Fell twice in 5 min a few years back down a scree slope doing the Tongariro Circuit. Have been blown over by gusts in the Tararuas. Learned from experience to tie my laces tight when I first started tramping and now carry a stick in hilly terrain.
Just curious how often you fall over when out tramping. A lot of my tramps are solo and looking back I seem to trip/fall over about once every couple of days on average. No damage so far and other than a few choice words said at the time am wondering how often others take a tumble. Obviously some tracks will be worse than others but generally do you never fall...or once in a blue moon.
I'm usually daydreaming at the time so I should be more careful but then that's half the fun.....
not a lot these days, possibly because i've been using a walking pole..
years ago i caught by foot between rocks river crossing and fell, twisting my knee and tearing my cartilage. didnt have a walking pole then, they definitely help with river crossings, i did a trip and i was river crossing constantly for four days, river bed was covered with slippery algae covered rocks, sometimes up to my waist in water, didnt fall once, had a walking pole... definitely more stable with the pole... i find one is good. two are often a pain and only really work on high grade tracks....
Ahhhh falling over Definitely a one pole man myself but still have the odd drop and roll about once a trip usually towards the end of the day once muscle fatigue slips in balance is affected by arthritis so it usually happens on a slippery down hill slope when the most pressure is on my knees fortunately I am usually moving at a reasonable pace by then so no major damage. The one I like best is when your knee slams backwards instead of staying in one place the pain is exquisite.
Have been known to deploy the ABS (arse-braking-system) on descents occasionally - but would't call that falling so much as resorting to plan B.
I use a long-handled ice-axe or locally-sourced sturdy pole for scree climbs or river crossings. Without this I find both very tough, especially river crossings, and often used to take an unplanned dip. The last trip was on encountering Kaweka clay-pan after rain for the first time in ages, descending from Manson: first step the boots took on it and we were off. Only a handily-placed rock stopped a very long and potentially painful slide off the ridge and down a face. Quickly located a manuka pole after that to use as anchor.
Agree with you on daydreaming: daydreaming, trying to spot routes ahead, or trying to enter trap data into a GPS whilst walking are the cause of most of my head-over's
Can't say I have ever had any significant falls in my time, though I am forever tripping over tree roots .
But I am forever under the fear of falling, like sideways off the Broken Axe Pinnacles, or backwards down the slip at the top of the track from Dundas to Cattle Ridge, or forwards on the steep track from Isabelle to Mid Waiohine .
In saying that, I like that fear, it makes we feel alive, it keeps me on my toes, it awakens the senses like a good curry . It is nice to feel vulnerable in this world of cotton wool security .
If you think about it we are very well balanced and highly alert creatures, as the potential to fall and hurt oneself badly are very high when one is tramping, especially alone .
Didn't they make a show about someone falling over ?
I took a tumble recently that shook my confidence a little. Off-track in some very rough country (solo), I'd set up camp in a saddle mid-afternoon and set off for a short exploratory stroll.
Stepping down a 2m drop, the branch I was holding detached from the tree and I fell forward and slid, hands outstretched, a metre or so. Stood up and began to brush myself off and noticed the middle finger, right hand, was at a bizarre angle from the middle joint. No broken skin, no pain, lots of swelling – concluded dislocation rather than break (good) but figured I needed to pack up and retreat ASAP. Tried to pull it back into place but the swelling made that impossible.
At least the experience pushed me to (finally) go and buy a PLB.
Like everyone else I have had the odd slip or bump when tramping, however after many years I pride myself on my balance and sure footedness on rough country. long legs also help. This has been developed over time and I note that some new trampers haven't developed the skills or the leg strength of walking over rough ground.
One thing that I often advise new trampers to do when crossing steep ground is to keep their weight on their feet. There can be a tendancey for people to lean into and hug the slope. This will mean your feet are pushing out from the slope and not into it, so you feel less stable. You need to trust the grip on your boots sometimes.
A story about a fall last Easter I was tramping with a friend who seems to have more than her share of falls on trips, usually taken in the spirit of hilarity and no injuries thankfully. This time she went over on a corner, flat on her face. When she opened her eyes she found her face about two cms away from a large, very fresh, still steaming, human poo that had been discretely left by a previous party right beside the track.
For most people the more practise/experience your body has at tramping the less likely you are to fall over. Walking sticks help too but sometimes they can trip you up. These days I rarely fall over. However, some people are just more prone to trips, slips and falls no matter how experienced they are. If you are one of these people I would definately recomend using walking poles. One of my tramping buddies was a frequent faller who didn't use sticks and eventually he wrecked both his shoulders from grabing things on the way down and wrenching them. resulted in surgery and he can no longer carry an overnight pack, very sad.
I might stumble if my fore foot pins down some vegetation my rear foot is under, but usually it's been people falling backwards on rocks & landing on their packs. Not so good if that involves a water-way.
Hiking poles are useful as an arm extension, but I find I divert computing power to deciding where to plant the stick instead of thinking about balance & foot placement.
Rushing down a steep hill (south face of Mt Alexander near Aickens at Arthurs Pass) I grabbed a moss covered small tree. Unfortunately I'd been used to Fiordland trees which are still alive when covered in moss but in Arthurs Pass, they're dead. When it broke in my hand, I started to fall headfirst down a 2 metre bluff and thought the only thing that would save me is to hook my leg over a small tree growing at the edge of the bluff. Because time had slowed down due to the near death experience, I was able to do this. My pal remarked "you're supposed to go downhill feet first".
