Rescued: An Outdoor Podcast for Hikers and Adventurers

When we hear the whisper to step off the concrete, away from the built environment and into the bush, we step into a world and a place that speaks to the very heart of what it means to be alive.

These places, away from the constraints and controls that are part of our day-to-day lives, connect us to a place that is proven to be fuel for our bodies and the salve for our souls.

By walking away from the cement, we open ourselves up to the proven benefits to our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health; but in doing so, we also expose ourselves to environments, places and conditions that require a keen sense of risk and a whole bunch of skills to keep us safe and enjoying these places for many years to come.

It’s in these places, full of wildness and joy, that we can also find ourselves facing unexpected and unplanned-for situations, even leading us to the edge of life itself.

Rescued is a podcast of conversations with rescuers and those who’ve been rescued. It’s about the lessons we learn about ourselves, the places we go and why - without judgement - to help us have better adventures, manage risk and deal with the unexpected.

So whether you’re an armchair traveller or a multiday expeditioner, the Rescued Podcast exists to help us all connect with nature, the outdoors community and learn from those who’ve gone before.

I’m Caro Ryan from LotsaFreshAir.com - a hiking and bushwalking website and YouTube channel, started in 2012, to help inspire people to spend time adventuring, teach them how to go there safely and then encourage them to do so, looking after themselves, their mates and this incredible planet that we live on.

I invite you to join me and my guests, as they share about the time when things went wrong: what happened, what they learned and how we can stop these things from happening again.

I’ll be chatting with weekend adventurers and everyday nature-lovers, people just like you and me, along with a variety of people from emergency services and supporting organisations, like those involved in training, equipment, research and academia, lending a different perspective for incidents in these wild places we love to visit.

So join me on Rescued: An Outdoor Podcast for Hikers and Adventurers, wherever you get your podcasts.

The Rescued Podcast is produced on the unceded lands of the Gundungurra and Dharug people, of the Blue Mountains of NSW. I pay my respects to Elders past and present and acknowledge their enduring connection to and care for Country.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Paddy Pallin and to Jen Brown for production support.

This has been a LotsaFreshAir production.

There is so much more to Mike Atkinson (aka Outback Mike) than what we saw of his 64 days, toughing it out in the wilds of Tassie’s west coast, on the first season of SBS’ Alone Australia (season 2 kicks off 27/3/23).

He’s been having epic expedition style adventures since his first long hike at 11 years old with his family and building towards his first solo trip, skiing from Mt Kosciusko to Canberra, aged 17.

Watching him on ALONE, I was drawn in by his problem solving and seemingly endless tinkering to build a better existence out in takayna/The Tarkine. As you’ll hear in this episode (and can read much more about in his book Modern Day Castaway), his ALONE canoe wasn’t his first.

In this ep we get to know a bit more about what drives this type of life and what it takes in the form of meticulous planning and testing, before committing to something that might cost him everything... and how he once made the decision to call for help.

BTS: If you listen carefully, you might hear aircraft in the background. Yep... if you’re going to be an Air Force pilot, you live near an airbase!

Download the transcript here.

Episode takeaways:

• Why life is better with adventure
• How Mike approaches problem-solving and mitigating risk
• The value of calling for help early
• What a pilot sees from the air (tips for being visible)
• Decision-making in a crisis - how not to be ‘flappy’
• The importance of satellite communication and the value of 2-way devices eg. ZOLEO, InReach, etc
• Choosing who will be your emergency contact
• When emotions can surprise you and how they could affect decision making
• Preparation and planning
• What adventurers can learn from pilots - making plans for every possible scenario, mental checklists and rehearsing them
• Mitigating rescue resources through smart planning
• The issue of sharing locations to ‘special spots’ on social media
• The down and UP sides of risk
• Why hardship is good for us

Links from this episode:

Mike’s website - outbackmike.com

Mike’s book - Modern Day Castaway

Timelapse video of Mike building his dugout canoe

Mike and his kids do the Snowies 10 Peaks Video

Thanks to sponsor Paddy Pallin

****Check out my 4 day (24-27 April) Intro to Navigation Retreat at Corinna, takayna/The Tarkine here.****

At just under 2000m, Mt Bogong is the highest peak in Victoria. It looms over the small township of Mount Beauty, not too far from Falls Creek, and is a classic multiday trip for bushwalkers - who don’t mind over 1200 metres of vertical ascent - or in snow - for keen backcountry skiers.

