WOW! What an eye opener

Okay, a little back history first.  After Christmas last year my wife and I decided that we needed change our diets, exercise routing and outlook towards what we are teaching our kids about the first 2 topics.

So for 9 months now I have been eating right and going to the gym 2-3 times a week plus as part of my hike training I have been cycling to work 2 or 3 times a week.  I consider myself in peak physical condition at the moment.  Even in high school when I was playing lots of sport etc I wasn't in this condition.

But let me say, all this preparation still didn't prepare me for this weekend.

Thursday night, I picked up Dad from the Melbourne airport and we drove direct to Rawson, pulled into the local park and put the back seats of the Wrangler down.  Surprisingly good 5 hours or so of sleep.

Worked out well as toilet facilities, a covered rotunda to make breakfast while it rained a little and a chance to repack Dads bag as he had brought a couple of his own things, sleeping bag etc. were all the perfect start to the morning.  We arrived in Walhalla at 8am, dry, well fed and with well balanced packs.  This may not have been the case if we had camped out in Walhalla thursday night.

The first 3 hours of the hike is a relatively easy walk along a dirt walking path formerly occupied by a train track for the mining rushed of the mid 1900's.  We started this stretch at about 489 metres above sea level and found we slowly dropped to approximately 400m by the time we arrived at Poverty Point Bridge.

Although this was not a difficult 9 kilometres it was an awaking for my whole body.  It has been 13 years or more since I have had a pack on my back so this was a real awakening as I though in my condition it would have been easier.  It was not.

From Poverty Point Bridge, which crosses 48metres above the Thomson River, we began to follow the trail which now followed the Thomson River north west.  We spent about 30 minutes bush bashing thru medium density scrub with the 50 plus metres drop down to the Thomson right at the edge of the trail.  This side of the river was also in direct sun, at 27 degrees and high humidity we could have rented ourselves out to stand on a golf course and spin to water their grass.

Then starts the climb,  for the next 2 hours we walked up hill fighting the hot sun from 400m to 578m above sea level over a 2.8 km distance.  Unfortunately we forgot to stop and have lunch so buy the time we reached the top of the climb at the Thomson Valley Rd, we had lost 5 kilo each, had run out of energy, our bodies were screaming to just shoot each other so the pain would stop and our packs were still full weight (about 22 kilos).

Road side lunch fixed some of the issues, about 60grams of vacuum sealed Pepperini Salami each and the same portion of orange cheddar cheese with crackers gave us the energy to put the packs back on.

The next 1.5 hours were a slow down hill to about 400m over 1.8km of which .8km was bush bashing and spider web eating! I was at the front, I think Dad avoided the webs.

Welcome to O'Shea's Mill Camp.  We decided this would be enough for today and to make this our night 1 camp.  We also decided to not go further as the next day would take us from 400m to 1250m.  We were not ready for that. So we no longer would hike on Sunday but return home Saturday night so Dad could see the grandchildren.

We set up tent, ate our dehydrated vegetable, chicken and rice soup/stew and went to bed at 7pm even though we still had another hour or so of light.  Beep Beep Beep.  I had phone reception..... the message reads as follows.

FROM MEEGS - Severe thunderstorm warning, hail, lightning, flooding just issued for your area - take care LOVE YOU.

Did I mention we had set the tent up about 5 metres from a healthy creek, surrounded by massive gum trees in an area where that the entire walk in was littered with warning signs that trees fall easy due to fire damage a couple years ago and wash outs & rock slides are common.  Sweat dreams!

About 4 hours of our evening, of which we slept through most of it only waking when the thunder moved us, was filled with rain heavy enough that we could see about 1 inch of water rushing through the vestibule of our tent.  The sky was a light show which shook us at will, the real problem was we were never really sure whether that crack was thunder or a 100m tree about to crush us into a distant memory.

We woke up, ate breakfast and started back out which of course is just a reverse of the day before which means the first 1.5 hours was a slow up hill bush bash back to Thomson Valley Road, then a much quicker down hill to Poverty Point Bridge and a hard slog back to the car at Walhalla.

