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Rewild You outdoor skills workshops and the Larapinta Trail · Everyday Hiker

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Are you looking for details of the most beautiful weekend hikes in Southeast Queensland and further afield?
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: Well you're in the right place.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Everyday Hiker Podcast.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Beck and I'm your host.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Join me and my guest hikers as we share amazing locations, practical tips and guides for new hikers as well as those with more experience looking for some inspiration.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: And please, if you like what you hear, follow me, share with your friends, rate my podcast, and send me your feedback.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Hello everyone and welcome to another episode.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: I'm super excited today to have Scott and Steph with me from ReWild.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I've been watching some ReWild posts on social media, particularly about female overnight hiking skills, and started looking into the business and loved what I saw.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I thought I would invite Scott and Steph today to talk about their passion and what they're hoping to achieve with their workshops.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: But also then they told me that they just finished the Lara Pinder trail.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: I thought, oh well, too good an excuse to ignore that.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: And we're going to talk about Lara Pinner in the second half as well.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: So firstly, welcome Scott and Steph.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks so much, Beck.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, thanks, Beck.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks for having us in.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's an I I can't wait to hear your story and the confidence that you're hoping to deliver to hikers to get into solo hiking and overnight hiking because I think there's a lot of people who are keen on doing that.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: So, Scott, I might throw to you if you want to tell me about how Rewild was born and what you were hoping to achieve with it.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, sure.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_02: So I predominantly come from an outdoor education background.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_02: So I've been a rafting guide and uh track guide, worked in outdoor ed for 25 years now.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_02: Um about 10 years ago, I acquired my property down in the Northern Rivers, uh beautiful property we have down there.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I wanted to start running some of my own outdoor ed programs basically to encourage people to get out into the outdoors and just share some of the skills and knowledge that I had and try and encourage others to get out there and reap the benefits that yeah, being outside has to offer.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um so yeah, 10 years ago I set up ReWild and started initially just running some homeschool programs.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_02: My kids were homeschooled at the time, so we I put the word out in amongst the local homeschool community that I was going to run some one-day like nature connection survival skills type um events.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um they were really well received, they booked out straight away, and so we rolled with it, and the feedback from those events was you know nothing but pretty miraculous, really.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_02: I was really, really surprised.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_02: Um so it was really, really popular.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um so yeah, we just kept rolling with that, and then we started getting a lot of the adults who were bringing their children out to these programs were showing an interest, so it sort of evolved from there.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_02: We started moving into public school, public kids programs, and stuff for the adults to come along to as well.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: So let's stop at the kids for a second, because I think you know, all of us who've had kids, you know, the idea of being able to send them off to camp in any form is always welcome in the holidays.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: So you've got a holiday program.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: How long do the kids come from and how old are you, you know, the kids that you're taking out?
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so I've got a couple of different things um on the schedule.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_02: So I my general holiday program is for seven to thirteen year olds, and they're just a day program.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_02: So I run over two or three days over the holidays.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um the first one's all based on wilderness survival skills.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um so we get them out and we teach them how to light fires, build shelter, purify water from out of the rivers.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_02: Um we also talk about safety out in the bush, what to do if you find yourself lost and separated from your group or your parents.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, we talk about snake bite.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um so that's the first day.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_02: The second day that we run in the holidays is called Hunter Gatherer.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_02: So it's more about traditional skills that all our ancestors used to use.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_02: So there's a little bit of foraging in there.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_02: Some we set some traps in the river and try and catch eels and yabbies.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then a big part of the day is actually we do a lot of whittling or knife skills.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_02: So teach them all about knife safety and how to use a knife correctly, and we end up making a spear.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, it's a great looking.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_02: Fantastic.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and so they're still popular, you're still running the kids' programs.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so I run these every holidays.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um, they are super popular, they just yeah, they generally book out like yeah, well in advance.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_02: So um another one that I do too if we're slightly older kids from 10 to 14 year olds, is similar sort of content, but we actually do it as an overnighter.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and the kids will come out and we have to build our own shelters that we're actually going to sleep in, and we cook on the fire that we've created, and it's just a really fun couple of days out.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's fantastic.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Kids' own adventure.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: So, and then so what were the adults looking for?
