🤓 Welcome to 2024 - New adventures and more! ⛰️

👋 Hey there ! Mowser here, welcoming you to this month's newsletter! Every month, I send this short newsletter that spills the beans on my latest adventures as well as discoveries that have caught my eye. Let's dive in!

Where have I been?

Well, over Christmas and New Year, things became a little busy so we took January off from the Newsletter and enjoyed some camping on Maria Island (you can see a video from a previous trip ​here​) as well as other summer fun.

BUT we still managed to put out a weekly video and also hit the milestone of 1000 YouTube subscribers! Thanks to all of those who have subscribed! Onwards and upwards in 2024!

As a result of missing a month, this newsletter's a little longer than usual so without further ado...

On the Trail...

During January I also managed to sneak a quick overnight walk in to a peak called Clumner Bluff on Tasmania's central Plateau. We had a great evening for it and it was a good opportunity to get in some photography and test some new gear I received for christmas! We also tried out a new prepackaged meal (​Slow Cooked Australian Steak​) from On Track Meals and it was magnificent! We added a bit of freeze dried potato and vegetables and voila!

You can check out the blog post ​here​ or by clicking on the image below.

What I'm preparing for

In February I am heading out on my annual multi-day expedition. This time, for up to 10 days, to an area called The Eldon Range in central Tasmania. A remote, off track trip, this will see us venturing to peaks that I have been gazing upon for my entire 30 year hiking career and I simply cannot wait to be out there.

Having completed a ​small part of the range before​ (which was actually featured in ​my first ever YouTube video​), as well as many other remote off track hikes, we know what we are in for and I'm now in final preparations and training.

From late February onwards we'll be running a series of videos on the YouTube Channel taking you through my planning process, how I prepare, what gear I take, what I eat and much more. So if you want to see how to plan for a big multi day mission then make sure you're ​subscribed to the channel here.

My Favourite YouTube videos of 2023

This was a tough one so I picked two.

I'm a big fan of photographer/YouTuber, ​Peter McKinnon ​- infact, his is probably my favourite YouTube channel and his video ​'I want more'​ from last year (with a sneaky appearance by Icelandic band, ​Kaleo​) was awesome. It's just a guy going on a trip to Iceland and hanging out with some friends. And the soundtrack is pretty cool too.

And coming in at equal first place was up and coming YouTuber, Dodford, with his video ​'The Redemption of Robert Downey, Jr.'​ I love Dodford's editing style and I now anticipate each of his videos. The work that goes into them must be incredible.

Piece of Gear I have been loving

The proud owner of some new hiking boots in December, I have been breaking them in over the last couple of months and after around 10 years I think I finally have found a pair of boots that my feet likes. The​ Lowa Ranger III GTX Wide​ are super comfortable and extremely durable. I have been in Scarpa boots for over 20 years (with a brief stint in Salomons) and the Lowas are a welcome change and my feet felt great on my trip to Clumner Bluff.

Book that I enjoyed

I've read a few books in the last couple of months but my favourite was ​The Happiest Man on Earth​ by Eddie Jaku. Here's the blurb from Amazon:

Eddie Jaku always considered himself a German first, a Jew second. He was proud of his country. But all of that changed in November 1938, when he was beaten, arrested and taken to a concentration camp. Over the next seven years, Eddie faced unimaginable horrors every day, first in Buchenwald, then in Auschwitz, then on a Nazi death march. He lost family, friends, his country. Because he survived, Eddie made the vow to smile every day. He pays tribute to those who were lost by telling his story, sharing his wisdom and living his best possible life. He now believes he is the 'happiest man on earth'.

Having visited some of the places mentioned in Eddie's book, this really made me think. It's amazing he survived the war at all. This book didn't take long to read and I think everyone will get something out of it. Highly recommend.

That's all for this month! If you enjoyed the newsletter then share it with your friends!

See you Soon!

Cheers,

Mowser