Wild4 min read
5 Canyons In The blue Mountains
THE BLUE MOUNTAINS, A COUPLE OF HOURS drive west of Sydney, contains the highest concentration of easily accessible slot canyons anywhere in Australia. These narrow gorges have been carved out by water over hundreds of thousands of years, cutting thr
Wild7 min read
The Spice Of life
“We have enough hobbies!” That’s what my wife, Martine, tells me when I say I’d like to try bikepacking. It’s an attempted excuse, but I see straight through it; I know the real reason she objects is that the last time she rode a bike—in Germany, whi
Wild5 min read
Support Our supporters
We get it; we know ads aren’t the primary reason you read Wild. But without our supporters, Wild simply wouldn’t exist*. If you love what we’re on about here at Wild, if you’re passionate about both adventure and protecting our natural heritage, if h
Wild9 min read
Surveying Tassie’s Southwest Sky Country
The South Coast Track, like so many areas in lutruwita/Tasmania, is a precious place of wilderness. It is an ancient Aboriginal route, a place of rich First Nations’ heritage that reverberates through the sea, the rocks and the sky. It is a jewel of
Wild2 min read
Heat + Eat Meals
FOOD JUST TASTES BETTER out bush. As I wrote in my Ed’s Letter a few issues back, even bland meals seem like culinary delights once you’re tired and hungry after a long day on the trail. Heck, I even think dehydrated and freeze-dried meals taste grea
Wild3 min read
Avoiding Climbing Fiascos
“Just be careful, we don’t want any accidents.” These were the last words Sam Cujes said to me before I did exactly the opposite, rapping off the end of my rope four metres off the deck and fracturing my sacrum in two places. We were developing new r
Wild3 min read
Dwr Update: Part II
Last issue, I began a two-part update of the very first topic I tackled for this column back in 2017—the harmful chemicals used in the DWR coatings of our waterproof and water-resistant clothing and footwear. I went down a science rabbit hole to map
Wild10 min read
Ya Reeves
It’s a Tuesday in April when I meet Ya at Sydney’s Circular Quay. She’s dressed as described in her message: cream work shorts, grey/brown striped shirt, a green messenger bag slung over one shoulder. “Looks like I’m from the country!” is the final d
Wild2 min read
Makalu FX Carbon Trekking Poles
I’M A SELF-CONFESSED, hiking-pole convert. I used to hate the damn things, would actively scorn them, and swore black and blue I’d never be seen wielding them. But my knees had other ideas, and eventually forced me to backflip. If only I’d become acq
Wild3 min read
To The Lighthouse
There’s something in the air at lighthouses. It seems lighter, clearer somehow. I’m sure it’s because of their location—by definition lighthouses are isolated, unobstructed, surrounded by ocean. But the feeling is mystical, almost monastic, with a ye
Wild2 min read
Other Approaches To Jagungal
Starting at Geehi Flats Campground, hitch up the Alpine Way a short distance to Olsens Road and follow it to the end as it gradually climbs about 500m over the course of 6.2km. After crossing Grass Flat Creek, hang a left on the Pinnacle Trail for a
Wild4 min read
On Trails
One of my very favourite books over the last decade has been Robert Moor’s On Trails. My copy is beaten up and dog-eared and almost floppy and soft after having been taken out on so many walks as my reading material. Moor is a fabulous, thoughtful, e
Wild9 min read
Circle Of Life
Going up mountains is something I’ve always done. I’d pore over a map deciding which peak to choose and by setting my sights on a particular peak, I would be selecting the country I’d visit and the region within that country I’d travel to. This proce
Wild11 min read
Timing It Right
There’s a monsoonal low hanging over the East Kimberley as we set off for Piccaninny Gorge, nestled deep within the Bungle Bungle Range in Western Australia’s World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park. Torrential rain has been soaking this seclud
Wild10 min read
Calm Waters
From the big-wall granite-climbing mecca of Squamish—a now bustling but until recently sleepy pulp milling town on Howe Sound an hour north of Vancouver, British Columbia—with our harnesses and ropes now stashed in the car, it took a ferry, another f
Wild11 min read
In Search Of ATARAXIA
