There are quite a few people who are of the opinion, that I have a somewhat large personality. Whether that is true or not is obviously depending on who you ask. But unfortunately that specific attribute does not extent to my legs. They are, by any definition you want to use, short. Period.
Over the years I made my peace with it. If possible I buy trousers that are 7/8 length or just sew myself to make things fit. Our kitchen is very low, because I am the main cook and things that are needed daily, are in reach for me. Everything else needs some extra furniture or a ladder. On the up side I have no problem squeezing in a tight plane, train or bus seat. For someone like me who has no issues travelling cheap, it really helps with comfort. So far so good. There are millions of people who have the same or a similar problem.
For a while I was wondering why I always have to add quite a bit of time to the descriptions in hiking books and it took me until last year to fully understand what the problem is. On even terrain, I am fine, what the length of my legs is missing I mostly make up in frequency and speed. But while hiking the South West Coast Path with a friend, it suddenly clicked. She joined at one of the most difficult and exhausting bits directly after St. Ives.
Beside the fact, that she is 25 years younger, she would just basically take one step from one rock to another, where I had to take two, or find a way to bridge the gap differently. Which was not only time consuming but also exhausting. And a similar problem came up again, while hiking the last few days on the Michinoku.
Japan’s mountains are not gentle hills. They are volcanic and just go up from zero to 170m (as an example) within less than a km. No slopes, no meandering up the mountain or cliff. Straight up (if you know Lost in Translation, just remember the scene in the hospital). Or down, depending from which side you approach. The solution are steps, or ladders.
Ladders at least have a norm, but the steps don’t. They can be any height from a 10 cm to 40 cm. Climbing up, I just thrust myself up with my hiking poles. Climbing down though is the challenge. The stairs are by no means even. They are covered with rubble from erosion and leaves. Mostly they are slightly slanted towards the abyss (my personal way of calling the fact that it goes down steep and deep), and because none of the rubble or leaves stick to the steps but rather help you down faster, makes it difficult if not dangerous.
Yesterday I than finally felt stupid and depressed, when I saw a Japanese guy basically dancing down these stairs, whereas I took a long time to get down without slipping and breaking anything. Apart from the fact, that I am carrying a 8kg backpack, that I need to somehow balance, my legs, again, are so short, that I could hardly reach the lower step without bending the other leg so much, that it was difficult to get it down without losing balance and slipping.
I couldn’t take a picture of myself, but just imagine a tortoise with walking sticks grovelling down these steps sideways, trying not to fall.
The final breakdown came when, after three ladders of differing height and quality (the black one wobbled), I ended up at a rock field with the warning that they will move and come further down, trying to get to more steps. These at least had a normal height but only when I came closer I realised, that the connect with the rock had broken away and there was a significant gap between the rock and the first half broken off step. It was one of those situations where there is no way that you just turn back. The only sensible way was going forward.
Let’s just say I managed and sit in a nice cafe to tell the story.
But It really threw me. My next hike will be in New Zealand in two months and I already start to overthink possible situations like that. Not because I cannot crouch down from a mountain in snail pace but in the worst case scenario I will be in the middle of nowhere and have to add two extra days of food to my pack because I have short legs!?🤯. So besides trying to get as much video footage of the hike I am planning I googled tips for hiking with short legs….If you ever believed the internet is almighty …. Yeah, NO!
If any of you has any advise how to learn a better technique than crawling down a hill with rocks or stupid steps, please send it my way, I am a bit desperate….
One Year - Five Continents 