Rescued: An Outdoor Podcast for Hikers and Adventurers Caro Ryan

At just under 2000m, Mt Bogong is the highest peak in Victoria. It looms over the small township of Mount Beauty, not too far from Falls Creek, and is a classic multiday trip for bushwalkers - who don't mind over 1200 metres of vertical ascent - or in snow - for keen backcountry skiers.

Sitting within what's called the "Bogong Remote and Natural Area" of the Alpine National Park, it's a place of great natural beauty, whatever the season, and for the well-prepared adventurer, a place of exceptional wildness and epic tales.

In this episode, experienced outdoorsy type, Hilary, takes us along on her journey snow camping and cross-country skiing, when her skis stopped moving forward… but her body kept going.

Download the transcript here (TBC).

Episode takeaways:

* Importance of wearing a helmet skiing/snowboarding
* Adventuring with a group verus solo
* The importance of knowing how to manage environmental dangers (eg. cold) during first aid emergencies, how to warm someone up and keep them warm… and having the equipment to do so.
* The value of thoughtful planning and communication between those doing first aid and the patient
* The challenge of lifting/carrying a patient
* Hmmmm, fruit cake
* The trauma/stress experienced by first aiders - being able to look after themselves too
* The power of the green whistle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methoxyflurane
* The value of leaving keys with the car
* Realising that AU's Medicare doesn't cover ambulance or helicopter rescue. It's different in each state so you need to do the research for your situation.
* Why having ambulance cover is essential
* Understanding what 'back to normal' can for outdoorsy folk vs 'normal' folk
* Understanding that wellness is a process and being realistic about what that means and being kind to yourself
* Injuries don't just affect our physical body

Glossary

* Chook-footing = cross-country skiing (xc) or back-country
* Post holing = when you step on what you think is firm snow, but sink deep up to the knee or even higher. Exhausting over distance.
* Yard sale = when a skier or snowboarder crashes hard and all their gear goes everywhere. Skiis, poles, backpack. It looks like a yard (Aussie = garage) sale.
* AAWT = Australian Alps Walking Track
* DIN settings = is set on your ski bindings based on your skiing ability, weight, height, boot and conditions. It is the industry-adopted scale that allows your skis to release your boot when you crash (good, causing a yard sale) versus not releasing your ski which can exert extreme pressure and wonky angles on your body (bad).

There is so much more to Mike Atkinson (aka Outback Mike) than what we saw of his 64 days, toughing it out in the wilds of Tassie's west coast, on the first season of SBS' Alone Australia (season 2 [https://www.sbs.com.au/whats-on/article/alone-australia-season-2-meet-the-10-brave-folk-taking-on-the-wild/cqib0imtn] kicks off 27/3/23).

He's been having epic expedition style adventures since his first long hike at 11 years old with his family and building towards his first solo trip, skiing from Mt Kosciusko to Canberra, aged 17.

Watching him on ALONE, I was drawn in by his problem solving and seemingly endless tinkering to build a better existence out in takayna/The Tarkine. As you'll hear in this episode (and can read much more about in his book Modern Day Castaway [https://outbackmike.com/product/modern-day-castaway-book/]), his ALONE canoe wasn't his first.

In this ep we get to know a bit more about what drives this type of life and what it takes in the form of meticulous planning and testing, before committing to something that might cost him everything...  and how he once made the decision to call for help.

BTS: If you listen carefully, you might hear aircraft in the background. Yep… if you're going to be an Air Force pilot, you live near an airbase!

Download the transcript here [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Zt6riEYE0vXCKQ7W8B0Gzzj8O7S6x8Ay/view?usp=sharing].