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: What sort of adult courses did you do?
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_02: So initially I just started running some one and two-day wilderness survival skills courses.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_02: So adults were really interested in um creating fire through friction and without you know matches or lighters or anything like that.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so that was a lot of interest there.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_02: Also in um foraging, so wild food, bushtucker, that side of things.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_02: So with the adult courses, we incorporate all of all of that.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_02: Um and like in all my workshops, I always include the the um snake bite treatment and response and the safety side of things too.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: So do you think alone Australia has had a bit of a a bit of an influence there?
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: You know, people wanted to get out and do it.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, alone's been great for business.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_02: It's uh really inspired lots of people to want to out there want to get out there and at least give it a little try and see how they would go and uh learn some skills.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: And just a fantastic way to connect with nature, regardless of whether you'll ever use those skills again.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: It's just getting out and appreciating and understanding it.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: I love that you said that you brought in some indigenous culture and skills and as well.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, definitely.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_02: And that's what it's all about.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_02: It's all about getting people outside and just into uh natural spaces that's so beneficial for us, just you know, mentally, physically, spiritually.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_02: It's yeah, such a beneficial thing to spend time out outdoors, especially this day and age, like you know, we become very inward and tech focused.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_02: So just to leave all that behind for a little while and immerse yourself outside is great.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and have you thought about taking it further, like taking it for extended trips?
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like what's your plans for the future?
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so definitely looking at a bit of an expansion, especially when it comes into the the sort of hiking, bushwalking side of things.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_02: We'd like to take it a little bit further and um yeah, offer longer, more deeper immersions into wilder places.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_02: So that's definitely something we're we're looking at in the next year or so.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: Fantastic.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna put a link to uh Rewild on these show notes so everybody can look and follow your journey as you go along.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: So that's terrific.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: But Steph has been sitting here very patiently, and I think let's bring Steph into the conversation because when you met Steph, Steph, I'm gonna let you tell the story here, but it brought in a female dimension, right?
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: And and you know, hiking is super popular with women.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: So, Steph, tell us a little bit about your hiking background.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: So, before I met Scott a couple of years ago, most of my hiking was solo, which I love and I recommend highly.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_01: But I'd have a lot of women come to me and say, Oh, that looks amazing, but aren't you scared?
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I wouldn't know where to start.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: So I've always wanted to start supporting women into getting into overnight hiking.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: I'm also a naturopath and nutritionist, so I'm quite focused on healthy eating on the trail.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and there's some fantastic adjustments you can make to the typical noodles and snickel stickers bars diet that a lot of people eat these days.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: So I always wanted to uh create a program where I could support women to get into the outdoors and just dispel some fear and instill some confidence because we've all got what it takes.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's just uh filtering through all the noise online to determine um what is the best way forward and just get some basic first aid skills and confidence to know that you can handle whatever the trail throws at you.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: So when I met Scott, he's already running these amazing programs.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_01: So we very seamlessly really tied in together to create our women's overnight hiking skills workshops.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: So they are predominantly um visited by people we have some younger crew, but mostly from 40 to 70, which is amazing to see women in this demographic taking a leap and getting outside of their comfort zone.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: And we just support them to understand how to how to pack and what gear they need and what gear they don't need, and and just give them the confidence and the skills to know that they can um support themselves and look after themselves on the trail and and things like that.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_01: So it's been really, really great.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_01: And so Scott has uh a lot of the technical skills and first aid.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: We're both wilderness first aid trained, but Scott is now delivering wilderness first aid training and search and rescue.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: So he has a lot of technical skills, and then I come in with the the naturopathic and nutritionist side.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: I'm also a yoga teacher, so we do some yoga and mindfulness, which allows the women to really drop into their environment and get a sense of peace and connection with the land.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_01: So it is a very holistic course that's been super popular so far.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I see that you've expanded out.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: Was it your last one you did closer to Brisbane?
