Skywalker's Sucess

[Skywalker]

Taking a leaf from my NF friend Matt_72 I am setting up a placemarker thread in the Woot room.  This is a a record of my successes to date and a place I can update to reflect on permanent changes and challenges met.

 

Unlike Matt, I haven't had the weight loss successes that I have strived for but I have had some great adventures during my time (on and off) with Nerd Fitness.

 

My heaviest weight was around 92kg and I managed to lose ten kilos in about two years after starting training with a PT twice a week.  Then it stalled around 82kg regardless of the exercises that I was doing.  This is still my setpoint.  The lowest I have been is 77kg but now June 2015 I am back up around the 85 k again.

 

I joined NF in Nov 2012 (wow that was some time ago).   In this time I have:

 

Given up dietcoke completely - I was drinking around one can or bottle a day to keep me awake in the afternoon.

Now I don't drink any soda at all.

 

I am able to commute to work which is 24km each way and have done this twice a week.  While I don't always do this I know that I have the ability to do this.

 

 

These are the adventures I have undertaken since joining NF:

 

Walked most of the Great Ocean Walk over several weekends http://www.greattrailsvictoria.com.au/trail-details/great-ocean-walk

 

Hiked the Coast Track in Royal national Park http://www.enduroexplorer.com/coastal-trail-guide.aspx

 

Cycled around Sri Lanka - averaging 70km a day.  I was the slowest rider but managed to jump on my bike each day and make it to the next hotel each afternoon.

http://http://www.exodustravels.com/au/sri-lanka-holidays/cycling/cycle-backroads-sri-lanka/mir#itinerary

 

Hike the Milford Track in NZ.http://milfordtrack.net/location/

 

Cycle from Queenstown to Dunedin via the Central Otago Rail Trail in NZ http://www.otagocentralrailtrail.co.nz/

 

 

So while my weightloss journey has been pretty much non-existent I have challenged myself and been places and done things that I wasn't sure I was capable of.  Most of my family and friends don't have any inclination to sleep outdoors and self-propel so sometimes it is a bit of a challenge to keep moving ahead with the things that I enjoy doing.

 

I am hoping that putting this all in one place with some links to maps etc will assist with motivation moving forward and will give me a spot to map future adventures and successes.

 

 

 

 

[Skywalker]

This may sound too simple, but is great in consequence. Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.

Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!â€

― William H. Murray

[Skywalker]

Here to add on another adventure completed.  To see in 2016 I was on the Three Capes Track in Tasmania.  http://www.threecapestrack.com.au/ is a step into multi-day backpacking.  You carry clothes, food etc but get a bed in a cabin and stoves to cook on (along with a few books, games and yoga mats). My pack was around 12 kg which I didn't find too hard.  I've included some notes about the hike on my new blog - https://justgetmoving.wordpress.com/2016/01/08/three-capes-track-tasmania/

 

The planning for the next hike is the Overland Track, also in Tasmania but I am also considering Hinchbrooke Island, maybe mid-year

[Skywalker]

2017 and I am on the ferry on my way back from doing the Overland Track. Seven days full pack carry. I managed to do this without spending a fortune. Just the one big purchase of a new tent.

It was a great hike (of course) with mountains, waterfalls, swimming homes, good hut options and great people.

This has been a long held aim to do this iconic walk.

Now I just need to keep the momentum and not fall into the post trip lull.

[Guzzi]

Wow! I've always loved walking and camping in the great outdoors, and I have a HUGE respect for anyone who can take complete these long distance trails. I am quite green reading about your adventures. 

[Lydiechan]

That's phenomenal, Skywalker!  Nice going.  Next step: 4deserts!

[DyDy]

Cool! Do you have any strategy or training before walking a trail? I find it still rather scary.

[Skywalker]

Really just start walking.  Find a local trail and conquer it - make it your own.  Then look around for other trails so you don't get bored.  I always feel I could do more preparation but I have a good idea of my capabilities.  I like to be the one to plan the hike so I don't feel that I have to meet anyone else's expectations.  On the Overland Track I was by far the slowest, but I knew I had time to get to camp before dark and was always in and set up before dinner. 

