Since I have walking difficulties and balance co-ordination problems, I find rough terrain tough to walk on. While doing last year's expedition in the Andes I kept falling over a lot because I couldn't balance on the boulders as well as pushing the wheelchair. In the Amazon I came face to face with more hurdles, walking up slippery muddy logs to reach the top. It was frustrating and emotional at times because I kept falling whereas at home I rarely seem to fall.
The best option was for me to walk with walking poles. Liam was my buddy on the expedition and he taught me a good walking pole technique “left pole then the right pole, etc.” From that moment I found walking poles beneficial however they were a bit of a nuisance as I couldn't carry them when I didn't need them.
When I came home to Scotland, I purchased a set of walking poles for myself. In the outdoors shops I was looking for walking poles that were going to be light as possible because I had found the ones I'd used in the Andes heavy to carry. The shop assistant suggested a pair of poles that were an ounce lighter than the one I had in the Andes so I chose them. After a bit more practice I find taking walking poles useful when I go for a walk out in the countryside as they do help stabilise my balance on the treacherous ground at home.
May bank holiday Monday was a glorious day to go for a climb up the 'Whangie' - also known as the Queen's View and just north of Glasgow. On the Whangie I was so glad I had my walking poles because the terrain was quite uneven. In the distance I could see some snow still lying on mountains in the direction of Ben Lomond.
It's only three weeks away from the Ben Nevis Challenge itself. When I came back down I felt very fit so at least that's good!
Page first published on Tuesday 6th May 2008
Page last updated on Thursday 24th July 2008
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