Your other passions? Is there such a thing?

[jobell]

Hey all, it’s clear that we are a group of people who are seriously passionate about our bushwalking. Like many of you I can lose myself for hours just researching a new pack or a new route. I was curious though what, if anything, your other passion/s were? And are you able to do them during lockdowns?

Mine is kayaking. Preferably sea kayaking (although I am fairly new to using a sea kayak on open water) but I have a smaller sit on top as well for easier deployment in different situations. Kayaking puts the biggest smile on my face. It’s been on the back burner for a number of years as I have prioritised bushwalking “while my legs would still carry me”. While the travel restrictions and lockdowns messed with my walking plans this year I have been fortunate to be able to rediscover just how much I enjoy kayaking. Any other kayakers in this group?


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[Aardvark]

I have to include kayaking amongst many other passions.
I was lucky enough to get into canoe polo at high school when i lived in Nowra. We made our own kayaks out of fibreglass at school using moulds. The Shoalhaven and a creek near Bomaderry were handy training grounds. We did some white water stuff in the Kangaroo river. I've taken many an opportunity to do some since.
Moving to Southeast Queensland in 1980 has resulted in a more significant priority on Sea Kayaking.
There's more than 5 kayaks in the garage at present. They have all in some way contributed to exploring nearly all the waterways around SEQ and Northern Rivers NSW.
I have included kayaking activities on many of my forays to NZ also.

[north-north-west]

It's been on the backburner for the last couple of years, but kayaks are wonderful. Any sort of watercraft, really. but the advantage of kayaks (and packrafts) is that you can go off alone so easily.

Other big passions: Diving for a few decades, but the neck damage put an end to that. Caves. Nothing like a loverly crawl through a cave. Then when you combine those two and you're diving in caves ... YeeeHAWS!!!!!!!

[crollsurf]

Canoeing, which is a bit eccentric in todays world, is a passion of mine.
I love the art of canoeing, the J stroke and all it's variations, the draw, the pry and navigating to land without getting my feet wet. Getting your feet wet and walking up stream, towing your boat behind you, waiting for the tide and finding that secret camping spot.

Packing the esky and the glamp tent, the BBQ, the real man steak and a beer or 3. A nice bottle of wine and a self inflating bed. But what I like most about canoe camping is being by myself, in luxury.

Myall Lakes NP

Another nice morning canoeing

[Moondog55]

Building speakers.
My stereo system.
Making biggerer and betterer loud party speakers
Collecting old vinyl at garage sales

[jobell]

It's been on the backburner for the last couple of years, but kayaks are wonderful. Any sort of watercraft, really. but the advantage of kayaks (and packrafts) is that you can go off alone so easily.

Other big passions: Diving for a few decades, but the neck damage put an end to that. Caves. Nothing like a loverly crawl through a cave. Then when you combine those two and you're diving in caves ... YeeeHAWS!!!!!!!

Ooooh, I do like caving. But not combined with scuba diving! When I have gone I particularly like being the last through a squeeze and the feeling of being in the dark, all on my own, for a brief while. Mind you, I have deliberately never watched that caving horror movie that M. Night Shyamalan did. That would end caving for me I think.


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[jobell]

Building speakers.
My stereo system.
Making biggerer and betterer loud party speakers
Collecting old vinyl at garage sales

Party at your place Moondog! :0)


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[jobell]

Love those canoeing pics crollsurf. I spent 10 weeks paddling the Murray River about 9 years ago, your pics remind me of some of my campsites.


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[Moondog55]

Would you like to come to my 70th Birthday party JoBell??

[andrewa]

jobell, I also love my sea kayaking, although limited facility for an exciting trip in Melbourne. I did have a 10 day paddle in Fiordland some years ago, which keeps me interested.

But I have irons in many fires - GP, flyfishing, backcountry skiing, packrafting, sewing (sleeping bags/quilts/rucksacks/tarps/etc), knife making, handmade leather stuff, antique restoration….oh, and of course my wife and daughters!!

A

[jobell]

Would you like to come to my 70th Birthday party JoBell??

Absolutely!

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[jobell]

jobell, I also love my sea kayaking, although limited facility for an exciting trip in Melbourne. I did have a 10 day paddle in Fiordland some years ago, which keeps me interested.

But I have irons in many fires - GP, flyfishing, backcountry skiing, packrafting, sewing (sleeping bags/quilts/rucksacks/tarps/etc), knife making, handmade leather stuff, antique restoration….oh, and of course my wife and daughters!!

A

A man of many talents then! I am always particularly impressed by anyone who can sew. My patience with a sewing machine has always been ....limited. Extremely so.

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[wildwanderer]

I don't have space for a hard shell kayak so picked up an inflatable one for pottering around on the local river.

Doubt it will be suitable for more ambitious adventures but I'm looking forward to giving it a go on the river for a few hours each week

[norts]

Bikepacking - I now have a knee that wont allow me to do much hard walking with out complaining loudly, spinning the pedals doesn't give it the same aggravation.
I am in the planning stages for riding the BNT next year.
Bikepackings biggest draw back - bike gear is expensive!

[GregR]

My other passions are scuba diving, been at it since I was a teenager, coming up to 50 years now. During lockdown I borrowed son in laws crappy bike and started riding to stay sane. I now have a very nice hybrid and before this current jail sentence had started exploring quite a few rail trails. Bike packing may well enter the fray soon too.
I was going to get a kayak after I retired, but thought senior management would object to the price- strange that the bike cost more than the proposed kayak. Living near Port Phillip Bay I think that will be my next little diversion.

