Australian Hiker

It’s early 2020 and Australia has had a hell of a start to the year. First we had a summer full of bushfires that have impacted much of the country, destroying large sections of the bushland that we as hikers spend so much of our time exploring. If that wasn’t enough just as the opportunity to return to the bush presented itself we have the Coronavirus and with it, the ability to access many of our walks has again been curtailed but clearly for a different reason. There are so many other more mundane reasons within our day to day lives that prevent us from hiking. So when you find yourself unable to hike, what can you do to keep yourself engaged with the outdoors? Let’s look at some options. www.australianhiker.com.au

The Bondi to Manly Walk was officially opened in December 2019, formalising a pre-existing route into a standalone walk. It showcases Sydney Harbour and includes water views, bushland, residential cut-throughs, historic and Aboriginal heritage, and beach sections. This is truly one of the worlds great urban walks, all within the city confines. How you choose to walk this trail is up to you and it is very much a ‘choose your own adventure'; you can take as long as you like.  This episode discusses my three day trip, day by day, and to get the best from this podcast follow along with the written review here.

In this episode we catch catch up with musicians Mickey and Michelle who are currently hiking the 3,000km New Zealand Te Araroa Trail, playing gigs as they go. When we first caught up with them in episode 124 they were just about to start this amazing trail and now around five months later they have completed just over 2,200km with around 750 km left. Find out about the trail, the highs and lows, the scenery, and the people as they head towards the finish line. www.australianhiker.com.au

It's Saturday morning and the weather is perfect so you decide to head off to a local National Park with friends to do a hike. Nothing complex, but it's more than just a 20 minute walk and you may or may not have a phone signal so you start thinking about what you will take with you. This hike won't require any overnight equipment such as a tent or sleeping bag but you're not really sure what you should take. This is where it can get confusing - take too little or take the wrong things and you may not be comfortable. Take too much and the result is the same. So what should you take on a day hike? www.australianhiker.com.au

In this episode we catch up with Lucy Barnard and Wombat from Tangles and Tail as they make their way from the bottom of South America to the top of North America. This 30,000 km journey will take Lucy around 5-6 years to complete and if successful, she will be the first women to do so. The last time we caught up with Lucy and Wombat was in September 2019 when they were just about to enter Ecuador. So it's been four months since our last chat with Lucy and she has now completed just on 10,000 km. Today we catch up with her in Tulcan, Ecuador in early March 2020 prior to her last leg in South America before entering Colombia and progressing on to Central America.  You can listen to our previous episodes with Lucy here: 108-Tangles and tail: an interview with Lucy Barnard May 2019 126-Catching up with Tangles and Tail: September 2019

In this week's episode we catch up with Annie Connor who is a keen Canberra-based hiker and who has spent over 20 years hiking throughout Australia, New Zealand and overseas including treks such the Larapinta Trail and the Annapurna Base Camp.  Towards the end of 2019, Annie completed the Everest Base Camp Trek and as this trek sits on many people’s bucket lists, we wanted to catch up with Annie to find out all about her experience. www.australianhiker.com.au

If you hike with children or are just into board and card games then this is the episode for you. There are literally hundreds of choices available for playing games when out hiking and in this weeks podcast episode we look at some options that wont weight you down and are simple to learn and to play. While you wont necessarily take all of these with you on a single hike having one or two of them in your pack may save your sanity if you are tent bound for an extended period due to bad weather. www.australianhiker.com.au

In episode 135 we discussed what the life of an adventure photographer/videographer was like. In this weeks episode we talk to Craig Sheather about about being a travel and guide book writer including what's involved with getting articles and books to print, and how he got into this field. Www.Australianhiker.com.au

In this our first episode for 2020 we take a look at the impacts that the current bushfires gripping many parts of Australia at the time of this podcast are having on hiking and what this may mean for the longer term. In addition, hiking is receiving a boost from state governments so we review proposed walking trails due to open later in 2020 as well as others scheduled for future years and discuss why the NSW Government in particular, is investing in these new trails. www.australianhiker.com.au

