Andrea's Adventures - The Get Out Clause

Do you find yourself worrying about an upcoming group hike?  Will I be fast enough, fit enough etc.  There is something you can do to help with this anxiety.......

Back in 2020, I walked the first half of the Great Ocean Walk in Victoria (Aust) with my friend Jackie.  We just managed to get that amount of the walk done before our government closed our state borders that very night because of Covid.  But this isn’t why we only did half - I had work commitments and could only take three days off at that time.  We absolutely loved this hike!  We did it in June so the weather was perfect for hiking.  Sunny days with a chilly start that became fractionally warmer as we went.  We also chose not to stay on the trail, preferring to have a tour operator transport our food and other stuff to the very comfortable accommodation we’d stay in each night .  They also took us to and from the trail each day as we completed the sections.

We had talked about getting the second half done since 2020.  One thing or another got in the way until finally, all the planets aligned and we found a window of opportunity to get back to the GOW recently. 
 
This time felt different though, even before we went.  My previous self-imposed pressure to ‘do it all’ simply wasn’t there anymore.  I’d done very little hiking over the last couple of years although I had kept up my strength training, but this was more for other activities which had taken precedence over hiking.  So I felt I’d be physically ok for this return to the GOW.  But I felt like my whole mindset around how I do things has changed in recent times.  If I’m enjoying something, I’ll do it.  If I’m not, I won’t! I'm happy with being uncomfortable and challenged but I'm not happy with doing something just because I feel like I should.   I didn't really want to do this hike with the pressure of covering every single metre of the trail.  That made me anxious.

So Jackie and I had a chat before we locked in this three days of hiking.  She was carrying an injury. I’d been carrying an injury too.  We talked through what we would do if one or both of us had an issue on the trail.  Were we hell-bent on getting this whole three days done no matter what?  Or would we allow ourselves the grace to have a ‘get out clause’?  We’ve hiked together plenty over the years so we knew our pacing was similar and that wasn’t a conversation that we really needed.  But we did need to talk about our expectations of ourselves and each other. 

It was an open and honest communication about what we each wanted from this hike.  To be honest, I think we both thought we’d smash it out fairly easily.  But we didn’t.  For one, the humidity was something we hadn't really trained for as it came out of the blue in just the past week.  I know I'm a sook when it comes to humidity.  Just sitting in it makes Andrea go something something (sorry for the Simpsons "The Shinning" reference!). In other words, I suck at coping with it.

The agreement we came to in the weeks before the hike was that we would just do what we could.  If that meant we did the whole thing, awesome!  If it meant we didn’t, it didn’t matter!  There had been some uncertainty anyway about whether the hike would even start due to bushfires in the region. So we had already resigned ourselves to the fact that we might actually have to spend the three days sitting on the beach instead of doing the hike. As it was, the bushfires were no longer a threat, so it was all systems go!

The point of this story is that the conversation had happened before we did the hike.  So, when we finished that first day on the trail in heat, cloying humidity and accompanied by hordes of disgusting flies, and with both of us fatigued and feeling pain from our respective injuries, it was no biggie when we looked at each other and said, “Nope, do not wanna do this again tomorrow!” without a second’s hesitation.  We didn’t have to feel guilt or worry that we had let the other person down. We were both happy with our decision. Because we already knew what our expectations were beforehand.

If you don’t have conversations like this with the people you’re going to hike with before the hike, it can lead to stress, feelings of guilt, feelings of anger or feelings of frustration if things go pear-shaped along the way. 

I have lots of conversations with clients about their upcoming hikes. A common theme is their concern about whether they will be too slow for the group, regardless of whether the hike is guided with a tour operator or with a friend or a with a bushwalking club. And my reply is almost always, “Have that conversation with them before you go”. Ask the questions! 

Ask the tour operator about the pacing. Ask the tour operator about timelines for each day on the trail. Ask the tour operator about how they manage the group if there are fast and slow walkers. Do they have a sweep at the back and will that sweep be patient or pushy? Do they expect the whole group to stay together and for everyone to keep up? Ask whether they wait for the slower walkers and don’t take off again as soon as the last walker arrives. 

Walking with a friend or friends?  We did a group hike on the Overland a number of years ago. Vastly different pacing between us all - some were hours ahead of those at the back. But it didn’t matter because we’d already talked through how we would manage this. So there was no frustration or resentment from either the faster or slower amongst us. 

I couldn’t tell you how many stories I’ve heard about hikes going south very quickly because these important conversations were overlooked in the planning. 

If there are exit points along the trail, discuss how they may be utilised if you need to pull out from the hike. Have a plan. Have a ‘get out clause’ if you can. Will you all leave together?  Will you be able to get transport out from that point? Will you have phone reception so you can contact that transport if needed? Who waits and who goes? What will those decisions be based on?  

By asking questions and having these conversations, your anxiety is likely to be much less.  You'll have confidence that in most situations, you'll know how it will play out.  Don't neglect this as part of your planning

So, how did our three days of hiking end up? Well, we didn’t complete the whole thing. We pulled the pin on the second day and went sight-seeing instead.  We did a a beautiful 5k walk in a forest. that I'd always wanted to visit. And on the third day, we both still had some pain issues and the thought of doing the whole thing wasn't appealing.  So we started halfway along the trail instead.  And it was just the most lovely day!  Neither of us had any regrets about 'hiking our own hike'. 

Allowing yourself the flexibility to change things as you go is incredibly liberating! We had a fabulous time!  But had we not had those preliminary conversations about our expectations, the outcome might very well have been unnecessarily  awkward and uncomfortable for us both.  

About the Author

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Andrea is a coach with Summit Strength, who  specialise in helping hikers get strong and pain-free for their adventures. 

At the age of 54, she discovered a real passion for hiking. But she also discovered just how limiting physical fitness and pain can be on the trail.

After signing up to one of the Summit Strength signature programs, she discovered just how much of a difference the right training can make to a hiker's enjoyment and comfort on their adventures. She knows that the journey isn't always easy and 'life' can sometimes impact on our training goals. She shares her insights and experiences with us in her blog articles.

These days, as an Online Adventure Coach with Summit Strength, she helps hikers all around the world get fit, strong  and resilient for their adventures.

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