[Son of a Beach]

Went caving last Saturday for the first time in about 25 years. Took my kids with me for their first time. I think they loved it, although one of them got freaked out a bit towards the end of a very long tunnel crawl. Turns out I bruise (and ache) a lot more than I used to 25 years ago.

I do a bit of (sit on top) kayaking too, just casual slow paddling on the Tamar near home.

But my favourite other (outdoors) thing to do is sailboarding (ie, windsurfing), also on the Tamar near home. I've been sailing since the mid-80's (back when it was the cool new sport) and still can't reliably jibe turn a sailboard. I'm so unco! The other guys that I see out on the river are so much better at it than I'll ever be, but I do enjoy the exhilaration of scooting across the top of the water at high speed powered only by the wind, and then dragging my hand (or bum, or head) on the surface of water. Occasionally getting airborne no the chop (sometimes by accident, and usually in great fear of landing wrong).

Other passions are maps and GIS. I've always loved maps, and eventually realised that I could make a career out of GIS. Sometimes at work, when looking through maps in the GIS, I get very distracted by potential walking routes or camping locations and don't get much work done for a while.

...and then I like to write apps. Particularly GIS apps. And especially GIS apps that can be used for bushwalk planning, navigation and/or tracking. Just pulls it all together for me.

[icefest]

Like many others on here I kayak, but most of the stuff I paddle is the white stuff.
Having done a fair bit of caving as a child (my parents were both avid cave divers) I've made my way to canyoning, though unlike the usual Blueies i like to have some water flow!
... and then there is skiing and rock climbing, but that's more of a dabble.

[jobell]

Like many others on here I kayak, but most of the stuff I paddle is the white stuff.
Having done a fair bit of caving as a child (my parents were both avid cave divers) I've made my way to canyoning, though unlike the usual Blueies i like to have some water flow!
... and then there is skiing and rock climbing, but that's more of a dabble.

I have never tried canyoning, but it’s on the list. I am reasonably comfortable abseiling so that should help! Awesome pic btw Icefest.

I shouldn’t be surprised really by all the common interests we share, given we all like being active in the outdoors. I have, at various times, been into skiing, white water kayaking, cross country skiing, mountain biking, windsurfing, scuba diving and more. Bushwalking has been an enduring passion, with kayaking always in the background as my fallback option for when my legs didn’t want to walk anymore, but these days it’s taken more of a front seat. I have always paddles on enclosed waters before this year but I am really enjoying expanding my open water skills and experience this year. I am also hoping to do a paragliding course in the next few years and I would really like to do some snow shoeing back country stuff one winter too. The list grows longer every day of lockdown!


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[kicyclist]

Cycletouring or Bike Packing have been my passion, I love rocking up to places with my bike. Cycling and camping is so peaceful and promotes enjoyment of nature and that only a small amount of gear is required. Swimming and or bushwalking are always part of staying at a campsite for more than 1 night.
Since the pandemic I've not been out of SA, the regions here have more than enough to keep an aging cyclist enthusiastic!
Hey norts, BNT is huge. Which end would you start from?

[norts]

The plan is to start in early March from Healesville.

[kicyclist]

Thanks norts. You've probably checked out the NT website already, looks fantastic.
No motorized vehicles allowed on the NT! Enjoy your training and the big trip itself.
I have a touring bike and 3 MTB set up for my bike packing. Do you use a MTB?

[norts]

At the moment I am on a Specialized Chisel, but waiting on Viral Bikes Derive. I have been waiting since Dec, should be here in the next month.

[Lizzy]

Packrafting…. But it’s been so long
Also like a good snorkel

[Moondog55]

Just finished my big big big project.
And probably my last really big subwoofer.Cheap generic 18" in a 700 litre box
A couple of my other and older small subs beside it, each in a 200 litre
About a kilowatt of amp power give or take, as people in the industry are swapping to digital amps these older ones are becoming as cheap as chips, although I've had the Inkel for decades now

[ChrisJHC]

Sailing.

Just finished the Sydney to Hobart.

[Moondog55]

Sailing.

Just finished the Sydney to Hobart.

Doffs my hat in your direction.
Not a sailor buy I know how epic that race can be; finishing must be one heck of a rush

[Son of a Beach]

Sailing for me too, but at the opposite end of the spectrum, mostly on a sailboard (windsurfer).

I've also just bought a rather dodgy old Hobie Cat 14 for the kids (and myself) to sail. However, it needs a fair bit of work. I've already broken and replaced the traveller car, and will replace all the rest of the rivets in the traveller track next week. Thank goodness parts are still available for these things.

I can see that my third "passion" may end up as: Fixing the *&^%$#@! Hobie Cat! (again and again)

What was it that Rattie used to say?

There is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. In or out of 'em, it doesn't matter. Nothing seems really to matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do.

(Rattie obviously hasn't done a lot of bushwalking in Tasmania.)

[myrtlegirl]

My other big passion is making music. When I took up harp as an adult, I discovered a fabulous community both in Tas and worldwide. Harping and walking have taken me to places I never dreamed of, both geographically and spiritually.

[michael_p]

Not a passion as it doesn't take much effort but my new hive has settled in well.

[norts]

Since I wrecked my knee, bushwalking isnt as much fun as it use to be, so I now I am on the bike, bikepacking.
I have done a few rides in Tassie and last year I rode from Melb to Cape York using parts of the BNT for some of the journey.
There are still bushwalks I want to do but you dont always get what you want.

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