BushwalkBushwalk
The stately Wentworth Falls from the National Pass, NSWJohn Walker
Many of my non-bushwalking friends think I have a problem, possibly one that requires an intervention. Maybe you can relate to this particular vice or have sought assistance from it in the past, as it’s something that affects your friends and loved ones as it does mine.
11 Tips For Getting Addicted To Bushwalking … If You Aren’t AlreadyCaro Ryan - Lotsafreshair.com
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Fraser Island beachThomas Hansson
Symptoms include, missing significant birthdays and weddings because they fall on a weekend (can’t people get married on a weeknight?), wearing inappropriate footwear to the office because you’re “breaking them in”, and spending an inordinate amount of time with spreadsheets and a set of kitchen scales.
If some of these sound familiar, I regret to inform you, that you may be addicted to bushwalking.
It’s true, other symptoms may be an increase in overall fitness and general wellbeing, reduced stress levels and the ability to cope with life’s issues as your mental health improves.
As the experts say, the first step to healing is recognising you have a problem. So, to assist others, here’s how I became addicted to bushwalking.
1 Learn that your adventure gland was not removed when you became an adultRemember those games and stories you would lose yourself in as a kid? Playing Secret Seven or Famous Five with the local
kids in the street, building a fort or hut in the bush and imagining you were shipwrecked on an island like Swiss Family Robinson? Bushwalking gives you permission to have these types of adventures as adults, in the bush, navigating, solving problems, relying only on yourself and friends.
2 Realise that exercising is incidental to the wonders around youI don’t know about you, but I was not a sporty kid. Participating in team sports at school was not enjoyable as I felt un-co and as the fat kid, was the last one picked for the team. If I was ever going to have a higher rate of fitness than my parents, I was going to have to find an exercise that I enjoyed. Or go bushwalking, where exercise happens on the way to somewhere else, whilst having an adventure (see point 1).
3 Join a club … or fourI confess, there was a time in my life when I belonged to four bushwalking clubs*. Every club is different and has its own style of walks and demographics that it attracts, but the key benefit is discovering new areas to walk in and opening up your own knowledge of what’s available outside your front door.
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Yes, I know clubs aren’t for everyone, but there’s other options these days such as MeetUp groups and simply your own Facebook page for finding like-minded friends to share time in nature. *now just one!
4 Plan for your personal EverestWhen Matt McClelland, Geoff Mallinson and I put together the Six Foot Track website and Facebook page a few years back, we didn’t do it because it was our favourite walk. In fact, only recently, I found myself speaking with someone who was being apologetic to me about how they didn’t like the track, thinking that he would offend me. He was relieved to learn that I didn’t much like it either (especially day two). The truth is, that trips like the Six Foot Track are “someone’s Everest”, and we wanted to encourage and inspire people to set achievable goals to work towards. Bushwalking is a great way of starting small and building up your skills and fitness to be able to take on ever bigger challenges.
5 It’s a great way to become “a finisher”I started so many things in my youth. Ballet, physical culture, flute lessons, piano lessons, drama club and wait for it … synchronised
swimming. Apart from the piano, I pretty much gave up on everything after a few terms and quit. Generally speaking, quitting isn’t an option when it comes to being half way through a bushwalk. If you’re at the bottom of the infamous Perrys Lookdown in the Grose Valley and you have 600 metres of ascent in front of you, within one kilometre of distance to get to your cars after already walking 20 kilometres, then you learn pretty quickly to find that place, deep inside yourself where you just get on and suck it up … Princess.
6 Feel the wonder of something bigger than yourselfThere’s something about big skies … And small mosses … And singing creeks and the whistle of wind in the casuarinas. Of the first time you see a Wedge Tailed Eagle take flight in front of you, soaring on thermals below you or follow a friendly lyrebird along a track, with full tail display. Or waking in the night, on top of a mountain, to wonder at the satellites and stars overhead, maybe catching a glimpse of the International Space Station and whispering a quiet hello to the people living within.
Cradle Mountain and the Overland Track, TasmaniaCoolendelkid
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Hiker crossing a riverJens Ottoson
7 Slow down to the pace of lifeAny teacher of meditation will tell you that developing an awareness of your breath and being aware of its rhythm, is the starting point to meditation. The art of walking takes this a step further by creating another rhythm, similar to an ancient chant, that helps us focus on being present, rather than letting our minds scurry and dash, filled with myriad issues and conversations (never had and never to have). When walking in nature our pace is ordered and when in tricky off-track areas, the ability to keep our minds on the job is often the key to staying safe.
8 Become aware of your stuffAlthough there’s probably a bit of a gear freak in all of us, being able to live well out of a backpack for extended periods of time (or even just a weekend) is a wonderful way of realising how much stuff we have in our homes. Stuff we often unconsciously buy and accumulate, keep for just in case and then surround ourselves with. We may even come to the conclusion that stuff has a weight to it that can’t be measured in grams or kilograms, yet we assume it brings us happiness.
9 Connect with peopleIn our busy lives where catching up with someone can be a 140 character SMS or simply liking their Facebook post, the bush and it’s quiet allows us to get back to real conversations. It gives us time to ask real questions and not rush to assume the answer, just so we can say the next important thing on our mind. It helps us learn to listen again and to really hear.
10 Try something differentI had a backyard camp dinner with friends last week. We brought our camp stoves and favourite hiking recipe to cook up and share … In suburbia. It allowed us to share the experience with non walking friends and have some laughs along the way. Micro Adventures can happen any day, not just on the weekend, so check out the Micro Adventures site for some inspiration.
11 Find your tribeAnd when it’s all said and done, feel the connection to millions of people, all around the world (and your city) who have discovered a way of life and feel the same way as you.
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