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A work in progress : © Garry McDougall Walking has been a growing recreation, ironically in parallel with a Humanity subsumed by the speed and power of machine-based travel. Always part of everyday life, it has been, and will remain, central to our health, fitness and longevity. With this in mind, our recreation should facilitate and invite others to its benefits, fostering their confidence in the pursuit of their inquisitiveness, pleasure and challenges. The Problem Choosing an appropriate walks from the many available is a hit-and-hit affair. Without a trustworthy, experienced and competent person there is no simple, accessible means of assessing a route’s suitability for themselves or their group. In short there is no comparable basis on which routes may be fairly assessed. At present, confusion and anxiety reign. The great diversity of tracks, trails, ways and paths on which people undertake their journeys is largely opaque. Unless you’ve walked it before, or have someone who has completed the route before, recreationalists have only the map or reference books to make these judgements. And none provide consistent, comparable or complete information. When it comes to judging a track we know that a map is very useful, but it is not designed for the task of assessing a walking route. It provides information on topography and the surrounds, but almost nothing on route quality or underfoot surfaces. Understandably people want to know what they are about to encounter. Is it steep? Is it rough, rugged or ‘easy’, narrow or wide? What footwear is required? How long will it take? What barriers or challenges are present? Can I cope with its critical points? Too many people have found themselves in difficulties they hadn’t expected, thereby putting themselves and others at risk, thwarting their journey or simply discouraging them from trusting other’s assessment. Without information that inspires confidence, many people will never enjoy their recreation again Travelling to another region or another country presents further problems. What do they know about that track? How much can they rely on others assessments? What do these people words mean? Should s/he do this walk or something easier? Who should you trust? There is no way of knowing. There is no relativity or comparability. To solve this problem we can not rely on technical aids. We need clear thinking on track assessment. Technical tools are no substitute for systematic track and trail assessment system. Back to Top |