Planning and Preparation

At no point have I thought anything about the BNT would be easy, and whilst I knew the planning and preparation stage would be challenging, I've certainly had my eyes opened with reality slap number two.

Looking back, it is staggering how much money I've spent kitting myself out.  Initially I was thinking I'd have a bit of a head start, because I already had most of the gear I'd be needing. Off I went to the shed on a mission, after much rummaging around,  ta da - I pulled out my little dome tent, my super comfy self-inflating sleeping mat, my 4 season sleeping bag, cooking gear etc etc.  I spread it all out and thought  "How the hell is all that going to fit in a pack?".  I then weighed it and realised even if I could find a pack big enough, by the time I added food and water, my pack weight would be well over 30kgs.  

I hit the keyboard and discovered the term 'Ultralight backpacking' and, being the impulsive, impatient fucker that I am, I wrote out a shopping list and headed  straight out to Kathmandu.  The salesman loved me - I walked out of the shop a grand down.  After getting home and doing more research, a new list of needed items started forming -  water filters and purifiers, power banks and solar systems, GPS units, emergency beacons etc.. Off I went, this time to Anaconda to bolster the Australian economy.

At this stage I had about two thirds of the gear I though I'd be needing so it was time to test it all out.

I packed up my new 75-litre backpack, with it weighing in at 15kgs, and picked a route from Google Earth, one that we'd been to many times in the 4WD - Murrundindi Scenic Reserve here I come.  Bright and early Saturday morning my wife Beth kindly dropped me off.

The 25km hike along Sylvia Creek Rd started beautifully.  The weather was gorgeous, fresh with a crystal clear blue sky. I was feeling pretty good and enjoying the serenity  and solitude.

I think I noticed a bit of a twinge in my ankle around noon and the thought of pulling up for a rest and a spot of lunch crossed my mind, however I foolishly dismissed the idea thinking a better lunch spot would be just around the corner. I pressed on until around 1:30pm and by that stage it was quite warm and not only was my ankle yelling at me to stop, my left hip was screaming at me in protest, too, so lunchtime it was. I figured it was roughly 10kms to my chosen campsite and I set off again after lunch. As I was getting closer to my destination I was in real pain and certainly moving a lot slower. I thought I was reasonably familiar with the area, but walking instead of driving, plays tricks on your mind, particularly when you are fatigued. I'd look down the road and have it in my head that camp was just around that corner only to get there and see another long straight. This happened a number of times before I got to camp. The first few times I had a little laugh to myself, but it soon wore thin and was replaced with a few angry and then despondent expletives. I was really shuffling along when camp did emerge at the end of one of those long straights.

Being super confident when I first set out, I'd originally arranged for Beth to pick me up the next afternoon from where she dropped me off. There was barely any reception at camp but I managed to get a text off requesting to be collected first thing in the morning from the camp instead as I could barely walk. I must say I was very relieved when the calvary arrived early the next morning.


I called this my calibration run, and whilst I wound up with an inflamed bursa in my ankle and hip, and could barely move, I did get a chance to gauge my fitness, try a out my gear and get a feel for what each day on the BNT may be like. Here's my thinking after this calibration run:
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• I was worried about the bivvy and whether sleeping in it on the BNT would be too restrictive and uncomfortable, driving me nuts.​
• I was worried about my health and whether it would hold up to the gruelling punishment I'd be inflicting on it day-in and day-out on the trail.
• I was worried about my pack weight. This training run still didn't have all my gear and only one nights food, not the up to 10 days I though I'd need to carry.​
• I was worried about the suitability of my hiking shoes. I was wearing my 12 month old (good condition but definitely worn in) Merrell Moab Miid GORETEX Hiking boots, extremely comfortable when I set out however savage blisters by the time I got to camp.
• ​I was worried about my fitness level. 25kms is going to be just my average hike distance per day on the trail and I was shattered after this calibration run
• My chosen trail mix was ok but some adjustments need to be made. Off the shelf dehydrated meals were ok, but ongoing would be very a expensive option.

