There is a time for extremes, scaling the north face of the Eiger or free climbing El Capitan, but there is also a time to take a minute and just enjoy the slow, winding pace of the great outdoors. Lord Byron once wrote that 'There is a pleasure in the pathless woods' and never a truer word was spoken. Get off the beaten track, in and amongst the low hanging trees and rocky streams, and you will find a peace and a pleasure so absolute that it's hard to describe. When you find it though, you just know.
The best adventures always start in the early hours. Heading out before sunrise and driving into the dawn, the shipping forecast calling out the familiar Rockall, Malin and Hebredies. Eight occasionally nine. City streets turn into winding lanes, carving through rolling hills beneath a pink and blue pastel sky. Rocky outcrops become thundering mountains and from small roadside saplings, mighty pine forests soon tower above you. You find yourself alone, dwarfed by the scale of the landscape before you, spread out like a moss-green blanket. The horizon, punctuated by soaring jagged bluffs, stretches for miles and miles and the the watercolour sky is streaked with lavender and smoke grey.
If you've ever wild camped or night hiked you'll know the pleasure that can be found in cooking your own breakfast with just the forest for company. The primal nature of it and the familiar smell along with the sizzling cracks of bacon in a cast iron pan over and open fire tell you that today is going to be a good day. A hearty breakfast sets you up for the day ahead and what's breakfast worth without decent coffee? Best served piping hot and black in an enamel mug of your choice - its fuel for the day.
Nature is not just meant to be enjoyed alone though, there is much to be said for the camaraderie found over beers round the campfire on a chilly autumn night is a primal and fulfilling experience. Ever since man found the ability to create fire it has been a valuable ally in the fight against the cold and the darkness and the fire is the social hub of any camp; it's amber glow and the smell of woodsmoke on the wind gives rise to the same feeling in all of us. A well fuelled fire can burn all night, long after the last of the group has hit the hay but it's important to keep it burning, for the cold and the dark can soon win the night. It's for this reason it's vital for any adventurer to learn how to build and maintain a fire so make a point to learn and make sure you cop your own wood with a well made axe - it warms you twice.
Plan your adventure, be prepared, take your time and live well - These are the principles of our Into The Wild series - Good living and good company in the great outdoors. Wherever your adventure takes you, remember this: Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
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The best adventures always start in the early hours. Heading out before sunrise and driving into the dawn, the shipping forecast calling out the familiar Rockall, Malin and Hebredies. Eight occasionally nine. City streets turn into winding lanes, carving through rolling hills beneath a pink and blue pastel sky. Rocky outcrops become thundering mountains and from small roadside saplings, mighty pine forests soon tower above you. You find yourself alone, dwarfed by the scale of the landscape before you, spread out like a moss-green blanket. The horizon, punctuated by soaring jagged bluffs, stretches for miles and miles and the the watercolour sky is streaked with lavender and smoke grey.
If you've ever wild camped or night hiked you'll know the pleasure that can be found in cooking your own breakfast with just the forest for company. The primal nature of it and the familiar smell along with the sizzling cracks of bacon in a cast iron pan over and open fire tell you that today is going to be a good day. A hearty breakfast sets you up for the day ahead and what's breakfast worth without decent coffee? Best served piping hot and black in an enamel mug of your choice - its fuel for the day.
Nature is not just meant to be enjoyed alone though, there is much to be said for the camaraderie found over beers round the campfire on a chilly autumn night is a primal and fulfilling experience. Ever since man found the ability to create fire it has been a valuable ally in the fight against the cold and the darkness and the fire is the social hub of any camp; it's amber glow and the smell of woodsmoke on the wind gives rise to the same feeling in all of us. A well fuelled fire can burn all night, long after the last of the group has hit the hay but it's important to keep it burning, for the cold and the dark can soon win the night. It's for this reason it's vital for any adventurer to learn how to build and maintain a fire so make a point to learn and make sure you cop your own wood with a well made axe - it warms you twice.
Plan your adventure, be prepared, take your time and live well - These are the principles of our Into The Wild series - Good living and good company in the great outdoors. Wherever your adventure takes you, remember this: Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
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