Due to cancellations just 2 clients attended the first navigation weekend of the spring season. We had a great time and despite a few showers around lunch time on Saturday we enjoyed glorious clear late winter weather with only light winds. Our campsite was peaceful and quiet, and the morning sun reached us by 8am just as we set off on Sunday morning after a good night’s sleep. The days are getting longer now, we had ample time to practise navigation skills taught during the hike. The navigation weekend is full immersion into a bush environment where you learn skills and apply them while hiking in the most practical possible way. Our navigation was so pinpoint accurate we were able to navigate right up to the driver’s side of our cars at the car park when the trip concluded! You see? It works!

What a fantastic navigation weekend! A great group of people and a windy weekend with rainbows, squalls of rain, an idyllic campsite, and stars to gaze at in the evening when the clouds weren’t scudding by. There was plenty of sunshine too. With a hard westerly wind blowing throughout. The group of 9 enthusiastic navigators had heaps of fun learning a whole lot of empowering new skills during an exciting 2 day hike in a very special area. I couldn’t have hoped for a better group for this early spring navigation weekend! Thanks everyone who came for a great time!

The only 3 day navigation hike of 2022 has just completed on a rare weekend of beautiful sunny weather! The 3 day navigation hike is held in the same general area as the popular 2 day navigation weekend but takes a different and more varied route venturing deeper into the Wollangambe wilderness. The terrain is a bit more complex and difficult to navigate than on the 2 day trip. The 4 clients had the opportunity to lead long stretches and to plan their route ahead of time. We discussed the route as a team and came up with the best option. Everyone had a fantastic time. Apart from some cold showers on Friday morning, these soon cleared to a glorious weekend. A highly memorable trip enjoyed by all and a great learning experience as well as a fantastic off trail wilderness hike!

Weren’t we lucky with the weather! Clear blue skies both days is a rare thing these days! Despite the cold wind blowing throughout the day on Saturday we enjoyed sunny weather throughout the weekend. On a windy Saturday morning we gathered at Bell for the navigation briefing and then set off on the hike at about 11am. The clients learned a proven strategy and technique for navigating off trail through the landscape, and new skills were taught throughout the weekend as we encountered different terrain, scenery and landmarks during the diverse landscape. Always the scenery was superb, the wildflowers amazing, and the waratahs ablaze in balls of brilliant red throughout the bush. Our campsite was sheltered from the wind among magnificent cliffs and natural rock formations. A pleasant evening was had and a well earned rest in between the two days of active hiking and learning. A fantastic weekend enjoyed by all!

At last a weekend of sunshine, light winds and mostly warm weather! Another navigation weekend for another group of 7 clients. As well as learning a heap of new map reading and navigation skills, the clients enjoyed a weekend hike in a beautiful area of the Blue Mountains. We had an idyllic campsite despite the very large group camped nearby, except for the rain showers that sent us scurrying off to bed at a bit after 8:30pm. Fortunately the rain came after we had all finished dinner and had time to settle into dessert of chocolate and Turkish delight! The second day of hiking was longer, but an opportunity to practise navigation skills and learn new ones, and by the time we all arrived back at the cars, navigation had been very well practised indeed. Now to put it all into practice some more on future trips! Thanks to everyone for a great weekend!

This weekend’s 2 day navigation hike was a real adventure! At first the weather was clear and calm and we enjoyed the warm sunshine as we sat in the shade at Bell for our morning navigation briefing. But quickly the clouds gathered and it was already raining when we began hiking along a ridge towards our lunch spot, using newly learned navigation skills. The rain stopped while we enjoyed our lunch with panoramic views, and this allowed new map reading and sighting skills to be practised. Then in the afternoon a thunderstorm broke, unleashing lightning, cracks of thunder and pouring rain. We crossed a river and kept shy of the high ground while the storm passed, making our way to our sheltered campsite. When we arrived at the sheltered camp, 2 other groups were there but we managed to secure a corner of a sheltered cavern for ourselves where we were able to keep out of the rain and stay dry. When the rain stopped we explored the surrounding area and filled water bottles, but then got caught in another downpour. The forecast for Sunday was for even wetter weather developing so we decided to make a very early start and we were off by 7:20 to try to beat the rain. Pretty soon we got caught in a deluge and we knew we needed to get back across the river before too much more rain fell. The 8 ladies were awesome walkers and got on with the mission of getting safely down the steep gorge to the river, across the river, and safely up the even steeper rocks on the other side, all while the rain bucketed down. All was done safely working as a team and then all of a sudden the weather cleared! So we stopped for an early lunch at a point with panoramic views and took a well earned break, enjoyed the fantastic views and used the time to brew tea and then do some more navigation training, including determining our position by doing a resection, and also some techniques with digital navigation apps. A very enjoyable time making the most of the break in the weather and the fantastic views. Then the weather turned again, the wind blew in and the sky clouded over once more. It was time to head back. A wonderful and exciting weekend with a fantastic group of women from the group who named themselves the “Terrain of Thought” navigation team!