Did I mention it was still raining fairly heavy, the scrub was soaked and because of this so were we.  We remembered lunch this time and when we stopped I decided to ring out some of my clothes to reduce my weight.  Easily lost 100ml of water by doing so.


Arriving at Walhalla, we had a surprise in store which reminded me that this is all worth it and I can't wait for November 2012.  As we arrived at the start of the trail in Walhalla we met Stuart Wheeler & Michael Dawson....... they were starting the End to End from Walhalla to Canberra today! Awesome.  They will send me their track notes upon their return and I was so energised to see someone else start their journey.  Good luck and enjoy your trip guys.

Check out the rig Stuart will use to carry his gear.  Interesting, will research this trolley more and get his opinion of it when he returns.

Long weekends - Yippee!

Well here starts the journey.  This weekend will be the first on a number of 3 trips scheduled for late October/November.

One of the main reasons for starting my blog 12 months before the real adventure starts on November 5 2012 is that I knew I had a number of treks, hikes, camps planned for the upcoming months which would show all my followers some of the beautiful countryside that will be my playground for 35-40 days straight.

Hillside mining Town of Walhalla 

This evening at 11pm my father will be arriving at Melbourne airport from Adelaide, we will be driving direct to Walhalla, a short 3hr drive at these times of night. (No freeway traffic)  Friday, Saturday and Sunday till noon we will be on the Australian Alps Walking Trail.

Although I have done a couple hours with my kids in the last couple months, this will be the first time I will have a full pack with gear that doesn't move..... My 2 year old boy has been in on my back in a carrier when we do this and with all the excitement of birds, trees & old mines he doesn't keep still.

The carrier is probably too small now for our 21 kilo man child (2yrs old) but it adds to the challenge of taking the kids up the hills!

I was hoping the budget would have allowed for the purchase of a small video camera so I could do some product reviews while out there, i have bought some stuff and some of them I've never used before and will be learning on the fly during this weekends journey.

I'll have to talk to the Boss, and see if she will let us spend a couple more dollars.  

From a communication point of view, this weekend is a long weekend and I have taken a couple more days to do this and a family camping trip from Sunday till Tuesday so the next update won't be till Wednesday.

Also, I am very excited to tell you all that there will now be multiply contributors to the blog.  

The boss, Megan Belanger will be providing stories from her perspective which is very exciting.  I hope she will be honest!  

Kyle Staples is my technical support in all areas of life, when I need to change batteries in the remotes at home I call up Kyle for instructions.  He will be writing article on our adventures and products reviews.

Tim Marsden, my partner in crime, my journeyman, the guy who will be the back spoon in my tent for 35-40 days next year as we together try to make it through the AAWT adventure without asking "is that your flashlight too" (movie reference).  Tim will have adventure updates as well as product reviews.

I look forward (as should you all) to reading their posts and I'm really excited to have them all onboard in support of this blog and all of our future adventures.

Black Wolf - McKinley

  

What is in a brand?

Why do these catchy names and logos trigger something deep within us that says "I must have...this is the best product available and will change how I experience life.

Anyone who knows me know I'm a marketing executives perfect target.  If I can be convinced (which is easy) with an inspirational ad campaign or a funny slogan or even see someone famous with one, I am buying it.

I remember about 8-9 years ago when Enrique Iglesias started date Anna Kournikova, Enrique wore a blue Abercrombie t-shirt with the head of a Indian chief patch on the chest.  I have one like that now.  Somehow I feel like I am dating Anna Kournikova every time I wear it.

Back to the outdoors.  Over the years I have found that one brand keeps pulling on my product strings and makes me feel like everything they make I have to buy.  The name itself makes me think of extreme adventures, wildlife and adrenalin.  Of course it says those things it an outdoor gear company but above all other brands I can't explain why, I just want to buy all their gear and its starts with the love affair with the brand itself.

Looking through my camping gear I already use some of the sleeping products, bags etc but in preparation for this trip I started to visit a couple of local hiking shops around my home & work.  I also  have been reading up online on what weight is suitable to carry over long adventures such as the AAWT and also spoke to my Chiropractor, Dr Michael Haworth of Rosanna Chiropractic.

