Milford Track for Beginners?
Jan 9th 2005, 2:45 am
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Milford Track for Beginners?
Hi
We (couple in our 20s) are thinking of hiking Milford Track in mid April.
The trouble is, the 2 of us have no hiking experience.
I am reasonably fit (eg. can run 5km in 30 mins) while my partner can prob
do it in a little more time.
Hope to hear advice on the following 2 questions:
1) Can 2 non-experienced hikers survive comfortably on the track? Seems from
Lonely Planet and net research that you do not need any experience.
2) Do we need special physical conditioning for the hike? ie. Can a couple
with normal fitness level (ie. run 5km in 30-50 mins) do the hike?
Really want to do the hike, but am not confident at all, esp when I have no
experience and am not sure if I can take care of my partner if the going
gets too rough...
Hope you can help.
Thanks!
We (couple in our 20s) are thinking of hiking Milford Track in mid April.
The trouble is, the 2 of us have no hiking experience.
I am reasonably fit (eg. can run 5km in 30 mins) while my partner can prob
do it in a little more time.
Hope to hear advice on the following 2 questions:
1) Can 2 non-experienced hikers survive comfortably on the track? Seems from
Lonely Planet and net research that you do not need any experience.
2) Do we need special physical conditioning for the hike? ie. Can a couple
with normal fitness level (ie. run 5km in 30-50 mins) do the hike?
Really want to do the hike, but am not confident at all, esp when I have no
experience and am not sure if I can take care of my partner if the going
gets too rough...
Hope you can help.
Thanks!
Jan 9th 2005, 4:08 am
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Milford Track for Beginners?
shakefly wrote:
> 1) Can 2 non-experienced hikers survive comfortably on the track? Seems from
> Lonely Planet and net research that you do not need any experience.
In January 1972 I "walked" Dore track as well as Milford track with a group of
others who were from all walks of life. At that time I was about 22 years of ago
and was an insulin-dependent diabetic.
Easy to do - even when I had yo carry my food and everything else. I was hitck
hiking through NZ for about 6 weeks. I had no difficulty at all - and at that
stage of my life was not even into any sort of physical conditioning nor running
- that occurred later in my life ;-)
> 2) Do we need special physical conditioning for the hike? ie. Can a couple
> with normal fitness level (ie. run 5km in 30-50 mins) do the hike?
No, you don't need any conditioning. Unless you are 25 to 50 pounds overweight
you won't have anything but a great experience - IMHO.
> Really want to do the hike, but am not confident at all, esp when I have no
> experience and am not sure if I can take care of my partner if the going
> gets too rough...
The going is not exactly strenuous, but it is sustained. Slow and steady is the
way to go on the tracks. In my opinion, it is worth doing the Dore track and
then starting the Milford from the beginning of the trail head at the lake. I
never did bother with taking the boat to the hea of the Milford track/trail
Ken
Winnipeg, Canada
> 1) Can 2 non-experienced hikers survive comfortably on the track? Seems from
> Lonely Planet and net research that you do not need any experience.
In January 1972 I "walked" Dore track as well as Milford track with a group of
others who were from all walks of life. At that time I was about 22 years of ago
and was an insulin-dependent diabetic.
Easy to do - even when I had yo carry my food and everything else. I was hitck
hiking through NZ for about 6 weeks. I had no difficulty at all - and at that
stage of my life was not even into any sort of physical conditioning nor running
- that occurred later in my life ;-)
> 2) Do we need special physical conditioning for the hike? ie. Can a couple
> with normal fitness level (ie. run 5km in 30-50 mins) do the hike?
No, you don't need any conditioning. Unless you are 25 to 50 pounds overweight
you won't have anything but a great experience - IMHO.
> Really want to do the hike, but am not confident at all, esp when I have no
> experience and am not sure if I can take care of my partner if the going
> gets too rough...
The going is not exactly strenuous, but it is sustained. Slow and steady is the
way to go on the tracks. In my opinion, it is worth doing the Dore track and
then starting the Milford from the beginning of the trail head at the lake. I
never did bother with taking the boat to the hea of the Milford track/trail
Ken
Winnipeg, Canada
Jan 9th 2005, 8:28 am
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Milford Track for Beginners?
shakefly <[email protected]> wrote:
> We (couple in our 20s) are thinking of hiking Milford Track in mid April.
> The trouble is, the 2 of us have no hiking experience.
> I am reasonably fit (eg. can run 5km in 30 mins) while my partner can prob
> do it in a little more time.
> Hope to hear advice on the following 2 questions:
> 1) Can 2 non-experienced hikers survive comfortably on the track? Seems from
> Lonely Planet and net research that you do not need any experience.
> 2) Do we need special physical conditioning for the hike? ie. Can a couple
> with normal fitness level (ie. run 5km in 30-50 mins) do the hike?
> Really want to do the hike, but am not confident at all, esp when I have no
> experience and am not sure if I can take care of my partner if the going
> gets too rough...
While you don't need experience, I suggest you do some training. This
should involve walking for several hours with fully laden packs, being sure
to include up and downhill sections. Do this as often as you can before the
trip.
You need good hiking boots. If you don't have them already, buy them and
train in them until they're well broken in. The worst thing you can do is
turn up at the track with brand new boots - you'll get badly blistered.
--
Burn the land and boil the sea,
You can't take the sky from me.
> We (couple in our 20s) are thinking of hiking Milford Track in mid April.
> The trouble is, the 2 of us have no hiking experience.
> I am reasonably fit (eg. can run 5km in 30 mins) while my partner can prob
> do it in a little more time.
