It has been a great start to the year. I was fortunate to spend a large number of nights camped out in the hinterland. Took a few friends out with me on different outings. It was great to share with them. January was beautiful, if a little snakey. I have seen a lot of snakes so far this year including a couple of unusual ones including a Stevens Banded snake and a Blind snake. More recently I had my first encounter with a Death Adder, barely missing stepping on it. A mate described them like this' "They're pretty calm unless you stand on them, then they go landmine." Our snakes are definitely more mobile/on edge this year.
Most of my time over the Summer I walked the waterways. I have theory that I am less likely to have a snake encounter in the water. The rainforest/creek environment is quite calming and there has been so much life moving around. From yabbies and eels to the Little Kingfisher that regularly gives me a flyby. Highlight of the summer definitely was the Glowworms.
February and March have been dominated with preparation activities for the upcoming The River - Expedition. We were hoping for success in the North Face Adventure Grant, but this wasn't to be so. Maps are getting their final print, waypoints have been loaded into the GPS. We are in a place where we are trying to polish everything to minimise the level of problems. There are a lot of things to consider. For example; how much toilet paper do you need to carry for 6 days? Gear is just about finalised.
Willa and I have been putting in some time checking our gear off against the Gear lists and weighing every item. It might not seem like much but every gram we can cut adds up. If you haven't taken some time to jump into the spreadsheet to look at the info there (deleted) We decided there were a couple of acquisitions that need to be made to increase our enjoyment and chances of success.
We now own two new types of watercraft. A large 3 man canoe, that is built like the proverbial outhouse, and two Alpacka Caribou Packrafts. Very excited about the opportunities these pieces of gear open up. The packrafts in particular. The Packrafts are lightweight (2.2kg) and pack up to 43cmx15cm. One of them has an internal storage system. They are rated to carry 181kg each. We have had a couple of practice runs out on the Bellinger, in both the canoe and the packrafts. Great fun and I look forward to running some swift water in them.
Start of March I joined some mates
for a section of the Coffs Hinterland Route Specifically the off trail route accross the summit of Tuckers Knob proper. This peak has been on my bucket list for quite some time. Every day as I walk downstairs from my room I look out at it. So happy to finally get up there. It is a special place that is set to change once the new NSWPS trail is established.
Photography. I have been spending a lot time working on long exposures, using ND filters. Some of these have been over 7mins long. The sense of dream like movement you create has really intrigued me. My focus changes between the ocean and the bush. The bush is definitely a much harder space to work in. Capturing something that is interesting/beautiful to my naked eye on the SD card is quite allusive. Keep an eye out for my images at various Easter shows.
Other notable experiences include going to the Jetty Theatre to watch Ed Kuepper perform alongside Jim White. A very enjoyable evening.
Until next time.
BONUS FOOTAGE
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