Trekking Bare Necessities

trekking, shoes, laguna
Lunch time near a laguna in Páramo de Sumapaz, Bogotá, Colombia.

When I was proposed a trek in Páramo de Sumapaz in Bogotá, Colombia in the first week I landed on the continent, my eyes lit up with excitement.  Then I realized, I hadn’t walked much in the past 4 months – would I be able to handle it?

I looked at the small sweets I had bought in Nepal for my trek up to Panchase, in the side of my little backpack, and said, “Hey, I’ve done this before.  There must be some muscle memory somewhere. Go for it!”

So I did, and it was great.  Here are things I do before and during a trek, that might come in handy for you if you’re new to this or want my take on it – if you have any of your ideas, please feel free to comment below!

What you’ll need

Food

What you have to think about here is energy – you’ll need loads of it.  Here’s what I took with me yesterday:

  • Bread with Spanish omelette – the carbohydrates in the potatoes and the bread help with the energy, the eggs with the protein to help build up the muscle
  • Small sweets for when you start feeling a bit dizzy as you hit higher altitudes – or just for a treat 🙂
  • Nuts – they weigh little, just a fistful and some water will fill you up and they’re salty – great replacement for all that (excuse my French) sweating.

Water

Take a couple of bottles with you and place them on both sides of your bag.  They might be the heaviest thing you’re carrying, so make sure that they’re not a strain on your back.

If you have the possibility, freeze one of them overnight, so that during the day, you’ll still have cool water.

What I like to add to it also, if possible is mineral salts like Dioralyte sachets, just to give me that extra energy push.

Other people on the trek here in Colombia had Agua Panela instead – powdered sugar cane mixable with water, could work out just fine!

Note: In Nepal, India and Vietnam, you find people on the way, offering you noodles, rice, sweets, drinks and chai on the way up, so you don’t need to carry much.  In South America, this was my first trek, I was told to bring food and there was nothing on the way, so phew! Will keep you updated as I walk around the continent more.

Good shoes

As people skidded and held on to poor, resilient plants as we trekked down the mountain in Páramo de Sumapaz, yesterday, a girl asked – “What brand are your shoes?”

I was with a group of trekkers, and most were just holidaying and thought they’d hit the mountain just for the fun of it.  And that’s good don’t take me wrong, actually it’s great – you give yourself the time to be in nature and push your body that little bit harder.  Just, trainers won’t quite do it.  Yes, trekking shoes can be expensive, but they’re security – for your back, for your feet and for that extra grasp when you’re dealing with challenging rocks, land and squeeshy squashy ground.

Change of clothes

Most treks will end up at a peak of something where it’ll be pretty cold or windy.  Walking up instead – and you’ll have to excuse my bluntness here – you’ll be boiling and sweaty as you push your body further, resulting in a soaking wet top to say the least.

Get yourself a change of top at least, so that you won’t end up being hugged by a soaked, cold top when you’re up there.  Find a covered corner, change and enjoy the view!

Enjoy wanderer!

5 thoughts on “Trekking Bare Necessities”

  1. Pingback: 토토커뮤니티
  2. Hi there, I discovered your web site via a search engine at the same time as searching for a similar topic. I really appreciate this post. I have been looking everywhere for this! Your site hit the nail upon the top and outlined the whole thing without having side effect , other people could take a benefit and will probably come again to get more. Thanks!

  3. Здравствуйте, я обнаружил ваш сайт через поисковую систему в то же время, когда искал похожую тему. Я очень ценю этот пост. Я искал это повсюду! Ваш сайт попал в самую точку и изложил все без побочных эффектов, другие люди могли бы извлечь пользу и, вероятно, придут снова, чтобы получить больше. Спасибо!

  4. नमस्ते, मैंने उसी समय एक खोज इंजन के माध्यम से आपकी वेब साइट की खोज की थी जब एक समान विषय की खोज की गई थी। मेरे द्वारा इस पोस्ट में वास्तव में प्रसंशा की जाती है। मेरे द्वारा इसे हर जगह ढूंढा जा रहा था! आपकी साइट ने शीर्ष पर कील ठोक दी और साइड इफेक्ट के बिना पूरी बात को रेखांकित किया, अन्य लोग लाभ उठा सकते थे और शायद अधिक प्राप्त करने के लिए फिर से आएंगे। धन्यवाद!

  5. Bonjour, j’ai découvert votre site web via un moteur de recherche en même temps que je cherchais un sujet similaire. J’apprécie vraiment cet article. Je l’ai cherché partout ! Votre site a frappé le clou sur le dessus et a souligné l’ensemble de la chose sans avoir d’effet secondaire, d’autres personnes pourraient prendre un avantage et sera probablement revenir pour obtenir plus. Je vous remercie !

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.