> Hope to hear advice on the following 2 questions:
> 1) Can 2 non-experienced hikers survive comfortably on the track? Seems from
> Lonely Planet and net research that you do not need any experience.
> 2) Do we need special physical conditioning for the hike? ie. Can a couple
> with normal fitness level (ie. run 5km in 30-50 mins) do the hike?
> Really want to do the hike, but am not confident at all, esp when I have no
> experience and am not sure if I can take care of my partner if the going
> gets too rough...
While you don't need experience, I suggest you do some training. This
should involve walking for several hours with fully laden packs, being sure
to include up and downhill sections. Do this as often as you can before the
trip.
You need good hiking boots. If you don't have them already, buy them and
train in them until they're well broken in. The worst thing you can do is
turn up at the track with brand new boots - you'll get badly blistered.
--
Burn the land and boil the sea,
You can't take the sky from me.
Jan 10th 2005, 7:27 am
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Milford Track for Beginners?
shakefly wrote:
> 1) Can 2 non-experienced hikers survive comfortably on the track?
Seems from
> Lonely Planet and net research that you do not need any experience.
Greetings!
We just got off the Milford track 1 month ago (back at work now and I
have large tears running down my cheek as I type this). We are in our
50s and do extensive hiking and backpacking and found it to be a
moderately easy; it certainly isn't a difficult hike. NZ DOC lists the
trek as "easy". That
said, there were plenty of blisters and various muscle and joint
complaints from every age group in our 'batch' of hikers. As far as
training goes I think the suggestion about 'sustained walking with full
packs' is a good one. I think the longest one-day distance was 11.5
miles on the last day and there weren't any dramatic changes in
elevation that day. McKinnon pass will be the most challenging for
sustained uphill climbing but most of the complaints that I heard were
about the long stretch downhill from the pass, not the uphill part.
How prepared are you with respect to gear, and do you know what to
take? I would also suggest you increase what ever amount of food you
thought you were going to need. I always carry more food than I need
and I wound up bailing out a single woman and a couple from Hong Kong
that had dramatically underestimated the amount of food they were going
to use.
Enjoy your trip!
I am saddened by the fact that my trip is fading off into distant
history - time to start planning for the next one I guess.
Cheers,
KFW
> 1) Can 2 non-experienced hikers survive comfortably on the track?
Seems from
> Lonely Planet and net research that you do not need any experience.
Greetings!
We just got off the Milford track 1 month ago (back at work now and I
have large tears running down my cheek as I type this). We are in our
50s and do extensive hiking and backpacking and found it to be a
moderately easy; it certainly isn't a difficult hike. NZ DOC lists the
trek as "easy". That
said, there were plenty of blisters and various muscle and joint
complaints from every age group in our 'batch' of hikers. As far as
training goes I think the suggestion about 'sustained walking with full
packs' is a good one. I think the longest one-day distance was 11.5
miles on the last day and there weren't any dramatic changes in
elevation that day. McKinnon pass will be the most challenging for
sustained uphill climbing but most of the complaints that I heard were
about the long stretch downhill from the pass, not the uphill part.
How prepared are you with respect to gear, and do you know what to
take? I would also suggest you increase what ever amount of food you
thought you were going to need. I always carry more food than I need
and I wound up bailing out a single woman and a couple from Hong Kong
that had dramatically underestimated the amount of food they were going
to use.
Enjoy your trip!
I am saddened by the fact that my trip is fading off into distant
history - time to start planning for the next one I guess.
Cheers,
KFW
Jan 21st 2005, 5:37 am
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Milford Track for Beginners?
The best thing to do is to practice walking with packs. Stopping, turning
and any sudden movements you may wish to excerise while walking with a pack
require some extra precausions. Case in point, put on a pack with say 15%
of you body weight and turn 90 degrees on the spot, now try it with 25% of
your body weight. Without experience carrying a pack you can easily hurt
your ankles or knees. When you carry a pack for the first time you will get
sore muscles as your body adapts to its new conditions. Back, shoulder and
leg strenght as well as endurance are key. Also walking up hill (without a
pack) can be as intense as jogging or running on flat ground. There is the
option of having your pack choppered up to the next hut, but IMO this takes
away from the experience. Also make sure you have good high top waterproof
hiking boots, rain trousers and rain coat. Be prepared for muddy
conditions. I was tramping on Steward Island in October 2004 and there were
places where the mud was ankle deep and that was the shallowest path. Found
myself in similar situations on the Q.C (Picton), Kepler (Te Anau), Roberts
Point (Franz Joseph), Ben Lomond (Queenstown) and the tracks across the
river in Manapouri. I would expect to see the same in Milford.
Dwayne
and any sudden movements you may wish to excerise while walking with a pack
require some extra precausions. Case in point, put on a pack with say 15%
of you body weight and turn 90 degrees on the spot, now try it with 25% of
your body weight. Without experience carrying a pack you can easily hurt
your ankles or knees. When you carry a pack for the first time you will get
sore muscles as your body adapts to its new conditions. Back, shoulder and
leg strenght as well as endurance are key. Also walking up hill (without a
pack) can be as intense as jogging or running on flat ground. There is the
option of having your pack choppered up to the next hut, but IMO this takes
away from the experience. Also make sure you have good high top waterproof
hiking boots, rain trousers and rain coat. Be prepared for muddy
conditions. I was tramping on Steward Island in October 2004 and there were
places where the mud was ankle deep and that was the shallowest path. Found
myself in similar situations on the Q.C (Picton), Kepler (Te Anau), Roberts
Point (Franz Joseph), Ben Lomond (Queenstown) and the tracks across the
river in Manapouri. I would expect to see the same in Milford.
Dwayne