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: So you you you you started off in Northern Rivers, but you're expanding out a bit now to get into a different sort of you know demographic?
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's right.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_02: We've just uh secured a location up on the Sunshine Coast, which is a fantastic spot.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_02: And it's just yeah, enabled us to reach the the crew that are up there that are really keen to get out there and Brisbane people, I'm guessing.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_02: Bishop people as well, yeah.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, with some of my holiday workshops, um been running them in Brisbane and yeah, it's been good.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: Fantastic.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: And how often?
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna you know be um selfish here and ask about the women's workshops in particular.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: How often are you running them?
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um about six times a year.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_01: So last year we they've only been running for just over twelve months now, and I think we've run seven or so.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_01: So every couple of months we'll do one in the Northern Rivers and one at Put Amore on the Sunshine Coast.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_01: So they're pretty consistent.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_01: Our next one is in November, and then that we won't be running again until March next year.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, okay.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: Well that's great.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: So anybody listening to this who might miss November will know to wait.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: But that's also perfect for the weather anyway, isn't it?
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: It's a little bit hot over the summer period.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and because a lot of our women are brand new to hiking, and maybe their fitness isn't like you don't have to be a star athlete to join these workshops.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: So we really want to be able to look after women's health, and and sometimes when it's very hot and you're new to hiking, it's it's a little bit intense.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: A little bit uncomfortable.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: So it's definitely nicer in the cooler periods.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't think it's just about it, you know, you you have to go solo hiking after this.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: If you're in a small group, you need that awareness for everybody in the group to make sure that you know you've got the right gear with you.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I I had an experience recently where I reflected on and thought you should have a little discussion beforehand, who's got this and who knows that, and you know, that sort of thing.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe we need a license for hikers, you know.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: Have you done your basic first aid?
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: Because we're seeing a lot of things happening at the moment, um, where people are getting stranded, where they're falling off rocks, where they're getting bitten by a snake, whatever it might be.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: And as you were saying before, it's just the confidence that you know how to deal with it.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_01: Correct.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: So, um from both of you, what do you think the people people worry about the most when they come to talk to you?
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: I'll start with Scott.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: You know, what what are their greatest fears about being out on the trail, either by themselves or just generally?
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so I guess the one of the big ones is as uh snake bite, you know, and there's a lot of a lot of information out there about snake bite and a lot of misconception too, that if you get bitten by a snake, you're that's it, you're you're a goner, you're gonna die.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_02: But statistically, when you look at all the facts and figures and if you have the the correct response to that, like statistically there's a really, really good chance that you're you know no harm is gonna come from that.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_02: Um so just having that knowledge and understanding and knowing what to do can alleviate a lot of that worry.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_02: Um it doesn't you know and there's little things you can do to mitigate the risk as well, um, to prevent a little bit from happening, but um the reality is it's you know it's probably not gonna ever happen, and if it does, it's you know uh very unlikely that some grief is gonna come from that.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_02: But um so that's always a big one.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_02: And it's not just the snakes, it's also all the other little bitey things, the ticks and leeches that can be a bit of a bit of a deterrent.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_02: So just providing education around those things um and and correct ways of dealing with those is uh really useful.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_02: Um and the other one is navigation as well, people concerned that they're gonna get lost.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_02: So throughout our workshops, we we take a dive into navigation, both using your phone, your smartphone as a navigation aid, and then we we start to move into topographical maps.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the good old-fashioned maps the good old fashioned map on a which hardly anyone I'm guessing takes out these days, but maybe they should the more remote they go.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_02: I'm a real self-confessed map nerd.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_02: I have my paper map and a compass.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_02: I feel a bit defeated if I have to pull out the phone.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_01: Well, that's good.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_01: They're good for an understanding of your environment.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um a lot of people just look at their phone and follow the little blue line without having an awareness of the terrain around them.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_01: So Scott really helps the women understand how to identify where they've been and where they're going.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: And if their phone died, they have an understanding of what's around them and and to know when a ridge or a mountain's coming up or something to be prepared for that.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no, definitely.