We protect what we love

FRIDAY 21.04.2023.

It’s been a jam-packed week at FWP virtual headquarters. Hilary, Karin Traeger (our newest addition to the PU team!), Lauren and myself met up yesterday morning to chat all things Pilliga Ultra. Registrations will be opening SUPER SOON, so to be first in line, pre-register now!

We’ve also spent a lot of time exploring some beautiful places. I spent last Sunday exploring Dharawal Country via bike and seeing some waterfalls, beaches and incredible native flowers. Lauren was up early with a Mount Towac sunrise hike and coffee with her mum in Wiradjuri country and Hilary has just finished some adventuring in lutruwita.

Acacia on Dharawal country, and Lauren enjoying a sunrise coffee on Mount Towac with her mum!

In this week’s newsletter, Hilary details her adventures in lutruwita and we link you with some resources, tips and practical actions to help you take action this Earth Day. We hope you enjoy this adventure-packed newsletter - I know I may be biased, but I think it’s a good one ☺️

LUTRIWITA ADVENTURES

with Hilary

Cold, wet & rainy... but FAGUS!

The Overland Track... one of our continents' best-known walking trails, requiring lots of advance planning and permit acquisition - neither of which are my strong suits! Plus, being one of the most popular trails, surely means it's over rated, right?! Oh, how the Overland proved me wrong.

When the opportunity arose to tag along with a friend who was tagging along with his partners' school group, I jumped at the chance. The dates were locked in, and the transport sorted, I just had to turn up at the Launceston airport with 6 days of dehy food, my hiking boots and a bulging pack. Too easy! My first Overland experience was back in 2007, when as a sprightly 17 year old, my best friend Laura and older sister Anna did the Overland in Dec/Jan, and it rained the WHOLE time. Not only did I turn up without a raincoat (I blame Laura, she forgot it!) but our packs weighed a tonne, filled with donga (salami) and tinned tomatoes. You should have seen the looks we got pulling out tinned goods on the final night..!

So sixteen years later, I'm back at Ronny Creek, ready to tackle the famous Overland Track, with my neighbour and trail buddy Lachie in tow. From the first kilometre, we were hooked, with snow-dusted peaks in the distance, glowing button grass plains unfolding before us, and glorious yet elusive Tasmanian sun shining down on us. It had snowed two days prior, and we got to see the rugged dolerite pillars of Cradle Mountain in their winter glory, dusted with a picture-perfect sprinkling of pristine white snow, held in place by the stiff southerly breeze, straight from Antarctica.

 Cradle Mountain

I could wax lyrical about every kilometre of the 85ks we covered over five days - we were blessed with sunkissed summits, minimal mud, clear, starry nights and excellent company in the form of new trail friends from across the globe. But to keep things brief, here are a few highlights from the trip -

The Huts! The dark, dingy and damp huts of 16 years ago have (almost) all been replaced with stunning, architecturally designed masterpieces, accommodating the daily allotment of 34 hikers comfortably. We opted to stay in our tents (on timber platforms) each night but used the huts to cook in, which made for a very civilized experience. In bad weather, I'd definitely take a terrible snorer over sleeping outside in the freezing wind and rain!

The fungi! I know diddly-squat about fungi, but my goodness is it fun to find! Considering you spend most of your time looking at the ground navigating roots, puddles and rocks through the wet, rainforest sections, it's hard not to notice the weird and wonderful array of fungi that pop up along the path and in logs and on trees.

The colours! We did it just after Easter, and boy did the autumn colours put on a show! The button grass plains had matured into an orange-ish, rust colour, and stretched out as far as the eye could see. The fagus was turning, which was a true delight. Combined with the clear blue skies, rugged grey dolerite peaks and golden hour light, we were constantly in a state of awe!

Mt Field National Park

Desperate to cling onto that unincumbered, relaxed feeling of hiking life, I set out on a fagus-quest prior to catching the Spirit back to Victoria. After the necessary shower, soft bed and burger, I headed to Mt Field National Park, which sits about 1.5hr west of Hobart. This National Park is home to epic waterfalls, glacial tarns and this time of year - golden Fagus! Fagus (Nothofagus gunnii) is Tasmania’s only winter deciduous species, and one of only a handful of deciduous species in Australia, and is only present in areas that have remained long unburnt.

The fagus along Tarn Shelf

With limited time and inclement weather to negotiate, I decided to do the popular Tarn Shelf circuit as a hike over two and half days, camping overnight at Twilight Tarn Hut. It was forecast to snow overnight over 1000m, and I had my fingers and toes crossed to wake up in a white wonderland! Sadly, it just rained all night, and I questioned why I didn't just do the 15km loop as a trail run.

After hiking for a week, I had grown accustomed to the relaxed pace of walking, which really allows you to top and appreciate the views, and notice the small things. It's also awesome to pitch a tent beside a beautiful tarn, surrounded by pandani, and go to sleep listening to the rain pitter-patter on the tent, only occasionally alarmed by the odd noise (which I hope to be a possum!)

After a solid 12hr sleep, I packed up my very wet tent and set off back to Lake Dobson in the rain, which soon turned to sleet and finally snow! It was simply beautiful hiking along in the untouched snow, revelling at how beautiful the native flora of lutriwita is, and relishing every last moment before making the 4hr drive to Devonport!

