Always pack your headtorch

I started drawing this “map” while I was bouncing around in the back of Johannes’ ute. The ute was zooming along Paterson Forest Road, towards Mount Allyn Lookout. Johannes had heard reports of a spectacular waterfall and gorge on the Paterson River.  He wasn’t sure exactly where the gorge would be – so he hatched…

Tongariro Northern Circuit

I flew to New Zealand with a backpack that was 2 feet taller that I am. Inside the bag was all my camping gear, all my mountain biking gear, and a second set of adventuring equipment for my little brother. He has been working in NZ for a few years, and this was my first…

MS Gong Ride 2017 – We made it!

Earlier this year, a message popped up on my phone. It was a link to the MS Gong Ride website and the word “Keen” with a question mark after it. A bunch of climbing friends were thinking about forming a team, and wanted to know if I would join them. It’s an event where you…

Learning to fly

Dirtbagjens just spent a week learning to fly with the fine folks at Manilla Paragliding. Now that he is home safe… and both our mothers know the truth about his antics… I can finally share this short edit that he put together one day when there was too much wind. Stay tuned for stories about…

The long approach to nowhere

For a long time, I never really understood why people went bush walking. It just seemed like a long, slow way to suffer. As a kid, I would sit in the back of our family car, as we drove down roads surrounded by dry scrub or lush rainforest.  My parents would comment on how beautiful…

13 Reasons to Rant about Travel

Originally posted on doctormowgli:
An article popped up on my social media feed recently.  It listed 13 reasons why I shouldn’t worry about stupid things like money or security, and should ‘just travel’ instead. As I read through the list, I felt a familiar rage building up inside me.  Want to know why? Cracks neck,…

Plastic boats and plastic oceans

Last month I signed myself up for a Marine Debris Kayaking Challenge off Kooragang Island.  My new-found love of kayaking had run headlong into my guilt for always declining my friends’ repeated invites to Hunter Intrepid Landcare events. I had run out of excuses. It was time to give it a go. This was the…

A new obsession

A few weeks ago, I wrote that I wasn’t sure how I felt about the white water kayaking. Since then, I have bought a second-hand paddle and a second-hand boat.  I have had unexpected paddling lessons from friendly Olympians and I’ve been around the whitewater course in an inflatable boat more times than I can count.  I have had…

Upsidedown, underwater and a bit uncertain

Dear Kayaking I’m still not sure how I feel about you. I could learn to love you. But it will have to be that creepy-upy kind of love. You see, rock climbing took me in right away. It was love at first sight. Climbing provided me with a constant stream of reassurance.  Each time I…

We went chasing waterfalls

For a long time I only had one CD in my car.  It was one of the Triple J’s Like a Version albums. It got played on climbing trips, camping trips and trips to the supermarket. One of the songs was a cover of the TLC song, Waterfalls.  If you want to listen to it,…

50 shades of green

I spent most of my time in Germany marvelling at how insanely green everything was. I am used to the steely bluish-green of eucalyptus leaves.  I am used to the faded green of tired sun-bleached sugar cane.  I am used to dark green sea-weed on white sandy beaches. But the bright greens of the forests…

Bumbling round the ‘bungles

It all started on a dark and stormy night. The rain was closer to horizontal than vertical when Bekket and I locked the front door of our sharehouse behind us. We exchanged cheeky grins and  a quick thumbs up, then sprinted down the street to the spot where Bekket’s car was parked. The back of the car was…