My mission was to find ataraxia. It is not a planet or a solar system, or a spot on a map; ataraxia—a key component of Ancient Greek philosophy—is a place of peace, a mental state of equanimity and tranquillity you carry inside you. But despite any q
Wild2 min read
Hubba Hubba Bikepacking Tent
THERE ARE FEW TENTS MORE ICONIC than MSR’s venerable Hubba Hubba. I think I bought my first (yes, I’ve bought more than one) back in 2004. They were lightweight (sub 2kg), but more importantly, thanks to their innovative pole design, they had absolut
Wild1 min read
The Cover Shot
There are those rare nights where everything just lines up, and this was one of them. We headed to Lion Rock—nine kilometres from the eastern terminus of the 85km South Coast Track at Cockle Creek—with a decent chance of catching an aurora with the w
Wild4 min read
Green Pages
With Lake Pedder sited on an active fault line, the Tasmanian Government is about to spend $150 million strengthening the dam. A better solution would be removing the dam entirely. Lake Pedder is currently held by three ageing dams classified as “hig
Wild1 min read
Wild Shot
This boot started to fall apart within twenty minutes of landing in the Carr Boyd Ranges in the East Kimberley, necessitating many, many repair stops where it was sewn (breaking two sailcloth needles), cable-tied, and accessory-corded over the length
Wild1 min read
Wild
EDITOR: James McCormack EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Ryan Hansen GREEN PAGES EDITOR: Maya Darby PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Caitlin Schokker PROOFING & FACT CHECKING: Martine Hansen, Ryan Hansen DESIGN: James McCormack FOUNDER: Chris Baxter OAM COLUMNISTS: Megan Holbe
Wild7 min read
Anti-protest Laws Are Irresponsible, Reckless … And They Need To Go
As Australians face the disruption and decline of their natural environment, as they suffer the consequences of the climate and biodiversity crises, as they pay heed to the alarm rung by UN Secretary-General António Guterres (who has called on world
Wild11 min read
ADVENTURE & MISADVENTURE
The mountainsides beyond the Routeburn Shelter course with clear water. It cascades down in threads and rivulets and torrents, flowing white against the dark grey face of the mountains. New Zealand’s South Island is what I imagine much of Earth felt
Wild6 min read
Jagungal Circuit From Round Mountain (+ Three Other Approaches)
THERE ARE NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT—Jagungal is a stone-cold Aussie-bushwalking classic. It’s not the most difficult, nor is it uniquely picturesque, and the wildlife can be shy, but it offers the quintessential Snowy Mountains experience. Expect rolling
Wild3 min read
Wollemi Ultralight 90 Pack
A FEW ISSUES BACK, I did a review of a pack I’ve quickly come to rave about: the Whippa Overland 60 Ultralight. Made by Summit Gear—a small but thriving company that have been making packs up in NSW’s Blue Mountains since 1981, yes, the very year Wil
Wild3 min read
Cover Versions
As time moves on, my playlist of tunes has a growing number of cover songs, something that would never have happened without digital music apps, or I guess, getting along in life—the years piling on means more versions of any given song get made. Of
Wild3 min read
Letters
Hello James, In October 2023, on a combined canyoning and ski weekend to Tuross Falls in Wadbilliga National Park followed by some chutes at Club Lake in Kosciuszko NP, Kev said to Ned: “I’ve got a brilliant idea. Let’s canyon Lady Northcotes Falls …
Wild2 min read
Alpenglow Climbing Europe’s 4,000m Peaks
CLIMBING THE 4,000M PEAKS of the European Alps is one of the great and enduring challenges in mountaineering. These summits are no doubt some of the most accessible in the world, with an unrivalled network of lifts, paths and refuges that provide sim
Wild11 min read
Wild Rivers, Wild Times
The end of our 19-day walk is literally in sight, the final deep valley of Salisbury Waters stretches westwards. Up there, in the darkness of its towering, rugged headwaters, is a small walking track that threads its way out of this gorge and onto th
Wild4 min read
The Trip In Sections
14.1km; approx 4 hours From the car park, set off past the barrier, and a second one a few hundred metres later, as the fire trail heads over a hillock then down to a T-junction (1.4km). The ruins of Round Mountain Hut are about 500m down the road to
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