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_02: And it's something we point out is just, you know, especially with all trails, it's uh let a lot of people get into a little bit of strife.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_02: Uh it's also a really useful tool, and it's actually helped a lot of people also, but um just be a better understanding of the map on your all trails and paying attention in particular to things like contour lines and that's uh you know.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: Because some of the information's there on all trails.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: But you've got like you said, you're just watching the blue line if you don't go behind the tabs to yeah.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_02: And a lot of people get caught out.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_02: They think, oh look, okay, Mount Barney, for example, it's only a four-kilometre hike, we can do that, and then you go out, but they they fail to realise is that you know there's a thousand metres in elevation and it totally changes it.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: I'm a big fan of all trails because I'd rather people have that running or downloaded, or you know, as a as a starting point, because some people who go out and just rely on the signs, that's worse.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_00: Much better to have all trails.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I always read the reviews to get an idea of um, you know, someone went out two days ago, oh it's incredibly muddy, or you know, watch out for this or watch out for that, fallen trees.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_00: So it is a useful tool, but you probably need to know how to use it, and you can go back to some of those old-fashioned skills to apply it to modern technology, right?
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, definitely.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_02: It's yeah, certainly a really useful tool.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and it's I guess part of the reason why we've had a rapid expansion on a lot of the trails out there, because they have been uploaded to all trails and now they're accessible to to everyone, anyone that has the app, uh, which is a good thing.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_02: But it can also cause a little bit of grief out there too, if people don't have the skill set or the knowledge to to match the trail that they're committing themselves to.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_02: So that's part of the reason why we're doing what we're doing, is just to help provide education and um make it safe.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_02: Make it safe, yeah.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: As safe as you can.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_02: Like misadventure happens and accidents happen out on the trail.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_02: But a lot of the rescues and a lot of the incidences that we're having out there on the mountains and in the national parks can be avoided with proper education and better better equipment, better prepared for uh those conditions.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_02: For things to happen.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: So Steph, I imagine females would worry about all of those things, but also some additional fears just about being alone.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_00: So you've done a fair bit of solo hiking.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, what's been your approach to worrying about being on your own?
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_01: So we're lucky in Australia because really, when you're out and about, all the noises you hear at night are mice, bandicoots, and possums.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_01: So you're very unlikely to hear anything other than that of an evening.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, when we speak to women and ask them what their primary fears are and what's holding them back, a lot of the time it is other people on the trail.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: That's the primary concern.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_01: However, um being a solo hiker for the last number of years, I've never come across a person on the trail who I felt threatened by.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I do live in Brisbane though, so walking down the street at any given time in the day, you're much l more likely to be approached or have a confrontation with someone in the city or the street in your local town.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_01: So people who are heading out on the trail are pretty into it themselves.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_01: For those who do overnight hiking, the gear takes a bit to accumulate, there's a cost involved, and people out there, um they're just out there to have fun.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_01: I took my mother on a a shorter hike in Carnarvon Gorge, and she's always been very concerned about me hiking alone.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: And after passing, you know, 10 groups of people on the trail, she's like, oh my god, everyone's lovely.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_01: They just want to talk about birds and and and that's the type of people we see out there.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_01: So there is a fear, but it's it's a headspace situation that we just have to get used to, I think, sometimes.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_01: What do we do recommend is even just camping in your setup in your tent next to the car at home or in a campground or with other people, just be alone and get used to the fact that there's sounds in nature, they're very unlikely uh to be a threat.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and also carrying a PLB or a communication device like a Garmin inreach.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm pretty confident that whatever happens out on the trail, I have the ability to call for help and I have the basic first aid skills to look after myself.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_01: So it's just getting out of that headspace of fear and just being comfortable in the environment and knowing that you've got an out.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, if you press a button, someone will come and help you if you need it.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: That's fantastic because I think some of the most rewarding hikes in Australia um involve some remote overnight locations.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: And if you if you avoid that altogether, you're going to miss out on a lot of really good trails.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that's fantastic that you're giving the skills to females to say you can do it.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_00: And and I I really love that point about practicing by yourself, even in your backyard.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I don't get particularly fussed, you know, because like you said, I know there's no bears out there or tigers that are gonna come and get me.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_00: But nevertheless, it it is a little disarming when you hear those rustles and you think, What's that?
