Well with only a couple days now till we leave I wanted to make sure everyone has the link to follow us, there currently is no data so when you open this link you won't see a map etc but when we start on Friday morning a map and track markers will appear
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0NliWqjZqCCWVqVpWQo8CS98GflbxXdFH
Saturday, 26 October 2013
Saturday, 19 October 2013
Australian Alps Walking track - Oz4adventure Follow us Tracker
Well the time has come, we are just 11 days now from starting our Australian Alps Walking Track adventure. Monday to Wednesday just past Tim and I drove all over the Australian Alps delivering our food drops to the planned locations, Kiandra, Thredbo YHA, Hope Rd, Omeo Highway, Hotham and Rumpff Saddle.
Not only do we now feel prepared from a logistics complete point of view but it also gave a chance to get some visual bearings of where the trail will be entering and exiting certain points along our journey.
We also viewed a small glimpse of the scenery which is to come, we are now not only motivated and inspired but ready to go!
3 years ago when Tim & I set out to walk the AAWT end to end we did so to raise awareness for mens mental health and depression. We have spoken to a lot of people about the hike over the last 3 years so we hope somewhere in all those discussions we have helped someone to get through something.
We would also like to take the opportunity to again let everyone know that we are here, if you every need a ear to listen.
For all of the support of our friends and family we thank you all, we thank you for reading our posts, we thank you for the birthday gifts and christmas gifts over the years that have not been so much as surprise as we have demanded very specific gear so we could achieve this goal. We thank you for your love and well wishes. Now we need 1 more thing from you all, we need to know you will be watching us! Below is the link to the "Spot Tracker" which we will have on daily from camp to camp so that everyone can follow our progress, as well as see if we get into trouble! Please share this link with friends and family who may wish to follow us, please follow us yourselves and keep us in your prayers.
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0NliWqjZqCCWVqVpWQo8CS98GflbxXdFH
The current track markers were recorded during our drive to place the food drops as a demonstration for followers of what to expect to see during our hike, these markers will be removed from the page prior to our departure.
Not only do we now feel prepared from a logistics complete point of view but it also gave a chance to get some visual bearings of where the trail will be entering and exiting certain points along our journey.
We also viewed a small glimpse of the scenery which is to come, we are now not only motivated and inspired but ready to go!
3 years ago when Tim & I set out to walk the AAWT end to end we did so to raise awareness for mens mental health and depression. We have spoken to a lot of people about the hike over the last 3 years so we hope somewhere in all those discussions we have helped someone to get through something.
We would also like to take the opportunity to again let everyone know that we are here, if you every need a ear to listen.
For all of the support of our friends and family we thank you all, we thank you for reading our posts, we thank you for the birthday gifts and christmas gifts over the years that have not been so much as surprise as we have demanded very specific gear so we could achieve this goal. We thank you for your love and well wishes. Now we need 1 more thing from you all, we need to know you will be watching us! Below is the link to the "Spot Tracker" which we will have on daily from camp to camp so that everyone can follow our progress, as well as see if we get into trouble! Please share this link with friends and family who may wish to follow us, please follow us yourselves and keep us in your prayers.
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0NliWqjZqCCWVqVpWQo8CS98GflbxXdFH
The current track markers were recorded during our drive to place the food drops as a demonstration for followers of what to expect to see during our hike, these markers will be removed from the page prior to our departure.
Sunday, 15 September 2013
Australian Alps Walking Track - our HIking menu
So I've been weighing up in my mind a dilemma of sorts, "What can I eat that is lightweight, tasty enough to keep me satisfied for 36-39 days and provide me with sufficient energy to achieve my daily targets."
And of course it has to not go off whilst buried in the ground for possibly up to 8 weeks! (we will be digging them in about 2 weeks prior to our departure)
October last year Tim and I dug a sample into the ground up Mt Dandenong at a friends house of some of the staple items we knew we were bringing to see how they went and after 6 weeks in the ground I pulled them out and ate them all with a quiet confidence I wasn't going to get sick. We added to the list since then but again with proper food preparation and vacuum sealing everything, we will be safe and well fed.
Breakfast
I've read on a number of blogs of guys who have gone out in the bush with their favourite meals only to find that in the changed environment they cannot stand to look at the foods more less eat them, yet due to their location in the scrub and unable to just jump out and buy something else they had to shovel it down begrudgingly. I experienced this 2 years back with packaged Oatmeal, that being said once a week I expect to wake up to cold and rainy conditions so I am none the less bringing 1 oatmeal breakfast per week. The other 6 days a week i will be having either Honey or Berry "Light & Tasty" breakfast cereal (75g) and to keep my pack weight down I am just eating it with water ( no milk or powdered milk) I have actually been eating this for 8 weeks now every morning and to be honest I really see no need for milk on my cereal ever again. The cereal taste isn't masked by the milk taste, my guts can digest the water easily and it doesn't cost me and the shops.
