Random thoughts about walking in the Bush

Imagine, you are driving towards your destination and on the way, you pass slow cyclists. Obviously, you need to let them live and so you slow down to their speed, and you are thinking about your problems and current worries. You look out the window but you still thinking, even though the scenery gradually becoming more green.

After you have evaluated each and every possible walk you know and have arrived to a decision as to which one will give you the fastest immersion in the bush with the less possible effort, you realise you need to consider the large number of weekenders and new pandemic bush walkers around. So the new plans is adjusted to wherever there are less cars parked.

You start walking at a fast pace, with sunglasses on and your head down, you are thinking so hard. You know there is so much beauty around you, but you are still deeply immersed in your thoughts. As you cross other walkers, you judge them by their look, their loudness or worse still, by their choice of movement, why are bikes allowed on NP walks again? You are still solving your current work problem, absolutely unsolvable unless you pack up tomorrow, leave everyone behind and become a pot head gypsy again like you were in your twenties. You have kids now so you can’t. Status: unsolvable!

After some time, you remember the last time you had been here, or something triggers memories of your last pleasant camping/trekking/hiking experience you enjoyed. You try to rationalise why you liked it so much. You are still thinking of that memory and now are less focused on your problem.

You have new ideas, some are actually good, but not accessible now, so you file them somewhere. You finally sit in a really good spot, last time you sat there you had a great time, you remember now. You take a deep breath and take your shoes off. Why did you not walk barefoot from the beginning? You know you need grounding, right? Download the pressure and upload certainties. you take a few breaths, barefoot now, and with your sunglasses off, you actually look and see what is around you, not the ground.

After you reach a destination, you realise that there wasn’t one, but you just needed to walk. You knew you needed it, but now you feel why you needed it. You promise yourself, as you have done before many times, to do it again and more often. You also swear that you going for a solo camping trip as soon as this lockdown ends.

On your way back, your pace is slower but more decisive. You notice the colours of the leaves, the sound of the birds, the ants moving on the ground and you smile at the awkward family walking towards you. They dressed for a Sunday out at the local shopping centre, but you sympathise with the fact that this is giving them a chance to see Nature. The Indian couple having a picnic on an Aboriginal rock engraving listening to the news on their iPhone does not enrage you, you simply think that every one is seeing what they see. And if that is what make someone happy who are you to judge? Have you not done the same, at different times and cultures. Yes you did, probably way worse in fact.

You are almost out and hearing the bikes racing in the National Park brings you back to your tasks. They are solvable. There is a multitude of angles you did not look at before. it is obvious now. On the drive back, you slow down behind a cyclist but you don’t realise you have, until he looks back at you to check why on earth you are not overtaking him now that you can.