A World Jamboree- The Pre Tour: Part 1

To begin our time in Japan we explored the country on an eleven day pre tour, going to Tokyo and surrounds  down to Kyoto, Osaka and Koyasan. This is the Tokyo Chapter
As I stepped off the plane into the airport I could already feel the heat and humidity coming in from a Japanese summer. It was a bit of a contrast to Canberra which I left almost 24 hours before hand.  
After making our way through the airport we walked outside to be greeted by a not so pleasant 35 degree Celsius heat with 90% humidity. We were eager to get on the air-conditioned bus and make our way into Tokyo.
Our first stop was a roadside rest stop where we had our first experience of those famous Japanese vending machines and also those musical Japanese toilets... (I do not miss them).

We made our way to the Japanese future science museum where we saw everything from Robots to Rockets and even got to sit inside a submarine! The coolest and by far the creepiest thing in the museum was a human looking robot. When I first saw it I was pretty convinced that it was a human!

Next stop was lunch. We made our way over to a shopping mall and found a food court. For the record I do not speak any Japanese at all so ordering food was always a challenge unless you wanted Coke to drink. It appears that asking for a coke is a universal language.
I figured out how to order Takoyaki- Fried Octopus balls with vegetables and they were so delicious!

Takoyaki!

After lunch we made our way to the hostel to have the long awaited Japanese Bath.
Many tourists avoid the public baths during their time in Japan but we really had no option but to! Our hostel and most of the places we stayed at only had public baths so we go pretty use to them.

After dinner and a bath we went to bed pretty early, enjoying the air conditioning and the quite room.

We got up early the next morning to celebrate National Marine Day by visiting Tokyo Disney Sea!
I've been reliably informed that the rollercoasters are great and everybody had heaps of fun! I, however managed to get a lovely stomach bug which prevented me from going on any rides and eating everything expect for frozen mango.

Our third day in Japan was spent up in the mountains, going fro a walk and white water rafting. Again, I have been informed that it was a really fun day but my stomach bug was still there.

Part of the Walking Track- Photo by David McKay

  Day four was a much better day! The stomach bug was gone and we began our day by navigating the Tokyo Subways (To date, this is the hardest navigation task I have done!). We successfully made our way to the Tokyo Sky Tree and rode the lift almost to the very top! The view from the top was incredible! And the view from the glass floor was even better!

The view from the glass floor

   After a stop at the Sky Tree we made our way to the Meji Shrine. On the way to the shrine we stopped for lunch with some people having McDonalds or getting sushi from the 7/11
On our way back we stopped at the Sensoji Temple which was truly spectacular in the fading light.

The Sensoji

Day 5: We headed out of Tokyo to Mt. Fuji on the only raining day during our time in Japan. We drove halfway up the mountain and stopped at the tourist shops there, buying souviners, food and taking photos of the non existent view. It rained all day so we never saw the mountain but we did have noodles for lunch, and they were some really delicious noodles.
We headed back into Tokyo for our last night in the city, packed our bags and got ready to explore the rest of the country over the coming days.

A World Jamboree

There aren’t many people who can say that they camped for 2 weeks with 33,000 other scouts from 156 different countries and territories. Those who can, including myself will tell you that it is a truly life changing experience.

From the 19^th of July until the 13^th of August, myself and 300 other Australian scouts and leaders travelled around Japan and participated in the 23^rd World Scout Jamboree in Yamaguchi, Japan. It was an action packed few weeks where we experienced everything from tea ceremonies, to the exhilarating rides at Disneyland. There were so many amazing experiences and highlights which I look forward to sharing with you all over the coming weeks. 

Since I’ve been home, all my friends and family have been asking what the best thing of the whole trip was. My answer is simple- living with scouts from all over the world for 2 weeks, sharing each others cultures, languages and exchanging friendships.

Those weeks I spent in Japan are ones that I will never forget. I’m so looking forward to sharing my Japanese adventure with you all!

Ramshead Ramblings - 6-8 July 2015

There are some places in Australia that are as magical in winter as they are in summer.
Ramshead Range is one of these places.
Many people trave along the range in summer to reach Australia's highest peak- Mt Kosciuszko ( 2,228 m), but not many do in winter.

Snowflakes attached to the shrubbery peeping through the minuscule layer of snow

Last year, I camped along this range and in some places we measured at least 5 meters of snow. This year however, due to the atrocious season, we barley measured 5 cm.
Despite the horrible snow cover, myself, Nick Hall and Sarah Collum guided a group of 3 novice venturer scouts with Marcel Muller and Ian Hewitt supporting our trip.

To get to the range there are 2 options:
1. Walk up from Dead Horse Gap- A really nice walk going down, but hard going walking up with a heavy pack.
or
2. Catch the Kosciuszko Express Chairlift from Thredbo to the top of Eagles Nest.
Option 2 was our choice not just because we had teenagers who hated walking up hill, but it cut a significant amount of time off our trip meaning that we would have more time and importantly energy to set up camp.