Energy created to start the day In 2 oatmeal sachets (80grams) = 1280 kJ
Light & Tasty average (75g) = 1155 kJ
Morning snack/Afternoon snacks
Again we are looking at variety as well as energy at a weight and a taste that will satisfy.
We will be rotating our menu daily between Energy bars, Dehydrated fruit and Trail mix for mid morning and mid afternoon snacks.
I have not calculated the energy values of the dehydrated fruit or trail mix but can testify to their benefits based purely on experience.
Pineapple, Banana, Granny Smith Apples and Pears have been lemon treated, dehydrated and vacuum sealed into 80 grams snack packs for convenience and hygiene.
Almonds, Pine nuts, Unsalted Peanuts, M&M's and cashew have also been vacuum sealed into 150g snack packs.
I have sampled a number of different energy bars and in the end have bought some of most of them and a couple standard grocery store bars to add variety to the menu. All are high energy out put some slow release so fast release. I can gage on the day what I want and it could definitely mean the difference between and enjoyable day or a miserable one.
Lunch
As far as hiking lunches go we have gone with the pretty standard stuff. German Garlic Mettwurst (60grams), old faithful Parmigiano Reggiano (50grams) and Vita-Wheat Crackers (23grams)
Energy values; Mettwurst 60 grams = 843kJ
Parmigiano Reggiano 50 grams = 820kJ
4 Vita-wheat crackers 23.2 g = 378kJ
Afternoon hydration
Every other day we will also have a Powerade sachet to keep our electrolytes up
Dinner
We have tried some different things out over the last couple years since getting my dehydrator, the basis of my dinner meals is now to keep it easy. 1) meat 2) vegetables and 3) a staple to hold it all together.
We are rotating between Chicken and Tuna, mixing it in with a variety of vegetables (either cauliflower & Broccoli with Carrots or just corn and carrots) and for a third option 2 different spaghetti bolognese sauces.
We have taken all of the above and first individually cooked each item, veggies and spaghetti. We have then blitzed each item in the Thermomix to make it either a paste or a powder. Canned chicken or Tuna once blitzed becomes a powder. These items are then weighed and vacuum sealed into a combined sachets for each dinner. See below as an example of the canned chicken stages.
So as mentioned in the above photo our staple for each of these meals will be Quinoa, a protein - I wanted to mix up the rice content(carb). I'm no health or well being guru but the basics of having a protein with Carbohydrate (in my mind) is that the protein will repair my body wwhile the carbs will energise it.
Desert
At every food drop we will be picking up some sweet supplies that are neither lightweight, healthy or compact. Blocks of chocolate, a can of soda and bag of lollies are all on the menu. We will also have every other night a hot chocolate to see out another glorious day in the wilderness. Throw in a multi-vitamin every morning to make sure we have a balance vitamin and mineral intake and we set.
All these items will be organised and sealed up into our food drops. Each food drop will have 6 - 7 days of food and supplies. Our daily total food weigh varies depending on which snacks we have that day and whether we have hot chocolate at night but we will have between 3621grams and 4214 grams plus a chocolate block here or there per drop/week.
And of course it has to not go off whilst buried in the ground for possibly up to 8 weeks! (we will be digging them in about 2 weeks prior to our departure)
October last year Tim and I dug a sample into the ground up Mt Dandenong at a friends house of some of the staple items we knew we were bringing to see how they went and after 6 weeks in the ground I pulled them out and ate them all with a quiet confidence I wasn't going to get sick. We added to the list since then but again with proper food preparation and vacuum sealing everything, we will be safe and well fed.
above photo is still missing 17 dinners and is for 1 person only
Breakfast
I've read on a number of blogs of guys who have gone out in the bush with their favourite meals only to find that in the changed environment they cannot stand to look at the foods more less eat them, yet due to their location in the scrub and unable to just jump out and buy something else they had to shovel it down begrudgingly. I experienced this 2 years back with packaged Oatmeal, that being said once a week I expect to wake up to cold and rainy conditions so I am none the less bringing 1 oatmeal breakfast per week. The other 6 days a week i will be having either Honey or Berry "Light & Tasty" breakfast cereal (75g) and to keep my pack weight down I am just eating it with water ( no milk or powdered milk) I have actually been eating this for 8 weeks now every morning and to be honest I really see no need for milk on my cereal ever again. The cereal taste isn't masked by the milk taste, my guts can digest the water easily and it doesn't cost me and the shops.Energy created to start the day In 2 oatmeal sachets (80grams) = 1280 kJ
Light & Tasty average (75g) = 1155 kJ
Morning snack/Afternoon snacks
Again we are looking at variety as well as energy at a weight and a taste that will satisfy.