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_00: Is it coming in?
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_00: You know?
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: So um building up that resilience that you're gonna hear noises.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um I just take a few nights practice.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_01: Most people get used to it.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: So when you've done your workshop with females, how many sort of go off and think, yep, that's great?
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so we have communication groups via WhatsApp and Facebook for all the women post-hike.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_01: And every hike we always have people come and say, Oh, I just did this, or I just bought my dehydrator and did my cooking, I just did this hike, and they share and communicate.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_01: And so we have a fantastic success rate for women who attend, who then go out and do their own hikes, either solo or with their crew or with other women from the group.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a great uh way for them to meet like-minded women as well.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's awesome.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: Congratulations to both of you for really working so hard to, you know, get us out there.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, thanks.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_02: It's been really rewarding just seeing the evolution of you know, people that have come along and they've wanted to.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_02: We've had women who've, you know, purchased all the gear like a number of years prior to coming to the workshop, but there's always I've just wanted to get out there and use it and had this desire to go and do these, you know, do an overnight hype, but there's just been some resistance there.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_02: And then I've come and done our workshop, and then you know, within two weeks they're they're out there doing it, and it's just really really rewarding to see.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_02: Um and we've had like probably at least like sixty to seventy percent that we know of that have attended our workshops have gone on and done some overnight stuff, um, or multi-day um hikes, which is really cool.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I bet there's some kids out there nagging their parents because now they know how to whittle a knife and start a hike.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's time to get camping, mum and dad.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, it's always quite funny.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_02: I know the kids all make the spare throughout the workshop, and they're like, Can we take this home?
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_02: And I said, It's up to your parents.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_00: That's absolutely awesome.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_00: And you're practicing what you preach because you've just come back a couple of weeks ago from the Larrapina Trail and you did it independently.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't know who wants to take the lead here and just talk about um, I think Steph, you this is your second time.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: So um, how you did it and the confidence for people who want to tackle that trial because it's one of Australia's best, isn't it?
