Who's Coming for a Walk?

"How old is too old."

"Getting older is becoming a concern."

"Finding partners. Getting older less friends are will to go."

Subscribers typed those lines into the multi-day readiness quiz this week. Four of you raised getting older without being asked. And it's not a small group: nearly half of the people who watch my videos are 45 or older.

Most of what gets written about hiking and age is about knees, fitness and recovery. I've written about that too. But the third answer up there stuck with me, because it names the part nobody puts in a training plan. Your body might be ready, but your mates might not be.

You'd think it would get easier. Our kids are older now, so on paper there's more room to get away.

It hasn't worked out that way. A trip that once took one phone call now takes weeks of messages, and plenty of the time it still falls over. Everyone has a lot on, and the older we get, the more true that seems to be.

I wrote last year about my old core crew, and how life changed for all of us: kids came along, work got busier, training dropped off. The lesson back then was to plan trips that suit the group you have. This is a different problem. Sometimes there isn't a group to plan for at all.

That's the part nobody really talks about. You can get your fitness right, sort your gear and pick the walk, and then have no one to go with. It's harder to fix than a sore knee, because it isn't really about you.

I stopped relying on one crew.

These days I have a few different groups of hiking buddies, and when I want to get out I send one message to all of them: anyone want to come for a walk? Most times I get one or two takers. That's enough. One or two people is a walk. Waiting for the perfect group is how walks stop happening.

The other change crept up on me. My kids and the rest of the family are all old enough to hike now, so that's become something we do together more often.

The shift in both cases is the same. I widened the circle instead of waiting for the old one to come back together.

Here's where I'd look.

Your local bushwalking club. They host walks all the time, and even more as we head into spring and summer here in Australia. The people who turn up to those walks are the people you're trying to find. They want to get out, they're organised about it, and they're not waiting for a perfect group either.

Facebook hiking groups for your area. Plenty of people post a walk and ask who wants to join. It can feel a bit odd the first time, but it's how a lot of people find their walking people now.

Your wider circle. It's probably bigger than you think. An old walking mate you haven't heard from in a while. A colleague who mentioned they'd like to get out more. A relative you'd never normally ask. Send the one message. You might be surprised who says yes when the question is simple and low-pressure.

I've come to enjoy a short solo walk. It's really nice to get out on my own for a few hours or even overnight.

But I'm careful about where. On my own, I stick to well-known places, nowhere too remote, and I take all the proper safety precautions, the same ones I talk about in my videos. The margin for error is smaller when you're alone, so the planning has to be better.

If you're heading out on your own: pick a track you know, tell someone your route and when to raise the alarm if they haven't heard from you, and carry a reliable way to call for help. Those three things cover most of the risk.

Finding people to walk with is still my first choice. Solo is the extra, not the replacement.

Pick a walk. An easy one, a few hours, somewhere you know. Then send the message to more people than you think you need: a couple of groups of friends, family, an old walking mate you haven't heard from in a while. Anyone want to come for a walk?

Then hit reply and tell me how it went.

The walking doesn't have to stop when the old group does. It just means asking more people than you used to.

THAT’S ALL FOR THIS WEEK

Thanks for reading Mowser’s Musings. I hope this helps you hike further and happier.

Until next week, keep exploring.

Mowser

Discover more. Hike further.

P.S. If you're getting back out with new people this spring, or heading off on your own more, it's worth checking your kit is ready for it. I keep everything I actually carry and recommend in TrailKit, from rain gear to the gear that calls for help. Have a look before your next walk.