We will be rotating our menu daily between Energy bars, Dehydrated fruit and Trail mix for mid morning and mid afternoon snacks.
I have not calculated the energy values of the dehydrated fruit or trail mix but can testify to their benefits based purely on experience.
Pineapple, Banana, Granny Smith Apples and Pears have been lemon treated, dehydrated and vacuum sealed into 80 grams snack packs for convenience and hygiene.
Almonds, Pine nuts, Unsalted Peanuts, M&M's and cashew have also been vacuum sealed into 150g snack packs.
I have sampled a number of different energy bars and in the end have bought some of most of them and a couple standard grocery store bars to add variety to the menu. All are high energy out put some slow release so fast release. I can gage on the day what I want and it could definitely mean the difference between and enjoyable day or a miserable one.
Lunch
As far as hiking lunches go we have gone with the pretty standard stuff. German Garlic Mettwurst (60grams), old faithful Parmigiano Reggiano (50grams) and Vita-Wheat Crackers (23grams)
Energy values; Mettwurst 60 grams = 843kJ
Parmigiano Reggiano 50 grams = 820kJ
4 Vita-wheat crackers 23.2 g = 378kJ
Afternoon hydration
Every other day we will also have a Powerade sachet to keep our electrolytes up
Dinner
We have tried some different things out over the last couple years since getting my dehydrator, the basis of my dinner meals is now to keep it easy. 1) meat 2) vegetables and 3) a staple to hold it all together.
We are rotating between Chicken and Tuna, mixing it in with a variety of vegetables (either cauliflower & Broccoli with Carrots or just corn and carrots) and for a third option 2 different spaghetti bolognese sauces.
We have taken all of the above and first individually cooked each item, veggies and spaghetti. We have then blitzed each item in the Thermomix to make it either a paste or a powder. Canned chicken or Tuna once blitzed becomes a powder. These items are then weighed and vacuum sealed into a combined sachets for each dinner. See below as an example of the canned chicken stages.
Canned chicken is best!
Blender into a paste
Spread evenly on dehydrator tray
Dehydrated
Blitz into chicken powder
Add to Veggie and Quinoa and seal it up
So as mentioned in the above photo our staple for each of these meals will be Quinoa, a protein - I wanted to mix up the rice content(carb). I'm no health or well being guru but the basics of having a protein with Carbohydrate (in my mind) is that the protein will repair my body wwhile the carbs will energise it.
Desert
At every food drop we will be picking up some sweet supplies that are neither lightweight, healthy or compact. Blocks of chocolate, a can of soda and bag of lollies are all on the menu. We will also have every other night a hot chocolate to see out another glorious day in the wilderness. Throw in a multi-vitamin every morning to make sure we have a balance vitamin and mineral intake and we set.
All these items will be organised and sealed up into our food drops. Each food drop will have 6 - 7 days of food and supplies. Our daily total food weigh varies depending on which snacks we have that day and whether we have hot chocolate at night but we will have between 3621grams and 4214 grams plus a chocolate block here or there per drop/week.
Thursday, 12 September 2013
AAWT 2013 Canberra to Melbourne
Its been 11 months since we cancelled our November 2012 attempt at the end to end traverse of the Australian Alps Walking Track. For months both Tim & myself were shattered at the chance we had missed to get out and discover the AAWT. A lot has changed for us both in the past 10-11 months and today I can confidently say that life is less complicated then last year. (Still complicated, but far less)
It our great please to announce that we will be departing on the Australian Alps Walking Track from Tharwa to Melbourne on November 1, 2013.
Both Tim and myself over the past 3-4 months have been quietly going about our preparations. Looking at our personal fitness, our pack gear and pack weights, nutrition and hydration and all the logistics that go a lot with being out in the bush for an extended period of time.
October 14th 2013 we will be taking a couple days a placing our food drop, except the Rumpff saddle due to the road closure. October 31, 2013 we will return for that last drop and once we have returned to Melbourne we will jump on the greyhound to Canberra for a November 1, 2013 first day.