Beautiful snow!

I can't recommend lutriwita in autumn enough - even the roadsides are golden with golds, oranges and auburn colours, and the berries are fresh and the mornings crisp! If you'd like to see/read more from my adventures along the Overland and Mt Field, check out my Instagram - @hilarymcallister_

EARTH DAY 2023

The Earth Day 2023 theme is focused on engaging the more than 1 billion people, governments, institutions, and businesses who participate in Earth Day to recognize our collective responsibility and to help accelerate the transition to an equitable, prosperous green economy for all. We are focused on reframing the conversation, accelerating action, and bringing everyone together to understand that this is within our reach if we work together.

As human beings, we have the power and duty to make our voices heard. What each of us does and how we do it has a massive ripple effect on our ecosystems, as well as the pace of corporate and government action. 

You can use the interactive map to register your own Earth Day events or find community events happening near you. There is no time more vital than the present to take action and INVEST IN OUR PLANET!

Click on the image to view the Earth Day 2023 theme video.

A brief history

1970: The first Earth Day mobilises 20 million Americans to call for increased protection for our planet.

1990: Earth Day goes global, mobilising 200 million people in 141 countries.

2000: Earth Day leverages the power of digital media to build millions of local conversations across more than 180 countries.

2010: Earth Day Network launches A Billion Acts of Green and The Canopy Project. Earth Day 2010 engages 75,000 global partners in 192 countries.

2020: Earth Day 2020 marked 50 years with global activations that aim to mobilise a billion people worldwide for transformative action for our planet.

Ways you can invest in our planet

Home owners: A sustainable home is a happy home. If you are a homeowner, Investing in Our Planet is essential to financial success. A home that is equipped with efficient power/water/heating systems, coupled with renewable energy, will save you thousands of dollars per year while drastically reducing your impact on the environment . You can install rooftop solar panels (maybe your bank offers Green loans?), switch to LED lightbulbs, compost and plant native species and pollinators to support biodiversity.

Parents: Commemorating Earth Day as a family can nurture responsible and considerate values, and ensure that nature and sustainability are an important part of your child’s identity. You can have a conversation with your children about the importance of living sustainably and identify ways that your family can improve together, Work together as a family to implement as many of these 52 Actions and Tips, plant a pollinator garden, use our plastic pollution calculator or get involved in local events.

Businesses: The business world is among the most significant emitters of greenhouse gasses and other pollutants. However, they are also in a position to profit significantly from a sustainable transition. Your business can go paperless as much as possible, offer bike-to-work or WFH opportunities or mitigate the carbon impact of your business by planting a forest with the Canopy Project.

Get creative: You can get creative with making posters banners and other art for nearby protests and rallies or even sell art and donate the proceeds to tree planting with the Canopy Project.

Use social media: post to your social media account and become an advocate for the planet. Be sure to use any/all of the following hashtags: #InvestInOurPlanet #EarthDay #EarthDayEveryDay #ClimateChange #Environment #Sustainability #TakeAction #ItsNotADayItsAMovement #TheGreatGlobalCleanup #TheCanopyProject #FashionForTheEarth #VoteEarth #GreenCities #ClimateLiteracy

TRAIL CHAT #12: AUBRI DRAKE

27 April 2023

Aubri Drake is a queer, non-binary hiker, backpacker, and trail runner (they/them pronouns, please) with approximately 5844 kilometers of thru-hiking under their belt (the act of hiking an established long-distance trail end-to-end continuously). That's a whole lotta distance. And it's not flat terrain either - I didn't attempt to add up the elevation. Aubri has thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail (3524kms), Tour du Mont Blanc (180kms), the Vermont Long Trail (438kms), the John Muir Trail, twice (340kms each time), the Tahoe Rim Trail (266kms), and the New England Trail, also twice (378kms each time).

I can’t wait for this trail chat, and love the representation that Aubri brings to the outdoor space. If you don’t want to miss out on your chance to ask some questions, you can register for Trail Chat #12 with Aubri here.

🏳️‍🌈 🏃‍♂️ 🏳️‍🌈

That's all from us today, folks! My goodness, are we glad to finally hit send on this newsletter - Hilary and I have written and rewritten our bits several times, thanks to things not saving and being locked out of our account due to a certain (now deleted) word being flagged as spam! 😩 So we really appreciate you taking the time to read through to the end, as each week we strive to bring you interesting news, educational titbits and inspiring humans to keep you engaged and excited for our wild and wonderful future.

Have a rad weekend out there folks, and as always, thank you for taking the time, for wild places!

Elanor (she/her) & the For Wild Places team

CHECK US OUT ON INSTAGRAM

UPCOMING EVENTS

27/04 Trail chat #12 with Aubri Drake (they/them) | RSVP

18/05 Trail chat #13 with Hayley Pymont | RSVP

06/06 TRACTION: Gariwerd | RSVP

15/06 Trail chat #14 with Jake Fedorowski | RSVP

We acknowledge the the First Nations people who have been custodians of land, waters and culture for tens of thousands of years. We pay respects to First Nations Elders past, present and emerging.

This email was compiled on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation. To these people, we pay our respects.

Always was, always will be.