ArmaSkin News October 2024

Photo from Mt St Bruno by Edin

Victoria Walks (VIC Australia)

There are many resources available for those considering hiking as a new pastime.  Notably here in Victoria if you want to start with some easily accessible trails the Victoria Walks website is a great place to start.

As an independent health promotion charity, Victoria Walks advocates for safe, accessible and connected environments that support and encourage walking.

Established in 2009, their role is to promote all types of walking – recreational, incidental and active travel.

Their website provides a broad selection of available walks.

On a broader scale the organisations plays an important role in scaling up awareness of the transformative changes that walking can bring to organisations. "In everything we do, we demonstrate the critical role physical activity plays in our health, wellbeing and economic productivity."

You can find easy local walks at their website

  https://www.victoriawalks.org.au/walksnearme/

 Five of Our Favourite Sections on the AAWT (ACT Australia)

ArmaSkin Ambassadors, Maddie and Tom,  are The Adventure Gene.  Renowned for their Fastest Known Time Thru Hikes, they also run guided hikes in the Alpine backyard of Canberra the Australian Alpine Walking Trail.  They have 5 favourite sections of the Trail and share them here:

The Crosscut Saw - Renowned for its rugged terrain, this section traverses a narrow ridge line from Mt Howitt to Mt Speculation through the Razor-Viking Wilderness.

Bogong High Plains - Characterised by open meadows and rolling hills, this section passes Victoria’s highest peak, Mt Bogong, and is famous for its backcountry skiing in winter.

 

The Main Range - Home to Australia’s highest peak, this section showcases stunning alpine landscapes as well as Australia’s highest glacial lakes.

 

Jagungal Wilderness - This alpine area features open, grassy plains, with Mt Jagunagal being the prominent feature visible from over 35km away.

 

Bimberi Wilderness - Home to the highest peak in the ACT, this section offers one of the best remote summit views in the Canberra region.

 

Walking tours can be arranged with the wonderful folks at The Adventure Gene

 

Gluggy Camino (France)

ArmaSkin Ambassador Helen and partner have been enjoying their Camino over recent weeks.  However it hasn't all been "a walk in the park".

Here's a short report from Helen's Instagram:

"The morning started out in beautiful blue light, the moon still up, clouds stretched out across the sky and we were raring to go. On minor roads we walked through farmlands, gentle hills then through the Forrest. The sunlight flickering through the bright green leaves and I could hear the crunch of the acorns as I walked. It was like we were walking through a tunnel with the overhead canopy of the trees.

As I’m climbing up to our next village I’m thinking about what I had read about it and the devastating consequences that this beautiful village of Castelnau sur l’ Auvignon and its people suffered during the war. Walking through villages like this one, is very sobering for me and it’s an opportunity for me to be thankful for my life and what I have. A strong hold for the resistance fighters, but unfortunately the town was eventually burnt to the ground. A resistance fighter Jeanne Robert a teacher later had a school named after her. All through the town along the Chemin de Memoire there are plaques describing the bravery of several resistance fighters as well as pictures of the devastation.

Not long after this we hit the mud caused by the previous days rain. It stuck like glue and our time was made long as we stopped to scrape our shoes. Layer upon layer.

We sat in the grounds of the peaceful St Germaine chapel and marvelled at all the wild pink cyclamen flowers . Oh how beautiful they are. Arriving in Condom a fabulous sign at our gite gate welcomed us.

Another beautiful and rewarding day on the trail ."

You can see more of Helen's Camino travels on The Walking Traveller  Instagram page.

Extreme Ultra Runner Tip (Canada)

ArmaSkin Ambassador Kaylyn who regularly runs in Canadian sub zero temperatures while training for her ultras has a valuable training tip for fellow icy runners.

This is how I prevent my water from freezing during winter runs:.

• I start by adding a pinch of salt. I use the new nuun electrolyte mix, which helps lower the freezing point by a few degrees.
• I then add warm water into my hydration pack bottles to help delay freezing.
• To keep the bite valves and tubes from some freezing. I tip my. water bottles upside down, ensuring the valves stay in contact with the water.
• After each sip, I blow the water back into the bladder to prevent it from freezing in the tube. You can use what's called the tube garage to insulate your tube, or simply tuck it down your shirt for extra warmth.
• Add a layer of clothing and hand warmers near the packs of tubes for added heat.

You can get more Ultra running tips at Instagram @Pretty_pace

 

 Eastern Europe Sojourn (Romania)

 

ArmaSkin Ambassador Chris and partner Shannon, having completed their Camino are now travelling across Eastern Europe.  While the solid hiking effort may be over they continue to walk the streets wherever they go.

"As expected our three days in Timisoara has been a highlight in our travels so far. The city has at least 4 main squares with Restaurants and bars lining the old town streets. We ate at the Miorita restaurant which cooks traditional Romanian foods. The restaurant and food is in my video.
History is evident. Timisoara is known as the spearhead of the Romanian revolution in December 1989 leading to the end of communism in the country. As a sign of gratitude a piece of the Berlin Wall was shipped to Timisoara and is on display at the revolution museum. The last picture in my video is of that piece of wall."

You can see more of their travels at Chris.Duhaime on Instagram

Recent ArmaSkin blog posts:

 

 Comprehensive Blister Prevention for Hikers and Endurance Runners
This blogs takes a broad view of the many factors that contribute to foot condition and thus pave the way for prevention of blisters.

 

 DETECTING, READING AND FOLLOWING TRACKS: A SKILL FOR KIDS!
ArmaSkin Ambassador Kyt Lyn is an internationally respected man-tracker. 
In this blog she provides an introduction to tracking that is aimed at young people.

Autumn Colours:  (Canada)

Ambassador Edin from Canada shared some wonderful Autumnal pics including this one of the vibrant red hues of a maple tree glow under crisp sunlight and our leading picture.   Edin posts regularly on Instagram @outdooradventureonny

 

If you have big plans for 2025, how about dropping us a line telling us what you are doing (email ian@armaskin.com).

We'd love to be able to share your journey with the ArmaSkin community.

 

DO YOU WANT TO BE A WINNER?

MONTHLY opportunity to win FREE ArmaSkin -

please share your picture stories with us.

 

Attention ArmaSkin fans! Your stories and adventures are what make our products shine, and we want to hear from you! Share your experiences wearing ArmaSkin and you could win your very own pair of ArmaSkin liner socks!

Please email ian@armaskin.com with a picture of you on the move with an ArmaSkin product and a short comment about the picture. If your picture is featured in an upcoming edition of ArmaSkin News, you'll win the monthly prize!

While ArmaSkin Ambassadors have been active in October, it seems that our readers have been a bit slow on sending in their hiking pics when using ArmaSkin, so no winner of the free pair of ArmaSkin this month.

Don't miss your chance to show off your ArmaSkin gear and score this wonderful prize. So what are you waiting for? Get snapping and share your ArmaSkin story now!