Sitting within what’s called the “Bogong Remote and Natural Area” of the Alpine National Park, it’s a place of great natural beauty, whatever the season, and for the well-prepared adventurer, a place of exceptional wildness and epic tales.

In this episode, experienced outdoorsy type, Hilary, takes us along on her journey snow camping and cross-country skiing, when her skis stopped moving forward... but her body kept going.

Download the transcript here.

Episode takeaways:

• Importance of wearing a helmet skiing/snowboarding
• Adventuring with a group verus solo
• The importance of knowing how to manage environmental dangers (eg. cold) during first aid emergencies, how to warm someone up and keep them warm... and having the equipment to do so.
• The value of thoughtful planning and communication between those doing first aid and the patient
• The challenge of lifting/carrying a patient
• Hmmmm, fruit cake
• The trauma/stress experienced by first aiders - being able to look after themselves too
• The power of the green whistle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methoxyflurane
• The value of leaving keys with the car
• Realising that AU’s Medicare doesn’t cover ambulance or helicopter rescue. It’s different in each state so you need to do the research for your situation.
• Why having ambulance cover is essential
• Understanding what ‘back to normal’ can for outdoorsy folk vs ‘normal’ folk
• Understanding that wellness is a process and being realistic about what that means and being kind to yourself
• Injuries don’t just affect our physical body

Glossary

• Chook-footing = cross-country skiing (xc) or back-country
• Post holing = when you step on what you think is firm snow, but sink deep up to the knee or even higher. Exhausting over distance.
• Yard sale = when a skier or snowboarder crashes hard and all their gear goes everywhere. Skiis, poles, backpack. It looks like a yard (Aussie = garage) sale.
• AAWT = Australian Alps Walking Track
• DIN settings = is set on your ski bindings based on your skiing ability, weight, height, boot and conditions. It is the industry-adopted scale that allows your skis to release your boot when you crash (good, causing a yard sale) versus not releasing your ski which can exert extreme pressure and wonky angles on your body (bad).

In what must be the most basic of human fears, James woke up to find himself buried alive.

Outside, the wind buffeted the Main Range, out past Mt Kosciusko, but all was quiet inside his cosy, white snow cave.

In this episode of Rescued, we hear from James and his mate Dylan, as they talk about their two very different experiences of this epic backcountry adventure and how escape was just the beginning.

Sincere thanks to James for sharing his very personal story.

Thanks to sponsor Paddy Pallin

Transcript and show notes TBC at https://lotsafreshair.com/category/podcast/

Matt U’Brien’s story is powerful.

During his 17-year policing career (mostly within the Police Rescue Squad), he’s done literally hundreds of rescues and saved countless lives whilst risking his own.

What’s unique about Matt, is that during this time he also found himself in the critical position of needing to be rescued himself.

For this, and many more reasons, I’ve asked him to join me for a special double episode to share his experiences from both sides of the rescue coin.

We talk about what led him to join Police Rescue, his love of the bush and canyoning, and some of his insights from years of helping out people like you and me, who just love being in nature. Oh, and if you’re squeamish about your family jewels, you might want to stop listening between 19:30-21:00.

Today, he’s on a different journey, one that comes as a consequence of his years spent serving the community, often being alongside people on the worst day of their lives. This year will see him travel 2,400 km from the Lambert centre of Australia (Heart of Country), to Parliament House in Canberra (Heart of Nation), with a critical message for our Country’s leaders.

You can connect with Matt and his podcast at https://linktr.ee/h2hwalk

And the Heart 2 Heart Walk at https://www.heart2heartwalk.org/

Check out the current work of the Blue Mountains Police Rescue Squad at https://www.facebook.com/BlueMtnsPoliceRescue

To learn more about what to take on a hike and loads of helpful tips and tricks, visit my website: lotsafreshair.com where you can also download free packing lists for day and overnight hikes.

Or head over to my YouTube channel for over 100 videos on how-to’s and where-to’s.

—------------

The content in this episode may be confronting and difficult for some listeners; it includes issues of PTSD, depression, anxiety, suicide and trauma. Remember, if you need help to reach out by Googling ‘Mental Health Helpline’ in your area.

In Australia, you can call Lifeline 24/7 on 13 11 14 or visit BeyondBlue.org.au.

Further urgent help and information for first responders can be found at Phoenix Australia.

—------------

Sponsor // Paddy Pallin

Rescued Podcast main photo // Ben Cirulis and fotografija.com.au

Nature SFX // freesound.org [Kangaroo Vindaloo and Monkey Pants]