After the fires | Solo hike and wild cliff top camp
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- Join me for a physically and emotionally challenging adventure in the Aussie Bush.
After months of waiting, I finally get to check on one my favourite places. I walk for more than 10km through country devastated by the 2019-20 Australian bush fires. It's tough to take it in, the enormity of what has happened, the loss that has been suffered and the impact to country. As I walk deeper into the wilderness, I wonder, can I see the old country? Is this what it used to look like? My thoughts are consumed by the conflict between the beauty and devastation before me.
After hours of hiking, I find myself on top of an amazing valley, hidden deep in the wilderness. Exhausted, I enter and climb out the other-side, driven by one question? did the gorge survive? did the fires get in? Finally, after months of waiting, I have my answer!
I set up camp in one of the most amazing places I have been. I light the camp fire and enjoy the feeling of a hard days work and being back under the star. I cook a steak on the fire and enjoy being outside, camping, exploring and finally having adventures again!
Awesome Video!!
Love your videos Eric
Thanks for the video mate. Cheers for that
Very enjoyable to watch. Thanks for making this video.
This a beautiful video Erik. Its always amazing to see how the bush eventually comes back. I always say Australia IS the Phoenix. From ashes come life. The birds and wildlife will return with the vegitation. They always do ❤
I'll be fair dinkum with you Erik, when I go to full screen on my notebook with no other you tube videos on the sideline, it really makes me feel as though I'm sitting with you enjoying all that scenery and your campfire. One's childhood memories take over. When I get back to Oz, after a 42 year absence I'm going to be spending stacks of bush time in that country. That sandstone country where you are starts about 20 ks south of where I was bought up, where the great dividing range takes a turn to the south to follow the east coast into Victoria. The range comes down from the North and makes a loop at the top end of the Hunter Valley then heads south. Those magnificent sandstone cliffs border the Goulborne River which cuts through them before it runs east into the Hunter River near Denman. I spent so much of my early life exploring and camping in there. That was Dingo and Yowie country in those days. In about 1958 old George Henderson who was a dogger trapped a Yowie and the massive skin was put on display in our local general store. To day that would have caused an up roar and made headlines, but back then the local "experts" said it was an escaped Orangutan, it was a dark grey, almost black and far too big to be an Orangutan. Yowies are real but don't worry they won't hurt you. I remember it well. Absolute magic country mate. You really do it justice with your videos Erik, great work mate.
Thanks Col, glad you enjoyed the video mate. Its special country alright and it gets under your skin. Hope you can get back out there soon. I get lots of comments about Yowies, but your's is the first I am going to look in to lol. Cheers mate!
Before I watch this I live south of Nowra. Was a horrific time heartbreaking.Very sad and scary. But I’m amazed at how quick it has bounced back. Wildlife is returning and things are getting green again very quick. And what do you eat in total fire bans. Large part of when the fires were on we couldn’t even use a gas bbq outside in suburbia let alone in the bush. And to be honest I get board quick without a camp fire cook….now I’m finished I’m so impressed with the effort you take to show us this mate. 🙏
i really hope your youtube channel blows up and gets more traction. your content is absolute quality mate and more people need to watch
Good shit Erik
Love the shout out to Steve Wallis, you two guys couldn't be more different and yet you both show how to enjoy and be inspired by getting outdoors. Anyway, I live in Oregon, one of the most beautiful places on earth, but completely different from the Australian bush. I'm getting to be a bit on the old side now, but not too old to plan for a trip to Australia when we can travel freely again, and maybe experience a bit of it.
Thanks for watching Frank, glad you enjoyed it. Hopefully things will become more normal soon and travel will be easier so you get to explore this amazing southern land. Cheers Erik.
I really enjoyed this latest video Erik and it was interesting how you juxtaposed the old and new footage, showing how the place had changed before and after those wicked fires.
I am sure you would have been exhausted when you got home, both physically and mentally but also reassured that the entire area didn't go up in flames. Those views ( both burnt wasteland unburnt valley!!
Did you end up hearing any birds or insects at all in the burnt out area?
Hi Donna - thanks for watching! The walk in was the most taxing, trying to take it all in while walking 12+km through that devastated landscape. I was happy to see many species of native grasses than I haven't seen before - really made me think about what this country used to look like (before European settlement). I saw a couple of freshly dug wombat burrows and a couple of Wedge-tailed eagles (but these can have large home ranges). Unfortunately not much in the way of other birds or insects through the burnt country - but luckily much more near the gorge.
@@ERIKOFFTRACK good to hear that the wombats probably survived the fires. I've heard that if you're small enough, a person could survive a fire down a wombat hole, if you didn't come face to face with said wombat. :-)
Thanks so much Erik for continuing to provide us with such quality and entertainment. Really appreciate all the hard work you put in to provide amazing photography and landscape footage...just awesome to witness your dedication/admiration for the Australian bush....thnx for allowing us to be a part of it 👍🏼
🇦🇺🦘
Thanks Jeff - appreciate your ongoing support! Cheers Erik
Erik I must suffer from vertigo because every time you got close to the edge my stomach jumped to my heart. I'm almost sure you could here me say step away from the edge mate. WE live in the best country in the world and adventures like yourself bring it alive every time you share your experiences. Great job thank you.
