Seriously, how do you walk?

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Seriously, how do you walk?

Postby GrumpySmurf » Mon 03 Apr, 2017 1:40 pm

On a couple day hikes and overnighters I have done, I keep thinking about how one should walk.

Mainly, as you're walking, where are your eyes? Often I find them starting to look down so that I can be confident my next step won't be painful. But when I force them to look up and around, the walk is much more enjoyable. I realise the answer probably has to do with terrain and view etc. Your thoughts?
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Re: Seriously, how do you walk?

Postby neilmny » Mon 03 Apr, 2017 3:32 pm

I think you've hit the nail on the head right there Grumpy.
It's great to spend a lot of time looking around (it's why I'm out there) and by traveling at a moderate pace it can be done fairly safely.
Probably best to look where you put your feet on rough ground and in snake territory.
I do pay a lot of attention to foot placement on a downhill stretch to try to avoid aggravating my dodgy knees.
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Re: Seriously, how do you walk?

Postby Neo » Mon 03 Apr, 2017 6:04 pm

When I have to do a lot of looking at the ground I include some pauses to look around and listen.

Sometimes I notice that I'm just kicking my legs out front so then I focus on my gait for a while. Changing that can be helpful if you have a sore spot too.
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Re: Seriously, how do you walk?

Postby ribuck » Mon 03 Apr, 2017 6:10 pm

neilmny wrote:Probably best to look where you put your feet on rough ground and in snake territory.

When in snake country, it's not enough to look where I put my feet (because it gives no warning until I'm about to step on a possibly-moving snake) so I have adopted a habit of constantly scanning between my feet and a point about four metres ahead, so that I have enough time to come to a halt or make a change of direction to avoid my ophidian friend.
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Re: Seriously, how do you walk?

Postby neilmny » Mon 03 Apr, 2017 6:32 pm

ribuck wrote:
neilmny wrote:Probably best to look where you put your feet on rough ground and in snake territory.

When in snake country, it's not enough to look where I put my feet (because it gives no warning until I'm about to step on a possibly-moving snake) so I have adopted a habit of constantly scanning between my feet and a point about four metres ahead, so that I have enough time to come to a halt or make a change of direction to avoid my ophidian friend.


I think you've taken my "look where you put your feet" a little too literally.
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Seriously, how do you walk?

Postby GPSGuided » Mon 03 Apr, 2017 8:44 pm

Walk with a straight back. Extended time with a crouched back is unpleasant.

So I suggest that posture is important.
Just move it!
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Re: Seriously, how do you walk?

Postby Ant71 » Mon 03 Apr, 2017 9:09 pm

It depends on the track. I try to look around a lot but as the ground gets harder I tend to look at where I am placing my feet more. Unfortunately I quite often look up and think where did this amazing area come from.
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Re: Seriously, how do you walk?

Postby johnw » Tue 04 Apr, 2017 1:28 am

Spend a lot of time looking at the ground so I don't trip over due to my crappy balance or dodgy knees :roll:. But I do look up as often as possible to take in my surroundings, else there's no point in being there. I have a healthy respect for snakes but I've given up worrrying about them unduly. I know they are around, and if in front of me, thankfully so far I've always seen them in time to stop. A few notable close calls but I'm sure I would have passed many unseen within inches. Yes, posture is important and I think helped by adjusting your pack properly so you walk upright. Particularly if going overnight or longer but also on day walks.
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Re: Seriously, how do you walk?

Postby ofuros » Tue 04 Apr, 2017 7:41 am

Tend to scan ahead 20m or so, tracing the
outline/direction of where i want to go/for animal glimpses..wallaby, dingo, birds etc then glance down at my feet for trip hazards or snake movements.
I also keep a eye out for natural 'markers' (trigger points for my memory) along the way for the return trip or future forays...things like the a fallen tree across the track I had to crawl under, the number of creek crossings, hollowed out base of a massive tree trunk, scrub turkey mound close to the track, bursting out from a dense bush section onto rocky outcrop viewing point etc etc.

Often look back & take a mental snapshot so I can
recognise areas on the return trip.
Mountain views are good for my soul...& getting to them is good for my waistline !
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Re: Seriously, how do you walk?

Postby RonK » Tue 04 Apr, 2017 9:49 am

Where you look depends on the terrain you are walking, clearly if it is rough or precarious you want to be watching where you plant your feet.

But ideally you want to be enjoying the environment, and observing the landforms and making mental waypoints for your location awareness.

My tip is to use two trekking poles which makes it much easier to stay upright without constantly looking at your feet.
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Re: Seriously, how do you walk?

Postby Moondog55 » Tue 04 Apr, 2017 11:29 am

Seriously?
Slowly, very slowly if my pack is heavy and my joints ache more than usual
Ve are too soon old und too late schmart
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Re: Seriously, how do you walk?

Postby north-north-west » Tue 04 Apr, 2017 4:26 pm

RonK wrote:Where you look depends on the terrain you are walking, clearly if it is rough or precarious you want to be watching where you plant your feet.

But ideally you want to be enjoying the environment, and observing the landforms and making mental waypoints for your location awareness.


Moondog55 wrote:Slowly, very slowly if my pack is heavy and my joints ache more than usual.


That pretty well covers it.

You don't look at your feet, you look ahead so you are constantly readying yourself for the step after the one after the next one. Or something like that. Being as slow as the average sleepy worm helps you enjoy the landscape at the same time.
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Re: Seriously, how do you walk?

