I dare say Laurie that there was a fair bit of on-the-track learning
happening. There is nothing like a near miss or a day spent
backtracking to a known point to give you something to think about
and learn like no amount of lecturing ever will.
This process made you who you are today.
Evan's climbing has its obvious risks vs consequences that are
difficult to ignore, demand full concentration & the cerebral/
physical conquering of the danger is a good part of the allure. The
taking on the risk & beating it is a very human pleasure.
However going out of town for a few hours in the 4WD does not have
the same immediacy & it is the compounding smaller setbacks that can
be just as catastrophic & so much harder to contemplate.
Johns thrill-of-the-chase must be familiar to many of us. The
bushcraft is part of why we bird. Bushcraft is partly preparing for
any eventuality & partly dealing with the one you didnt prepare for.
What I am trying to say is that sometimes getting all the ducks in
row before taking off means that you never get to take off & there
lies bored to death.....definitely worth venturing out the door as
you say Laurie.
Chris Charles
0412 911 184
33deg 47'30"S
151deg10'09"E
On 10/10/2008, at 6:19 PM, L&L Knight wrote:
I wonder if you are more likely to become unstuck driving a vehicle
in the outback than you are doing a real bushwalk.
I never had any qualms about doing week-long bushwalks on my own in
SW Tasmania when I was a uni student. I saw no-one during the
first 6 days of a walk to Melaleuca via Precipitous Bluff and no-
one at all on a traverse of the Wilmot and Frankland Ranges.
There were no GPSs or EPBs in those days, but I had access to maps
and guidebooks, the requisite skill, physical ability and
bushwalking gear, and I knew what I was doing. The downsides were
not having anyone to share the load with [meaning I was carrying up
to 30 kg] and not having anyone around when things got tricky.
It's important to know what you can do, what you are doing, what
you need to have and where you are going before you venture out the
door. That said, it is definitely worth venturing out the door.
Regards, Laurie.
On 10/10/2008, at 2:26 PM, john hammond wrote:
I find myself sitting here contemplating that poor blokes demise
and i realise the risks i have taken in my pursuit of birds.
Chasing a night heron has taken me into a swamp chest deep in
water and sinking in the mud. If those waders of mine had filled
up with water or i had become stuck i am sure it would have been
game over. I often walk for a couple of hours into bush land with
no water back up or even a snake bandage (usually wear shorts). My
wife never knows where i am and i do all this because i assume
nothing will go wrong and i will be back safe and sound in a
couple of hours. On a desert trip it would be just like me to get
caught up in the thrill of the chase and leave the water back at
camp thinking of nothing but that "grass wren". I guess a tragic
event like this wakes some of us up to the fact that even close to
a city it doesn't take that long to take yourself to a place where
no one can hear you scream.... John
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