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_01: It is well worth it.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so it is it is a a commitment because it is 230 kilometres.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_01: However, logistically it's set up quite well.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_01: So you fly into Alice Springs, um, you can get a shuttle from the airport to your accommodation.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_01: Uh it is set up in a way that there's a few providers that provide food drops and a pickup from the end.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_01: So So you can either walk from Alice out west or you can get dropped off out west and walk back into Alice Springs.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_01: And there's opportunities for three food drops along the way.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_01: So I went with Larrapinta Express.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_01: Larry Pinter Express this last time.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_01: So I've done it twice now, the first time solo, and this last time with Scott.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_01: And Larrapinter Express will have three food drop boxes at your accommodation waiting for you.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_01: You put all your food in those drop boxes, and then if you're walking west, you just walk out of your hotel onto the trail and away you go.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_01: And pick up food three times along the trail.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_01: At the end, you'll have a confirmed pickup to bring you back to the start.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_01: So logistically, it works quite well.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_01: There is a lot of elevation.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_01: So you walk just about the elevation of Mount Everest over the so many days.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_01: But you can take your time.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of people take 17 to 21 days, which is very easygoing.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_01: There's water holes, there's amazing views, and you really, really settle into the outback and the connection with the land over time.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_01: So it is a commitment, but you can take it slow and there's support along the way.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_01: And everyone walking the trail is just so approachable and friendly, and you'll have company if you want company.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so when you say accommodation, just in case anybody's under any misunderstanding that it's not the Hilton we're talking about.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_01: So the camping along the way, there are campsites at the trailheads, and they have a shelter and two tanks and a toilet.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_01: But most of the time we found that we were camping away from those trailheads.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_01: So you take a tent and you pinch along the way.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_01: If you can't make it to an established campsite, there are little campsites sort of all along the way.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_01: So you can stop when you need to.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_01: You just have to keep in mind water sources.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_01: If you're camping at the trailhead, there's always a tank.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_01: If you're going to camp up high on the mountaintops, which is what we highly recommend at least a couple of times, you'll be carrying additional water.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_01: So you have to be prepared for carrying up to potentially six litres of water at once.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_01: But typically you'll only ever need to carry maybe four days of food at a time if you're doing the three food drops along the way.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_01: And um there's geology and flowers and it's and skies and stars and animals.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_00: So Scott Steph's obviously talked up this trail.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_02: You've got to come up with it didn't take much to convince me, but um yeah, it was absolutely stunning.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_02: Like I've uh I've done a lot of hikes all over, you know, the all over the world really.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um and that is right up there at the top of my list.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_02: It was just yeah, stunning.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_02: I haven't been out to that part of Australia, so uh it was really nice just to to get out there and the geology and the flowers and the big skies and the stars, it was just yeah, really beautiful.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_00: It's completely different to anything else, isn't it?
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_00: Unless maybe you're going to Western Australia.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and you know, the yeah, the thing that I really enjoyed out there was the geology.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_02: I you know, I love rocks, but um these rocks that were walking amongst uh No particularly cool rocks.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_02: You know, these are the old you're in danger here of being a nerds and rocks.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_02: You know, we're walking amongst some of the oldest rocks on the planet, so it's just yeah, amazing landscape.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_02: And it changes a lot too.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_02: Like throughout the uh that's one thing that really surprised me was the constant change.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um I was expecting it to not be a bit same, same.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_02: Be much of the same, same, but um it was constantly changing and new if new flowers were appearing and yeah, it's really beautiful.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_00: And how about how tough it is?
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_00: Because one of the things I've heard is it's a gravel, you know, sort of trail, and I met um one lady who had to throw her new shoes out at the end of it because she'd just worn them down.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yep, so it's it is pretty tough.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_02: As far as navigation goes, it's easy to it's a very well defined and well sort of signed and marked trail.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_02: There's little blue arrows every in all the appropriate spots where you think you'd need a little blue arrow to guide you in the right right way.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_02: Um so navigation it's it's relatively straightforward.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I believe so.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um you've still got to have your wits about you, and you'd still want either, you know, the paper maps or you'd still want to have it uploaded to all trails just in case you did stray off the off the track.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_02: Um but technically it's definitely, you know, there's some parts of it that are a well well-maintained trail and nicely graded, but then there's a lot of not so much off track, but you're following natural natural features.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_02: So you're either following walking down creek beds or you're rock hopping through a gorge, so it is quite technical.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_02: Um you do need a little you know to be pretty pretty aware of where you're placing your feet for a lot of it, so that can be really mentally mentally straining.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you can't just purely base it on okay, well the stay is only 10 kilometres long because you might be walking five kilometres from rock to rock, boulder hopping, so that's something to consider in your planning.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_02: But um, yeah, and there is a fair bit of elevation too.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um so temperature-wise, you guys went in July, right?
