What is it that people want to chat about?

i also think being in a club all the trips are planned well in advance and while that makes good sense for multi day trips , i reckon half the fun of going tramping, daytrips especially is waking up in the morning and deciding where to go. i still think i would join a club, just that now is not the right time. i have a mate in wellington who is in a club and will be joining on a club trip one day so it may be a good chance to see how a club trip goes. each to their own i guess, at least we are all still getting out and doing it, with a club or not!

I guess that's what it's all about in the end, isn't it; just getting out there and doing whatever you chose to do, with a club or on your own. I recall now that some years ago I went bushwalking with a club here in Sydney and despite the fact that many of the people who went on this particular tramp were relatively new to the whole bush-bashing thing, it didn't appear to be of any interest to the so called "leader" (and I use the term reluctently). There were times he was nowhere to be seen, except with a telescope, and a large one at that. Talk about rats and drainpipes! I found myself, albeit unofficially, the mediator in the equation. I was constantly shuffling between those who were barely managing to keep up with the Michael Schumacher of the Australian bush and those who were in dire need of rest and recuperation. This, not unexpectedly, was my last tramp with said club and I made my feelings known to the leader at the end of the trip. His 'customer service' skills left me feeling that he wasn't that interested in those who couldn't keep up, to the point where he (almost) implied that they shouldn't have been there in the first place. No doubt a thought they would whole have heartedly agreed with, but for different reasons. The train journey back to Sydney was a decidedly frosty affair to say the least. It would be interesting to know how many people, and there was about 15 who went that day, were permenantly scarred by this experience, and how many decided that clubs, at least this particular one, were not the way to go. Anyway, I just thought I'd share that one with you. Of course it's not indicitive of all clubs and no doubt a leader like that would not be tolerated by most clubs, or I would like to think so anyway!

When I was at university I was the member of the tramping club, it was not overly active.... When I left uni and returned to my home province I thought about joining the local club but by all accounts most of its members are 'retired' and go on day walks... So I am probably 40 years to young. One advantage of joining clubs is that you often get discounts from local outdoor stores.

I would like to think that the uni club I started in London was a lot more active than the one you experienced, but I fully understand what you mean about some of the present clubs being for the more mature amongst us, and that day walks are more likely the staple fare than a 7 day tramp into the great unknown, but I'm sure not all clubs are like this, and I would hope that someone here will testify to that fact too! As for the discount, I agree that it is always welcome to pay less than you would normally, but here in Sydney there always seems to be a sale of some description going on in the camping shops at any time of the year, don't know what it's like in NZ though. I should just like to add that as a "mature" tramper myself, not all of us have lost the thirst for adventure, far from it indeed.

That is true about the discounts, I almost never used the 10 or 15% discount I get from my club. It was better to wait until the next sale which would normally have 20-50% off. I never urgently need to upgrade gear so need to rush. I almost never pay the RRP for gear. There are a few 'mature' trampers which are extremely hardcore and would leave most people my age miles behind. Although their equipment is all still stuck in the 80's and have been repaired atleast 10x each. They would be insanely fast if they had modern gear.

i have met members of the local tramping club and they too seem to be of more mature years and therefore it probably wouldnt be suitable for me to join as i am in my early thirties, there is an alpine club but am not sure how much tramping they would do as opposed to climbing, of which their name would suggest. of course the huge amount of knowledge club members have would be an advantage, i for one am always keen to explore places i have not been before. certainly the discount side of things would be good too, quality tramping gear does not come cheap these days, and i always go for quality as it always tends to perform better and last longer

It's a shame that oldies get a bad press these days though I can fully understand why that is the case. For the most part the more mature tramper is usually portrayed as a mere day walker and home by 6pm for cocoa and a hot water bottle. In support of the rest of us I should like to add that whilst rock hopping isn't quite what I plan for myself as I fade into the vintage mould, I do still relish the big hills and the harsh conditions that usually go with them. Perhaps it's experience that allows me to feel quite comfortable in such surroundings, I don't know, but I think it's also fair to say, and to remind people in the process, that many of the most prolific of the big hill champions are of the more mature ilk. Age shall not weary them......Oh yes it does!

i recently did my 13th summit climb of mt.taranaki with an older tramper who has lost count of the amount of times he has summited. he showed me a few little shortcuts and showed me a few things which i did not know and although it took about 3 and a quarter hours to the top which is a bit longer than i normally take, it goes to show no matter what your age if you have the fitness you can do anything! and we can all learn off others. i hope to still be tramping in my retirement, i guess if you dont use it, you lose it, my motto is do it while you can, one day you may not be able to.

So agree with the both sentiments, do it while you can and use it or lose it. Nice to see that nt all us oldies have been removed to the retirement home and although it may have been a tad slower than your normal, probably breakneck speed, I still hope you enjoyed it nonetheless? I am so impressed that you have now done it 13 times, hope you're not superstitious? We (my wife and I) were at Taranaki last October but didn't have the time to climb it, not that we could see too much of it either. I wish now we made more of an effort to hang around and maybe make the time but we didn't, so next time perhaps? We were in NZ's North Island for the first time and must admit it was very nice indeed, though of course not as dramatic as the South Island. It reminded me of home (UK) with it's rolling hills and very green valleys. Very pretty. We were on our way to Everest base camp and only stayed in NZ for a couple of weeks, unfortunately not long enough to do anything of note. Do you ever get to the South Island?

When my sister and I were both in our early 20s doing a trip round the Travers Sabine circuit and up to Lake Constance, we met a retired couple at West Sabine Hut. In their late 60s or early 70s, they'd spent something like 90 days out of the prior four months tramping in various parts of the country, and they were currently on their way down from David Saddle and half a dozen other out of the way places I can't remember now. They definitely weren't day walkers and I couldn't wait (and still can't wait) to be retired and have the time (and hopefully the health) to do more than one week long trip and a few weekends a year! Having to work and study and pay a mortgage sucks, though I'm saving up my annual leave for an attempt at Te Araroa around 2010-2011. PS normclimb, beside these guys you just do not count as either an oldie nor a vintage! sorry!