Do you have any favourite historical and modern explorers and adventurers?
When I was little, learning about Australian explorers in infants and primary school, I imagined myself as each of them as I played on the property, we had horses so Eyre was a favourite. Walking to school became a daily adventure as my 8yo imagination turned everything into deserts and mountains and rivers.
At about 10 I learnt about aboriginal trackers and was totally in awe of their ability to read their landscape. After school I'd be in the bush tracking animals, interpreting changes in insect behaviour, studying scats, scratchings and bones.
Who else had to read Robyn Davidson's epic camel journey, Tracks, as part of their yr8 curriculum? She is my first real inspiring adventurer.
Since then I have held many in very high regard but a few stand out like Sorrel Wilby, Ffyona Campbell, and Paula Constant for their stories of courage and personal struggles, their successes and being able to share in their journey through books and documentaries.
I also enjoy reading the stories on here, seeing photos of great destinations, this is also inspiring
He seemed 10ft tall and bullet proof. It wasn't until I became older that I started to ask about his feats when he was younger, and as it turned out he spent several summers in Chamonix around the crowd mentioned above. He didn't push himself to climb pioneering routes like these guys, didn't risk his life trying to make a living out of mountainering but you can still find his name in guide books as a first ascentionist of some routes. He went on to be the leader of the local Mountain rescue team for several years and through be a teacher he had the oportunity to introduce walking and climbing to thousands of kids. 
