Other Indexes
Cycling, walking, touring, skiing etc
Contents in chronological order.
Kayaking
The mouth of the Hawkesbury, I’ve been observing the river up high from the
train and on the expressway to the Central coast of NSW. It has been a long
time coming and now it’s time to paddle on it.
Hawkesbury River from Portland at the mouth of the Colo River through to
Brooklyn in NSW. We had good weather and stayed in accommodation along the
river. A great fun trip, hopefully this will inspire others to do the same.
A long term dream fulfilled. The Murray Marathon 440km over 5 days kicking off
on the 27th of December running from Yarrawonga to Echuca. Yay team !
It’s Antarctica, icebergs, penguins, seals, killer whales. Shackleton beat me
to it, but who cares, I'm there.
Argentina, rio la Leona, stopping off at los Hornos where there are dinosaur
bones and remnants of a petrified forest. A great surprise.
A side trip on my Alps to Ocean bike ride. Celebration with some Scotch on the
glacial ice rocks.
Liloing
One summer day I went on a lilo trip in the Blue Mountains in Wollangambie
Canyon.
Packrafting
A great few weeks of rafting with like minded people from various places in NZ and the world. PRANZ is an active, very well organised packrafting association in New Zealand. They are welcoming and have great trips and rivers to packraft on.
I saw a promotion by Paddle Tasmania for an intermediate course on the Mersey
river over the Melbourne Cup long weekend in November. Just what I needed to
fill in the safety, handling and other aspects of rafting that are absent from
my knowledge.
.. the Rearguard falls we were in for a treat .. a continuous length of large
rolling waves f.. Travellers from the USA, Canada, Australia and nationals
from with extended stays from Europe are in the mix. Our common bond, pack
rafting and love of the outdoors.
There is something right about UNESCO, they have nailed their world heritage
listings. The Tatshenshini - Alsek watershed is truly a marvel.
We are a widely varied group of people with something in common - packrafting and the outdoors. My kind of people. We get an overview of the proceedings, nothing formal we are to gather in self organised groups; there are however introductory runs for beginners. It works, there are a lot of people and you will join a group with relative ease.
I thoroughly recommend that all people involved in packrafting or other white
water activity to do this course. Like a first aid course it could be a life
saver, and not only that, it is a fun weekend away !
The advanced packrafting course reiterated the basic strokes and their
importance in white water. Further to that we learnt the art of timing, team
management and how to boof. A mid week trip on the Donaldson ended with a
frightening experience in a large stopper. Gung ho no more, chastened.
New craft and bike and trial on the Yarra river. Ride from Westerfolds park to
Pound Bend via the bike trails then paddling down the river.
Apart from the teething issues at the start, we had a good time and were all
in the right frame of mind. A pearler of a day helps, and it set the tone for
the rest of the long weekend.
We were warned by one of the visitors that the river was unpassable, as a
couple of their friends tried to canoe it and turned back. There was a bit of
debris at the bridge pylon, but nothing to worry ourselves with, or so we
thought.
The Snowy river, a symbol of wild appeal in literature and an adventure's
dream. It doesn't disappoint. A packrafter's dream for all skill levels,
especially when the weather and river levels are in your favour.
Snowy creek, with its generous supply of water was a fun place to be. There
were plenty of rapids to play on, and enough flatter sections to recover on.
We practised our raft recovery skills, safely retrieving the Claire's
packraft, guiding it on a taut rope across the river to the other side .. All
heroes rewarded with satisfaction and a smile..
A weekend packrafting trip on the beautiful waters of the Aberfeldy and
Thomson rivers, starting from the Aberfeldy Bridge camp to Cowwarr weir.
Commercial Rafting
Montenegro. The river runs past the lodgings, it is tantalising with its
transparent blue green colours and mild churning white water in the centre.
Lovely lilac flowers adorn the banks in places.
Gear Review
Leaking main inflation valve, attachment points, foot cushion, esign of mouth
inflation on internal cushions. (2022. Please note this product has improved,
kept here for things to look out for.)
Packing everything in to the raft both on the cargo deck and inside the hull.
Dry suit, undergarments, shoes. Seat height, bikerafting, walking with loaded
pack.