And then in the early to mid forties she became pole curious. The bravado of youth was fading with the intermittent niggles in her left knee. She started posing questions and watching the mantis-like formation of walkers, passing her out on the track.
Category Archives: bushwalking
Walking the long light
By the time you feel thirsty, you are already behind, already running a deficit that your body has been quietly accumulating for the better part of an hour (or day!).
Otway Guides and Shuttle Transport service
Otway Guides and Shuttle Service is now operational.
Quote: A la sainte terre
Hiking – “I don’t like either the word or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains – not hike! Do you know the origin of that word ‘saunter?’ It’s a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in theContinue reading “Quote: A la sainte terre”
With Swag & Billy
H J Tompkins HJ Tompkins is to New South Wales as Robert Henderson Croll is to Victoria in terms of pioneering bushwalking and writing. Published in 1906, ” With Swag & Billy” was Australia’s very first bushwalking (hiking) manual and guidebook. Packed with hints on equipment, provisions and hiking tips borne from long experience trampingContinue reading “With Swag & Billy”
The Complete Walker
This essay by club member, Sam Larsen in 1961, is a lesson in aspiration. It’s a blueprint to the olde ways of bushwalking before our society was dumbed down by labour saving devices. He is gifting us the tried and tested techniques to thrive in the outdoors, gifting us some preparation dot points.
The Walkers High – Entering Flow
The runner’s high is well documented with testimonials and scientific reasoning. It is the state of euphoria that overcomes the runner after a period of exertion. Athletes report a lapse in anxiety and a higher pain threshold. Strangely, it does not manifest in all runners. As a walker I am interested in the translation ofContinue reading “The Walkers High – Entering Flow”
Personal Transformation through Long Distance walking
The Order is an enthusiastic proponent of distance walking. In the modern world it’s a hard sell to convince people to invest a day or days in a simple but long walking journey of which the fruits are mostly realised after the event and over time. This is a 2013 Australian study of long distanceContinue reading “Personal Transformation through Long Distance walking”
Feet across Australia – A daring 2300 km walk across Australia
When 2 brothers and 3 girls spent 4 months crossing the continent on foot by an inland route in 1973, they became the first recorded party to do so since Burke and Wills. They were also probably the first in which all party member walked every step of the way and still remain as the only party to cross the final salt-flats and mangroves (two more camps) and stand on the beach of the Gulf of Carpentaria. A ‘highlight’ of the walk was their struggle along the flooded Birdsville Track.
A Journey On Country.
“Knowledge and skills trump equipment, so learn as much as you can” – Gordon Dedman, Bushcraft Survival Australia. Dangerous ideas are contained within. Enter at own risk. This essay addresses the modern dilemma of PLB’s, sat phones, personal responsibility, preparation and mortality. If you have ever thought about the olde ways on expedition, you should invest some time with this opinion piece.
