Walking, the basic Bushcraft and Survival skill

[Uilleachan]

No shock-absorbers! titanium replacements help but I still need a bunch of medication to walk nowadays.

I think getting children to walk a good distance is really important. When I went to secondary school it was a two mile walk to the bus stop into town and school, then a two mile walk home, so it was four miles/day walk from age 11. Before that though I was always outside and walking so it was no big deal. It was a wonderful chance to watch for wildlife every day, and in the dark too during winter as school didn't finish until 4 o'clock in those days so it was 4.45 when the bus stopped 2 miles from home Kids miss out on such a lot if they don't the chance to be self-sufficient nowadays and being self-sufficient includes being able to be alone, and in the dark, without being afraid.

Me too and same here.

What I really noticed as I entered early adulthood was that some of my contemporaries couldn't actually walk properly, wrong posture & poor foot placement meant they had difficulty walking any distance, problems with joints arches & back etc are common among these people.

I went on to walk as a primary means of transport until I was 25 and being in a very rural location that meant, on occasion, big distance. In those days I never had issues with distance walking other than the odd blister.

I think walking at a young age into adulthood is very important for physical development. Learning to walk safely on different surfaces is as important, IMO. Many kids grow into adulthood having never walked on anything other than paved level surfaces resulting in weak bones and poor secondary muscle development, develop those muscles as a kid and the muscle memory is there for the rest of ones life.

Getting the kids off road/pavement helps them to develop good eye to foot coordination. It's truly amazing to me that most people don't look where they're placing their feet, to my mind thats symptomatic of having never walked on anything other than a level surface, an urban condition but increasingly common in rural settings too.

 

[Harvestman]

As someone who is about to walk the 4-5 miles to work today, mainly because it is infinitely more enjoyable than catching the bus, this is a great thread.

 

[Stringmaker]

This has just reminded me of this man:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primo_Levi

I read his book about his time in Auschwitz and his eventual liberation. He met a man who above all else valued and was constantly looking for a pair of shoes.

His reasoning was that if you don't have shoes you can't go looking for food.

Good thread.

 

[Bowlander]

Excellent thread.

The trick is with kids is not to sicken them.

Get them decent boots not plastic wellies or trainers they don't want to get dirty.

Take them through intimate landscapes rather than along straight tracks where you can see your route far ahead.

Geocaching is great to keep them going - we took our lad on a 10k route when he was just under 3 and he walked the whole thing. Stopping at caches every 3-500m takes ages but kept him keen to the end.

Take plenty of snacks and drink.

Take or make a staff/stick.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Xparent Green Tapatalk 2

 

[Uilleachan]

This has just reminded me of this man:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primo_Levi

I read his book about his time in Auschwitz and his eventual liberation. He met a man who above all else valued and was constantly looking for a pair of shoes.

His reasoning was that if you don't have shoes you can't go looking for food.

Good thread.

I had a physics teacher who, as a 13 year old, set off with a couple of pals to escape Poland by walking west through occupied europe, in two years they walked from Warsaw to the Spanish border, I think one of the pals got killed en route, where they were arrested and imprisoned for a further two years. After which they were taken in by the UK at the end of the war. That story was always trotted out whenever I'd moan about having to walk to school, always a sobering prospect for a kid to consider.

On the issue of keeping kids onboard, I've found having a gang of them along helps greatly.

 

[boatman]

May I interrupt to mention the saying that to know a man you must walk a mile in his shoes and by the time he realises his shoes are missing you have a one mile start on him?

 

[santaman2000]

.....some of my contemporaries couldn't actually walk properly, wrong posture & poor foot placement meant they had difficulty walking any distance, problems with joints arches & back etc are common among these people.....

.....Getting the kids off road/pavement helps them to develop good eye to foot coordination......

Yes but! are those joint, arch, back, etc. problems caused by poor walkiind habits? Or are they possibly the cause of said habits?

Eye to foot coordination in the young is a matter of practice as you say. But when you reach the age where you're wearing bifocals, it gets much more entertaining for those watching Just going down the stairs can be hilarious.

 

[Uilleachan]

Yes but! are those joint, arch, back, etc. problems caused by poor walkiind habits? Or are they possibly the cause of said habits?

Eye to foot coordination in the young is a matter of practice as you say. But when you reach the age where you're wearing bifocals, it gets much more entertaining for those watching Just going down the stairs can be hilarious.

In the young I'd reckon these issues are caused by lack of use, joints wear out from use too but I'd think they are going to give better service if they're up to spec to start with.

Yep, I'm not wearing glasses, so far so good, but it's in the post, as they say, or alternatively and to quote the scott's national Bard, "it's coming yet, for all that"

 

[Papa Tac]

Get me drunk and I could argue that Bipedal Walking is the defining characteristic of Humans versus Animals.
Walking is just practicing Humanity.

But I'm not drunk...