Australian Hiker

For new hikers it seems like there is so much to worry about. Getting lost, snakes and will you be warm enough are just some of the issues that can all be managed reasonably easily with a bit of practice and development of on-trail skills. For many new hikers their biggest concern is one of personal safety. How safe will you be when out hiking and do I have to worry about my car at the trail head.  This episode discusses these issues and offers some suggestions for minimising personal safety risks on the trail.

Personal hygiene is one of those practices that we are all taught early in life; wash your hands, bathe on a regular basis, and always wear clean underwear. We are used to doing these things in our day to day life and the same rules apply in the bush that apply at home surrounding personal hygiene if we want to ensure that we have a trouble free adventure. However when we go bush we loose all the modern conveniences and with them the flexibility we have at home and have to adjust how we do things. Most practices that relate to hygiene are based around common sense but why then do so many people ignore them when they hike? This article discusses the hygiene basics nessesary to ensure that we have a healthy enjoyable hike.  Alternatively you can read the written version of this podcast here.

Issues with feet and lower limbs tend to be a problem that plagues all hikers at one time or another. These issues can be relatively minor and annoying on short hikes and crippling on longer more difficult hikers. Either way they stop us from enjoying our outdoor adventures. In this podcast episode I talk with Canberra based Podiatrist Matthew Hotchkis from Podiatry Professionals about some of the more common lower limb issues that can cause problems for hikers and discuss ways to minimise their impact as well as prevention and treatment.

The best way to describe Geocaching is as treasure hunting with a GPS/smartphone. Sometimes the kids, or you for that matter, just need  that extra little incentive to get outdoors and go hiking and what better incentive than to go treasure hunting! This podcast provides a basic overview to help get you into Geocaching and hopefully outside more often if you really need an excuse.

The level of navigation skills that you will need as a hiker will vary with the complexity of the walks that you do. If you never leave well marked trails the skill requirement you need, may, but not necessarily, be minimal. The advent of mobile phone apps, as well as the availability of high quality consumer level GPS including some watches has changed hiking forever. Gone are the days when you had no choice but to use a map and compass however having a good grounding in their use should be something we all aspire to. This podcast episode provides a basic overview of map and compass use that will hopefully add your you kill level as a hiker and inspire you to learn more. To get the most out of this podcast follow along with the written version which has the related images.

For most hikers feeding themselves on short camping and hiking trips, even for a few days, is something that we can easily manage without too much problem. But what happens when we undertake big excursions ranging from strenuous single day trips to multi-week trips. In this podcast episode I talk with Canberra based nutritionist and dietician, Lisa Donaldson from FEED Inc about nutrition on the trail and what we can do to look after ourselves.

Whether your a day hiker or are into extended multi night hikes ensuring that you have correctly assembled all your gear into some sort of order in your pack will make your trip run just that much smoother. But what it the right order? Is there such a thing? This episode looks at packing your backpack and discusses developing a systematic approach to our packing that will ensure you always know where that bit of gear or food is.

In January 2018 I spent two days in the Kosciuszko National Park (NSW) hiking the Main Range Walk as well as undertaking the Mount Kosciuszko Summit Walk, both starting at Charlotte Pass.  These two days of hiking also involved a nights camping on Mt Kosciuszko. This Episode is designed to give you an idea of what to expect when hiking in this amazing area.

In this episode we look at where the future of hiking appears to be heading. We discuss trends as they relate to hikers, changes we are likely to see in trail design and use, the impacts of social media on the trail, notable gear trends and the use of technology on the trail, both good and bad.

Our final episodes in our Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail series. In this episode we revisit our initial expectations of this trip and compare them to the reality of the trail. In addition we  discuss the good and bad points of the trail and make some suggestions for those of you looking at doing this trip.

This is the second of our 'on trail' podcasts recorded while undertaking our recent Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail (KIWT) trip. This episode consists of four interviews with hikers, service providers, and the Southern Australian Parks Service and is designed to provide a different perspective on this wonderful trail.

This is the first of three podcast episodes on the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail and consists of a series of recordings done over a single day to give you an idea of what to expect from a typical day on the trail. Our next two episode 053 and 054 will provide additional information on this great trail.

When you first start doing longer hikes its not just the gear that you have to think about.What about the food! This episode is aimed at providing an introduction to food considerations for newer hikers who just want to make things easy.

Gill and I have a break between Christmas and New Year and along with our friend Kelly we will be hiking the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail which is located not far from the mainland in South Australia. This five day, four night trip is approximately 61km (without any add ons). We tried to do this trail earlier this year and didn't book early enough.Lesson learnt. This episode is an overview of what we are expecting but no doubt reality will be different. As usual we will be recording on the trail and publishing out trip podcasts in January 2018.

If you belong to just about any online hiking forum one of the most commonly discussed topics that you will see posted is ‘what sort of tent should I buy?’ Unfortunately there is no one answer to this question and really what you end up choosing will depend on a range of factors that is most cases are unique to you. This episode discusses the key considerations in choosing a tent for hiking.

With Christmas approaching it is an ideal time to buy new gear with many manufacturers clearing soon to be superseded products in anticipation of the release of new models. It's also a great time to convince family members and loved ones of the benefits of hiking and start leaving gear brochures turned to the right page in strategic places around the house. If you are buying presents for a hiking fanatic then here are some options worth considering.

On 11 November 2017 Australian Hiker celebrated its first birthday. This episode is a reflection on our past year and where we are heading over the next 12 months.

A lot is written about the different needs of women and men but when it comes to hiking, are the considerations for women that different to those of men? This podcast episode discusses issues relevant to women on the trail and offers hints, tips and suggestions that will hopefully help to answer questions that you may have.

In this episode we interview two female hikers, one younger, one older, who share their experiences and tips on hiking from a womens perspective.

After footwear, the backpack is one of the most crucial pieces of equipment that most outdoor enthusiasts will own. I mean you can’t even discuss hiking without talking about a backpack. Choosing the correct backpack to suit your needs is just one half of the equation. You also need to make sure that your pack is fitted correctly. This podcast episode discusses considerations for choosing an appropriate pack as well as goes though the correct footing process.