Mobile apps have become such a familiar part of life that there is an app for just about everything. And hiking is no exception. In this episode we have collected together a range of apps for hikers to make your life easier. Our list isn’t exhaustive by any means with the options only limited by your imagination! Listen to our episode to find out more. www.australianhiker.com.au

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a professional adventure videographer and photographer? To wander the world and be paid to video and photograph some amazing scenery and individuals doing some amazing things. In this episode we talk to Danyal Taylor whose job is just that and find out a bit of what his life is like and what it takes to do his job. www.australianhiker.com.au

The problem when choosing a sleeping bag is the huge range of choice we have available on the market. There are hundreds of bags available in the retail stores and online. When choosing a sleeping bag there are some key considerations that come into the mix and in this episode we discuss what to look for in selecting a sleeping bag for your camping needs. www.australianhiker.com.au

Located on the far southern coast of NSW the 31 km Light to Light Walk is one that while well known by many, still remains a bit of a hidden gem. Over the weekend just gone we chose to do this amazing walk in a single day but for most people a 2-3 day version is the norm. In this episode you can hear our on trail recordings of how our day went and at the end of the podcast we discuss logistical issues surrounding transport and accomodation and make recommendations on options that will suit all levels of hikers. We recommend that as you listen to this podcast you follow along with the written version of this walk that contains plenty of images of what we are seeing. The written version complete with images of this walk can be found here.

If you have been involved in the outdoors for any length of time then chances are you have heard of Outward Bound. Outward Bound has been providing eduction in the outdoors for over 70 years and they don't just teach you about being outdoors, they also help you learn more about yourself as an individual. In this episode we talk to Helen at the National headquarters in Tharwa, on the Southern edge of Canberra city about what they do and the services they offer. www.australianhiker.com.au

On 11 November 2019 Australian Hiker celebrated its third birthday. In this episode we reflect on our past year and where we are heading into the future. As the request of our listeners we also provide an overview of some key aspects in getting the Australian Hiker podcast to air. www.australianhiker.com.au

It’s that time of the year again when you start to look for presents for that hiking fanatic in your life; maybe it's you? In this episode we focus on the best and brightest that has been released over the past year and those iconic status items that all hikers would be pleased to own ranging from the inexpensive to the grand gesture. Have a listen to see if you can pick up any ideas. www.australianhiker.com.au

When you start hiking and camping there is so much to learn. What gear do you buy, how do you deal with food, where are the good walks to do and last but not least how do I go to the toilet in the bush? In this episode we discuss going to toilet on a hike, the process and the do's and don'ts (pun intended) to hopefully give you a bit of peace of mind if you haven't needed to consider this basic function before.

In this episode we review a series of hiking and outdoor movies that we have watched over 2019 as well as some outdoor based books that we have read. If you are into the outdoors and are looking something to do on those non hiking days then consider these options. Leading up into Christmas these books and videos make great options for the hiker in your family even if thats you! www.australianhiker.com.au

Start talking about food options for hiking and it’s amazing how quickly the conversation becomes heated as individuals passionately defend their preferred meal options and tell you why your choices are wrong. This is definitely a topic I try to avoid when at camp in the evening. Having said that I do have my preferences and as much as I like cooking and eating well when I’m at home, I prefer to keep things simple when I’m on the trail. While my main meals tend to be freeze dried I also integrate dehydrated food into the mix. This podcast discusses the pros and cons of using dehydrated food and provides a few suggestions for dehydrating. www.australianhiker.com.au

In this episode we catch up with Lucy Barnard from Tangles and Tail who is walking the length of the world from the bottom of South America to the top of North America. This 30,000 km journey will take her around 5-6 years to complete. It's been over four months since we last talked with Lucy and we catch up with her in San Ignacio, Peru where she has a two day journey before she leaves Peru and enters Ecuador. www.australianhiker.com.au