Having decided to commit to hiking the AAWT, my first decision was whether to hike South to North, or vice versa. I decided to go South to North for two reasons:
- The toughest part of the trail is in the south, and I find it easier to keep motivated through tough times if I know that it will get easier ahead.
- Walhalla is in the middle of nowhere, whereas the Namadgi Visitors’ Centre is just a short bus/taxi journey from Canberra, and therefore after completing the trail, I won’t then have an arduous journey to get back to civilisation.
I’m yet to obtain the relevant topographical maps, which will enable me to prepare a detailed trip plan, but from research, most hikers complete the AAWT in 30-40 days. As I’m new to long-term hiking, I intend to take it slower, so I’m planning to budget 45-50 days to complete the hike.
I’ve worked out my relevant strengths and weaknesses, which will factor into every decision I make, both at the planning stage and during the hike:
Strengths:
- When I suffer a setback, I naturally keep calm, and don’t panic easily. I consider options analytically, and make rational decisions based on the circumstances.
- I’m not afraid to change my plans if circumstances call for it.
- I’m able to keep myself motivated, and don’t give up easily, no matter how tough things get.
Weaknesses:
- I have very little hiking experience. I’ve only completed an overnight camping trip once, and that was around 12 years ago.
- I’m currently not at the required fitness level for a trail like AAWT.
- I sometimes lack confidence in my own abilities, causing myself to constantly question and doubt my decisions.
My lack of experience is something I can’t do much about. There aren’t really any trails in the UK that are as intense as the AAWT. However, I will complete some day-hikes, in areas such as Cannock Chase, and the Malvern Hills, as part of my training programme. This training programme will include going to the gym, concentrating mainly on improving my cardio performance, but with some resistance training too.
Below is my planned itinerary. It’s nowhere near complete yet, as I need to calculate each leg of the trail. This is just an overview, showing the timescale of the trip as a whole.
01 October 2015 Fly out of the UK to Sydney (arrive on 03 Oct)
10 October 2015 Pick up hire car in Sydney and drive to Canberra
11 October 2015 Pick up food supplies, sort into drums, and drive to food drops.
13 October 2015 Drop off hire car in Melbourne, train to Moe
14 October 2015 Hitch/taxi to Walhalla, begin AAWT!
03 December 2015 Finish AAWT! Hitch/Taxi to Canberra
04 December 2015 Bus to Sydney
05 December 2015 Fly out of Sydney to the UK (arrive on 06 Dec)
INTO THE WILDERNESS - AAWT 