Cecilia Mariani is an International Mountain Leader and Outdoor Instructor. After many years living in the most beautiful but wettest places in the UK, she’s currently living on the edge of the Italian eastern Alps, where it’s always sunny. Working or not, she’s always outside, trekking, climbing or cycling. And on the odd rainy day she’s planning her next adventure. Here she shares her top tips for a Solo multi day trek.
Trekking is definitely one of my favourite things to do. I love the slow pace of trekking, and I believe that it’s the best way to explore a new place. Yeah, without the aid of motorised travel it would only allow you to discover a relatively small area. But you will discover it well. You’ll be sure not to miss any detail along the way, because while your legs are going, your mind is wandering.
The routine that you create for yourself after a couple of days on the trek is also incredible. Everything becomes so natural, everything fits in. And all you need to think about when you wake up in the morning is walk. I love it.
In this short blog I would like to give you some tops tips for your first solo multi day trek, from the planning stage to the finish line. So if you’re ready to leave for your first solo adventure, but are not quite sure where to start then read on.
Firstly, you have to decide where you want to go. And this is probably the hardest thing. There are so many treks, both in the UK and abroad, that you really wouldn’t know where to start. My advice on this would be to choose a trek that is not too remote. Since you’re not sure how it’s going to go, or if you’ll have exactly the things you need, you want to be able to find support if you need it. So a trek that has easy access to facilities would be ideal. I wouldn’t choose to cross the Gobi desert as my first trek, that is.
After you’ve decided where to go you need to actually plan your route. Things like how many days it’s going to take, how many kilometres you’ll walk every day, where will you sleep (wild camping, campsites, B&Bs, etc.), will I have to take all the food or will I be able to restock along the way. Things like that. For the more popular treks you’ll easily find guidebooks and plenty of information online, and most of the times someone who’s walked the trek before would have already done these things for you. For the less known treks you might have to do it yourself, or you might want to make your own plan anyway. For this is quite useful to be able to read a map, or get some help from someone who can. With a map you can easily calculate distances, height gain and loss, and plan stops. A very useful tool.
Once the hard task of planning your route is done, then you’ll have to start thinking about your equipment. A compromise between what’s necessary but it’s not going to break your back. And maybe one luxury item. Here’s a list of what I would normally take.
And these are just the essential things! But I assure you it will all fit in your bag…. maybe. Once you’ll have done a few treks this will become much easier, you’ll know what you do and don’t need, so you’ll avoid to take unnecessary things or forget something really important.
Now that you’ve done all the planning, all you have left to do is enjoy your trek.
The moment between leaving your house and actually starting to walk can be quite challenging. Will I be able to walk the distance I planned? What if I don’t find a suitable camping spot? Will I find water on the way? My advice is to be flexible. It’s always scarier beforehand, when you don’t know what you’ll find, but as you walk you’ll be able to figure things out, every time. Bring a map so you can spot where the next town is, or if there are any camping facilities, or if there’s a stream to collect water from around the next bend.
After the first few kilometres, as you start to know the area, the path and the terrain, things will get easier and more familiar. After the first day or two you’ll get used to walking alone, you’ll know exactly where everything is in your bag and you’ll start finding your own routine. After three days your legs will stop aching and you’ll get used to carrying a heavy bag. And all too soon, just as you were starting to find it comfortable, you’ll reach the end line and you’ll go back to your normal life.
But you’ll be left with a beautiful experience, some great memories, and the knowledge that yeah, you can do it! You know how to now. What might have seemed the biggest challenge of your life now might even become your regular summer holiday. You’ll love it, so get walking!
We are blessed to have so many women in the community happy to share their advice and stories with us. If you’d like to contribute a blog, please do get in touch via our ‘contact us’ page!
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