Our 36 day schedule would have us arriving in Walhalla the evening of December 6, 2013 so we hope to add a rest day by choice (not necessity!) and arrive at noon on Saturday, December 7, 2013.
Please follow us on my SPOT tracker page which I will post and email around closer to the departure day (and once I'm certain it operating correctly).
Wednesday, 19 June 2013
REFLECTIONS
About a month ago I watched the Cairns Ironman and the Port Douglas Triathlon. We set up our camping chairs beside the course (with Megan and the kids.)
For the triathlon there were bunches of competitors of all talent levels, first riding past our point and later when we moved into town for a watch they were running past. Well not everyone was running but they were doing their best.
As I watched competitors achieve their goals I must say I was touched. Megan and I were both touched. It was motivating and inspiring. Their were elderly people shuffling along the beach, larger fellas trudging and plenty of athletes having a red hot crack.
We really loved the notion that these people had all set a goal. No matter what their condition or past, they were going to do the Triathlon. So impressed.
Yesterday, I was able to watch my children. As I watched them I was amazed in the same way with what they were achieving. We went Jungle surfing at Cape Tribulation, QLD. This is a series of Zip lines ( flying foxes) through the rain forest canopy, sometimes as high as 24 metres off the ground.
They handles it with class and achievement. I wonder if i will always be amazed by them. I expect I will forever be in awe of them all. Here is a quick clip of my 4 year old, Judd enjoying his adventure.
What a fearless kid!
Tuesday, 28 May 2013
Like a Sunrise!
Well we have been in Queensland for 6 month and our adventure is coming to an end. We have met some great people, seen a beautiful part of the world and challenged our family once again.
I have worked some mad hours up here to complete the renovation, hopefully next week it will be complete! But it amongst it all, although challenging, we have enjoyed and really loved Port Douglas and the local area.
From Kayak fishing Palm Cove, cycling the Captain Cook highway back to Cairns, camping at Granite Gorge or jumping into the falls at Mossman Gorge they have all been day out adventures, way too short.
I've enjoyed days with my wife and kids on the beach. We have never lived by the beach so this has been really great. Cutting down coconuts and drinking the water, or bringing them home and shaving the flesh out of the nut - either way is good beach food by my standards. And free!
We came 3rd in the Carnivale sand castle competition and got our winning smiles in the local paper. The kids are still talking about how the dragon wasn't actually a sand castle so how did we win..... We decided to go build a proper sand castle with a tunnel and everything! Cool kids.
Queensland......... Good-bye
I have worked some mad hours up here to complete the renovation, hopefully next week it will be complete! But it amongst it all, although challenging, we have enjoyed and really loved Port Douglas and the local area.
From Kayak fishing Palm Cove, cycling the Captain Cook highway back to Cairns, camping at Granite Gorge or jumping into the falls at Mossman Gorge they have all been day out adventures, way too short.
I've enjoyed days with my wife and kids on the beach. We have never lived by the beach so this has been really great. Cutting down coconuts and drinking the water, or bringing them home and shaving the flesh out of the nut - either way is good beach food by my standards. And free!
We came 3rd in the Carnivale sand castle competition and got our winning smiles in the local paper. The kids are still talking about how the dragon wasn't actually a sand castle so how did we win..... We decided to go build a proper sand castle with a tunnel and everything! Cool kids.
Queensland......... Good-bye
Monday, 8 April 2013
FNQ - Far North Queensland - local adventures
So since moving to Far North Queensland my athletic endeavours have fallen by the way side. I've been working hard on the renovations and working with my family to transition to the new life style.
Last week I met a local while running, he was training for the Cairns Ironman in june and after having a 8 km run with him I thought to myself, it's time.
We are only up here for 12 months so we want to make sure that we create some memories and experience what FNQ has to offer.
So here are a couple things I've done since. This clip is of a friend of mine catching a Sweetlips off the reef of Palm Cove.
I'm running the GoPro.
Easter weekend my parents came up from Adelaide and we brought them up Skyrail to Kuranda and returned via the train back through the mountains to Freshwater. Periodically you could see down the cliffs to the Barron gorge and some amazing waterfalls and swimming wholes.
So today, I got on my Azzurri and cycled from Port Douglas to Barron Gorge where I met up with a couple friends. We hiked up the river bouldering along the river banks for about an hour when we can to a great swimming spot and waterfall cliff jump. To our surprise we looked up and saw the train slowly creeping past us on the cliffs high above.
Last week I met a local while running, he was training for the Cairns Ironman in june and after having a 8 km run with him I thought to myself, it's time.
We are only up here for 12 months so we want to make sure that we create some memories and experience what FNQ has to offer.