Thanks Wayne, yeah my other half said the same thing when she saw the video. The camera made it look closer than it was and I was mostly a few m back from the edge.
Yes, I felt exactly the same thing, especially as in the news that day or a day before, a poor girl lost her footing and died, falling off one of the old military installations at North Head, Manly, NSW, whilst taking sunrise photos with her friend and getting too close to the edge, losing her footing.Tragic.😢
Please be careful Eric!
Understand where you're coming from with Solo, seems a big move in the beggining but funny how you come to like it, good advice for begginers. Enjoying your vids 👍I've a snow camp on my channel any questions let me know.
Video quality is on point and love the long videos, could watch it all day. If only I could give 2 thumbs up. Keep up the great work Erik, love it.
Thanks Matthew, glad you enjoyed it. New camera and editing software for this video, trying to improve the quality all the time.
Cheers Erik
Which state are you in, and how do you go about finding the appropriate rules and regulations regarding camping/hiking in those remote areas? This type of camping has me more and more intrigued with the amazing views!
The rules vary by state and land tenure and it's not always easy to find out, but it is usually possible with a bit of research.I would suggest starting by looking for the specific plan of management for say a National Park of interest.These normally give you a good sense of what is and isn't allowed.
Great Vid ... what's your pack weight all loaded?
Thanks for sharing. What an amazing country with such a diversity of landscapes. It always makes me wonder how those cliffs were formed - like layers of pancakes. Not so keen on t he sheer drops though - you had my stomach in my mouth several times.
Thanks Janine - yes those pancake rocks and cliffs were something! Very cool little valley. My other half said something similar about the sheer drops, but hopefully helped to give a sense of scale. Thanks for watching
I havent watched any of your videos since before the fires. This is heart breaking! Do you have a video of what it look like now (April 2021)?
Should be one up in the next couple of days actually. The vegetation is coming back and there are birds and insects again. The fire impact will stay for a long time and time will tell how well it actually recovers. But it's certainly looking good after the recent rains.
Amazing place.... Great video, well done.
Awesome stuff.
Did it get windy camping on the ridgeline?
Not a whisp all night
I love our sunburnt country .. a land of leaping flames. Thanks Erik for showing us the devastation of the bushfires and the rejuvenation that is happening slowly. Nature is a wonderful healer. Great vlog mate and I felt for you climbing out fom the gorge. Fantastic phoography to capture tje landscape in those conditions. Stay safe. Bushyboy Oz.
Great video mate thoroughly enjoyed it! Cheers for answering that question too that was cool to hear!
Im 24 minutes in and that place looks awesome,what a view
Thank mate! Yeah it's a great place. I enjoyed taking your knife along for the adventure!
Awesome hike! Thanks for sharing
Seeing the green oasis, which survived the fires, almost made me sob... Far away greets from Germany 🇩🇪! Great videos!
Yes! Can't wait to watch this with a craft brew in hand tonight!
It took me about 10 nights to feel comfy solo camping... but you do get used to it.
Great video Erik, loved the before and after shots... heartbreaking for sure, hopefully it will come back in the next couple of years.
Thanks Amy - hope it was a good brew and you enjoyed the video. Cheers Erik
Thanks for the video Erik. I felt your pain at seeing the fire devastation....I walk in Girraween NP, Qld, a lot and big parts of it were trashed by fire in Feb 19. I visited a few months after and nearly cried at what I saw...another 16 months on and the regeneration has been amazing. Still very sparse undergrowth but also lots of greenery. The Aussie bush has amazing powers of recovery. Looking forward to your next adventure!
Great to have you back Eric. Yeah pity about the bush but that's Australia. It'll come back quick enough. That gorge is spectacular. And I know pictures rarely do things justice. It must be amazing to be there. Great video, thanks Eric.
Every second weekend I hike (2 hours on trai before nicking back home) through the bush of Mt Disappointment-Kinglake in Victoria Aus, a place stripped by the fires of 2009. Three years after the fire, the scrub was thick again. The old trees still tell of the scars with many dead giants, but it is so lush and thick, going off track is a challenge. I look forward to your return to that place in a couple of years. You will be impressed. What camera are you using in this one? Looking good.
Yeah will be interesting to see how it comes back - my sense is that this is the hottest that area has burnt. It looked fairly cooked in places. I went out again about 20km from this palace the weekend after and the fires were no where near as hot. This was the first trip with the new Olympus OMD Em1 iii, shot this footage with a low bit rate, so should only get better from here. Thanks for watching.
That is some pretty county even after the fire glad to see you agail thank you for making the video love it and to watch you,
Awasome sunset in an ancient place
Another great one Erik. That place is a knockout. Nice to see life returning to the forest.
Don’t be sad mate. It’s the very natural way of things... nice vid.
great to see you back on new adventures
Great video. So good to see what the country looks like up there. Pretty sad. But nice you found that lovely green oasis.
