What a fantastic year it was
We’ve climbed mountains, hiked through the wilderness and ran along deserted trails but when we weren’t doing that we were bringing you the best podcast we could put together. Reviewing the year was as fun as I thought it would be and so much gold resurfaced that we had forgotten about. We really enjoyed putting this episode together and are looking forward to another year of adventure and coming back to you in the new year.
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NEWS:
Want a job in Antarctica
Australian Antarctic Division is looking for people to work on Antarctica.
Get all the details in this article: news.com.au
Returning to the Appalachian Trail
After Kirby Morrill was attacked and almost killed on the Appalachian Trail you might think she’d give up on hiking altogether. It’s far from the case and extremely inspiring to learn that she is now planning to complete the famous hike that she has been obsessed with for the last decade.
Read the full article: theglobeandmail.com
Camera reveals surprising drinking guests
When an emu farm decided to stop supplying water to their back paddock, they cleverly decided to run a trail cam for a few days to see if there were any animals relying on the water supply. To their surprise the water troughs were visited daily by many native Australian animals. Of course they have now decided to continue to run water to the troughs to assist the animals in what is a very tough drought season.
The full article with fantastic video footage can be found here: 10daily.com.au
Boy relocates fish by hand
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Check out the photos of Stuart and his kind act: abc.net.au
The husky with an unbelievable forest friend
I found this story extraordinary and I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen the photos. A Husky hanging out with and even bedding down with a Stag seems inconceivable but it is both amazing and beautiful.
Check out the article and photos here: drool.pet
TOM'S MAGICAL MYSTERY MEDIA MASH-UP:
The sound of skating on thin ice
This is the kind of person that coined that infamous phrase no doubt and I found watching him a little difficult at times. He quite deliberately seeks out extremely thin, black ice to skate across and reveal an amazing soundscape as the title implies, it would be more at home on another planet.
Özgür Baba makes captivating music
Donkey’s wailing, gunshots in the distance, dogs barking all while chickens and cats wander around him. This is fascinating in so many more ways than it should be. The music alone is captivating and beautiful but the addition of these real life elements that punctuate certain parts of his performance make it something you can’t turn away from.
What's The Longest Walkable Distance on Earth?
Get your hiking boots ready. In fact, get about 6 pairs ready. This guy has calculated the longest possible walking route on the planet that excludes any use of boats etc to cross water courses.
At 14,334 miles you could complete it in about 3 years if you’re prepared to cover 20km every single day. You’ll clock up 123,000m (76 miles) in elevation change which is the equivalent of climbing Mt Everest 14 times. If that doesn’t scare you off then maybe the places you have to travel through will. Fun countries like Zimbabwe, Uganda (with the highest malaria rate in the world), South Sudan (the 3rd most dangerous country on the planet), the Sudan Desert, the Sahara Desert and then on to Syria, (the 2nd most dangerous country in the world) and the entire way across Siberia known for winter temperatures of -39C (-38.2F).
There’s no record of this ever being completed and I can think of about a thousand reasons why that makes perfect sense. So if you want to do something original, here it is.
GEAR TALK:
The sherp all-terrain vehicle
Oversized tyres and a shoebox shaped cabin. It’s looks simple but check it out in action. It’s virtually unstoppable.
OUR 2019 podcast highlights
It was hard at first to have to go back and choose highlights from previous podcasts when we’ve enjoyed so many of them. Once we started looking back through the archives though, the real gold began to jump out at us.
Fantastic guests
We’ve been so privileged to have had the opportunity to talk to so many amazing, adventure-loving guests this year. As I mentioned in this episode, I was reluctant to pick a favourite guest so instead I chose two of the episodes where the guests and their locations really resonated with me.
Thomas Ivung from Episode 11 sat in his local forest brewing a coffee and tending to his fire while he spoke to us. Listening to his tales of adventure, Sweden’s indigenous Sami people, religion, wolves and bears easily stirred up my imagination and had me trying to work out how I could get over there to visit.
Similarly, Tom Langhorne from Episode 19 also hailed from a country deep in history and dripping with natural beauty.
Tom's favourite Youtube channel of 2019
“Beau Mile’s YouTube channel was my best find of the entire year of 2019” Yes I said that, and I still stand by that statement. Check it out for yourself and I’m sure you will agree. To get you started I’ve posted his film ‘Run the Line’ below.
Hatchet – Gary Paulsen
I reviewed this book in Podcast Episode 11 this year and I still think this was one of my favourite reads of the year despite it’s target audience being teenagers.
FULLSTERKUR
The title translates to “Full Strength” and this Icelandic documentary showcases the amazing history of heavy stone lifting throughout their history. Both Craig and I found the film captivating and extremely interesting.
born to run - book review
Picked up for just $2 at a second hand shop, this book literally changed my life in 2019. Besides that, it’s a fantastic read that’ll have you turning pages late into the night.
The Wolfpack - Short Film
Craig and I saw this film at a film festival in Tasmania and were both so impressed.
Thylacine: The tragic tale of the Tasmanian Tiger
This book is one of my favourites. Incredibly interesting, full of amazing information but at the same time extremely saddening. It’s worth a read and definitely a lesson for humankind.
The totem pole - Book Review
One of Craig’s favourite books of 2019. Written by Paul Pritchard, it tells of his horrific climbing accident and his life after the event as he reconnects with nature and adventure.
Tom Langhorne of Fandabi Wilderness
Finding Tom’s YouTube channel by chance was a highlight of the year for sure. This was the first video I ever watched and since then not only have I watched plenty more, but we were lucky enough to have him join us as a guest in a later episode.
Mt Marathon Madness
It’s a muddy, dangerous mess but you won’t be able to take your eyes off the screen. It’s like watching a car crash but only the cars are missing. Enjoy.
Claire Dunn - Book review
Another great read of 2019 as this book follows author Claire Dunn as she spends a year in the wilderness, committing to only having fire if she can create it by hand. Again, we were lucky to have her join us later in the year as a guest and hear her stories first hand.
Denali’s Raven – Leighan Falley
This is a fantastic film with beautiful cinematography that follows the travels of wilderness pilot, Leighan Falley. I was captured by her amazing story from start to finish of this film.