So here are a couple things I've done since. This clip is of a friend of mine catching a Sweetlips off the reef of Palm Cove.
I'm running the GoPro.
Easter weekend my parents came up from Adelaide and we brought them up Skyrail to Kuranda and returned via the train back through the mountains to Freshwater. Periodically you could see down the cliffs to the Barron gorge and some amazing waterfalls and swimming wholes.
So today, I got on my Azzurri and cycled from Port Douglas to Barron Gorge where I met up with a couple friends. We hiked up the river bouldering along the river banks for about an hour when we can to a great swimming spot and waterfall cliff jump. To our surprise we looked up and saw the train slowly creeping past us on the cliffs high above.
Shaun explaining where the last group was taken by the crocs!
The first cliff face about 1/3rd up is where the boys jumped from which is about 10m
Kurt looking for good spot to jump in
The gap in the trees where the train can be seen
Saturday, 9 February 2013
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Review
In a couple of posts recently I have mentioned " Cuben fibre" lightweight packs & tents etc. I thought I'd do a review on the items I have purchased in order to help other decide if these products are for them.
I have had the chance to use both the backpack & shelter on a couple of occasions now and have probably slept out with them in total about 13 nights. I feel I understand the product now and have become really comfortable with it all.
The Echo II shelter.
When I received the small little package which was suppose to have my whole 2 man tent enclosed I thought come on, get out! But as I removed the pieces from the Cuben Fibre carry sack... It was all there.
This was amazing. But my next thought turned to how sometimes you can never get an item back into its packaging once you have opened it. So I tried to remember how it was folded and put it back it.... there was still heaps of room in the carry bag. I took it all out and cared less about how I was packing it back in. Yep still fit easily. This is crazy but perfect.
I have set the tent up on my back lawn, in sand and very hard dried out Australian soil and in the rain and have only found one issue which is the same issue with any tent. Don't pitch a tent in the wind if it can be helped! This shelter being so light is a little tricky in a good wind but really what tent isn't.
It took me a couple a set ups to get the overall height I desired to be as desired. Which in itself is very clever, on a rainy night you can tension the tent lower to the ground reducing the amount of rain splash which might bounce under the outer shell. On a nice cool breezy evening I have been able to increase the overall height which has allowed more breeze to come through and made sleeping out very enjoyable.
Another very clever feature is the fact that unlike other 2 piece systems, this system you actually erect the outer shelf first. When its raining you are creating a barrier between your gear and the weather, this kept my gear dry and again I slept very well and dry. The next day just a light morning breeze had the shelter dried off in no time and we were packed up without having to pack wet gear, only to unpack at lunch or further down the trail to try to air it out/ dry it out for us again that night.
The last time I took it out I stayed in the same location for 3 days with the tent full erected the entire time. This was a mistake. As the shelter is based on tension in order to stay up, in the 30 degree heat one of the end reinforcements started to come apart. It is a Cuben fibre strip glued over the seams where the pole meets the shelter. I noticed it and released some pressure but the damage was done. This may be a one off but next time in the same heated situation I would be releasing some of the tension just to give some relief to the seams while I'm away.
So I bought their biggest pack, a 4400 Expedition Pack. I believe they now call them 4400 Porter Packs.
This works out to be about a 72 litre pack. Just like the shelter is it every bit as light and durable as it claims to be. The pack has minimal seems with a roll down water proof entry from the top of the pack. The tri-fastener strap system across the top of the pack it very smart and eliminates the extra weight of too many tighten straps.
My first impression of the harness was that it was too light & cheap to carry the 72 litres I was going to cram in there. So far the strength is fine, the bag, harness and hip harness are all very comfortable.
With the lightweight shelter, pack & sleeping bag all packed in with the rest of my kit my 7 day pack comes in at about 18 kilos including my daily water. Sure thats getting onto the lighter side but the shoulder harness still needs to be a little thicker, wider.
The thickness of the shoulder padding itself wasn't my problem, it was the narrowness of the straps that cut into my shoulders that made the pack a little uncomfortable. After the 2 day hike in hike out at Wilson Prom I had 2 black & purple bruises running across my shoulders from where the straps were digging into my shoulder muscles.
To finish the review on a positive the attachable mesh pocket which is attachable to the front of the pack really was clever. I put all my wet gear into it. River crossing shoes, towel, old socks. They are all easily accessible on the outer of my pack and they get the chance to dry off as I continue my journey. Works pretty well and keeps the rest of my pack contents dry.
Overall, I love this stuff. So happy I bought them and looking forward to more adventures with my new gear.
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