Hiking

If you’re going out into the mountains or the wilderness on a long-distance trek then you’ll need to mentally prepare and build your mental toughness.

They say that 80% of meeting a challenge is mental and only 20% is physical. While there is plenty written about physical training for a trek, I’ve never managed to find much about how to mentally prepare. So here goes – this is what we’ve learnt to do to build our mental toughness and reduce stress for our treks in the Himalayas.

Table of Contents

1. Minimise Stress – Be Prepared
2. Visualise – See Yourself There
3. Be Prepared for Basic Living Conditions
4. Ease Yourself In
5. Create Your Own Systems
6. Make Night-Time Enjoyable
7. Stay Healthy
8. Have a Few Home Comforts
9. Prevent Nasty Surprises – Test Everything First
10. Survive at High Altitude
11. Build Your Resilience
12. If You’re Female, A Few More Tips

Some background first. We always come back from a trek having learnt a few things about what worked well and what didn’t. Two treks stand out for me – Mera Peak and Everest Base Camp. I learnt that its not just the big things that can get you down, it can also be a series of small things. For example try adjusting to life in a tent, in pouring rain, with a bad headache, being sick, your gear not working properly, not-so-great toilet facilities, and leeches stuck to your leg. If I’d had to cope with any of these on it’s own I’d have been fine, but combined together it just made life hard – mentally.

1. Minimise Stress – be prepared

One big difference between a trek and a sightseeing holiday is that it pays not to assume that you’ll just figure things out along the way. Once you’re out in the wilderness it’s too late. Life is very basic and you’re focused on surviving – trekking, eating and sleeping – especially at altitude. You don’t want the added stress of working things out once you’re on the trail. At high altitude, everything is an effort to do. Brushing your teeth, packing your bag, getting dressed … requires collecting your energy, real focus and concentration. There are more than enough challenges to contend with. So do yourself a favour and ensure you’re prepared – physically, mentally and with the right gear. Give yourself plenty of time to pack before you go. It takes longer than you think to get your gear list together and optimise your packing and the weight.

2. Visualise – see yourself there

• It’s easy to think about what you’re looking forward to. But don’t forget to think about the challenges you might face, or what you’ve found hard on previous treks or challenges. What will it be like and what could help you? This is a key factor in building mental toughness for your trek.
• learn from others – ask the trekking company you’re booked with for advice. Search YouTube for the hike you’ll be going on, or for related topics such as the city you’ll arrive in or tips for packing etc. Talk to other people who have done similar hikes. Browse our Cut Lunch Adventures website! Get into the headspace of what you’re about to do.

3. Be prepared for basic living conditions

(not that I’m a princess but it does take awhile to get used to the hardships and lack of hygiene!)

• sleeping in tents with limited space to organise your things, not well lit at night, not easy to move around especially if you can’t stand up. If you’re going on a long trek then try out some shorter multi-day hikes in the months leading up to it. This will allow you to find your routine and get used to it. Work out solutions to anything that stresses you out or makes life not so enjoyable
• the toilet facilities en route and in camp can be either non-existent or very basic. You’re just going to have to get used to it. Build your leg muscles up by doing squats!
• lack of showers/baths can also be a challenge, especially when you arrive at camp hot and sweaty from the day’s trek. Wet wipes will be your best friend. So will woollen clothes – which don’t stink after wearing them for days on end. At least with no mirrors and with everyone else in the same boat – you’ll get over it pretty quick. That hot shower you have when you get back to civilisation will be the best one you ever had!

4. Ease yourself in

• we find that flying into a different country and starting your trek the next day day can add to your stress levels. Especially if this is the first day of your holiday after a manic week at work. If you can make the time its worth flying in an extra day or two before you start. That way you can get used to the local culture and environment. Plus, have plenty of time to fine tune your packing and buy any last minute things. Then once you meet up with your group and start your trek you are in a good mindset and ready to go.

5. Create your own systems

• you take for granted at home how many things you’ve fine-tuned so that you operate efficiently and without having to think. On a trek suddenly there are all these new things to figure out. For example, your morning routine to get up, dressed and packed (all before breakfast). Or your evening routine to wash, and get things ready for sleeping. The more you can practice or think through before you go, the easier it will be.

