Letter of the month

I enjoyed reading Hazel Phillips’ article ‘My Secret Tramping Shame’ (October 2022). It was a good reminder not to be judgemental of others’ tramping baggage. 

I usually try to keep my pack as light as possible but I have great memories of a tramp I did with my very fit son. He carried all sorts of delicious but heavy lunch foods that I would never dream of bringing, including a kilogram of tasty cheese and a whole cucumber. We ate wonderfully well and it was no bother to him to carry the extra weight.

My own unusual piece of tramping kit is a fitted sheet which I made especially to fit the mattresses in DOC huts. It stops me sticking to the mattress when I sleep with my sleeping bag unzipped and means I don’t have to worry about contact with a dirty mattress. I love it. For those interested in making their own sheet, the standard DOC mattress size is 75x188cm.

– Domini Martin

– Domini receives a Salewa Carbonium Tour Pole worth $219.90, thanks to www.bobo.co.nz. Readers, send your letter to the editor for a chance to win.

Lake Dive Hut

Since September 2020 when Lake Dive Hut in Egmont National Park was burnt down, park users have been waiting for its replacement. 

Department of Conservation staff, when asked about its replacement, have said that the matter is at present with the courts. 

That was fair enough, but now the accused man (of starting the fire) has faced the courts and DOC has had 24 months to draw-up and get funding for the hut rebuild so that park users can enjoy the Around the Mountain Track again. There have been tracks to Lake Dive since 1900.

– Ian McAlpine

Meeting the Walk1200km challenge

What an epic journey the past 12 months has been. On reflection there have been incredible highlights amongst the challenges and griefs that life has thrown.

I didn’t think I would make it to 1200km. I caught Covid in the final week and didn’t think I had a chance. However, on tallying-up my distances, exactly one year after I started the challenge, I found I surpassed 1200km by just 10.3km. Home Run!

I cried and cried – in happiness, joy, proudness and accomplishment that with everything I’ve been through, I actually achieved such an epic milestone.

My personal motto is ‘Never Give Up’. And I didn’t.

I can’t thank Wilderness enough for starting Walk1200km. I’m going to give it another crack. Let’s Go! We’ve got this. We can do it!

– Annette Webb

Never too late (featured)

Walk1200km came at just the right time. A chat group I started in April 2020, Fun Walkers, had almost run its course. It was designed to motivate me and my friends to get out and walk under Covid restrictions. 

It was much like the Walk1200km #microchallenge concept. We took turns to dream up a lighthearted photo theme for the day and then share the results. Themes such as ‘quirky letterboxes’, ‘snap a cat’ and ‘upside down’ ignited our creativity, got us talking, laughing and walking.

Walk1200km offers all these benefits and more. I love members’ accounts of their walks, sharing their challenges and triumphs, and the way we are motivated to stay on track.

I aim to get as many people as possible to join Walk1200km. I feel fortunate because growing up we tramped, we camped, we played in the outdoors. My daughter came walking from a young age and I am now walking with my grandson. Friends have joined me and they’re working on their friends. I believe encouragement is everything and it’s never too late or the wrong time to start. 

– Diana Ward

Walking works

The October 2022 editorial got me; of course I want to be fitter and the best I can be! Yes, I did sit out the Walk1200km challenge last year. Then the article was so right; I feel so great after a walk, whether it is 20 minutes or 20km, and I feel so guilty when I miss two consecutive days that stretch to 10.

I put the Walk1200km Progress Tracker on the fridge and promptly did my first walk of spring – an overnight trip to Pahautea Hut, Pirongia. The additional incentives of #microchallenges helped me engage more with my surroundings.

I found an alseuosmia in bloom, a tramping buddy helped me identify it; the perfume is lovely.

I slogged up to the rusty trig on The Cone, the views over Kawhia Harbour and Raglan were fabulous.

I crossed the very mobile swing bridge on the Bell Track after a quick visit to the tallest kahikatea tree.

– Amanda Collins