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_01: So the temperature gets very cold at night.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, when I went two years ago, it did get down to negative four the first couple nights, so everything sort of froze.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, so it does get very cold at night in the desert, and it can get quite hot in the day.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_01: And as Scott found out, 25 degrees in the desert feels a lot hotter than 25 degrees.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_01: So sun cover is very important, wide-brimmed hat, long sleeves, long pants, um, and sunscreen as well.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and carrying enough water, electrolytes, and fueling yourself is really important.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_01: So it does get quite hot in the daytime.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of people will leave very early for that reason and then get to camp by you know lunchtime where they can rest from then on.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_01: So walking early in the morning or late in the afternoon is great.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_01: It does get really hot though, so you do have to manage that.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_01: And therefore, um, maybe June to August would be the best time.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_01: I probably wouldn't hike outside of winter out there.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, which is what makes it a popular trail to get onto because it's such a short period.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_00: But you can, you know, you can do parts of it, can't you?
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm sorry, I'm I I know you're not the expert on how to do it in different ways to what you've done, but if you were going to pick, even to get a taste of it, to maybe encourage you to go and do the longer trail, what for you are the highlights along the way?
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_01: So people definitely do section hike it, and there are services that you can drop, drop you off and pick you up, and there are supports like uh organized hikes that you can do a bit more of a bougie version.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um I would say from Stanley Chasm to Ormiston Gorge is a very spectacular few sections.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's probably the most challenging uh and technically diverse.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Counts Point is a fantastic spot, uh beautiful viewpoint, people can stay up there for the night.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_01: But the middle section is definitely uh pretty specky.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_01: What would you say?
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'd agree.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um around Ormiston Gorge, that was yeah, stunning around that area.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um yeah, for me, yeah, I would say Ormiston Gorge is probably the best bit.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_02: We did do uh a side trip.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_02: We took a two-day side trip off the actual Arapinta trail, and we headed over to the um the range that was running parallel with where we were, and we summited Mount Giles, which is another pretty substantial peak out there, and spent a night up on the top.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_01: So that was definitely your favourite.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_01: That was my favourite.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um and the weather turned on us and uh the top, and it was like a whiteout and eighty kilometre hour winds and rain, and you're not expecting that, right?
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so yeah, that was that was a great I love that.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_02: That was a good experience.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_02: But then we came down after that and ended up at Ormiston Gorge, and that was yeah, beautiful.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_00: What a nice way to end up because you can swim there, can't you?
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_00: Was that the gorge?
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, they had a bit of a fish problem.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_00: But yes, yeah, yeah, but you can you can still swim in parts.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so when you have if you do the Ormiston loop, you actually have to wade through the couple of the swimming holes there to to cross through because they've had a lot of rain out there earlier in the year, there's there's an abundance of water around.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's got to be the pinnacle of Australian hikes, hasn't it?
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_00: Because it's nothing like anywhere else in the world.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_01: Truly spectacular.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_01: The fish tend to die off uh each winter when the water gets really cold.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_01: They have a um rotozeo growing in their gills, which stops them being able to breathe.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_01: So that's a natural life cycle.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_01: So if you see dead fish out in the water, that's a natural life cycle thing.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_01: It's a little bit off-putting, but that's Mother Earth.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_00: Good to know that it's the temperature that's that's getting into them.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_01: There's not a toxicity in the water or anything that you have to be too concerned about.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_00: Well, look, um guys, we've got to the 30-minute mark, so we better wrap it up.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_00: Although I feel like I could talk to you for a lot longer because I'm sure you've got a lot of other adventures.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_00: But I really appreciate your time today.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's inspired me to go and do some serious homework about Lara Pinna.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_00: But I really encourage, if you're listening to this, get along to one of these workshops.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's gonna make the difference about how much you enjoy your hiking, isn't it?
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_02: It's gonna make you feel a lot more confident in being out there and um yeah, just encourage everyone to get out there and get amongst it.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_00: Fantastic.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_00: So that's ReWild.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna put all the details in the notes.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_00: And for everyone listening, I hope you get out there this weekend and happy hiking.
• 31:36
  unknown: Awesome.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks, Vic.