6. Make night-time enjoyable

For me, the trekking is great but the evenings are the biggest challenge. Trying to find your gear in a poorly lit tent, and going to bed early because its dark but you’re not sleepy.

• in addition to your head torch, take some good LED lights or a lantern for your tent. I found that by facing the light upwards to the roof spreads the light better with less shadows.
• have your clothes organised and nearby in case you need to get up in the night
• have music and podcasts to listen to if you can’t sleep.

7. Stay healthy

There’s nothing worse than being unwell when you’re away from home, and especially when you know you’ve got to wake up and continue trekking the next day. So do what you can to:

• prevent illness e.g. drinking bottled/boiled water, using hand sanitiser, eating well-cooked food
• address any known issues you have e.g. I often get headaches from muscle tension so I sought advice from a local physiotherapist for some exercises to do, plus I’ve been practicing carrying heavy packs and monitoring my posture
• be self-sufficient – take some medications with you in addition to your first aid kit. A lot of travel medicine clinics sell travel packs containing antibiotics, hydralytes and tablets for nausea and diarrhoea. They can also supply Diamox if you’re going to high altitude. However from my experience I’d only take it if absolutely necessary. Otherwise you’ll be going to the toilet far too often!

8. Have a few home comforts

• if you can afford the extra weight, its nice to have a few treats to look forward to e.g.
• your favourite snacks from home
• foot powder – at the end of a long day it’s a luxury to clean your aching feet and then sprinkle foot powder on. Your feet will thank you for it!
• filling your water bottle up with boiling water makes a great hot water bottle at nighttime.

9. Prevent nasty surprises – test everything first

• all your gear, especially your boots and backpack
• all the food you’re taking with you. Don’t buy special things for the trek that you’d not like to eat at home or that you haven’t tried first. Don’t assume that you’re suddenly going to like it on your trek when you’re really hungry and need some motivation.

10. Survive at high altitude

You can’t easily acclimatise before you go. However there are certainly steps you can take to improve your chances of success in the mountains.

Click here for our High Altitude Trekking Tips.

11. Build your resilience

• think about how you’ll cope when things get tough. What motivates you to keep going? How can you encourage others and help them too? What has helped you in the past to build mental toughness e.g. from a previous trek that you can draw from?
• if you’re going with your partner then discuss with them how you can motivate and support each other in challenging situations
• how will you cope when things don’t go to plan? For example your flights are delayed, or you can’t complete your trek (like our Mera Peak trip). That is a real mental challenge to get over. Sometimes you just have to live through it and accept it, learn from it and try again another day. The mountains will always be there.
• Read our post on Discovering Your Resilience.
• watch rock climber Tommy Caldwell’s TedTalk for a good example of resilience and endurance.

12. If you’re female, a few more tips

• going to the toilet is just not as easy as it is for guys. So be prepared to go behind a bush, or to use a different style of toilet than you’re used to e.g. squat toilet or long drop
• take your own supplies – in your daypack as well as kitbag – so that you’re never without e.g. toilet paper, wet wipes, hand sanitiser, sanitary items
• if you’re camping in cold conditions you may also need to use a pee bottle in your tent. I cannot recommend enough that you practice your technique at home. Don’t leave it  until your trek to discover it’s not that easy – more stress!! Find a suitable size and shape of container – ideally a plastic screwtop at least one litre if not two. You could also use a GoGirl or Shewee as a funnel but this takes some practice!
• another hassle on a trek is monthly cycles. If they can’t be avoided then just be prepared, practice good hygiene, and dispose of used sanitary items carefully e.g. to reduce odour wrap them in tinfoil before putting them in a plastic rubbish bag.
• If you’re trekking at high altitude then also be aware that your cycle may not return to normal for 2-3 months afterwards. My guess it that it’s partly due to altitude and perhaps also due to malnourishment and the stresses that your body is under on a long trek.

So there you go – I hope this helps you to mentally prepare, build mental toughness and reduce stress for your next trek. You might also like to read our other posts on self-discovery.

Emma