Your body - to enjoy the hike and minimize your injury risk I would suggest building fitness, building strength with load for climbs, knee and ankle strength to decrease injury risk, and balance work to decrease the chance of a fall. Talk to your doctor, physio and/or trainer about whether you have any specific areas that should be prioritised. We are both distance runners, so trained for and ran a hilly marathon three weeks before our Larapinta adventure, ensuring we had good strength and fitness going in. We both also do gym regularly, I do balance work on a daily basis due to fragile bones - I figure if I don't fall, I don't fracture.
Your knowledge - if you and your hiking companions do not have up to date First Aid skills, I would suggest doing a First Aid Course. Carry a first aid kit and know how to use it. Carrying your PLB means you can summon help, but it takes time to find you and get to your location. Knowing how to care for yourself or your companions until help arrives is critical, it may take several hours for help to arrive.
Your itinerary - Respect the times, not the distances. Know what you are like for different types of terrain - we know we are average on flat terrain; faster uphill and slower downhill compared to predicted times of both NT National Parks and the guidebooks by John and Monica Chapman. Use this knowledge in conjunction with the elevation graphs and guidebooks to ensure you allow enough time. Injuries are far more likely if you are rushing or you are tired and the light is fading. This trail is wonderful, but it is not forgiving of errors.
Allow for very hard surfaces underfoot that will limit comfortable kilometres in the first few days while your feet adapt.
Don't underestimate the trail - it is very achievable, but it needs respect and attention. Some parts are steep, both up and down, and narrow, some very hard on the soles of the feet. Large sections require you to pay attention to where your feet are as there are many rocks poking up in the centre of the path or poking diagonally into the path from the side.
Establish an itinerary, make sure someone reliable knows it.
Your communications - Establish with your contact person what communication they should expect from you and define parameters of when they should raise concerns and how.
Example - our young adult son was our contact person. He has been to Central Australia as a child, including sections that can be done as day walks on the Larapinta. He understands that communications can be difficult, the terrain does not always allow a signal and that the landscape is not forgiving if something does go wrong. He took this responsibility very seriously and wanted to make sure he had all the information on what to do and when. We jointly agreed that we would use our Garmin InReach to let him know each morning when we left camp, and each evening when we arrived in camp. He could also see breadcrumbs of our trail updated as we walked. If he did not receive a message (eg because we were in a gorge and could not get a signal out) he would check whether we had moved and if he did not receive a message or see any movement for 24 hours he would raise the alarm. We gave him details for NT National Parks Alice Springs, NT Police Alice Springs and Larapinta Trail Trek Support (LTTS). In addition to our own InReach we had a loan PLB that was part of our package with LTTS. My husband carried the InReach and I carried the PLB, so that even if we were separated in a fall there was a way to summon help. When we changed our plans compared to the initial itinerary we had supplied, we sent an extra message to let our son know the new plan.
Your food - ensure you have enough food for your planned days, plus one for emergencies (and any essential medicine). Drop boxes on the Larapinta give an opportunity to add in items and types of food that are too heavy or bulky to carry in your pack. Hits for us were long life chocolate milk, tinned fruit, chips (but only in small quantities) and lemonade. Allow extra calories if the forecast is colder, more salts and electrolytes if hot. I would also suggest having some bonus calories available for after the water crossing in Hugh Gorge if you get cold easily. I am small and get cold very easily. Even though my husband did the back-and-forth shuffle with the packs it took me a full two hours of hiking to warm back up after the water crossing.
Your gear - ideally pretest all your gear with a shakeout hike a few weeks before. If you don't have the time or opportunity, take out each item and thoroughly inspect it for wear and tear and decide if it needs replacement. If you are unsure that it can achieve what is needed and it is essential, replace it. (See separate post on how much wear and tear boots will get on the Larapinta.) If the item is nice to take but not essential, decide whether it is worth the weight to you. We will all make different decisions on our weight priorities - if you are the one carrying it, it is your decision, don't be overly influenced by what other say is worth it or not worth it. I personally would never carry a hiking chair no matter how light weight, simply because even at home I will usually opt to sit cross-legged on the floor. Others find their hiking chairs invaluable and would happily go without something else to bring them - whatever has value to you and allows you to enjoy the journey.
Your mind - Be ready for a challenge. Be ready to feel how tiny humans are in both time and space. Be ready to be stunned by the beauty and scale of this landscape. Enjoy!
