Heading into the bush on foot to live with nothing but a backpack and tent.

[Psychaesthetic]

I've stopped at my mothers place a few days so I have the chance to offload deadweight, like the second sleeping bag, that's gone now.

I doubt very much there'll be any mobile reception in te valley, but even if there was, the powermonkey solar charger can't keep both the ipad and Oregon charged, and the GPSr takes priority. That's about all I'll have as it turns out, in terms of electronics. The Garmin Handheld GPSr.

Course I'll have my phone, and will probably take the ipad, but they might's well be rocks in my bag, maybe I'll be able to charge and use em in town when I go in. *shrug*

[Psychaesthetic]

I plan to go due south to Mt Solitary, where the overhangs and escarpments can provide shelter from rain and hopefully wind, thrn see where I go from there. I just have to find the easiest track down into the Jamison from town really.

Edited May 7, 2014 by Riley

[altenate]

Depends which part of the Jamison you want?

Furber, Golden Or Giant stairs will all take you that way.

If your going up Solitary to say Chinamans cave etc i wouldnt rely on water being available up there.

People shit in that creek system way to much

BTW its frekin cold at night at the moment up here!

Or are ya heading past Ruined Castle where that English backpacker supposedly got lost for 2 weeks??

There would be better, cleaner water out there.

There is also a small camping cave that was set up a few years ago under Boars head.

Water close by, ocx abseiling group might wander past.easy access to town, possible reception.

The guy who set it up has since vanished. He used to carry a fuckin big knife! I guess it was to protect himself from the Panther or something equally as mysterious...

Or Narrow neck? camping caves a plenty, some kinda set up from others who have done similiar to you.

water is obtainable, great views, easy access to town etc.

If ya want more detailed info Im happy to pass some onto you!!

If I was you I would start lower down the mtns where its 6 degrees warmer & see if your gear is up to it....

Say Springwood area where its close to town etc

[Psychaesthetic]

Sorry yeah location info would be good.

I been flat-out all day and tonight I got the last pack-and-strap to do for the morning, but I'm checking in regular.

[incognito]

U should check in at Oberon tomorrow

[briliant_botanist]

I can only think of one word, as a sane reply to this earnest post And that word is Nimbin my friend !

[incognito]

Really? Nimbin? Like live in the hills in nimbin or nimbin town.

[Psychaesthetic]

Bout an hour an' I'm off, so the next update will either be from a cafe in katoomba or the public library.

Still can't decide whether to take the ipad though. Dead weight most the time, but mmm

Anyway pack weight is down from 24kg fully loaded to 19kg, and I reakon that's as small as it's getting without tossing essentials in the bin.

[Psychaesthetic]

Wish I'd had more waypoints to stick in my gps but it's too late now.

[paradox]

you should do the six foot track.. another suggestion would be something i have always wanted to do & thats walk the entire east coast of australia. from bottom to top or the other way round.. mostly along the coast line but also taking sojourns into coastal mountain ranges along the way. a long distance nomadic journey like this has a lot of advantages.

there is almost always a ready source of food along the coast if you have limited money, there is sections of fairly secluded coastline interspersed between the abundant human infestations, if you find a particularly beautiful spot to set up shop for a little bit you can always catch & collect dinner fairly easy, stay clean by swimming, body surfing etc & theres sections of coast line where there are not many people but if you feel like some human contact it's never too far away..

if you're in the mood you can go try your luck picking up in coastal towns. also when on a long nomadic journey, if you feel uncomfortable or lonely you know you can always just pack up & keep walking & you're bound to come across some new, mind blowing landscapes & ecosystems or people that will inspire you. 'keeping on moving' for me is a good cure for loneliness.. also, when you have a long journey ahead of you & a clear determination to see it through to the end, the clear sense of purpose that instills in you can keep the demons at bay. being in remote areas alone, unless you're very suited to it, can send you crazy if you don't have a sense of purpose..

but anyway good luck riley! this is it! you have a real chance to make this the journey of a lifetime. with all the frustrations you've expressed about your recent life situation, you could see it as an opportunity, not an affliction. it's not often there comes a time in life when such a journey seems entirely justifiable. grab it with both hands & make it count! you may not get a better opportunity ever again for this!

[Psychaesthetic]

Yeah but as it stands I'll get there around 1:30pm, so I'll be looking for the closest safeish place to pint, where friday night pissheads won't burn down my tent.

If anyone wants to text cave co-ordinates or any tips or pointers, my number is 0481 216 434 .. I have unlimited texts to optus, but all thst will depend on reception.