We set off from Thredbo around 10:00 am and arrived up at eagles nest for the obligatory coffee, hot chocolate and raisin toast.  After the last coffees and final briefings we set out along the Kosciuszko Walking track (which was still clearly visible due to the lack of snow). About 4 km along the track, we verged off to the base of the steep slopes were we found a rock overhang with enough snow around it to build a tent platforms and build walls around the overhang to create our very own deluxe snow cave with built in shelves, water supply and candle holders. exploration of the site revealed that 15 m above our camp areas was an incredible ice face, despite being only 8-9 meters tall, which was perfect for a bit of ice climbing.
After lunch we built a wall out of snow blocks to block off part of our cave from the elements and put 2 tarps over the top.
If you've ever slept in a snow cave you will know how important it is to level out the floor to ensure not only a goods night sleep but any sleep at all!

After eating dinner we went to bed at 7 pm (I know, a group of teenagers going to bed at 7 is strange). We neglected to level our floor during the day so as we lay down we quickly discovered that we would slide down to one end of the cave into the smallest part of the rock overhang. It proved to be a rather uncomfortable and sleepless night.

Nick and myself with our participants enjoying our snow cave

We woke up the next morning and spent around an hour slowly rolling out of bed, packing up our gear and melting down snow for hot drinks and breakfast.
After breakfast we started building our quinzhee.

A quinzhee looks similar to an igloo, but is made in a completely different method. Igloos are made from snow blocks, stacked to form a dome. Whereas a quinzhee is made from a pile of snow which you hollow out to form a cave.

The team building the quinzhee

 After we built the quinzhee we noticed that the slope above the quinzhee would make an awesome slide. So we got digging and carved out a track with crash barriers and all! We spent a good part of the afternoon sliding down trying out every method we could think of including sliding on down the snow shovels.

For the rest of the afternoon we made a coffee run to Thredbo and levelled out the cave. As the sun set we carved objects like hearts out of the snow .

We settled in for the night again and had a far more enjoyable sleep.
We woke up in the morning to view the incredible sunrise whilst drinking coffee.

The sunrise

Early morning sun over the Hilleberg tent

After breakfast and the pack up we spent the morning ice climbing. For a majority of us, this was our first time ice climbing and the climb certainly did not disappoint.

Slamming the crampons into the ice

After a full morning of climbing we had lunch ad slowly headed back to Thredbo to catch the chairlift down.

Another adventure over but once again our 3 day ramble along Ramshead truly captivated me and all who came.

Women’s Sleeping Bag Review- Macpac Latitude 700 XP Women’s model

A good sleeping bag can really make a trip so much more enjoyable. Anyone who has ever been hiking with me will know that I love sleeping and I love a warm sleeping bag.

A few years ago, I started looking around for a new sleeping bag to replace my old sleeping bag. I discovered the Macpac Latitude 700 XP Women’s model. With a comfort rating of -4 degrees Celsius, it makes a fantastic3 seasons bag for Canberra and the surrounding regions but I have also slept comfortably in it on the Larapinta trail in the middle of July where it got down to 2 degrees Celsius some nights.

Technical Specifications:

Weight: 1.3kg

Fabric: Pertex ® Endurance (An ultra-light, super breathable, waterproof and wind proof fabric)

Down weight: 700 g  

One of the best aspects of this sleeping bag is the fabric the outer is made from. Pertex ® Endurance is a fantastic fabric for sleeping bags. Lightweight, waterproof and wind proof yet still breathable ensure that you get maximum protection from the elements without making the bag extremely heavy. Having a waterproof bag doesn’t exactly mean that you can put it out in the rain and it will be fine, it simply prevents the condensation that will drip onto your bag from making the down wet causing it to clump and lose all of its insulating qualities.

As with any sleeping bag, the Macpac Latitude 700 XP Women’s model performs best with the use of a inner sheet, be it silk, cotton or fleece. The inner sheet creates a barrier between your body and the sleeping bag, preventing any grime imbedding its self into the down.

I am yet to find a flaw in this sleeping bag. It is warm, relatively light weight and it is really comfortable. It is however, like most Macpac gear, rather pricey with the recommended retail price $849.99 AUD, but if you buy it during one of Macpac’s frequent sales you can get a significant reduction on the price.

Overall, the Macpac Latitude 700 XP Women’s model is a fantastic sleeping bag for anyone who loves spending time outdoors. I have never been cold in this bag and I hope you are never too.

 

 

 

The Wilderness

7 am. Sunday 27 July 2014- Ramshead Range Kosciusko National Park -3 degrees Celsius  

The air is fresh.

The sun is shining.

I unzip my tent. I look around. All I can see is the clear blue sky and the glistening, fresh white snow.

The view from my tent was perfect.

I zip up my tent and lie back down. I look up and see the shadows of the snowflakes resting on my tent. A reminder of the day before filled with blizzards, strong winds and the cold.

Somehow, the hardships of the day before, the physical and mental struggle, were all worth it.   

I look back on that morning fondly. It was truly the day that re-kindled my love for the outdoors and my passion to share it with others.

I am often reminded of the quote from the pioneering environmental activist John Muir – “Thousands of nerve shaken, over civilised people are begging to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity”

Come join me on this adventure of sharing my adventures with the world.