It's May... and for me that means "hike season" is officially open!
As some of you know, I’m a little fond of hiking.
WAAYYYY back in 2019, my lovely friend Amanda asked me and my hubby Scott if we’d like to do the Overland Track in Tasmania with her and her hubby. Remote hiking, no internet, carrying all your own food and sleeping gear… and no opportunity for a shower for 6–7 days.
I hadn’t “properly” hiked since my high school years, but hey… I do love a little adventure.
So we started our preparations down in Cape Jervis, unknowingly stepping onto what would become the rabbit hole that is hiking the Heysen Trail.
Then February 2020 rolled around and we headed to Tassie.
Horizontal rain and hail on Day 1 had us seriously questioning our life choices. Proper winter hiking conditions. But wow… what an experience.
We stepped off that trail several kilos lighter, with no feeling in my toes and — joy of joys — plantar fasciitis that hung around for the next four years!
Back in Adelaide, COVID hit. And when restrictions finally relaxed, we found ourselves back out on the Heysen Trail again.
Getting out into nature has always been therapeutic for me. When teenage angst got on top of me, a walk along Somerton Beach always seemed to reset my nervous system before I even knew what a nervous system was.
Hiking does the same thing for me now.
It helps me slow down. Be present. Breathe deeper. Notice things.
And from a lymphatic perspective? Movement is GOLD.
Our lymphatic system relies on movement, muscle contraction and deep breathing to help move fluid through the body. Unlike the cardiovascular system, there’s no heart pumping lymph around for us. Movement is the pump.
And during winter, it can be very easy to become a little… stagnant.
We tend to move less, stay indoors more, sit under blankets more (no judgement here — I’m absolutely guilty of this too). But often that’s when we start noticing more heaviness, stiffness, puffiness, pain or sluggishness in the body.
Movement doesn’t need to mean hiking 20km through the bush carrying a backpack!
It might simply mean:
- gentle walks
- stretching
- strength training
- dancing in the kitchen
- rebounding
- yoga
- swimming
- gardening
- getting outside in the sunshine for 10 minutes
The “best” movement is the one you’ll actually do consistently.
Last year we headed overseas to visit family in the UK and decided to detour through Spain to hike the final 100km of the Camino de Santiago.
If you haven’t heard of it before, the Camino is a Catholic pilgrimage walk with many different routes, the most popular being the French Way.
It was such a different experience to hiking in Australia. The final section winds through small towns and villages along beautifully worn paths, with pilgrims from all over the world sharing the journey.
And shout out to Joy and Lionel — the incredible “80-somethings” we met from Ocean Grove, Victoria. It was Joy’s 8th time hiking the French Way and Lionel’s 6th!
Honestly… absolutely inspirational.
Back in Australia, I rounded out 2025’s hike season with a few more sections of the Heysen Trail, hitting the halfway mark with around 600km completed.
This weekend I’m back on the trail again, this time north of Burra to complete another 48km, with plans to walk around 200km over the next few months.
Whilst I’m not always a fan of the longer remote sections, as we head further north that’s what’s required due to access and reroutes.
But I always try to stay present and soak in the scenery because honestly… our state is BEAUTIFUL.
So as we head into the cooler months, consider this your gentle reminder to keep moving in whatever way feels good for your body.
Your lymphatics will thank you for it.
What are your plans over winter to keep yourself moving?