After reviewing all the advise I have decided that the 1/3rd of my body weight rule will apply to me on my quest.  At 96 kilos I am able to take a maximum of 32 kilos on my back.  But seriously who really wants to carry that much on their back for 35- 40 days!  So my research began into products that are both durable for the journey as well as lightweight so as to reduce the energy required to complete our daily objectives.   

                                                    

At best guess I figured a 75 litre pack would do my purposes fine and had tried on a number of them before asking a local shop to get my in a Black Wolf 75 McKinley.  The guys at Aussie Disposals at Hawthorn were really helpful and when my pack arrived in shop assisted me to pack it full of similar gear as my own to really give some weight to it as I tried it on.  It became very apparent that I in fact would be better of with a 85 litre pack which they also ordered in for me without any charges or fuss.  

Of course these days there are features which most packs include as standard, hydration compatible internal pocket, external headphone ports, built in rain cover, water proof zips and adjustable everything. But beyond the great branding and standard inclusions why have I decided on Black wolfs McKinley?

It came down to 3 things, comfort, access and a clever addition.

Comfort, the Mckinley comes with a Micro Glide Gel Harness.  Whilst normal harness padding materials breakdown, the expectation on this harness is that the gel will continue to move and form with you and provide the cushioning long term that material based padding will not.  I also found the waist strap portion of the harness to be very comfortable.  As I want as much of the weight being carried on my hips as possible (off my shoulders) this was very important.

Access, the Mckinley comes with a front entry dual zip to the main of 2 compartments.  My thoughts behind this is that when setting up camp I would rather just open the face of the pack and grab everything I need instead of having to completely unpack in the search for my cutlery set at the bottom of the bag!

Clever addition, is some what of a novelty but what can I say I'm a sucker for something a little different.

On the face of the bag are 2 walking pole holders for my poles.  When I'm not used them to cross rivers or pull myself up a climb I can simply clip them to my pack with the convenience of knowing everything    

is on my pack still and I have not left anything behind.

Short story is that this thursday my father is coming over from Adelaide and we are going to go out for a couple days to have a look at the first couple days of the AAWT from Walhalla and I can't wait to try out the new bag and some of the other new gear I have recently bought.  Further demonstrations and write up will follow on the other products and why I have bought them.

Fun for all ages

For everyone that has read last weeks "Food- shrink it then expand it" you will know whats happening when I say I bought my own piece of medieval information extractor.  And I even got the whole family to help out.

Its a typical spring saturday afternoon in Melbourne.  Dark grey clouds covering the skyline and it only will rain if you open the front door to leave the house.  If you stay in side for long enough the sun will even come out, of course only until you put your shoes on and reach for the door.  At this stage it will start raining again.

We decided to use our new $19.95 apple corer, peeler & slicer.

I won't say where I bought it because the saleswoman didn't actually know its functions.  It describes 2 of them on the box!

As you can see we cored, peeled and sliced 5 apples into equally thin slices.  It is important to have them equal so that the dehydration process in consistent through out the entire batch of food, I wouldn't want to get sick from eating the thicker piece that didn't dry out fully.

We also coated the apples in lemon juice, freshly squeezed.  It's important to use fresh fruit in dehydration as it keeps the flavours crisp and enjoyable.  After allowing the apple slices to soak in 1 cup of Lemon juice to 4 cups of room temperate water we rinsed them through a strainer and used towels to absorb any surface moisture left on the apples.

As 5 apples only made 2.5 trays of fruit to dry out we also took to the pineapple with the carving knife and soon had all 5 trays ready to dry.  Again, 135 degrees is the recommended temperature for these 2 fruits.  Apples in our area of the world ( humidity levels change the time required for dehydration) are about 14 hrs to dry where as the pineapples will need to hang in there for another 2 hours longer.

As is evident above, the drying process significantly reduces the size and weight of the fruit.  These will now form part of my trail mix blend for next months short training sections in which I plan to take some newly purchased gear for a test run.