 

I also have the advantage of having a great hiking buddy who can run rings around me, but is happy to wait at a creek or at the top of a hill for me to come shuffling along.  Again having organised the trip, she is happy to just come along and enjoy the time on the track.  

 

Really just get out and do some easy stuff and then you'll be more confident of what you can do.  How far you can walk, the hills that you can climb etc.

[Skywalker]

Well now it's officially 2018.  It's interesting to read back on the previous entries.  Completing the Overland track in 2017 was a real highlight.  I had an aborted attempt at the Great Ocean Walk (had to pull out due to my hiking partner sustaining an injury).

 

I did complete a long circuit of Wilson's Prom Southern Circuit and have just come pack from the Falls Creek to Mt Hotham Alpine Crossing.

 

2018 should be a relatively quite year in preparation for a big 2019 involving overseas travel and a two week hike.  I plan to focus more on dropping some of the extra weight while improving my fitness (so a typical new year resolution).  Let's hope when I check back in at the start of 2019 I'll have something positive to report on.

[Skywalker]

Well, I was correct in that 2018 was quite on the hiking front.  My hiking buddy got busy with other thinks in her life so I was brave and went on a solo overnight hike to the spectacular Mount Feathertop and we had a weekend hiking in Mt Stapylton/Mt Zero.  I did join the local bush walking club to give me more hiking opportunities.  

 

2019 is the year of the Coast to Coast walk in the UK which is around 300km (192 miles) which is officially a long way!  Let's see if I get in any interesting training hikes 

[Elastigirl]

Woot for  going on a hike and extra  points awarded for braving it alone!

[ladyofthebog]

following. love a fellow hiker what wonderful accomplishments and i like the idea of a wooooooootttthread

[Skywalker]

Well it's now 2019 and I'm just back from doing Wainwright's Coast to Coast in England.  It wasn't just a 15 day walk though, I had a lovely 9 week holiday including time with hubby and his English family and climbing 4 mountains in Scotland in a week (which wasn't really pre-planned).

 

I did a bit of hiking exploring of Hadrian's Wall as a pre-cursor for the activities to follow and then signed up for a week long exploration of the North West of Scotland.  Now bear in mind that I hadn't even stepped foot in Scotland I figure I picked (or fate + google) a pretty inspiring part of Scotland to do my deep dive.  https://scotmountainholidays.com/tours/the-empty-quarter/.  It was WELL out of my comfort zone but I just took each day as it came and now I can say I've stepped on the top of these Scottish Mountains that I hadn't even heard of before I signed up.  Suilven (Oh, WOW - definately a highlight), Stac Pollaidh, Ben Mor Coigach, Cul Mor, Quinag.

 

This was before having a couple of days off and then starting the Coast to Coast walk with my hiking buddy who flew to England just do to this walk with me.  (She's a legend!)

What is Wainwright's Coast to Coast walk?  Well it was 'created' by Alfred Wainwright in the 70's when he sat down with OS maps and worked out how to walk from Coast to Coast using mostly tracks, footpaths and right of ways.  He was a lover of the Lakes District so that is definately a feature of the walk.  His idea is that anyone could do something similar and that the planning of such an endevour was part of the thrill.  It's a little ironic that now his path is followed almost religiously, but I like to think that I kept a bit of his original intent in mind.

 

Starting at St Bees you dip your boots in the Irish Sea and walk each day until you can dip your boots in the North Sea at Robin Hood Bay.  Around 190 miles or 300 km - give or take a few off-track adventures (some planned most not).

 

This is a huge tick off my hiking wish list - to such an extent that I've yet to put another on it.  I'm open for ideas

 

 

[Sloth the Enduring]

Wow. That sounds fabulous.

[Elastigirl]

That is s cool! Woot for stepping out of your comfort zone and having an adventure you will remember forever

[Skywalker]

I jumped back onto this thread as I have just come back from an awsome and very challenging hike.  But first to keep the update going.

