Pining for the Fjords

Hello and welcome back to Tobias Talks.

I am back from my trip to the Norwegian Fjords and I couldn't be happier with how it all went. I spent three days camping in the wilderness on a deserted beach with a fantastic group of people.

The first and third day was spent kayaking to and from our camping spot. The all-important second day was spent hiking to the summit of Breiskrednosi.

So how did it go? I am incredibly pleased with how well I managed on the hike, it could have been a bit easier with some more training but I never once stopped for a break and besides some sweating there was no indication from my body that what I was doing was strenuous. My legs continued without complaint all through the day.

I re-learned an important lesson that's easily forgotten, from an important and wise man;

I had spent weeks and months torturing myself about things I had done wrong in preparation and how much I would pay for them later. I was expecting a 6 hour ascent of pure pain that never materialised. What I did receive, however, was an enjoyable and calm hike up the face of a mountain with old and new friends.

I think one key aspect helped me and that was the inclusion of hiking poles into my kit list. The brief respites between each step really helped muscle soreness, during and after. I felt a lot more safe on the way down, with memories of my tumble on Scafell Pike still spinning in my mind. I refused to make the same mistake twice. I am now a strong advocate of hiking poles and I'll be researching them more and providing an in-depth article with instructions on the correct use as well as scientific evidence to support their use.

I am now left looking forward to the next challenge and goal, something to work towards and something to motivate me to keep active and improve on my current fitness levels.

Keep your eyes peeled for future blogs where I will decide on my next great endeavour and my hiking poles article will be written and uploaded shortly. I'm excited to read studies on the subject.

Your friend, Tobias