Tailor your workout to match the terrain you plan to tackle. Don’t be intimidated by exercise machines that look like they appeard in movies.  For fitness results that translate to the trail is recommended walking on an inclined treadmill since it resembles hiking dynamics motion and mimics the stress put on your joints.

 

But, even on treadmills and steppers, you can’t perfectly simulate hiking because the surface is stable and most don’t allow downhill walking. Train for uneven surfaces, like rocky ledges, mud, bogs and vegetation. Do squats and planks to beef up legs, core and balance. Start training at least 2 months before the trip, and do three to four one hour (or longer) sessions a week. For whole body conditioning, carry a weighted pack that matches your typical load on training trails. Make sure your feet are well protected by the right footwear before embarking on any outdoor excercise.

 

In the back of your mind, always remember that you can never be an expert than the mountain itself. Conquer yourself not the mountain.

 

 

Finding a pace and rhythm where you are not using too much energy and walking efficiently takes a bit of practice, but we definitely consider it a vital skill for hiking. Even if you have a lot of distance to cover and are concerned about time, if you start out too fast, you will tire yourself out quickly and then you will have a new set of problems.

 

Find an easy walking pace where you will be breathing more heavily than when you are resting, but you feel you can keep going for a long time. You shouldn not have to take breaks every 10 minutes, but you should take breaks occasionally to fuel up, perhaps once an hour or so for about 5 minutes. Slow down on the uphills but lean into the hill, and use plateaus and downhills to catch your breath, rather than stopping completely. We commonly refer the pace as “pole pole” simply meaning slow but sure in Swahili language.

 

 

An active person loses 2 litres per hour in very hot weather and about half litre in temperature condition. You need to hydrate everyday enough drinking 2.5-3 litres of water. We recommend whilst at home and on your training sessions few weeks before the main hike, familialize your body drinking about 3 litres of water a day. Bear in mind that dehydration will be one trigger to Altitude Mountain Sickness. Drink enough that your pee is nearly clear.

 

The water from alongside rivers can be used but you need to purify it either with purifying tabs, boiling or filters.

 

 

Downsize your aid kit by replacing supplies you can improvise (like triangular bandages) with essentials like more adhesive bandages, duct tape, ibuprofen, sterile gauze pads, antibiotic ointment, antihistamines, antidiarrheal medication, tweezers, safety pins, swiss knife, hand sanitizer and sugar.