Postby Jayps68 » Wed 05 Apr, 2017 9:44 am

I walk a lot in heavy rainforest so on open track, I tend to scan each side of the track as far ahead as my not so great eyesight will allow, and up every once in a while to check for branches, vines etc, then I am looking about 5 feet ahead to confirm footfall. Off track, i tend to take an ovreall view sort of watching the bush about 3 or 4 meters ahead. I find that I get a better sense of the pad, if there is one, the bearing I'm on, and it gives the brain time to process what may or may not be a snake or other grawchie.
It's all the same to me where i begin, for to there I shall return...
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Re: Seriously, how do you walk?

Postby eggs » Wed 05 Apr, 2017 12:47 pm

Many years ago I read a very amusing article about a young English woman who had come to live in Tasmania.
Arriving at the local walkers club for her first walk in a tweed skirt and walking staff, the others looked at her bemused and said "but this is "bushwalking"!".
The memorable line among a lot of funny stuff in the article was that bushwalking is the most mundane form of existence - head down watching each foot go in and out from the other.

As for me - falling over is a past time. That is how I got a leech in the eye near Lake Ayr.
But the closest to disaster was on a solo walk off the back of Mt Geikie 37 years ago when I briefly looked up and misstepped before falling knee first into a very solid rock.
If I had taken out the knee cap - I would still be there.

The recent 8 day scrub bashing trip was the story of me falling over and my companion taking his time.
This is partly a function of a heavy pack throwing me off balance when jumping onto button grass, or when pushing through bushes on uneven ground or around bogs.
Getting the pack weight down is a long term plan - I am not allowed to be a gear junky - so I get grilled with any suggestion of something new.

I have also taken to using poles - but they are a blessing and a curse at the same time.
Very good for preserving knees and turning walking and especially climbing and descending into a 4 limb exercise rather than 2.
Particularly bad when you get off balance and are falling - or if they are getting caught up in the close in scrub or between the legs.
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Re: Seriously, how do you walk?

Postby TerraMer » Tue 18 Apr, 2017 11:28 am

Gently (:

If I walk somewhere new I stay on track but look ahead to where i lose sight of the track regularly (also a good driving habit) to subconsciously plan my line, energy, water breaks and time. I look about my immediate vicinity for any hazards or obstacles including snakes or places they are likely to be and water. I look down every few steps for snags, uneven ground, rocks and to avoid stepping on little animals and fragile plants.

When I visit familiar places I usually walk off track (alone and gently). I still look ahead as far as the terrain and vegetation will allow to pick put a low impact line of travel. By low impact I mean for both the ecosystem and myself. In familiar places I recognise plant cover from a distance by colour, texture, location and memory. This helps me walk a line avoiding fragile plants and sensitive habitats. This often means I detour a bit and exerting more energy. Walking off track is slower and sometimes more strenuous so it is nice to regularly stop still and silent, letting the heart rate slow and sweat cool in the breeze while opening your senses to your surroundings.

Walk gently

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Re: Seriously, how do you walk?

Postby Orion » Tue 18 Apr, 2017 11:53 am

GrumpySmurf wrote:...as you're walking, where are your eyes?


Sometimes I'm looking for specific things, scanning where I think I might see them. In the right terrain I might be hoping to spot an echidna off the trail. Or maybe it's place where I think there will be interesting fungus growing, so I'm looking for that near the trail or maybe the undersides of logs. Or it might I'm hoping to get a glimpse of some craggy peak. Or I'm just engrossed in my own bubble and not really looking at anything.

Maybe I don't really know most of the time what I'm looking at; I just think I do.

It might be an interesting experiment, to place sensors on walkers that track where their eyeballs are spending their time.
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Re: Seriously, how do you walk?

Postby walkerchris77 » Sun 07 May, 2017 9:40 am

Left right left right left right. Repeat.
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Re: Seriously, how do you walk?

Postby tas-man » Tue 30 May, 2017 2:01 pm

How do I walk? Smoothly! A useful tip from an "old" walker, when I was just starting out bushwalking, was to pick your line and boot placements several steps ahead with a view to avoiding unnecessary vertical movement, especially in off track walking. It might mean going a little slower (and enjoying the surroundings), but every time you lift your pack unnecessarily means extra energy expenditure, and at the end of the day feeling much less exhausted. As a teenage bushwalker, I was impressed by this old codger arriving at the top of a mountain not breathing as hard as we young blokes who had been leaping and jumping from rock to rock! He seemed to float over the tracks, and move gracefully like a ballet dancer, so created a lasting impression that has influenced the way I still walk today. Try it!
"The world reveals itself to those who travel on foot."
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Re: Seriously, how do you walk?

Postby stepbystep » Tue 30 May, 2017 2:23 pm

tas-man wrote:How do I walk? Smoothly! A useful tip from an "old" walker, when I was just starting out bushwalking, was to pick your line and boot placements several steps ahead with a view to avoiding unnecessary vertical movement, especially in off track walking. It might mean going a little slower (and enjoying the surroundings), but every time you lift your pack unnecessarily means extra energy expenditure, and at the end of the day feeling much less exhausted. As a teenage bushwalker, I was impressed by this old codger arriving at the top of a mountain not breathing as hard as we young blokes who had been leaping and jumping from rock to rock! He seemed to float over the tracks, and move gracefully like a ballet dancer, so created a lasting impression that has influenced the way I still walk today. Try it!


This. It's also known as 'flow' and comes from familiarity with the country, understanding at a base instinct level what to do with ones feet/arms/body. I noticed something similar walking with a cpl of more experienced walkers when I started out, how much 'grace' they had while I was falling about off track, now I much prefer off track walking because you pick lines dictated by the flora/fauna and environmental influences on the land. I notice so much more now than I used to, now that I 'flow' :)
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