What have I learned today.  Kids love knives! We all love machines that do 3 jobs in one and no matter what age you are too much fruit, especially tropical fruits like pineapple, will give you an upset tummy....... and mouth ulcers.

Food - shrink it then expand it.

How perspective and age has changed me.  Growing up there was no more feared days in the week than when my mother would pack us into the car and drive us to her friends houses to can, dry or crush... fruit mostly but anything that was preservable basically.  Now when I say feared, that is not because I didn't like the families we were visiting but it was the sheer length or the day that wore us out as kids and board us into a sleep by the end of the afternoon.

I'm sure some of the tools they were using had been preserved themselves from the dark ages and were in fact tools used on traitors to the Crown to extract secrets in a pain full and inhumane manner.  See below for proof!

Of course now that I understand the benefits of food preparation I am on board 100%.  As everyone can appreciate if Tim Marsden and I are going to walk for approximately 35 days (still working out exact itinerary) and we will need to eat constantly we have a fair task ahead of us in planning not only nutritious meals but light weight meals.

The goals is to only carry 900grams of food per person, per day plus about 3litres of water per day which will need to be sourced en route.  Food drops will still be required to be organised before departure and placed along 4x4 tracks near our trails.

Step 1 in this endeavour has been the purchase of "Excalibur"(PS make sure to say "excalibur" in a deep manly & meaningful voice as you puff out your chest and make a serious face, writing and reading it in bold isn't enough).  Now "Excalibur" I know you are all thinking must be a great hiking knife to slay our own game meat while on the trail, or maybe a gun that has the glistening shine on it when you draw it on a sunny afternoon so are able to take out small animals but alas it is far more exciting............... it is my " food dehydrator"! Awesome!

This week had been very exciting as Megan, my wife, advised me she had prepared a number of items for me to dehydrate. spaghetti sauce, fruit roll ups, and has purchased heaps more fruit, and meat as well for jerky.

Attempt 1 - Fruit roll ups, I made 2 separate batches of fruit mixes.  Mix 1 consists 2/3rd's of a blender of cut up washed Granny Smith apples and 1/3rd of fresh washed purple grapes, type unknown... Costco type! Before reading closely the instruction manual about fruit roll ups I added a healthy amount of granulated sugar and 2 scoops of protein to the mix.

Mix 2 was all Granny Smith apples but I added a healthy amount of cinnamon. I figured that in an apple blend if I went soft on the cinnamon it would just be over powered by the apples, let me say this was one   thing I actually got right.

I through everything in the blender and off we went.  Once the separate mixes were a nice creamy consistency I spread a mound of the blend onto the non stick tray linings and spread the mixture using a icing spreader thing.  Kitchen tool identification is not my strong suit.

While these were in the dehydrator I decided to read more about what I was doing.  First error I find is that you do not add granulated sugars to fruit roll ups as a sweetener as it makes the roll ups hard.  The end effect is that I had fruit chips.  They worked just as well I must say so nothing is waisted and were very tasty.  Monday evening gathering with some friends was a testament to that as they were all eaten and a friend even took some home in a snap lock bag.

Is it unmanly to think this tool is awesome.  I didn't get it with original purchase but now that I have seen how important it is for everything to be evenly cut or spread if its going to be dried out, I think I will have to get a hold of one.

Attempt 2.

Last night we dehydrated home made spaghetti sauce.  Again the idea is to reduce the water content from the foods as that can be added en route but still maintain really energising meals on the trail.  I don't think 2 minute noodles will give me the power to get up some of the inclines.

We took the batch of home made sauce and blended again to a creamy consistency and again placed on the "Paraflex" sheets and placed in the dehydrator for 14 hours at 135 degrees.  admittedly when I got home there was still 4 hours on the clock but 3 or my 5 sheets were dehydrated and maybe even starting to cook! not what I'm after so I took them out, broke them up into chips and vacuum sealed them for safe storage.  I will try these out for dinner this weekend and over November while I am away and see what the flavour and end result it.  Here's hoping!

