So what will April bring for me.
My strength and fitness should be much improved by now as it will have been more than 12 months of training. My physique is already drastically changed so I can see myself having to get some smaller gear before I leave. What will I do in April to keep the fire burning without burning myself out.
I think I will be itching to hike!
Another 4 day trek will be in order before the snow comes.
So I will keep my training up and get a couple days hiking in. On this trip we will try out some new gear we have bought since our last trek. I know Tim Marsden is hanging out to try a Hiking hammock he has bought which will drastically reduce his pack weight and get him off the ground during the rainy nights of November.
We will also hope to redefine our food requirements. Last trip we had too much volume for dinners, this is another area we hope to reduce our pack weight and really work to get right before we leave.
MAY 2012
With the change of month should come the change in weather. May and June are going to be cooking months. Megan & I have been looking into hiking recipes but it has just been to hot during the summer to get the dehydrator running all day and night working out recipes. So with the cooler weather I really want to work out a schedule of food between what Megan & I have discovered and what Tim & I are willing to eat, that will provide us with enough energy to get through the big days/weeks without having to carry volumes of food.
From a fitness point of view I think that it will be much of the same for May & June. Not going to change things too much. Will keep my eye out for a race or contest or something challenging to set my sights on.
JULY 2012
August 2012
Well we will be really set by now to get out there. By August I will want to be a my goal body fat percentage & fitness level. What I will start to think about is maintaining those levels but improving my pack fitness. At this stage I know I can run to my office in 34minutes so it should only take 1hr or so to walk with full pack. I plan to do a full pack walk to and from my office per week through August to make sure my back and shoulders build up some resistance and also to play around with my packing methods. I noticed last years hike of the AAWT sections that I did better on day 2 & 3 because I had packed my bag much better.
September 2012
September I will turn 33 - I will post detailed lists of the gear I will need you all to buy me so that I can do my November AAWT end to ender! Kidding but I do expect to update some of the gear or changeover some of the gear in my pack with Birthday gifts, new socks & jocks at a minimum.....
Again, all the time maintaining my fitness.
I will also experiment with food drop containers - size, construction method etc..... I don't want us to get to our drops and find that the bugs have eaten our next 7 days worth of food. So I plan on putting a bucket out on the trail where our first drop will be and going back at the end of September to see how it all faired. Is the cheese too sweaty for our liking, has the containers held up... has moisture got in etc. Just a little test run.
October 2012
Well, maintaining my goal fitness as per the last couple months but also spending a lot of time with my wife & kids. By October I want everything to be organised. Evert "T" crossed and accounted for. We will be away from each other for 38 days except for the 1 day at Mt Hotham when we meet on the track for a rest day. I expect there will be daddy daughter nights with my Bailey and maybe Juddy Boy as well. There will have to be a couple diners with Megan to make sure she feels loved and appreciated..... Andie will be a baby still so she will tag along but nothing special planned with her.
October I will also be completing tasks at work to make sure my absence has minimal impact on our project & cash flows.
November 2012
Hello the Australian Alps Walking Track.