Episode takeaways:

* Why life is better with adventure
* How Mike approaches problem-solving and mitigating risk
* The value of calling for help early
* What a pilot sees from the air (tips for being visible)
* Decision-making in a crisis - how not to be 'flappy'
* The importance of satellite communication and the value of 2-way devices eg. ZOLEO, InReach, etc
* Choosing who will be your emergency contact
* When emotions can surprise you and how they could affect decision making
* Preparation and planning
* What adventurers can learn from pilots - making plans for every possible scenario, mental checklists and rehearsing them
* Mitigating rescue resources through smart planning
* The issue of sharing locations to 'special spots' on social media
* The down and UP sides of risk
* Why hardship is good for us

Links from this episode:

Mike's website [https://outbackmike.com/] - outbackmike.com

Mike's book [https://outbackmike.com/product/modern-day-castaway-book/] - Modern Day Castaway

Timelapse video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zivVoAqBb0&t=134s] of Mike building his dugout canoe

Mike and his kids do the Snowies 10 Peaks [https://youtu.be/NGS6BRGVOm0?si=i1vcr-wM4qR-AIcC] Video

Thanks to sponsor Paddy Pallin [https://www.paddypallin.com.au/]

****Check out my 4 day (24-27 April) Intro to Navigation Retreat [https://lotsafreshair.com/learn-to-navigate-tasmania/] at Corinna, takayna/The Tarkine here [https://lotsafreshair.com/learn-to-navigate-tasmania/].****

What better way to wrap up 2023 and season 1 of the Rescued Podcast, [https://lotsafreshair.com/rescued-an-outdoor-podcast-for-hikers-and-adventurers/] than by loading you up with fresh stories and podcasts for your Aussie Summer Christmas road trip listening.

I'm delighted to introduce you to Ashley Saupe and her immense library of work on The Sharp End podcast.

Download the Transcript here [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cnRJVCzanyPbBeHq-ec10foBR0kQVeZH/view?usp=sharing]

LINKS

The Sharp End - Episode 53 // The Sleeper Wave (Hawaii) - https://www.thesharpendpodcast.com/episode-53

The Sharp End - Episode 76 // Live with Arc'teryx Athlete Adam Campbell (avalanche) https://www.thesharpendpodcast.com/episode-76

The Sharp End - Episode 26 // Live with Quinn Brett (fall on El Capitan) https://www.thesharpendpodcast.com/episode-26

The Sharp End - Episode 49 // Life & Death with Charlie Sassara and Jack Tackle (rockfall and leaving to get help) https://www.thesharpendpodcast.com/episode-49

https://www.thesharpendpodcast.com/sharp-end-merchandise

In what must be the most basic of human fears, James woke up to find himself buried alive.

Outside, the wind buffeted the Main Range, out past Mt Kosciusko, but all was quiet inside his cosy, white snow cave.

In this episode of Rescued, we hear from James and his mate Dylan, as they talk about their two very different experiences of this epic backcountry adventure and how escape was just the beginning.

Sincere thanks to James for sharing his very personal story.

Thanks to sponsor Paddy Pallin [https://www.paddypallin.com.au/]

Transcript and show notes TBC at https://lotsafreshair.com/category/podcast/

We venture into wild places to get away from it all.

But when it comes to calling for help, letting someone know that we're delayed or even just giving our loved ones peace of mind, we have to rely on satellite communication methods - because mobile phone coverage often doesn't reach to where we want to go.

In this episode, I speak with Linda Berryman from AMSA (that's the Australian Maritime Safety Authority) in Canberra.

We do a deep dive into Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs), along with 2-way communication devices (such as Zoleo, InReach or SPOT trackers). And yep, we also talk about the satellite capability with the iPhone 14 and some other very exciting technology that is just around the corner.

Visit the AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority) website [https://beacons.amsa.gov.au/]

If you accidentally activate your beacon, call: 1800 641 792

Other AMSA Contacts [https://beacons.amsa.gov.au/contact.asp]

We all know the importance of having solid first aid skills when we head off into the bush. A good remote area first aid course not only gives us the technical know-how of what to do in an emergency, but confidence to step in and act when someone suffers an injury.

However, there's something that first aid courses can't really prepare us for that can leave us feeling vulnerable especially when travelling solo.

In this episode, I hear from experienced bushwalker, cross-country skier, runner and all round adventure traveller, Owen, on what happened during day 24 of the 650 km Australian Alps Walking trail when he found himself alone and pushing the SOS button.

Episode takeaways:

* The value of good planning
* To consider how to deal with medical emergencies in the bush, not just obvious first aid
* Being aware of the limitations of solo walking - not able to share the load of decision making and actions
* Value of testing and checking charge on satellite comms
* Making well thought out decisions in the middle of crisis
* Value of satellite comms and the SOS button
* Importance of finding closure after an incident