GBW wrote:I know this couple who have 9 months experience doing overnighters and they think they can walk from Baw Baw to Howitt along the AAWT unassisted without seeking any advice. What would you say to them?
Most of us are bound by work constraints, which means we have weekends, long weekends and Easter to gain overnight experience. It's not so easy to build up to 3, 4, 5 and 6 night trips. From there it's usually a leap of faith to a 1 or 2-week walk whilst on annual leave, the first of which generally being a steep learning curve.
Those early mistakes teach us plenty and encourage us to learn and improve our way of doing things - and not all are "mistakes". Getting blisters or having sore shoulders from carrying a pack doesn't mean you're doing something wrong. I think it's unrealistic to expect someone doing their first multi-day walk to have no problems.
PS Jackattack, my partner is pretty big and cops a few odd looks on the trail. But he steams uphill all day without a problem