Goldies Bush

Last Sunday I went tramping in the Waitakere with the North Shore
Tramping Club. We did the Goldies Bush track and we were blessed
with such a fantastic weather. This was my second trip with the club.
The members were accommodating and friendly so I'm seriously
considering joining the club officially. Though majority of the club
members were senior citizens, they were surprisingly fit and strong.
And at times I am struggling to keep up with them. Or is it me that's
just not in shape?

I surprised myself on a number of occasions during this trek. One
thing is, I didn't suffer any pain in my knees this time. Which I've
been struggling with for a few years now every time I do long tramps.
I think the Omega-3 I've been taking really works. I read that it
treats and helps prevent early onset of arthritis. I also managed to
keep up with the lead group and not fall behind. To be honest, I really
thought I was that out of shape that I'm gonna have some difficulty
keeping up the oldies. Something I wasn't very proud of the last time
I tramped with them :)


The tramp was also an opportunity to get re-acquainted with why I love
doing it. So many lessons that I can apply in life :

1. You can't cross a stream with two small steps. Don't be afraid to
make one big leap.

2. If you do get wet, so what. You'll just end up with a wet boots
and socks and uncomfortable in the beginning. But overall, it wasn't
that bad after all.

3. Focus on the objective and not on how long or how hard it will
take. Before you know it, you're already there.

4. Whining won't get you anywhere (very important). It makes
the tramp more miserable and longer as the focus is on the
hardship.

5. Occasionally look behind but you should be looking ahead
most of the time. Keep up with the people in front, people
behind you should not slow you down.
(except when you need to maintain a safe distance)

6. The people in front rest longer and enjoy it better compared
to people just catching up. By the time they caught up its
time to go again.

7. Stop and check your progress. Look at the map to see if
you're in the right direction. Know where you are, know
where you are going. In life, a lot of people don't know
where they are. Worse, they don't know where they're
going.

8. Talk with the other trampers. When engaging in a
conversation your focus shifts away from the monotonous
and grueling tramp.

9. If you slipped and you hit your bum in the ground.
Laugh at yourself. Learn the lesson and pick up and dust
yourself up. Cursing and staying down won't move you an inch.

10. Have fun and enjoy the view. Appreciate your relative
insignificance in the wider scheme of things. Whatever you're
undergoing at the moment is not that a big of a deal. You should
celebrate your accomplishment.