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Unbeatable Lightness of Being You’ve got the tarp, zip-less sleeping-bag and featherweight pack, so what next? Consider the part of your hiking system where you could probably loose pounds – You. A lighter load lets you move through the landscape more easily, which usually means hiking further and faster – that’s the central idea of ultra-light hiking. But once you’ve got your pack weight down, why stop there? If you’ve cut the weight on your back it’s time to look to what’s hanging off your front, because while you may save ounces by sawing the handle off your toothbrush, you can probably save pounds by shedding it from your belly. To work-out whether you’re overweight a doctor friend of mine recommends “the jiggle test”. It’s hideously cruel but unerringly accurate. Stand naked in-front of a mirror and study your reflection as you first rise onto your toes then gently drop back down. Everything that jiggles, which isn’t meant to jiggle, is excess. Primary and secondary sexual characteristics excluded, this is the weight you ought to shed to truly hike ultra-light. (Incidentally, if you’ve been reading this starkers, now is a good time to get dressed and have a cup of tea – you’ll need to recover before reading on.) To lighten your body, start with your feet! A pound saved from each foot is equivalent to taking six pounds off your back, and switching to trail running shoes initiates a virtuous circle. Lighter shoes prompt you to go faster and further, so your legs strengthen and you become fitter, prompting to go ever further and faster. And here I’m going to preach with the zeal of a recent convert - the world will not end if your feet get wet. For years I would do anything to avoid squelchy toes, deploying all manner of waterproof socks, gaiters, and gore-tex lined boots. I suspect my doctor friend would have diagnosed ‘podogmophobia’, a fear of wet feet (OK I made that up). Then I discovered the new generation of trail shoes which are not only much, much lighter than boots, they are designed so your feet get wet. Let me say that again; they are designed so your feet get wet. They work on exactly the opposite principle to heavy boots, which are fine until water gets in, but then take ages to dry out. By contrast, the open weave of a modern trail shoe lets water flood in, but crucially, flood back out again. It also allows exceptional breath-ability, so provided there’s no snow on the ground, within a few miles your feet feel dry again. If they’re snug in a pair of Smartwool socks, they’ll be warm in minutes. My personal podiatry epiphany came in boggy Glen Gour in Sunart, a deliberate choice to try my new Innov8 Flyroc shoes. While performing the usual bizarre west highland ballet, of leaping from peat hag to hag… I missed. Immediately I felt the cold sting of water flowing into my socks and mud oozing around my ankles. Podogmophobia rose within me, but I pressed on. A couple of miles later I abruptly realised that I had trotted through the bog much faster than usual because, rather than meandering between dry islands, I’d taken a direct route. I even jumped into a steam to wash off the peat, and minutes later my feet felt comfortable again. Damp, but comfortable. This was the key revelation and the moment my podogmophobia vanished in a puff of foot powder. Not only had I cut the weight on my feet, I could cover the ground much faster. In fact, I had started to run. “Run” is not a dirty word, not even in a walker’s magazine. In fact, it’s a logical extension of the principles of ultra-light hiking. Carrying minimum weight, wearing trail shoes and moving fast… why not run? Since that day in the bogs of Ardgour I’ve found a glorious sense of liberation in moving fast along low level tracks and especially through high country. Running a lofty ridge is a heady experience, combining focus with bird-like freedom. If I feel I’m rushing, I walk or stop and soak up the views. I still complete my hike faster and with less effort than I would in boots. But be warned, it’s addictive. You may find yourself jogging during the week to get into better shape for the weekends. Then you’ll need some road shoes as well as a pair for the trail. Perhaps you’ll invest in a running rucksack so you can carry your kit to work knock-off a few miles at lunchtime or on the way home. To help you, we’ve devised a basic ten week training programme which needs just three days effort each week but will help you build hill-fitness. The pounds will fall from your body, your legs will strengthen and your stamina will increase. Now you’ve really started to lighten up. Test Yourself As you exercise, hopefully your body will get into better shape. But unless you occasionally measure your fitness, you cannot be certain all the hill-walking, gym sessions or jogging are having any effect. Here are three ways to measure your improvement. Body Mass Index BMI is a quick guide to tell if you’re over weight. You divide your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared, and the higher the score, the higher the level of body fat. This doesn’t work for elderly people, pregnant women or very muscular athletes. The calculation is this: BMI = Weight (kg) / Height x Height Under 20 Underweight 20-25 Healthy range 25-30 Overweight Over 30 Obese Or consider a VO2 Max test. Read about it here