If anyone has any home made dehydration recipe's they like me to try out and report back on I am willing to try and do it justice.

An interesting resource that I have been reading in the backpacking chef.  He comes from the area in the USA where we grew up hiking as a family when we were kids.  check out his site below.

http://www.backpackingchef.com/

Wild Brumbies, don't be a Red Hartebees

When it comes to the Australian Alps there is not a lot of large game style animals that would be concerning like in North America.

I remember growing up we would walk into the log cabins in the Mountains of Vermont at about midnight by torch light, or flash lights as we call them in Canada.  My father, sister and I along with 4 or 5 uncles plus a couple cousins would pack up the gear and hike in the blackness of a early october night and if anyone heard anything remotely large moving in the bushes it was, " TORCHES OFF, SHHH, SHHH" as we all turned off our flash lights and looked at each other, not really sure if we should be scared or not.



30 seconds later, the possible threat had apparently left and we were okay to continue on our journey as no doubt the local wildlife continued to look at us as meals on heals.  Of course the reality often was very disturbing as in the middle of the night, which of course was only hours later, while we were sleeping on hardwood bunk beds provided in solid log cabins we would feel the building moving.  I remember one time the wall I was sleeping agains moved me as the bear on the other side of the wall was trying in indicate to me that he owned me and would appreciate it if I would save him some effort and just step out side for a chat! Dad would repeatedly assure us that the Bear is just scratching his back, I'm sure he was right.



And too be honest, bears have an unappreciated sense of humour.  Often the following morning there would be a Bear pooh the size of a 8 year old boy, which at the time was about my size.  I think he just wanted to show me who he ate last.


But thank goodness my 35 days in the Australian Alps won't have such menacing creatures.  I just hope that the Wild Brumbies we come across aren't pen pals with this Red Hartebee! See attached link.


 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2oymHHyV1M&feature=share

Bay in a day, and maybe some of the evening!

So the official "Bay in a Day" with well defined courses, road blocks and provided lunch was Sunday.  We did not take that option, we ventured out on our own route, mixed it up with traffic and bought our own lunch! Approximately 230km of energy bars, spandex and good times.

We left Southern Cross station a little late due to some late arrivals but were soon into the rhythm that would be our destiny for 9.5 hrs of leg burning madness.  Excluded from the below photo is Sam Fulmizi....someone had to hold the iphone.

 As you can tell by the sleek athletic figures of my counterparts, I was going to be the riding at the back of this group hoping a tail wind would push me along whilst completely skip the others!  Hats off to you boys, you can all ride.

As strong head wind kept us on the leash for the first 95km to Geelong but as soon as we turned onto Bellarine Highway the tail wind definitely added another 10-13km per hour onto our pace.  Past rides to this point had proven to be filled with tire changes but thankfully at we were yet to experience any mechanical issues.

On arrival in Queenscliff at around 12:15pm, fish & chips, Souvlaki & Powerade's were the days main selections for lunch.  Great spot Queenscliff, a must for any visitor to the Melbourne area and for locals Victorians a real peaceful place for a weekend away. Time for the ferry. A pleasant 45 minute crossing found us docking at Sorrento after recharging the batteries.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!

After the nap we started back towards Melbourne refreshed and adrenalised by the idea that we were on the home stretch and that the wind had turn slightly to continue to provide a strong tailwind.  Winding through the costal roads of numerous towns, Rye, Dromana, Mt Martha etc it soon because to tempting for the real talent of this voyage to stretch their legs.  We won't name names but I was not one of them.  Perfectly acceptable behaviour - everyone is there to have fun & I sure don't want to be the party pooper and asks everyone to hang back.

Unfortunately this was also around the time that everyone who was tracking our course with their phones realised that their phones had gone dead so we in fact have no recorded times and distances for the day.  On that basis - I arrived first in record time.... I swear!

With a couple extra stop overs I made it back to Southern cross with my riding partner.  Let me tell everyone he helped get me home as I had hit the wall .... a couple times.  I'm not sure if he wants to be know as one of the back riders so I will leave him anonymous.  But thanks mate.