After all of these concerns did I reconsider my decision to tackle the BNT? Not even in the slightest, quite the opposite actually. I was rapt with my calibration run - the less than satisfactory outcome revealed exactly where I was deficient and what I would need to change to be ready for the trail. I've covered a lot of ground in the five months since the calibration run and I think I'm just about set. Here's what I've done:

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View from Mt Terrible

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• I saw my doctor and had a cortisone injection in the hip and obtained a prescription for some kick-arse anti-inflammatories. I've resolved to listen to my body and take remedial action at the first sign of trouble.
• I went to an osteo to continue working on the hip and got that right
• I implemented a daily fitness regime of 10km walks per day followed by cycling and hiking on the week-ends. I maintained this for six weeks before doing a number of tougher hikes to see how I'd hold up. I passed!
• I completed further research on ultralight shelter options to lighten my pack weight. I decided to stick with the bivvy but also run with a tarp and mosquito net. This all worked out to give me the greatest flexibility with shelter options and still be lighter and less bulky than any workable tent option.
• I acquired new hiking boots that I have broken in by wearing them constantly for a month, including on some short hikes. Merrells are a fantastic boot and very light but I think the problem  with mine is that I bought them to fit my feet at rest. On a hike and with a load my feet swell which I think is why I was getting the blisters and losing toenails (subsequent hikes). I went with Solomon Quest 4D 2 Goretex boots and went half a size bigger than my normal shoe size. They are a little heavier than my Merrells but the stiffer chassis gives me a lot more stability with the heavier load and over rocky terrain. 
• After much research I've settled on a diet that gives me the maximum kilojoule intake for weight.  I've boxed up 18  7-day food parcels and have mailed off the first 4 - I'm currently planning out the schedule for the rest.
• I've acquired the balance of my equipment that I'll need, including the emergency beacon. In the process I've ditched or replaced some items that didn't cut the mustard after the various training runs I've been on.  I'm pretty happy with the result - my fully loaded pack weight (including 7 days worth of food and 2 litres of water) is 18 kgs.  I did spend quite a bit of time deliberating on what sort of emergency beacon I should run with. It came down to a SPOT Tracker or a Personal Locator Beacon.  In the end I settled on a PLB, whilst the SPOT device had the added benefit of sending scheduled updates to family and friends which I liked, I figured the main purpose of the device is the emergency beacon and if I am ever in the unfortunate position of needing this, I want the one that does this the best. 
• I acquired myself a set of trekking poles after finding the sticks I'd picked up and were using in my earlier training runs really made a difference. They also double up as support poles for my mozzie net, bivvy and tarp.
• From my calibration run I also realised keeping your spirits high is very important. I found carefully selected  music playsets can really lift my mood and give me that little boost when I need it towards the end of the day.  On a few of of my earlier training runs I took my Sennheisers headphones with me.  Great sound, but not practical or wise for the BNT for a variety of reasons. Noise cancelling isn't such a great idea on a road, they are also bulky and mean I can't wear my manky hat, I also wanted to reduce my pack weight to the bare minimum. So I've run with set of clip ons .
• The ultimate test of all of the above is the BNT itself, so I figured I needed to get on the trail.  I live in Healesville so I spent a bit of time doing various combinations of the first three maps in Guidebook 12.  I know there will be some really tough sections on the trail which is why I was pleased with one of my runs to Keppel's Hut. It was a 36km hike in 36 degree heat with 60% humidity and a pack weight of 15kgs.  I'm sure I'll encounter tougher days on the trail, but  this was a good test to pass.

 
  As at writing this post there are 22 days remaining before I hit the trail in Cooktown. In that time I need to lock in the arrangements for 14 resupply points, make contact with a few more section coordinators, emailing the rest my current plan with a promise I'll call them when I'm a little closer,  and make contact with the relevant  land owners in the first two guidebooks. I also hope to finish PDF'ing  the remaining 5 Guidebooks and plotting the remaining 9 guidebooks in Google Earth and uploading the files to my GPS and iPhone.
 
 Am I prepared enough? I think so. I have absolutely no doubt however, things will change, and I'll need to adjust when I'm on the trail.

Ready or not here I come.