Steinbach couple trains for extended backpacking adventure

While most people try to plan easier holidays as they get older, a couple from Steinbach is doing the opposite.  

Ron Falk says he and his wife Helen have planned a 6-day, 80-kilometre backpacking trip this summer in Banff, Alberta. 

He says it all started around seven years ago. 

“Our neighbour asked us to join him on the West Coast Trail. That was a 5 1/2-day backpacking trip on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, and it covered about 77 kilometers. And you know, when you're done that trip, you're done.” 

But after getting back home and recovering from the strenuous trip, Falk says he was thinking about going on another backpacking trip.

Ron and Helen Falk trade in their flatland runners for hiking boots as they journey along some challenging terrain in the mountains. (Photo submitted)

Since then, they have gone backpacking in the mountains nearly every year. 

“The shortest is probably four days and the longest one is probably 5 1/2 days. And yeah, they vary in length from, the shortest one is 44 kilometers, and the longest one is the 77 kilometers, and these are all the ones that are taking place in the mountains.” 

The Falks’ trip this summer is even longer at 80 kilometers. 

“I have a little bit of trepidation about that, because there's no out,” he says. “If something goes wrong on some of the trails, there is an out, maybe halfway through or whatever, that you can extricate yourself. In this one, there isn't. And so, once you're going on it, you're committed.” 

Ron Falk says there is very little that can compare to the fresh air of the mountains. (Photo Submitted)

Falk says they have tried getting out this spring to hike around Steinbach while carrying their large backpacks. 

“We’ve been out only four times and sometimes you think, ‘Does this really help?’ We're walking essentially on flat ground; flat, paved ground here. We have two hills in Steinbach, and you can walk up and down those hills. But is it really anything like we're going to do in the mountains? Likely not.” 

There might be a psychological benefit though, he adds, believing that you have done some conditioning to prepare yourself for the trip.

Helen Falk takes a break from a challenging hike through the mountains. Her husband Ron says it's important that they pack the right amount of compact and nutritious food that will fuel them for days of hiking. He also says it is important to keep the bear spray handy (not attached to the back of the backpack where it is out of reach). Falk laughs as he tells the story about his brief and harmless encounter with a bear during a hike in the mountains, with nobody nearby to grab his bear spray. (Photo submitted)