Wild magazines, eBay and Hiking

So I have an obsession with Wild magazines...there you go, I admit it!

For the last few years , since rediscovering hiking, I have had a burning desire to collect the whole 105 issues in the Wild magazine set. I am mainly after old issues as I have subscribed the last couple of years and love the day it arrives all shiny and new! (that is if I can get it off Sue to read)

Over the last couple of years I have been buying back issues on eBay and recently picked up issues 17 to 32. This is from 1985 to 1988. Now I know this is quite a while ago, BUT, these magazines often have hidden gems of knowledge allowing us to discover new walks or places to visit. It is also great fun looking at the advertisements for gear or just the pictures of hikers in the 80's!

This time on eBay I was lucky enough (click "Read more" below) to meet Phil, who is a Tasmanian bushwalker, and he was kind enough to send me some photos of a couple of trips he had done in the snow up around Cradle Mountain.

To quote Phil, "This pic was taken a few years ago when there was about 9 inches of powder around Dove Lake and it was waist deep up top and down to Lake Rodway"

I love this photo, looking at Cradle Mountain and Little Horn in the distance, across Lake Dove with the old boat shed in the foreground. I have never seen this area with snow like that, but would love to one day.

Phil also sent me some other pictures he had taken on a walk about 2 weeks ago. He said in one of his emails that he had to dig his way out of his tent in the morning....nice.

So for all you Tassie junkies, here are a couple of Phil's recent photos. Thanks Phil.

Phil also put be on to another blog maintained by a mate of his. This guy, Walter van Praag , was born in Holland almost 42 years ago, diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at age 10 and moved to the clean air in Australia when I was 13 years old.

I have taken some information off his blog for you to have a quick scan...but please read more, it is a great story!!

Just over a year ago I decided to cycle the Orient Express in Europe from Paris to Istanbul. When my health advisor/doctor Dr. David Reid heard about this idea he suggested I do the 4000km ride for CF awareness and publicize it.

One thing led to another, and The Great COFE for Cystic Fibrosis was born. FW I like this COFE for Cystic Fibrosis!!! This link opens the blog.

Since then a lot has happened. My friend David who used to be a helicopter rescue paramedic and is now in the police force has accepted the responsibility of being the assigned Trip Medic en-route. My wife’s friend Heather Lea from reved.net has agreed to being the official COFE journalist, and Troy Phillips, a friend from Devonport, Tasmania is coming along as the official mechanic and support vehicle driver.

We are smartly dressed by Patagonia, and a VW Caddy has been donated by my friend Martin Quelle from Holland. We have borrowed money to invest in broadcast quality camcorders, a helmet-cam and some other gizmos and the team has pledged to help shoot footage for an inspirational documentary on living with Cystic Fibrosis!

Coughing the Distance (FW see great sense of humour!!) will be 45 minutes and will show myself and my team with our old bikes and tents, managing CF on the road and maintaining an active lifestyle.

We intend to professionally produce the documentary in Tasmania from the digital high definition footage that we bring back. It will then be marketed world-wide, with profits going to Cystic Fibrosis Research. The result will be an inspiring documentary that will show young people with CF and their friends and family that living with CF, although debilitating, does not mean we are SUFFERERS. We may have Cystic Fibrosis, but we can still have a good quality of life and can still attain feats normally reserved for elite sportsmen!