Christmas has come and gone, and what’s left is to tidy up. I’ve been picking through my old hard drive, in search of nostalgic gold. I watched Into The Wild earlier this week and it had quite an impact on me. I cast my mind back to the adventures I’ve had in places so wild and untamed they seemed almost magical – but then realised in all those situations I was rarely far outside my comfort zone, and only a few times genuinely without help in case of emergency. So were they wild?

A charred exterior usually signifies strife, but for many things in Australia it provides an opportunity for life to spring anew.
Perhaps it doesn’t matter. Going back through my photos, I realised just how remarkable those 4 months in 2010 were. And so many other adventures before that – camping in 2003 for 5 months, on and off; glorious hikes in the Gold Coast hinterland; some shared, some alone, all infecting me deeply with an appreciation of the natural world. 2012 has been a bit light on the wild side for me… I think that has to change in 2013!
I agree David. (Although city living can be ‘wild’ in a different way.) I think it is the serenity of those times you miss. It all awaits here in Oz.