3 days on and what lessons were learnt which can apply to my AAWT adventure?  Hiking will not require the inner crevasse of my buttocks to be bruised.  Food and hydration is so important to energy levels when you are exercising all day.  Within 20 minutes of food intake I could feel my mood improve, my energy increase and digestive system kicking in!  The first too points being critical to a sustained walk through the high country, actually the 3rd point is probably fairly useful as well.  Carrying less across the mountains has to be a reasonable idea.

Sorry we were short on photos but as mentioned the camera phones all ran flat before we did.

From the Couch to the Summit

I have had the great pleasure over my life time to be part of great teams and be involved in sporting achievements where I have been surrounded by great athletes with natural talent and great sense of ability.  I am not one of those athletes!  I have always considered myself a grinder.  Where talent lacks, the determination to dig deeper and find that little extra has always motivated me to keep pressing on.

Then I got distracted by real life, the work force, found my lovely wife and set out creating a family, set out to achieve our goals as a couple.  I'm not complaining about any of those things.  I have enjoyed the growing & maturing within my family unit.  What is missing from the descriptions spelled out above is that very little of that maturity revolved around physical goals or even health goals.

Now, my wife has always been petite and gorgeous but me, my physique, I have been letting the team down.  Losing my hair and increasing my waist line has been the result of 10 years or more of not having a physical goal.  See evidence recorded by my daughter at Xmas 2009 on a trip home to Canada.

Put it away big fella.

So after years of sporadic exercise it was clear that in order to perform as an active father to 2 or 3 children as well as start these new found Athletic adventures that Australia has to offer me & my family, I would have to train, exercise and change my eating habits.  Again see reference in the above photos if you think my eating was healthy..... I can't even get dressed after showering before downing what appears to be a Pop-Tart.

I have already started weigh training at my local gym and have also invested in a road cycle to get my cardiovascular system into shape.  To get off the couch and pick up some weights, no tears there, just picked up very small weights at first! But it has been more than 10 years since I have felt the touch of unbroken leather seating under my back side, that was always going to take some time.



Thankfully I know the guys down at Cycling Express and they were able to steer me through a couple critical decisions that could make or break this endeavour.  First decision was Carbon or not.  Lets face it, although I was going through this process to get fit, if lighter means easier and less effort sign me up for the $300 price tag!

The second issue which the guys really assisted with was the whole matter of pedals.  As I would be purchasing a race style road bike of course the expectation would be clip in pedals.  I AM AFRAID OF CLIP IN PEDALS!  I had borrowed a friends bike for a week before arriving at the shop to buy my own and had already, once and only once, been unable to detach my feet from the pedals in time.  Down I went.  I was halfway up a crazy hill 2 blocks from my home and decided to take a break.  To beginner cyclist....... do not stop halfway up an up hill, there is not a lot of hope for you being able to get moving, clip in and keep your momentum up enough not to stop dead in your tracks and less than gracefully kiss the bitumen.  Again, I maintain to all that this has only happened once!

But back to the shop, the guys recommended that I use mountain bike clips as they are 2 sided and as such I wouldn't have to be too concerned with getting my pedals right to clip in.  Road bike shoes still clip into them so win, win.
I have found that advice to be very useful during my cycles and are grateful for the knowledge.

So what did I buy, value for money hands down the best carbon bike for the price was the Azzurri Forza Elite 105.  And what crazy ride awaits my valiant steed.

Tomorrow with a number of mates we will be riding around the Bay In a Day.  There is an official Bay in a Day fund raising ride on Sunday but as Sunday is the one day of rest from all the cares of the world a group of us will be venturing out, not on the official easier route, but the longer way, with worse roads.

This 220km approximate round trip departs from Melbourne Southern Cross train station at 7am we will cycle to Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula where we will cross the bay by ferry.  On arrival on the Mornington peninsula we will continue back up the Melbourne where the fun will end.  See the ride map on the link below.

http://maps.google.com.au/maps/msgl=au&ie=UTF8&ptab=2&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=103416566830642597917.0004803cddd5b1a6087fa

I will preface this ride by saying that I have been riding to work twice a week now which is 10km each way. So if the next post shows a grave stone...... you get the picture.