Thanks Kate - pretty sad indeed, but very interesting to see how much the fires have changed the landscape. The one thing that surprised me the most, was the sheer amount of native grasses that were growing, where previous there was none, including a whole bunch of interesting species I had never seen before.
ERIK OFF-TRACK I cant wait to get out there. I’m looking at the fire burn maps now. Planning a little trip. Can’t wait for it to warm up a little so I can get deep into the gorge.
Unbelievable how much the landscape has changed isn’t it!
So much contrast between the burnt high ground and the lush valley below.
Great video, good to see you back on the trail. Really enjoyed seeing the cuts from your last trip to see the difference, that water fill up spot really illustrated it!
Happy trails mate!
Thanks mate - yeah amazing to see the difference fire can make in the landscape! Glad you enjoyed it.
Awesome vid Erik glad to see another great adventure look foreword to many more mate.
Another great video Erik! Loved the comparison shots, crazy difference in the landscape and how it affected your hike. Hopefully you get out to test out that new tent, looking forward to the next one!
Thanks Pete - yeah I felt it was important to show the difference. Looking forward to testing the new tent (Wilderness Equipment Second Arrow UL) will need to get it out and about before it goes anywhere near the snow.
An extra week Erik but logistics .absolutely awesome hike ..🇦🇺👍
It's so strange without birds :O Still a beautiful landscape.
Great little adventure. While looking barren now after the fires I bet it will back to what it was in a year or two ;)
The fires looked to have burnt really hot through there, so will be interesting to see how the country responds. Thanks for watching
Great video again Erik, cheers mate.
You're a brave fella. I am yet to return. Yes, Australian flora is fire adapted, but not to that intensity. The lack of fauna is heartbreaking. Looks like it will be known as the Budawang Plains without its thick forest. Edited to add.... Where can I get the SAK firesteel? My Ranger needs one. Also, this video had a lovely happy outcome, thanks for sharing the relief and elation of camping in your happy place.
Yeah it was a tough hike. The fire looked to have been very intense through there, so it will be interesting to see how the country responds. I was so relieved to see my happy place was largely ok. The SAK fire steels (fire flies) are made by a company called Tortoise Gear in the states, very cool, but postage can be a bit of a killer.
@@ERIKOFFTRACK broke our hearts a bit watching this vid, we saw the aftermath up here in Qld of our fires but yours down there was next level 😢
Last time i did a hike through bushfire laden trees i come out looking like a commando in full war paint 🤣
Great vid.
Thanks - yep coated in it!
Thanks for answering my question! Dunns Swamp in Wollemi National park is a place i'd love to visit.. Would be magical to find where the Wollemi Pines are located.
That location where you had a coffee looked like a green screen, those sun rays hitting those mountains breathtaking! Always a pleasure watching the adventure you bring us on.
Thanks Mick, yeah not a bad spot for a coffee - thanks for the question too, had fun answering those. Cheers Erik
You wouldn't want to be a sleepwalker...
Definitely not
As always Eric a great Video. Interesting to see the changes to the landscape. I'm yet to get out and see the differences in Vic. Just wondering how do you find the strength when your really buggered from exploring so much to walk out the next day when you wake up sore? I often find I get so lost in the beauty of nature that sometimes I have walked much further than originally planned and struggle with the walk out.
Yep the next day is always harder! I certainly felt it on this trip after not hiking for a while. When the going gets tough, I just try and get into a rythym and put one foot in front of the other. I also try to break up the trip into parts and then tick them off as I make it to the next bit. Cheers Erik
Hey, didn't realise that question would end up on here! Sooo could have come up with a more thought-out question!.. our only excuse is that we were camping ourselves at the time, in dodgy service!🤦
Haha - good that you could get out for a camp too. Absolutely no excuse needed. There was actually an old silver mine that operated for a year or two at the turn of the century, only a couple of km from where I camped. The mine was accessed via a set of ladders set up on the cliff (still there - at least they were before the fires). Legend has it, one night, the miners returned from a trip to town and after a big evening and fell asleep out in the open on-top of the cliffs. They awoke the next morning, surprised to find themselves covered in snow.
New subscriber. I enjoyed the video. Awesome views. Thanks for sharing this experience.
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Erik, that steak looked yum as ... but ...when o when are you gonna do a dirty steak mate?😉
I keep forgetting, next camp!
Awesome stuff Erik but how do you go about your business💩 on a cliff?
Haha about 20 m from the edge - where ever you can find a small amount of soil
Steak police here. We need you to come in to our HQ for a little chat Erik.
Baha!
Not sure how responsible it is to hike into such a fire affected area - I am going to guess by the lack of clues of the location the area was ‘closed’. And then by posting it in effect you are encouraging others to do so as well.
Your guess is completely wrong. I waited more than five months for this area to re-open again. It was open when I was there and it remains open now. I don't mention locations for the exact reason you suggest.
@@ERIKOFFTRACK perfect reply mate