2022-004 | RESTING ALONG A TRAIL

OUTDOORS COMMON SENSE TIPS: When you are somewhat tired, do not sit. Just lean over forward, grasping pants with both hands and let the weight of upper body and bag transfer to your arms and lower legs, thereby relieving the middle torso and upper legs of the load. 

First seen in Facebook

October 2, 2018 

=> => => o0o <= <= <=

 

This is a technique I learned 29 years ago from the late Dr. Abraham Manlawe when I was with the Cebu Mountaineering Society. In the early ‘90s, I tried to fit in to that sport, hefting 70-liter bags from trailheads to the campsites and to the trail’s end. We practically carried the whole house and it was heavy.

Jump-off areas to the camps were very far back then, unlike now, where you only have to walk a few hours. Back then, you have to walk from a day to three days to your campsite, depending. If the peak is three days away, first day would be easy since you are still fresh but, by afternoon, you would feel the toils of carrying the weight from behind you.

On the second day and third day, although food and fuel are taken from your bag’s weight, it is still heavy. It would be much heavy if it rained, drenching your old canvass-cloth bag. At this time where frequent rests are needed, I have to execute this rest position. It is so simple and there is economy of movement.   

You only need little strength to stand erect again as against sitting from the ground up even without a load or from a seat with a load on your back. Besides, you have control of the mind which signals your whole body to fits of drowsiness (laziness?) when it finds something comfortable like sitting down under a shade. 

I also discovered that with this position, your lungs could inhale more air than standing erect or an upper body in vertical position since there is no tension of muscles to hold your lungs. It is like you are lying down. Your ribs would not get in the way as you inhale extra amounts of oxygen which your circulation system direly need in stressful moments to supply your brains.

This rest technique is much relevant than ever when I guide paying hikers over each segment of the Cebu Highlands Trail, which has eight, or leading pilgrims over Cebu’s Camino de Santiago. These are long trails. The latter is 175+ kilometers long and walked in ten days. Some of these pilgrims are non-athletic and this technique applies perfectly on them. 

When I did the first thruhike of the former, I walked it 26 days with extra three days’ rest. It was 408+ kilometers and you could just imagine the length and breadth I walked. It was on this moment, as were the guided walks after that, which I used effectively for my own benefit, especially at its most unforgiving stretches. It is easy to teach people about this and it helped to my cause while leading people.

=> => => o0o <= <= <=

 

WARRIOR PILGRIMAGE BLOG, personified by this writer, is synonymous with the Outdoors, since Bushcraft and Survival is its niche. Safety and Security are its bedrock when it ventured into organizing outdoor events that involved people as in adventure/pilgrimage guideships and seminars; and explorations and expeditions. 

Through tutorship, experience, folk knowledge and good old common sense, this writer was able to collect useful information which he is currently documenting in a book titled, ETHICAL BUSHCRAFT. He shares some of this information and knowledge in his training sessions; in his social-media account; and in this blog.

Photo Nr 1 courtesy of Apol Antenor.

Photo Nr 4 courtesy of Boblyle Balverde.

Photo Nr 5 courtesy of Raymund Panganiban.