all over Aus) that we walk are QLD Class 4 tracks or above which are classed as rough with uneven surfaces and exposed roots and rocks. My wife and I have both felt our ankles being held firm by these boots when we have stood on a rock or root and our ankle has tried to twist over. Not a good thing on day two of a four day hike in the middle of nowhere with help a long way off.

2.       Tread

It’s also important that you have a boot that has different types of tread on the sole. You will be walking on different types of ground on your hike. E.g. sand, grass, rock, slippery surfaces, dirt etc. they all require different types of tread to keep your feet on the ground as securely as possible. Again, getting an injury from falling or hyper extending a knee is disastrous on a multi day hike.

3.       Waterproof

The boot we chose has waterproofing half way up the boot. This is fine for most walks in SE QLD as you will rarely be wading through water any deeper than half a boot height. However, if you are going in the rainy season or you are hiking in the Kosciusko National Park or in Tasmania for example, you may need a more waterproof boot. Hiking for days with wet boots and socks would be a miserable experience. We chose this boot because hiking in QLD in a fully waterproof boot may mean it doesn’t breathe very well and may be very hot.

4.       Quality

Self explanatory. This was important to us as I didn’t want to get half way through a hike and find the sole coming off or the seams opening up. We also don’t have the money to keep buying different shoes. Before this, the most I had ever spent on shoes was $100, these cost me $270!! Worth every penny but they need to last as long as possible.

There are so many more things to look at when buying boots. Have a look around and find out what’s important to you.

Remember, don’t skimp on boots!

More gear to come….