[Psychaesthetic]

Basically, for today, I'm ai img to find the safest way down to the jamison, then walk till I find an overhang or something out the wind. That's about all I'll have time to do today.

[Psychaesthetic]

And the ipad's staying, so i'll only have the phone. ;) and gpsr's.

[Sallubrious]

Have you seen the phone app for bushwalkers called - get home safe?

Your situation would be the only time I'd ever consider using an app like that, it could save your life.

http://www.gethomesafe.com/

http://www.greatwalks.com.au/news/get-home-safe-app-arrives-in-australia

Edited May 9, 2014 by Sally

[Cubism]

Geez.....no way I can add anything to what paradox said. Great words.

So the day has come.....embrace and enjoy it Riley. This is gonna change your life brother!!!

All the best!!!

[Psychaesthetic]

Two - three months down the track, and I finally get a phone that lets me browse, email and use forums - so here I am, in a tiny camp (basically just cleared leaves) in the Jamison Valley typing this reply ;)

The wind is horrid, makes me a touch paranoid about widow-makers falling on me, but otherwise all is well. Sublime, even .. Won't let me upload mmm...

[Psychaesthetic]

I have oodles of stories, animal and human encounters, hundreds of photos and sixty+ pages of notes I've written since being out here, but that's not for here on limited battery charge ;)

[Psychaesthetic]

Suffice to say, I am indeed alive and living ten days a fortnight in the middle of nowhere. Alterations had to be made to the plan of course, since living a month at a time down here (hell just trying to carry that much stuff), is impractical. I left the tent long ago, in favour of an open plastic rain shelter and sleeping bag.

Yeah

[DiscoStu]

glad to hear you're doing alright mate

[Psychaesthetic]

First "Outing", trying to carry 25kgs with the television legs I had when I arrived here, man what a nightmare

Now, on my seventh Outing I have legs like a -panther- and a system to all of this ;)

[Psychaesthetic]

..duplicate

Edited July 31, 2014 by Riley

[Psychaesthetic]

Depends which part of the Jamison you want?

Furber, Golden Or Giant stairs will all take you that way.

If your going up Solitary to say Chinamans cave etc i wouldnt rely on water being available up there.

People shit in that creek system way to much

BTW its frekin cold at night at the moment up here!

Or are ya heading past Ruined Castle where that English backpacker supposedly got lost for 2 weeks??

There would be better, cleaner water out there.

There is also a small camping cave that was set up a few years ago under Boars head.

Water close by, ocx abseiling group might wander past.easy access to town, possible reception.

The guy who set it up has since vanished. He used to carry a fuckin big knife! I guess it was to protect himself from the Panther or something equally as mysterious...

Or Narrow neck? camping caves a plenty, some kinda set up from others who have done similiar to you.

water is obtainable, great views, easy access to town etc.

If ya want more detailed info Im happy to pass some onto you!!

If I was you I would start lower down the mtns where its 6 degrees warmer & see if your gear is up to it....

Say Springwood area where its close to town etc

You believe there're black panthers prowling around out here do you?

[PositiveHAL]

Thanks for the adventure updates Riley

Stay safe!

[FancyPants]

I only got to about halfway through the thread then skipped to the end, but it sounds like you're having a helluva adventure! Not sure if it's been covered already but maybe a small bottle of eucalyptus oil, small fine mesh (tea, poultices etc), and sodium carbonate crystals might help? Fuck it's gotta be cold where you are though!

[Psychaesthetic]

I've written dozens of pages of notes/journal/thoughts about living down here part time, and now I've changed to a new Telstra NextG phone, I can write em right in MS Word and upload them while I'm out here.

Anyone who wants to sift through these notes can find them here-> https://psychaesthetic.com

Images are a pain to upload on the phone, so the hundreds I have on my GPSr and phone will have to wait till I get back to my laptop sadly.

Since posting the last post here, I've reduced "Outings" to 7 days at a time: a week in town, a week down here. Mainly, I've done this because to stay out here 7 days, I'm carrying 10 days worth of supplies, and for 10 days, it's a fortnights worth which is just too much like work: 14 days of even dried food weighs upwards of 15kg.

Doesn't sound like alot, but just a few kilos less makes a world of difference to your back. Now, I come down here with around 10-12kgs with one weeks worth at a time.

Having said that, and having successfully spend most of the Winter freezing my dick off, I'd like to keep doing it for the other three seasons, to see how things change from Winter->Spring->Summer and Autumn.