ECC Adventures

Hike Self-Assessment

The season for wadi chasing and mountain venturing is upon us. As temperatures begin to cool, that desire to go outside and connect back with the outdoors seems to itch more and more. Naturally, our first instinct might be to choose the most intrepid route with the wildest views ECCA or the UAE have to offer. Everyone wants to do Wadi Wonka because of its stunning views. Others want to jump to the infamous “Stairway to Heaven” trek but are gasping for breath at the mere mention of an escalator outage.

The question you must then first ask yourself: are you ready for this trail? Do you already possess the physical and mental capacity to face these ascents and rugged ledges cold-turkey? 

In order to optimize your experience and enjoyment while trekking with ECC Adventures, it is vital to ensure that our expectations align with our realities. Let’s discuss how we can confidently assess ourselves in unlocking which trails suit us best, so that if necessary, we can refine the soft skills needed to eventually embark on the more wildly-adventurous routes placed at our heart’s (and newsfeed’s) desires . 

Here, we provide  three (3) assessment guidelines to use in order to aid your decision-making process in considering your trekking journey, assessing your Fitness, Sense of Adventure, and Fear of Heights. We will be using a scale from 1-10 to help guide you.

Once you have found where you fit on the scale, you hopefully will be able to make a more informed decision on choosing the right routes from the selection we have to offer.

Before you begin…

Be honest with yourself. These self-assessment guidelines will assist you in making an informed decision. You will need to be honest with yourself when using these guidelines for them to work. 

It is not only your health and wellbeing at risk, but also that of the group members who will be joining you on the hike as well. The longer you are on the trail because you overestimated your fitness level, the greater chance there is of running out of food & water and being exposed to the elements for longer.

We all would like to avoid those incidents as much as possible. Therefore, always make sure to be honest with your capabilities and mindset.

Assessment Criteria

1. Fitness (on a scale of 1 to 10)

Fitness is one of the first things that must be factored into your decision. “Am I fit enough for this route?” is probably the first question you should ask yourself – that is, after you put your restless viking spirit to rest and settle for the lower hills at the foot of the mountain… 

How would you rank your fitness on a scale from 1 to 10? This is not an easy question to answer, so let’s make it simpler by defining what the numbers 1, 5, and 10 mean on our scale. We can then easily use these numbers as a metric for our decision making process:

• 1 : Obviously lacking any physical fitness (where your most strenuous activity in a longtime has been binge watching Squid Game). Think of someone who opts away from the gym and stairs and whose daily activity is very minimal. 
• 5: Designated for someone with a moderate fitness level. Although they lack a prime level of fitness, they are active in some ways and know how it feels to build up a good sweat. Think of someone who takes their dog for a walk every afternoon or who heads to the gym at least twice a week. 
• 10: Those who take their fitness to the extreme. This person commits a considerable amount of their life to their training schedule. Think of someone who is at their peak of training for a marathon. 

To provide an example of someone examining their capabilities through this guideline, consider this person below. 

 “I love being active and have done a couple of marathons a while ago. I might not be training as hard anymore, but I still consider myself fairly fit since I do cardio exercises a couple of days a week.” 

This person sounds like a 7 or 8 out of 10 on the fitness guideline. 

2. Sense of Adventure (on a scale of 1 to 10)

What exactly is a sense of adventure? We define it as your willingness to push yourself outside of your comfort zone!

Someone with a high sense of adventure but relatively low fitness level will often out hike a fit person with a low sense of adventure. Someone  with a high sense of adventure also doesn’t mind hiking in high temperatures and doing a bit of bouldering and/or scrambling when the trail requires..

What is your sense of adventure on a scale of 1 to 10?

• 1: Someone who doesn’t like stepping outside their door and who does not enjoy the idea of stepping out of their comfort zone.  Chandler Bing or Queen Cersei.
• 5: One who enjoys certain luxuries, though this preference for comfort has not prevented them from going on a hike or two. Think of someone who enjoys being in nature but avoids the heat of the day and is primarily out just for a relaxing time. Shang Chi doing Zumba, or Rei Palpatine not quite leveled up.
• 10: The individual looking for the ultimate challenge. This person wants to truly align their chakras  with their adventurous spirit, testing themselves while enjoying a conquest of discomfort. A real Indiana Jones. Think Kal Drogo or Bearded Cap.

Consider this example of a person using “Our Sense of Adventure guideline” below: 

“I’m someone who goes on regular hikes and I know how to push myself. However, I am actually just looking to enjoy a hike with some like minded people this time around. I’d like to enjoy the nature around me but also get to know the individuals I’m hiking with.” 

This person sounds like a 6 or 7 out of 10. 

3. Fear of Heights (on a scale of afraid / nervous / so-so / no problem)

From the previous 2 guidelines, we might have established that we are fit and adventurous enough for the route. But sometimes, the routes that hold wilder views by default will hold  a bit of exposure to heights. 

Even if you had  the most beautiful views in front of you, it could not be appreciated if you are more focused on anchoring one hand onto something stable while looking away from the views. 

Thus, we want to ensure that you recognize your comfortability with heights. 

Afraid – someone with an extreme fear of heights. This person would break down in tears when standing on a ledge.

Nervous – someone who gets nervous when standing close to a drop and prefers to view the drop from a distance. If your palms are getting sweaty just thinking about the drop, this may be the level for you. 

So-so – someone who can stand on a ledge with a big drop quite comfortably. They are comfortable standing near the precipice and soaking in the views. However, caiution does take the regins, and they won’t make any sudden movements while exposed to ledges or drops.

No problem – this person loves testing themselves with heights. They are comfortable with plummets, drops, or mountain’s gaping maws and enjoy activities such as rock climbing, bungee jumping and skydiving. They are adrenaline junkies.

Choosing a route

Now that you know your own abilities, you will be able to choose from all of the great routes we offer. Our routes have a difficulty scale of 1 to 10. This difficulty scale includes the distance (fitness required) and technical aspect (sense of adventure and fear of heights).

• 1 to 3 – Beginner
• 4 – Beginner+
• 5 to 6 – Intermediate
• 7 to 8 – Intermediate+
• 9 to 10 – Advanced

Let us look at some of our routes:

You will notice each route has a difficulty rating out of 10, a basic route description of what to expect and trail details. Using this along with your self-assessment, you will be able to judge if this route is for you.

• By looking at the distance and elevation gain, you can use your fitness assessment to make a decision.
• By looking at the difficulty rating and trail time, you can use your Sense of Adventure assessment to make a decision. 
• By looking at the description of what to expect on the trail, you can use your Fear of Heights and Sense of Adventure assessment to make a decision. 

Lastly, our Grading System is tailored for the confident beginner hiker. If you feel you are completely out of your element, are not active, or have any kind of anxiety, add 2! If you are a seasoned hiker that used to going out on trails back home and “have done Kili twice”, subtract 2!

Happy trails!