Consumed by the AAWT

Where do you turn when life is out of control.  There have been periods over the past several years when life seemed out of my control, whether I arrived is that position by my own decision making or was forced there by circumstances out of my control, here I am.  Mental health has been a very important topic in recent years and through numerous influences and supports I find my way forward.
I had an experience about 5 months ago where I came to a crossroads in my relationship with someone close to me, who was also searching for answers.  I could see that their state of mind was not clear. They were not the same  inspiring individual I had recognised as a mentor in the past.  Setting my problems aside, I thought about how I could help reignite this individuals flame.  I decided I need to take him on an adventure and proceeded to research possibilities.

Pow! It smacked me in the face.  The Australian Alps Walking Trail. Bring it on.    



The official length varies due to constant changes to the route do to some man made causes and a number of natural events, bush fires, regrowth etc. but is somewhere between 650km & 680km of Australian Alpine beauty.  There is very few points along the track which are within contact of any type of civilisation and will take between 32 to 38 days to complete end to end in one hit.  This does not include any rest days if required.  Did I mention the 30 kilos we will be carrying on our backs, small detail.

Walhalla in Victoria is the start of this adventure and we have been down as a family twice now to walk the first days route as a family.  Next month there are a number of weekend getaways with friends and family to discover various sections of the trail in preparation.  As the trail is not marked on all section of the trail we will have to rely on bush navigational skills in order to complete the Trail successful.  If I could borrow someone's Bush Navigational skills I promise I won't lose them!

So what else are we doing to prepare.  I started with the best resource on the topic, John & Monica Chapman & John Siseman's Australian Alps Walking Track guide book.  Priceless descriptions and hints  in relation to where to camp, where to place food drops to be collected during your trip and where to find acceptable water sources for your journey.  Fresh Water will need to be collected daily.

Wikipedia - I honestly never used it before but seriously there are some great links to websites of other Australians who have reported back about their adventures on the trail and have been a great resource to me in preparations.

Am I ready, no.  Planning, I have a lot more planning to do.  And I hope to share my journey with you all.  Gear, maps, safety, food, shelter, comfort, rest day visits from the wife and kids half way through to keep my spirits up all need to be studied and/or planned and it has become a daily process of research when I can in between the work requirements of my business.  I would be on the trail today if I was ready but for now weekends with friends, my supportive wife and my excitable children are great build ups to the big event.

Will I be able to help the person I referred to earlier, they will not be able to attend.  But they are part of my planning and research and will attend at a future date.  They have been uplifted by the opportunity for future adventures and I have been beside myself with excitement.

This will be the biggest adventure I have undertaken.  This is one of the main catalysts for this blog.  This has not fixed the physical problems of the lives in question but has provided a goal which has now consumed my every thought. So in a way it has been an emotional repair kit.

November 5, 2012 is the departure date.  A good mate will be joining me on this experience, Tim Marsden, we have plenty to organise in the meantime so lets hope that time flys!

Welcome, enjoy & hopefully share

Oz4adventure, what's in a name?  I know I arrived in Melbourne Australia almost 12 years ago embarking on an adventure that would change my life, shaped my future and introduced me to some life long friends.

In a way I moved to Oz and was handed an adventure whether I realised it or not.  

To those from within Australia I hope we inspire you to get out and see more of the country we all call home, to do so in an athletic way with friends and family that all our lives might be enriched with the wonders of nature this great continent has to offer. 

To those of you from overseas, come and play, come and relax, come and experience these wonders for yourself.  Real life has too often blinded my outdoor and athletic ambitions but from time to time I've been able to break loose and enjoy.  

Through this format I hope to share with you  this enjoyment, the physical preparation some times required to obtain these adventures and the research undertaken in order to realise these goals.  

If anyone would like assistance in planning or needs someone to come along for the ride, you know I will give it a go. 

Let the "adventure" begin.