BushwalkBushwalk
It seems like a lifetime ago that I wrote and published my first bushwalking blog.
In reality, it was only a few years back, in 2019. Prior to setting up the Adventures of Xing I had shared brief trip reports with friends and family, and occasionally posted photos and commentary on social media. It quickly became apparent that friends and strangers alike were all hungry for more information on the beautiful places I am lucky enough to be exploring.
Bender and XingA great many of my adventures are in the company of my partner Ben. He is the other half of Bender and Xing, and it is his exquisite photos that help bring to life the blog posts I pen.
The Adventures of Xing
Text Tracey Orr
PhotosBen Wells
Tracey looking towards Frenchmans Cap from Clytemnestra
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Winter Southern Ranges
We hope with his photos and my words, we can impart just a small sense of the challenges, sweat, tears, wonder and joy on offer in Tasmania’s natural backyard.
I am not a writer, nor do I consider myself an accomplished story teller. I am and always will, however, be a person that believes in the sharing the gift of knowledge. It was this passion to share knowledge that was the precursor to Adventures of Xing. Simply put, I want to help others. During the few years I have been bushwalking, a great number of amazing human beings have helped guide my walking experiences with practical and pertinent advice, and I am and will be forever in their debt. Adventures of Xing is my small way of paying it forward.
InspirationI want to inspire others to venture out of their comfort zones and find their inner child. As adults, responsibilities often weigh us down and we lose confidence to just get out and seek adventure. Watch a small child in the local park and you will see that to them,
everything is an adventure! The height of the slide, challenging wobbly little legs as they climb the rungs to the top. The whoosh of air rushing past them as they go yet higher on the swing, or the tree they climb that scratches the pads of delicate hands. Every slimy slug is fascinating and wondrous. Colourful flowers inspected, even tasted if given half a chance. There is no comfort zone, rarely fear and always, always curiosity.
Yet as we age, our inner child disappears. We can become overwhelmed by the pressures of life. Cleaning the house becomes more important than “wasting” time on a hobby. Getting ready for work or the kids prepped for school on Monday takes up an entire sunny Sunday. Words like “bills”, “responsibility”, “adulting” and “busy” replace spontaneity and adventure. Gradually over time, bit by bit, the confidence to put ourselves in situations of discomfort declines. We begin to dwell in the safety of our comfort zones, never really challenging ourselves physically or mentally. It happened to me. I’ve seen it happen to friends. Life, somehow, just takes over “living”.
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If writing about my own adventures inspires just one other person to step out of their comfort zone and seek their own adventure, then I consider that a success. Whether that adventure be as simple as joining a local walking club or climbing gym, or as ambitious as putting those long-dreamt plans of a hiking trip along the Overland Track finally into motion.
If Adventures of Xing can help others to recognise that they are able and deserving of visiting Tasmania’s wonderful natural places; if it inspires and encourages readers to learn new skills to gain the confidence to once again seek adventure - in whatever form that may take - then my many hours of writing have been worthwhile.
Hopefully the next time that voice in your head tells you that you are too busy, too old, not fit enough or a plethora of other negative
nancy thoughts, you can overrule it with “I deserve to have an adventure!” My favourite saying is “Whatever you do today, do it with the confidence of a four year old, wearing a Batman suit”. So put on your metaphorical superhero suit-of-choice and get out there!
Beginning the journeyYou don’t need to jump straight into a winter ascent of Cradle Mountain. My own journey started literally with short strolls around our local parklands, which then progressed to short day walks on formal tracks in national parks and conservation areas. From there, I really became well and truly afflicted with the bushwalking bug!
I took myself off to the Blue Mountains to do a navigational course with MountainSphere Adventures and Education as I believe every bushwalker should be proficient with a compass and map. I then joined a
Sitting atop Mount Oakleigh looking towards Mount Pelion West
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bushwalking club so I could build my skills further and dip my still new and inexperienced toes in ever more challenging walks in a safe and supported environment.
Regular trips most weekends meant my abilities and confidence grew quickly, with each new trip building on the experiences of the last. This inspired me to be a little more ambitious for the next adventure, to push further beyond my comfort zone.
Higher, further, longerAs my adventures have become more ambitious and complex, so too has the interest from other people for helpful information regarding access, route planning, walking conditions and other logistical challenges. I always try to publish trip reports that are genuinely helpful, but am also mindful to the safety and environmental concerns surrounding our delicate wilderness areas. It’s not always an easy balance to strike. By being completely honest with challenges endured to impart a true sense of the adventure, I hope those readers keen to replicate the trip will be honest with their own abilities and the risks involved. By discussing environmental issues and reinforcing strong Leave No Trace practices at every opportunity, I hope those who follow in my footsteps will tread as softly and with the same respect.
Over time the blog has grown beyond trip reports to also include sections on food, planning, gear, packing and other practical information. After all, knowing how to make a tasty post-walk recovery shake, or practical considerations for hiking as a solo female,
are no less relevant than reading about me dreaming of riding a giant wombat - Never Ending Story-style - down the Arm River Track after climbing Mount Proteus!
While I am currently predominately enjoying climbing Tasmania's 158 Abels and many of my trip reports surround that topic my list of places to see keeps growing and so too no doubt will Adventures of Xing.
RewardsOne of the greatest rewards I get is when someone contacts me to say Adventures of Xing had an impact on their life. It might be that often they are thanking me for sharing up to date information on particular tracks or other helpful practical information. But perhaps the most rewarding times are when I hear from readers that they have lived a place vicariously through my blog. For whatever reason some people no matter how much they wish they could will never be able to physically make the journey. What an honour it is to take their minds and eyes there through mine.
Blogs really are quite personal. They are a mirror into the writers experience and as my life changes so too will the blog posts and the direction of Adventures of Xing. Maybe one day my children and grandchildren will look back on the blog and read of the wondrous adventures that I had. When I can no longer adventure in the same capacity I do right now perhaps they might inspire me to find my inner child again. It is a lovely thought that perhaps someone reading this article has also just been inspired to get adventuring.
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