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After triple bypass surgery most people would probably put their feet up for a while – but not Sandspit’s Maureen Baines, who has been an avid hiker since 1994.
Rather, Baines decided to take on the Wilderness ‘Walk1200km’ challenge to aid in her recovery, and not only that she reached the target after only 38 weeks on March 23 with months to spare.
The 81-year-old, who was 80 when she started it, says she’s still doing the challenge to see how much mileage she can clock up in 52 weeks.
“And after this one, I’ll continue to do it. You can do it every year,” she says.
“With my mileage kilometres I’m also doing elevation gain, which you don’t have to notate on the Wilderness progress tracker. You can just do the kilometres for the challenge, you don’t have to climb hills.
“It makes a huge difference including elevation. I’ve climbed the equivalent of Mount Everest more than five times.”
So how do you approach such a distance when you’re convalescing from a serious operation? One step at a time apparently.
Baines has kept a meticulous record of her progress that shows incremental improvements from when she started right up to the present day.
“I came out of hospital on April 18 last year and began the challenge on July 1, so only a couple of months later.
“I’d already been walking before the challenge. First it was just down to the woodpile and back up again.
Then it was around the property. Eventually I built up my endurance again. You can see the minuscule amounts I did at the beginning in my diary.”
This was in contrast to the epic hikes Baines was used to taking on with her husband Terry.
Her first was the Waikaremoana Track in 1996 and since then, she has ticked off most of New Zealand’s most famous trails including the Milford Track and Queen Charlotte Track, not to mention overseas hikes such as The Tour du Mont Blanc.
“We’ve done Mount Blanc twice. It starts in Germany then goes through Italy and Switzerland, then back to France. There’s no one taking passports up there,” she says.
“But our love is hiking here in New Zealand – it’s beautiful.”
Baines says she loves that hiking brings her closer to nature, not unlike her home which is ensconced on a hillside in Sandspit with a stunning view that looks out over the Matakana River and beyond to Mount Tamahunga in the distance.
“It’s so good for you. You just feel good out there,” she says.
“You can walk around the house but it’s different when you’re walking just for the pure joy of it. Because you’re in a different zone mentally, emotionally, everything.“It’s an effort, but it’s not a chore. And very rewarding.”