 

2020 of course was a disaster for trip planning (2021 not much better) but as luck and as my favourite quote from William H Murray indicates, if you commit to something - the universe will present opportunities .  I had on my list of hikes to do another Tasmanian hike - Walls of Jerusalem.  The logistic of this walk are air travel and the cost of getting to and from the start of the hike.  My planning started when someone mentioned that there were cheap flights to Tasmania (pre-covid flights - can we remember that time) so I jumped onto the site of a walks transport company who post the trips that they already have and if you time your trip to match an existing transfer then it costs a whole lot less.  So I timed the flights/transport to match another large group and booked into a hostel for the post hike/pre flight.  As a result I did a four night solo hike in the pre-covid 2020 time period.  It felt good sneaking that one in as the rest of the year was spent pretty much within 5 km of home!

 

While WFH I daydreamed about the next hike.  I had hoped (being the ever optimist) that it would all be over by the end of the year and went into planning to do the Larapinta Trail in Alice Springs, Northern Territory.  Even though it didn't eventuate in 2020 it was the impedence (along with WFH) for me to finally shift some weight!  My figuring it was that I really had not too much to complain about WFH as I had an OK work setup with very few other commiments (ie no children/home schooling) with just a bit of 'elder care' to organise.  I started lockdown exercising as I could but a few cold rainy days damped any enthusasum.  Then I decided that if I wasn't exercising that I should control what I put in my mouth.  In reality lockdown took away a lot of my excuses for eating poorly, you could only eat what was in your house (we didn't do take away) and there was no social eating.  Also my son joined me, which hasn't happened before.  We both went 'Keto' or at least very low carb and success breed success.  The whole idea if identity - once I had told people that I was eating Keto (and had some results to show) then it was easier to keep it up - a social pressure even.  

 

So as a result 2020 saw me around 10 kg lighter!

 

2021 I booked a different hike (now slated for 2022) because again that optimism that by August all would be back to normal (in my defence Australia has had period of no cases of covid by the start of the year).  Then unexpectedly the Larapinta Trail came back on the radar as my hiking buddy had several changes in her circumstances and was now free and eager to do it.  This put me into a pre-trek training mode as I was a little afraid of the difficulty of the track.  My fitness improved and my weight continued to go down as I was being fairly consistent.  All of those things that you read about do make a difference.  So I headed off to the the Larapinta very close to my goal weight of 65kg.  There was a little lockdown drama as Melbourne went into lockdown 2 weeks before I was due to start but opened up in time for my flight, and then went into lockdown again the day after we flew out.  As a consequence there were a lot less people of the track and most has an 'escape from lockdown' story.

 

So August 2021 and I have completed Larapinta Trail.  223 km in 14 days - finishing with the sumit of Mt Sondor.  I lost several toenails and a few cm and gained muscles in my arms (a lot of rock scrambling with a 15kg(approx) pack and toned my legs!  I'd say harder than I had expected, but I was expecting it to be tough.  It was great spending time in Central Australia.  As the coast loving nation that we are it is easy to spend all of your time just around the east/south coast.  

[Skywalker]

Well, just to update the 'sucess' thread for 2022 and 2023!!!

 

The hike that i had to postpone in 2021 was the Jatbula Trail in the Northern Territory.  We did this in 2022 as a guided walk and it was a wonderful hike.  Not too hard (but hot) and swimming at least once a day.  Most days we were in camp and a water hole by 1pm for lunch and swim and relax for the rest of the day.  Slept in insect netting only, which was novel, but no one mentioned how bright the moon is without a fly.

 

Unfortunately after the success of the lockdown Keto, my weight has gradually increased and dispite a few efforts to get back to the grind, I am far away from my lowest weight,and I've lost that 'track fitness'. so back to the struggle.

 

2022 also saw a relatively unexpected part walking, part tourist, part hanging out with the locals, trip to Italy.  Due to other restrictions it was a quick trip, where many of my fellow walkers were taking advantage of the flight to the Northern Hemisphere to have other extended walking holidays.

 

2023 was kind of a blank spot for fitness, epic hikes etc.   I had things planned that fell through.  A trip to New Zealand, but the extra hiking didn't happen, except I did the Tongariro Crossing with my son.  The walk to Mordor in the South Island.

I also had an unexpected and very plesant trip to the UK with hubby (who hates travelling) but I daren't add in a hiking extension, but the hiking mojo has kinda of left me.

 

So as it is officially 2024 by minutes, here I have a few plans for 2024 that I have yet to fully commit to.  Hoping that my next check in is a bit more positive.