Goats, bears and fungi
In this episode we are recording from the front porch of a remote cabin right after returning from an overnight trip in the wilderness.
We’ve wrangled all the recent hiking and outdoor related articles we possibly could and jammed them into a single episode.
If you want to know why feisty goats are chasing hikers, our thoughts on hiking etiquette when it comes to waiting for your buddies or you’d really just like to hear more reasons why humans can’t be trusted with anything, then I think we’ve got you covered in this podcast episode.
Enjoy the listen and if you ever feel like supporting what we do, you can do exactly that right here: ko-fi.com/hikeordie
Banner photo by Jesse Dodds on Unsplash
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NEWS:
Kakadu tourist location to be closed
Back in Podcast Episode 32 we covered a story about the traditional owners of Kakadu National Park threatening to close sections, or the whole park if the public continued to mistreat the area. With seemingly no improvement, they have stuck to their word and have now requested the closure of a traditional and popular tourist location named Gunlom Falls.
Read the full article at: abc.net.au
The town that was lost by Google maps
As hikers, we often lean heavily on our GPS devices to navigate. When we are travelling to a destination, it’s often Google maps. So what if we were heading through the middle of nowhere and an unlisted town popped up?
Eromanga is that town. Lost by Google and as the Mayor fears, lost by passing tourist trade (despite the fact they are 12hrs from nowhere). Other times there weren’t lost but merely listed as 80km up the road.
Read the full article at: abc.net.au
The F You stop
You accept a hiking invitation with a new crew or hiking buddy. You get to the trail head and start the day. At first they set a pretty steady pace, perhaps a little faster than you are used to, but all good for now. However, as the hours pass and you begin to slow down, they just pull away into the distance. It’s all good as you come out of the next bend though and see them taking a rest on a log, waiting for you to catch up. Or is it??? Just as you approach, they smile, stand up, throw their pack back on and continue.
Sadly, I think we’ve all been on the receiving end of that deal at some point for various reasons. Fitness, sickness, injury, bravado and the list goes on. So the question I put to you is, do you consider that to be a respectful way of treating your hiking pals? Check out he full article and see if it gets you as wound up as it did me.
Read the full article at: backpacker.com
Wildlife photography ethics
When we see beautiful images of wild animals on the covers of notable magazines, we tend to think of them as precious seconds captured in time. We also like to think they are completely natural and not invasive to the animal in any way.
Sadly, in this article, what is revealed is quite different. So much so that in this particular case, with British photographer David Yarrow, his (and his team’s) actions led to an Red Fox being put down. While Yarrow can’t take all the blame, his actions were the straw that broke the camels back in this situation. Not the kind of thing we associate with the images we see published.
Read the full article at: outsideonline.com
Danger: Salty goats
There are a lot of things that you need to keep an eye on when you are hiking on trails. Something we don’t usually put at the top of the list is goats. Up until recently though, if you were hiking in the Olympic National Park, you might well have been stalked by a mob of thirsty goats!
However, this gang of rogue goats isn’t after your water bottle, they’re after the salty goodness found in your pee. That’s correct. Salt is hard to come by in the woods and to goats, it’s like crack. They’ve just gotta have it.
The good news is that the pesky crew have now been relocated so it’s back to hiking (and peeing) as normal for now.
See the full article below:
grizzly vs hikers
This isn’t a new video, but when I saw it recently I thought it was worth sharing again. It’s hard to look away but equally hard to watch. The hikers panic and do the worst thing they could by running away. The speed at which the Grizzly moves towards them is frightening. Thankfully everyone escaped with all limbs attached in this case.
Read the full article and watch the video at: montanarightnow.com
Is spontaneity lost for Colorado hikers?
We like to think we can grab our hiking pack and boots, jump in the car and let the road lead us to wherever we decide to hike on any given day. In most cases, that’s probably true but as Colorado’s outdoor areas become more crowded, measures may have to be taken to control numbers and mitigate the damage caused.
It’s a solution that seems to make perfect sense but it has some outdoor enthusiasts up in arms while plans are being made.
Read the full article at: thedenverchannel.com
Sentiero dei Parchi: Italy's new trail
Hearing that Italy plans to build it’s newest hiking trail over the next 13 years, you start to wonder why the timeframe is that long. Once you see the stats though, it all becomes pretty clear.
On completion in 2033, the Sentiero dei Parchi will span almost 8,000km, link 25 National Parks together and be twice the length of the US’ Appalachian Trail. Sounds like something to look forward to and plenty of time to start training for.
Read the full article at: bbc.com
TOM'S MAGICAL MYSTERY MEDIA MASH-UP:
Fungi time-lapse photography
Stephen Axford has not only perfected the art of photographing luminescent fungi but he’s gone as far as creating his own micro-environment to replicate the conditions of a rainforest. He then collects and spreads spores which then grow and allow him to capture some of the most fascinating time-lapse photography you will ever see. You will love every second of this short documentary.
The original reality survival experiment
There are more than enough survival and extreme adventure TV shows to choose from in the modern era. The Bear Grylls or Survivorman format is something we are quite familiar with and think of as being born from modern reality TV. For the most part I think that is true, but this fantastic documentary I discovered shows us that the format is not as new as we might think.
When these regular Australians are thrust into the landscape in the 70s with the view to living off the land for 2 weeks, it makes for some really interesting viewing. You also can’t go past that old-school Aussie accent. Well worth a watch and a laugh.
GEAR TALK:
new fjallraven gear
So far I am really impressed with these new pants. I’ll continue to test them in the most rugged conditions I can and keep you posted. Hopefully I’ll eventually find time to review them properly.
Check them out at: fjallraven.com.au
Craig's new Alton grill
Craig picked up an Alton grill recently and we got to test it over an open fire on the last trip. It’s early days as far as testing goes, but it sure knocked up a few perfect steaks over the coals.
Check them out here: altongoods.com
