Backpacking

Backpacking in wilderness areas is one of my life’s great joys. The picture above shows the first time I had ever experienced a dump of snow overnight in a Myrtle forest just below the snow line on the Western Tiers in Tasmania. Having come from the desert regions of Australia, the self-portrait cannot capture the exquisite feelings that flooded through my being. When everything is shrouded in snow, it is tranquil. The snow muffles everything. You stand in this freezingly cold stillness… then a twig or branch breaks from the weight of snow, and it crashes around, twinkling, breaking the silence, only to return to the peace of whiteness. This must be a part of heaven.

Backpacking is quite a different form of camping than we ordinarily consider it, mainly because you carry everything on your back! Having your equipment, you must seek to minimise the weight and bulk of any gear carried. A lighter pack causes less fatigue, injury and soreness and allows you to travel longer distances. Evaluate every piece of equipment for the balance of utility versus weight. Evaluating equipment can achieve significant reductions in weight with little sacrifice in equipment utility. However, very lightweight equipment is often more costly.

BackpackingBobandSteve1984Backpacking in Tasmania

My introduction to bushwalking and backpacking came after moving to Tasmania, with a desire to explore the National Parks and mountains of Tasmania. Over a decade, most of the National Parks were explored. I also undertook Bushwalking Leadership Training and spent several months each year in the mountains.

Over time I began a guiding company with a close friend, Bob Parsons. I also worked on a feature film as the Wilderness Advisor and as a track-cutter in the South West of Tasmania. Thus began a long love affair with the mountains. I was particularly enjoying winter walking and camping on the Central Plateau, Walls of Jerusalem, and Cradle Mountain National Parks.

I am providing some general information gleaned from many years of backpacking. If you have done little in the way of shouldering a pack, hiking, or bushwalking, don’t do it alone. If you are the social type, you may wish to join a walking club. Here you will benefit from the more experienced members. Ensure you have others walking with you for safety reasons, especially if you intend to undertake extended trips.

Tips on packing backpacks

Camping Stoves

Clothing for Hot conditions and Cold weather

Walking Boots

Camp Food and Cooking

Tips on Tents

Snow Camping

backpacking

Cradle Mountain, Tasmania